3 Soundtracks That Hit No. 1 in the Early 70s We Still Stan

The early 1970s were gritty. The public was dubious of the powers that were at the time. The decade prior had shown a lot of guts, a lot of revolutionary work, and a lot of risk. Lots of leaders lost their lives, and the country proved darker than even some could have imagined. It was a rough time, without a doubt, for anyone who lived through it.

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This dark, gritty vibe was reflected in the movies of the time, as well as in the movie soundtracks of the time. As a result, those movie soundtracks became important cultural artifacts—some even raced up the Billboard Top 200 charts. Indeed, these are three soundtracks that hit No. 1 in the early 70s.

‘Shaft’ by Isaac Hayes (1971)

Whether he’s using it in cartoons like South Park or putting it on wax, Isaac Hayes’ deep voice is unmistakable. And he used his mighty instrument to record songs for the 1971 movie, Shaft. Hayes’ cool, confident singing style provided all the swagger and attitude music fans could handle on the soundtrack, which featured Hayes exclusively and hit No. 1 the same year the action movie was released.

‘Super Fly’ by Curtis Mayfield (1972)

While Hayes had a low, deep voice, songwriter Curtis Mayfield liked to sing high up with his falsetto head tone. Just goes to show, it takes all kinds! And Mayfield was one of the greatest singers and songwriters of his generation, proving his talents on the 1972 soundtrack LP for the movie, Super Fly. Check out the thrilling work, which includes songs like “Pusherman”, and fall in love with Mayfield all over again. This might just be some of his best work.

‘The Sting’ by Marvin Hamlisch (1974)

Released in 1974 for the famed caper movie starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, this soundtrack (recorded in 1973) featured pianist Marvin Hamlisch playing both original songs and tunes by the iconic ragtime artist Scott Joplin. Hamlisch’s version of Joplin’s “The Entertainer” even hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. This one’s a very memorable album.

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