3 Acoustic Songs From 1971 That Put the Rock in Folk Rock

On a July summer night in 1965, Bob Dylan amplified a Fender Stratocaster at the Newport Folk Festival, and the audience responded by booing him. “They certainly booed, I’ll tell you that. You could hear it all over the place,” Dylan later said at a press conference. But it shouldn’t have surprised anyone. Only a few months prior, The Byrds released a jangly cover of Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man”, thus pioneering what became known as folk rock.

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Of course, Dylan had already cranked the amps on Bringing It All Back Home, shunning the orthodoxy of the folk revivalists. Fast forward to 1971 and check out these three acoustic-oriented songs that also put the rock in folk rock.

“Fearless” by Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd’s folk rock classic from Meddle features the kind of droning acoustic groove one might expect from Jimmy Page. David Gilmour sings in a whisper about facing down the crowd and overcoming fear. His cycling riff is hypnotic but also gives a sense of possibility. Roger Waters has famously written about authority, and in “Fearless”, he suggests a contrarian spirit against the loud mob of cynics. Meddle finds Pink Floyd furthering its transition from one leader to another. Shedding its earlier Syd Barrett-led psychedelia for the progressive rock blockbusters to come.

“Me And Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin

Kris Kristofferson’s drifter tale has been recorded by many legends, but the definitive version rests in Janis Joplin’s soulful howl. When Joplin sings, “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose,” you feel the desperation that allows one to thumb it from town to town. Though Bobby leaves the narrator with “nothing,” the fleeting moments of this kind of outlaw joy are enough. Joplin died during recording sessions for Pearl, making the transitory characters in “Me And Bobby McGee” a little more heartbreaking.

“Maggie May” by Rod Stewart

When The Byrds covered “Mr. Tambourine Man”, Roger McGuinn’s group created a blueprint for folk rock. McGuinn sings softly over a jangly 12-string electric guitar, electrifying American roots music. However, on “Maggie May”, Rod Stewart delivers his folk song in a raspy wail. He sings about losing his virginity to an older woman, and his weary voice reveals experience and feels like an audible metaphor for the vocal changes brought on by puberty. Confused and heartbroken, Stewart’s real-life tale begins with a guitar intro echoing a Renaissance lute ballad. But quickly becomes a rocking folk tune.

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