The 1970s yielded so many amazing pop songs, many of which are still very much loved and listened to today. However, some songs that were very popular in the year 1971, specifically, have been more or less forgotten by modern-day listeners. Let’s jog your memory and take a look at a few underrated but excellent popular songs from 1971!
“Right On The Tip Of My Tongue” by Brenda & The Tabulations
“Right On The Tip Of My Tongue” by Brenda & The Tabulations was a hefty soul music hit back in 1971. Released early in the year, this track was a No. 10 hit on the R&B chart and a No. 23 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also did well in Australia and Canada. Surprisingly, I haven’t heard this song out in the wild in years. That’s a shame, because it’s one of the best soul-pop tracks of the early 1970s.
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Fun fact: This song was written by Van McCoy. He came to fame with his song “The Hustle” just a few years after “Right On The Tip Of My Tongue” was released.
“Don’t Knock My Love” by Wilson Pickett
How about a little bit of R&B pop goodness? This jam from crooner Wilson Pickett was a No. 1 smash hit on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart in 1971. It also peaked at No. 13 on the Hot 100. “Don’t Know My Love” is a creative and noteworthy piece of work from the 70s, as it boasts a funk tempo despite being an R&B song. This song would end up being Pickett’s final No. 1 single of his career. A few years later in 1974, Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye would release a duet version of the song. That version would also do well on the charts.
“I Woke Up In Love This Morning” by The Partridge Family
If you were alive and conscious in 1971, you know well that popular songs (and their TV show) from The Partridge Family were inescapable. They were a pop culture phenomenon. Not only was the sitcom of the same name a smash hit for several years in the early 1970s, but The Partridge Family also scored a few musical hits on the pop charts. “I Woke Up In Love This Morning” was just one of them. The song peaked at No. 13 on the Hot 100 and even higher on the Cash Box Top 100.
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Aerosmith Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, Vorst-Nationaal, Brussels, Belgium, 31st October 1993. (Photo by Goedefroit Music/Getty Images) -
UNSPECIFIED – JANUARY 01: John LENNON between 1970 and 1973. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images) -
1972: (L-R) Jim Hodder, David Palmer, Denny Dias, Donald Fagen, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and Walter Becker of the rock band "Steely Dan" pose for a portrait in 1972. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
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Kyu Sakamoto. (1941-1985) Japanese singer, best known outside Japan for his international hit song "Ue o Muite Aruko" (known as "Sukiyaki" in English-speaking markets), which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies. It reached number one in the United States Billboard Hot 100 in June 1963, making Sakamoto the first Asian recording artist to have a number one song on the chart. (Photo by Sjöberg Bildbyrå/ullstein bild via Getty Images) -
Picture taken in 1974 in Stockholm shows the Swedish pop group Abba with its members (L-R) Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog and Bjorn Ulvaeus posing after winning the Swedish branch of the Eurovision Song Contest with their song "Waterloo". – Sweden's legendary disco group ABBA announced on April 27, 2018 that they have reunited to record two new songs, 35 years after their last single. The quartet split up in 1982 after dominating the disco scene for more than a decade with hits like "Waterloo", "Dancing Queen", "Mamma Mia" and "Super Trouper". (Photo by Olle LINDEBORG / TT News Agency / AFP) / Sweden OUT (Photo credit should read OLLE LINDEBORG/AFP via Getty Images)
