Are you a fan of early 1970s rock music? If you think you’ve heard it all, you might just be wrong. There are so many gorgeous rock songs from 1971, specifically, that hit the charts hard back in the day. Some have since fallen out of classic rock radio rotation. Let’s look at a few songs that I think deserve a revival in the modern age!
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“Liar” by Three Dog Night
The rock classic “Liar” by Three Dog Night was written by Russ Ballard (of British rock group Argent) back in 1970. That version didn’t chart, but a version released by Three Dog Night did spectacularly well the following year.
“Liar” reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart upon its release in 1971. It also did pretty well in Canada. Despite the song’s success, I rarely hear it out in the wild anymore. That’s a bummer, because this bluesy tune (with one of the coolest endings of its time) is a fine little song.
“Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again” by The Fortunes
“Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again” by The Fortunes is a soft rock, moody tune written by Tony Macaulay, Roger Cook, and Roger Greenaway. The song dropped in April 1971 and became a hit for English harmony beat group The Fortunes that year. And I think it’s one of the finest rock songs of 1971.
“Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again” peaked at No. 15 on the Hot 100 chart and also did quite well in the UK, Canada, and Australia. It’s a sad song about an impending breakup, and it’s the perfect song for getting lost in your feelings on a bad day.
“I Am… I Said” by Neil Diamond
“I Am… I Said” by Neil Diamond is one of the best rock songs from 1971. I’m shocked by how long it’s been since I heard it on classic rock radio, too. This pop-rock song was written and recorded by Diamond in 1971, and it was a slow roller in terms of charting success. Thankfully, the song eventually made it to No. 4 on the Hot 100 chart. It did similarly well in the UK.
According to Diamond, this gem is one of his most personal songs and took months to write.
“It was consciously an attempt on my part to express what my dreams were about, what my aspirations were about and what I was about,” said Diamond. “And without any question, it came from my sessions with the analyst.”
Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images
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