We had to narrow down an insane pool of contenders from 1971 to 12 nominees for the Hall of Songs.
This is the year of landmark releases by Marvin Gaye, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, the Who, and Sly and the Family Stone. Plus there’s Harry Nilsson, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, and David Bowie. And that’s just scratching the surface.
In this episode, you’ll hear the 12 songs we feel are the best of an incredible year of music.
After listening, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1971, plus tunes from 1970, ’69, ’68 and ’67 are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! Vote now and come back on December 3 to find out which song or songs get in!
Our 1971 nominees:
- “Angel From Montgomery” as performed by John Prine
- Written by John Prine; recorded winter 1970; released January 1971
- “What’s Going On” as performed by Marvin Gaye
- Written by Al Cleveland, Renaldo Benson and Marvin Gaye; recorded summer 1970; released January 1971
- “Ain’t No Sunshine” as performed by Bill Withers
- Written by Bill Withers; recorded spring 1971; released May 1971
- “River” as performed by Joni Mitchell
- Written by Joni Mitchell; recorded spring 1970; released June 1971
- “Won’t Get Fooled Again” as performed by The Who
- Written by Pete Townshend; recorded May 1971; released June 1971
- “Baba O’Riley” as performed by The Who
- Written by Pete Townshend; recorded April 1971; released August 1971
- “Imagine” as performed by John Lennon
- Written by John Lennon; recorded spring 1971; released September 1971
- “Family Affair” as performed by Sly and the Family Stone
- Written by Sly Stone; recorded spring 1970; released October 1971
- “Without You” as performed by Harry Nilsson
- Written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans; recorded summer 1971; released October 1970
- “Let’s Stay Together” as performed by Al Green
- Written by Al green, Willie Mitchell and Al Jackson Jr.; recorded summer 1971; released November 1971
- “Stairway to Heaven” as performed by Led Zeppelin
- Written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant; recorded December 1970; released November 1971
- “Life on Mars?” as performed by David Bowie
- Written by David Bowie; recorded summer 1971; released December 1971
Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. Scroll down or click here to vote. Then, come back on November 19, 2021 to find out the voting results, and November 21, 2021 for our discussion on 1971.