New York Mambo - Johnny Colon

New York Mambo - Johnny Colon

2:34

Portrait Of Johnny, 1971

Written by Johnny Colon

Colon is a salsa musician known for his Latin fusion style known as boogaloo.  It's got a jittery, urban energy: all rhythm and infectious, hip-shaking percussion, riding along a soulful piano groove and a veritable river of brass that buoys the song along.  I am no Spanish speaker, but it's hard not to hear the joy with which Colon talks about his home city: "Oye, de Nueva York no me voy, porque, aquí fué donde nací."  

99 Lbs - Ann Peebles

99 Lbs - Ann Peebles

2:19

Straight From the Heart, 1972
Written by Don Bryant

This slinky soul number was written by Peebles' husband.  It's a self-aggrandizing blues, with the narrator proclaiming herself "Now I'm ninety-nine pounds of natural goodness, y'all / Ninety-nine pounds of soul," adding she's "all put together in a fine wire frame."  She promises twenty-five pounds of sugar in every kiss, and twenty-five pounds of "something that I can't even name."  It's a blistering, sexy come-on, riding on a fantastic, uplifting horn section.  Why Peebles isn't as lauded as Aretha Franklin is beyond me.

Joshua - Dolly Parton

Joshua - Dolly Parton

3:06

Joshua, 1971

Written by Dolly Parton

This story song It's a sort of talking country, with the same quick train-track beat as "Hot Rod Lincoln" and "A Boy Named Sue."  It begins in a town where a vicious man with a mean black dog lives, with a bad reputation.  The narrator one day decides to visit him, curious to see if the rumors are true despite having no evidence to the contrary: "But I didn't think nobody could be that mean / So I took me out walking down the railroad track."  Of course he's a big bushy man with a deep voice, but not mean, and they fall in love and live happily ever after.  

California Cottonfields - Merle Haggard and the Strangers

California Cottonfields - Merle Haggard and the Strangers

2:46

Someday We'll Look Back, 1971

Written by Dallas Frazier and Earl Montgomery

In this story-song, the narrator recalls his childhood in Oklahoma, when his father moved the family for greener pastures: "California was his dream, a paradise, for he had seen / Pictures in magazines that told him so."  The second verse tells of the preparations and the neighbors gathering to say farewell.  There is no third verse that depicts their life in California, but aside from a line about his father's hair turning grey, the chorus says it all: "California cottonfields / Where labor camps were filled with weary men with broken dreams."

Jesus Was a Cross Maker - Judee Sill

Jesus Was a Cross Maker - Judee Sill

3:29

Judee Sill, 1971

Written by Judee Sill

Judee Sill, a singer-songwriter with a beautiful voice, never hit the big time and died of a drug overdose at 35.  Sad!  This song was written after a bad relationship (with California songwriter JD Souther ), and ha since been covered by Warren Zevon, Linda Ronstadt, Cass Elliott, and the Hollies.  "Blinding me, his song remains, reminding me / He's a bandit and a heart breaker / Oh, but Jesus was a cross maker."  The vocals are luminous, but what really elevates the track is the restless arrangement. The drummer changes pace, nudging the song forward in subtle surges, building a series of small crescendos that mirror the emotional push-and-pull of the lyrics. It feels alive, like the song itself is wrestling with its own feelings.

Henry - New Riders Of the Purple Sage

Henry - New Riders Of the Purple Sage

2:36

New Riders of the Purple Sage, 1971

Written by John Dawson

The album this song is on is the only studio album by the New Riders to feature co-founder Jerry Garcia on pedal steel guitar; you can hear his distinctive shimmer in the arrangement.  The song is an otherwise unremarkable an uptempo country rock, with Dawson's sleepy vocals doing a fine job, but not exactly making the song pop.  He sounds less like a narrator leaning into drama than a guy recounting a strange story over a beer, which fits the band’s laid-back ethos but doesn’t quite elevate the track into memorability..  Lyrically, it's a story song about the titular Henry, who drives a truck to Mexico to grab some drugs ("twenty keys of gold") to sell to waiting clients, but gets high on the product and races back through Tijuana at breakneck speed.  And there the song ends; we never know if Henry crashes, languishes in a Mexican prison, or manages to satisfy the "fifty people waiting back home" for his delivery.  

Betty And Dupree - Tia Blake

Betty And Dupree - Tia Blake

3:29

Folksongs And Ballads, 1971

Attributed to Blind Andrew Jenkins, 1925

This song's album was originally released only in France and sold very little, but was reissued in 2011 and rediscovered by a new generation.  The events in the song, a crime ballad, are based on a century-old true story.  On December 15, 1921, Frank DuPre robbed a jewelry store in Atlanta of an impressive diamond ring, which he gifted to his new girlfriend Betty Andrews. After evading the police for a few weeks, he got caught and was hanged the next year.  The press made a big deal of Betty's involvement, painting her as a gold digger who urged Frank on to larceny.  Blake's version presents a few barebones facts (including having Betty tell Frank to get her a  ring) in her sweet ethereal voice, with the last verse a failed reunion of the lovers in the "death house" reunion of the lovers, when Betty writes to the doomed man that "no one's gonna take your place."  Additional "fun" fact via Wikipedia: In 1960, during a custody dispute, Blake and her siblings were kidnapped by her CIA-employed father, who was later arrested and fled the country.  She should have written a song about that!  (I think she did write about it, in Granta.)

Sweet Wanomi - Bill Withers

Sweet Wanomi - Bill Withers

2:32

Just As I Am, 1971

Written by Bill Withers

This is a gentle folk-soul ballad of devotion that paints a picture of domestic happiness in an unhurried baritone ("In a room with soft satin pillows / Cracklin' fireplace keeps us warm").  There's none of the grandiose praise or feverish infatuation found in so many soul or rock love songs, just a depiction of serene, quotidian moments between two people enjoying each other's presence.  "In a soft light, her eyes are gleaming / Pretty little hand covers up her mouth when she yawns."  It's hard to believe that this mature, restrained song came from a young man on his debut album, just as it's hard to believe that later he would walk away from it all when he had so much talent.

Something On Your Mind - Karen Dalton

Something On Your Mind - Karen Dalton

3:23

In My Own Time, 1971

Written by Dino Valenti

A haunting, soul-baring piece of folk-blues, delivered with a unique voice, a nasal, world-weary, cracked alto that aches with lived experience. The sparse arrangement, gently picked guitar, quiet trills of strings, subtle bass, and minimal percussion let Dalton's vocals take center stage.  Her phrasing is delicate yet devastating, each word weighed down with sorrow and resilience. The song itself wrestles with truth, self-deception, and the ache of disillusionment, making it a timeless gut-punch of raw vulnerability and understated power.  I had never heard of this artist, but I immediately was taken by her voice.  This song is from her second and final album, but she didn't die until 1993; although she began sharing a stage with Dylan and has been championed by many music greats, apparently she hated recording and drank a lot.  Hashtag sad.

I Am the Man Thomas - Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys

I Am the Man Thomas - Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys

1:56

Cry From the Cross, 1971

Written by Ralph Stanley and Larry Sparks

A fierce bluegrass rendering of John 20:24-29, in which the disciple Thomas Didymus refused to believe that Jesus is reborn unless he can actually touch the crucifixion scars.  "They pierced me in the side, Thomas, I am the Man / I died on the cross, Thomas, I am the Man."  This song has been covered by a variety of artists, including some great live versions by Bob Dylan around 2000.  It's easy to see why; Stanley's urgent, nasal vocal and rapid-fire banjo picking make it a short but powerful mountain gospel.

One Of These Things First - Nick Drake

One Of These Things First - Nick Drake 

3:46
Bryter Layter, 1971
Written by Nick Drake

In this intricate, melodic pop song, Drake starts by playfully exploring some imaginative hypotheticals: he could have been a sailor, a cook, even a whistle or a boot or a flute.  But in the center of the song, the surreal "could haves" start to reveal some deceptively weighty regrets.  "I could have been your pillar, could have been your door / Could have stayed beside you / Could have stayed for more."  Suddenly we're snapped back to reality, lost love, and self-recrimination as baroque pop melody continues to bubble along.  It's a perfect Nick Drake song, quiet and understated, a blend of whimsy and melancholy.

The First Sound - The Association

The First Sound - The Association

4:04

Stop Your Motor, 1971

Written by Terry Kirkman and Richard Thompson

This song is an invocation to the new day, embracing the change, casting out darkness, carpe diem, take it all in.  "Excite me! Daylight, invite me to spin the wheel / Excite me! Daylight, invite me to have a feel of ups and downs."  This song is the grandfather of the Polyphonic Spree, as as such, it's a little slower, more stately, not quite as ethereal and robust.  Fun fact: this song was slated for a proposed documentary on car racing hosted by Paul Newman, even though it has nothing to do with cars, but this film was shelved.  (NB: keyboardist Thompson is not the British folk-rock legend.)

Little Green - Joni Mitchell

Little Green - Joni Mitchell

3:27

Blue, 1971

Written by Joni Mitchell

This song is about Mitchell's daughter, whom she gave up for adoption in 1965 (they later reunited).  This was not publicly known until someone who knew Mitchell in the 1960s sold the story, one that was clearly not hers to tell.  "So you sign all the papers in the family name / You're sad and you're sorry, but you're not ashamed / Little Green, have a happy ending."  This is not the kind of song I usually put on here; I like songs that are fun to listen to in the car.  This is raw and personal, but it is pretty.

O-o-h Child - Nina Simone

O-o-h Child - Nina Simone

3:15

Here Comes the Sun, 1971

Written by Stan Vincent, 1970

Nina Simone is one of the all-time great voices as well as one of the great interpreters.  This rendition of the Five Stairsteps classic doesn't change much, but I like to think that she adds a little ironic emphasis on the word "Someday" in "Someday, when the world's much brighter."  Nina was too somber and too much of a realist to swallow the hippie Shangri-la vision whole cloth.

Northern Sky - Nick Drake

Northern Sky - Nick Drake

3:44

Bryter Later, 1971

Written by Nick Drake

"Would you love me through the winter? / Would you love me 'til I'm dead?"  I recognize the second line from "Is It Wicked Not To Care" by Belle & Sebastian, who, as I've mentioned, nicked quite a lot of their schtick from Drake.  Built around an opulent, lush piano melody, the song is nevertheless delicate, a song of love and longing and the desire for something permanent.  It is said to be about Linda Thompson, though this is just speculation.

Farewell To Nova Scotia - The Irish Rovers

Farewell To Nova Scotia - The Irish Rovers

On the Shores Of Americay, 1971

2:56

traditional, c. 1919

This song was adapted from the Scottish lament "The Soldier's Adieu" written by Robert Tannahill.  It has been covered by many artists, particularly Canadian ones, like Gordon Lightfoot.  As the title indicates, it's a sailor's adieu to his beloved homeland as he's called to service.  "The drums do beat / And the horns do alarm / My captain calls, I must obey / Farewell, farewell to Nova Scotia's charms."  The Rovers play it straight, with that innate nautical feel the Irish seem to be able to conjure.

Cherry Oh Baby - Eric Donaldson

Cherry Oh Baby - Eric Donaldson

3:20

Eric Donaldson, 1971

Written by Eric Donaldson

This song was the first and biggest hit for the Jamaican singer, and was covered by both the Stones and UB40.  I never took notice of it, though I'm sure I must have heard the Stones version at some point.  The original is great!  It's got a terrific, impassioned vocal by Donaldson, and a tight, midtempo reggae beat built around organ and bass, that gets your head bobbing.

Are You Lonely For Me, Baby - Al Green

Are You Lonely For Me, Baby - Al Green

3:58

Al Green Gets Next To You, 1971

Written by Bert Berns

This guy is getting on the last train for Jacksonville.  Or maybe a bus.  Some kind of vehicle, anyway.  Look, it doesn't matter.  What's important is that he wants his baby to be there when he steps off the bus.  Because he's sorry.  And he's got to say he's lonely.  "Let me tell you that I'm lonely, baby / I want to fool around all night long."  Al Green is a funkier Sam Cooke here, serving all this loneliness up with a majestic R&B horn section and ornate organ flourishes while the background singers repeat the title over and over.

California - Joni Mitchell

California - Joni Mitchell

3:50

Blue, 1971

Written by Joni Mitchell

The narrator is in Europe, but pines for California, despite the bad news in the States: "They won't give peace a chance / That was just a dream some of us had."  She says of France, "I wouldn't want to stay here / It's too old and cold and settled in its ways here."  The second verse, in which she sings of meeting "a redneck on a Grecian isle" is about some hippie she met.  She writes about him in "Carey" as well; here she calls him a rogue and says he stole her camera.  Mitchell's voice is the star, but James Taylor plays a subtle, springing acoustic guitar which sets the mood.

Can You Get To That - Funkadelic

Can You Get To That - Funkadelic

2:49

Maggot Brain, 1971

Written by George Clinton and Ernest Harris

I did know know that soul music harmonizing could also be funky!  And the lyrics break expectations or stereotypes about funk music: "I once had a life, or rather / Life had me."  Classic!  The narrator bemoans a love gone wrong, but with imagery rather than accusation.  "Checks you signed with love and kisses / Later come back signed insufficient funds."  Love the interplay between the various voices, alto rising high, then that super-deep bass coming in with "I wanna know."