Below is a list from Billboard magazine’s Top ear-End Hot 100 songs for 1971. Chart © by Billboard, a part of MRC Media and Info, a division of MRC. All Rights Reserved. Learn more about Billboard here.
Top 100 Songs of 1971
1Joy to the World – Three Dog Night
2Maggie May / Find a Reason to Believe – Rod Stewart
3How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? – The Bee Gees
4Indian Reservation – The Raiders
5Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
6Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) – The Temptations
7Knock Three Times – Dawn
8Want Ads – Honey Cone
9Smiling Faces Sometimes – The Undisputed Truth
10Treat Her Like a Lady – Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose
11You’ve Got a Friend – James Taylor
12Mr. Big Stuff – Jean Knight
13Brown Sugar – The Rolling Stones
14Do You Know What I Mean – Lee Michaels
15The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down – Joan Baez
16What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye
17Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey – Paul McCartney
18Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers
19Signs – Five Man Electrical Band
20She’s a Lady – Tom Jones
21Superstar – Murray Head and The Trinidad Singers
22Amos Moses – Jerry Reed
23I Found Someone Of My Own – Free Movement
24Temptation Eyes – The Grass Roots
25Superstar – The Carpenters
26My Sweet Lord / Isn’t It a Pity – George Harrison
27Sweet and Innocent – Donny Osmond
28Chick-A-Boom (Don’t Ya Jes’ Love It) – Daddy Dewdrop
29Put Your Hand In the Hand – Ocean
30For All We Know – The Carpenters
31Help Me Make It Through the Night – Sammi Smith
32Rainy Days and Mondays – The Carpenters
33Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves – Cher
34If You Could Read My Mind – Gordon Lightfoot
35Never Can Say Goodbye – The Jackson 5
36Rose Garden – Lynn Anderson
37Don’t Pull Your Love – Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds
38It Don’t Come Easy – Ringo Starr
39Mr. Bojangles – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
40I Love You For All Seasons – The Fuzz
41Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get – The Dramatics
42That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be – Carly Simon
43If You Really Love Me – Stevie Wonder
44Spanish Harlem – Aretha Franklin
45I Don’t Know How to Love Him – Helen Reddy
More 55 Top Songs of 1971
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- It’s Too Late / /I Feel the Earth Move – Carole King
- One Bad Apple – The Osmonds
- Go Away Little Girl – Donny Osmond
- Me and Bobby McGee – Janis Joplin
- Tired of Being Alone – Al Green
- Yo-Yo – The Osmonds
- Bridge Over Troubled Water – Aretha Franklin
- Doesn’t Somebody Want to Be Wanted – The Partridge Family
- Draggin’ the Line – Tommy James
- Proud Mary – Ike and Tina Turner
- Beginnings / Colour My World – Chicago
- Stay Awhile – The Bells
- Sweet City Woman – The Stampeders
- Me and You and a Dog Named Boo – Lobo
- Another Day / Oh Woman, Oh Why – Paul McCartney
- If – Bread [Amazon MP3]
- Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) – Marvin Gaye
- One Toke Over the Line – Brewer and Shipley
- She’s Not Just Another Woman – 8th Day
- Bring the Boys Home – Freda Payne
- I Just Want to Celebrate – Rare Earth
- Never Ending Song of Love – Delaney and Bonnie and Friends
- Easy Loving – Freddy Hart
- Liar – Three Dog Night
- Stick Up – Honey Cone
- Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep – Mac and Katie Kissoon
- (Where Do I Begin) Love Story – Andy Williams
- Wild World – Cat Stevens
- When You’re Hot, You’re Hot – Jerry Reed
- Funky Nassau, Pt. 1 – Beginning Of The End
- If Not for You – Olivia Newton-John
- Groove Me – King Floyd
- Watching Scotty Grow – Bobby Goldsboro
- Woodstock – Matthews’ Southern Comfort
- Amazing Grace – Judy Collins
- I Hear You Knocking – Dave Edmunds
- Lonely Days – The Bee Gees
- Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again – The Fortunes
- Won’t Get Fooled Again – The Who
- Trapped By a Thing Called Love – Denise Lasalle
- Mama’s Pearl – The Jackson 5
- Timothy – The Buoys
- I Woke Up In Love This Morning – The Partridge Family
- Theme from “Shaft” – Isaac Hayes
- If I Were Your Woman – Gladys Knight and The Pips
- I Am…I Said – Neil Diamond
- Wedding Song (There Is Love – Paul Stookey
- Don’t Knock My Love, Pt. 1 – Wilson Pickett
- Love Her Madly – The Doors
- Here Comes the Sun – Richie Havens
- Sweet Mary – Wadsworth Mansion
- Right On the Tip of My Tongue – Brenda and The Tabulations
- One Less Bell to Answer – The Fifth Dimension
- Riders On the Storm – The Doors
- It’s Impossible – Perry Como
Top 100 Songs of 1971 – Final Thoughts
The top songs of 1971 marked a significant time in music history, representing a diverse range of genres and cultural movements. From the iconic guitar riffs of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” to the soulful ballads of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” the year delivered unforgettable hits. Carole King’s heartfelt “It’s Too Late” and The Rolling Stones’ anthemic “Brown Sugar” showcased the talents of legendary artists. Additionally, the rise of disco was evident with the Bee Gees’ disco-infused “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.” The top songs of 1971 captured the essence of a transformative era in music, leaving a lasting impact on generations to come.
