“For The Good Times” #11 1/2/1971

Kris Kristofferson was on an absolute roll as a songwriter by late 1970. His “ Sunday Morning Comin’ down” had recently hit #1 on the country charts for Johnny Cash, as did this one recorded by Ray Price. It’s generally acknowledged as one of the saddest country songs ever written - and that’s saying something. This would be Price’s only Top 40 pop appearance.

“Domino” #9 1/2/1971

Fats Domino remains a favorite for tributes in the rock world. No wonder, because his influence was immeasurable. For instance, Paul McCartney wrote “Lady Madonna” as a tribute to the Fat Man. Van Morrison’s highest charting single was also in that vein, though it could also be considered a tribute to American R&B in general. As always, the horn section is just impeccable.

“Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” #7 1/2/1971

One that its writer, Robert Lamm, said was the first song Chicago worked on for its first album back in 1968. However, this wasn’t released as a single for over two years. Like a number of their songs, several edits exist. An intro consisting of some noodling on the piano by Lamm was cut from the 45. Some great trumpet work by Lee Loughnane here. Definitely a personal fave.

“Coal Miner’s Daughter” #83 (#1 Country) 12/26/1970

Welcome, 1971! Once again, we have a super-twangy country record making it onto the pop charts. This recent country #1, an autobiographical Loretta Lynn song, originally had ten verses. Producer Owen Bradley told Loretta that the lengthy “El Paso” had already been done and the world didn’t need another one. She complied and cut out a few verses, now forever lost. The song served as the basis for a self-penned book and the 1980 movie starring Cissy Spacek.

“Carolina In My Mind” (1970 reissue) #67 12/26/1970

We close out 1970! Another case of an artist changing labels, finding huge success, and the former label reissuing an older track. That happened to James Taylor. After moving to Warner Brothers and the career-defining “Fire And Rain,” his old label (Apple) re-released his first single. It charted a little higher this time around, but still didn’t do that well. James re-did the song in 1976; that version became most familiar.

“Paranoid”’ #61 12/26/1970

Most heavy metal bands had little interest in singles, and Black Sabbath was no exception. The title track from their second LP was their first US 45 and became a Top 5 single in the UK. Ozzy Osbourne and the guys may have pioneered what could be called sludge rock. Most of their material was plodding with dark lyrics (this being a bit of an exception), but there was a large audience for that.

“Morning” #47 (#4 Country) 12/26/1970

By now it seemed as though more and more country performers wanted that elusive crossover hit sound, as they used pop arrangements more frequently and took on formerly verboten subjects. This Top 5 country hit from Jim Ed Brown is very representative of that style. He was seeing some solo success after rising to stardom in the late 50’s with his sisters Maxine and Bonnie (“The Three Bells”).