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List of notable events in music that took place in the year 1971.
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old) | Elvis Presley | [2] |
| 11 | Chicago III | Chicago | – |
| Pearl | Janis Joplin | – | |
| 13 | Deliverin' | Poco | Live |
| 15 | Hooker 'n Heat | John Lee Hooker and Canned Heat | – |
| – | Salisbury | Uriah Heep | – |
| ZZ Top's First Album | ZZ Top | – | |
| Greatest Hits | Kenny Rogers and The First Edition | Compilation | |
| Jerry Butler Sings Assorted Sounds | Jerry Butler | – | |
| Little Feat | Little Feat | – | |
| Melting Pot | Booker T & the MG's | – | |
| Nantucket Sleighride | Mountain | – | |
| Sister Kate | Kate Taylor | – | |
| Straight Life | Freddie Hubbard | – | |
| There Must Be More to Love Than This | Jerry Lee Lewis | – | |
| You're Not Alone | Dion | – |
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Islands | King Crimson | – |
| The Electric Light Orchestra | Electric Light Orchestra | Debut | |
| Wild Life | Wings | – | |
| 9 | Greatest Hits | The Jackson 5 | Compilation |
| 13 | Straight Up | Badfinger | US |
| 17 | Hunky Dory | David Bowie | – |
| 20 | The Concert for Bangladesh | George Harrison and Friends | Live |
| Hot Rocks 1964–1971 | the Rolling Stones | Compilation | |
| – | The Best of Top of the Pops '71 | Top of the Poppers | Compilation |
| Black Unity | Pharoah Sanders | ||
| Boz Scaggs & Band | Boz Scaggs | – | |
| Don't Knock My Love | Wilson Pickett | – | |
| Dynamite! | The Supremes and the Four Tops | – | |
| Guilty! | Eric Burdon & Jimmy Witherspoon | – | |
| Message from a Drum | Redbone | – | |
| Music | Carole King | – | |
| Papa John Creach | Papa John Creach | – | |
| Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again | Steeleye Span | – |
The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1971.
| # | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Harrison | My Sweet Lord | 1970 | UK | UK 1 – Jan 1971, US BB 1 – Dec 1970, Canada 1 – Nov 1970, Netherlands 1 – Dec 1970, France 1 – Mar 1971, Switzerland 1 – Jan 1971, Norway 1 – Feb 1971, Germany 1 – Jan 1971, Éire 1 – Jan 1971, Australia 1 for 8 weeks Jul 1971, Australia Goset 1 – Jan 1971, Australia 2 of 1971, RYM 3 of 1970, Italy 4 of 1971, Virgin 5, Poland 7 – Feb 2002, DDD 11 of 1970, Global 33 (5 M sold) – 1970, Germany 40 of the 1970s, US CashBox 70 of 1971, Europe 93 of the 1970s, OzNet 170, WXPN 339, Rolling Stone 454, TheQ 484, Acclaimed 604 |
| 2 | John Lennon | Imagine | 1971 | UK | UK 1 – Dec 1980, Éire 1 – Dec 1975, Australia 1 for 5 weeks Jul 1972, Australia Goset 1 – Dec 1971, Virgin 1, OzNet 1, Switzerland 2 – Nov 1971, DDD 2 of 1971, WXPN 2, US BB 3 – Oct 1971, Canada 3 – Sep 1971, Norway 3 – Feb 1972, Italy 3 of 1972, Rolling Stone 3, RYM 4 of 1971, Netherlands 5 – Nov 1971, France 5 – Nov 1971, South Africa 5 of 1972, POP 5 of 1971, Austria 6 – Mar 1981, Europe 8 of the 1970s, TheQ 9, US BB 10 of 1971, Belgium 11 of all time, Germany 12 – Jan 1981, TOTP 16, Poland 17 of all time, Sweden (alt) 19 – Dec 1975, Australia 19 of 1972, Acclaimed 21, RIAA 30, Scrobulate 33 of classic rock, 86 in 2FM list |
| 3 | Rod Stewart | Maggie May | 1971 | UK | UK 1 – Sep 1971, US BB 1 – Aug 1971, Canada 1 – Aug 1971, Australia 1 for 4 weeks May 1972, Australia Goset 1 – Oct 1971, Peel list 1 of 1970, Netherlands 3 – Oct 1971, RYM 3 of 1971, Switzerland 5 – Dec 1971, DDD 5 of 1971, US BB 6 of 1971, France 10 – Nov 1971, POP 10 of 1971, Australia 13 of 1971, Germany 17 – Jan 1972, US CashBox 23 of 1971, TheQ 37, Virgin 53, Acclaimed 80, Rolling Stone 130, OzNet 149, RIAA 194, WXPN 218 |
| 4 | Lynn Anderson | Rose Garden | 1970 | US | Canada 1 – Dec 1970, Switzerland 1 – Mar 1971, Norway 1 – Mar 1971, Germany 1 – Mar 1971, Éire 1 – Mar 1971, Australia 1 for 4 weeks Oct 1971, Netherlands 2 – Jan 1971, France 2 – Apr 1971, Australia Goset 2 – Feb 1971, UK 3 – Feb 1971, US BB 3 – Dec 1970, US CashBox 6 of 1971, Germany 50 of the 1970s, DDD 57 of 1970, RYM 75 of 1970, Acclaimed 1217 |
| 5 | the Rolling Stones | Brown Sugar | 1971 | UK | US BB 1 – May 1971, Canada 1 – May 1971, Netherlands 1 – May 1971, Switzerland 1 – May 1971, UK 2 – Apr 1971, US BB 3 of 1971, POP 3 of 1971, Norway 4 – May 1971, Germany 5 – May 1971, Australia Goset 5 – Jun 1971, DDD 8 of 1971, France 9 – Apr 1971, RYM 11 of 1971, Virgin 21, US CashBox 38 of 1971, TheQ 82, Scrobulate 89 of classic rock, Acclaimed 137, Germany 249 of the 1970s, WXPN 274, OzNet 412, Rolling Stone 490 |
| Song title | Artist(s) | Release date(s) | US | UK | Highest chart position | Other Chart Performance(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Ain't No Sunshine" | Bill Withers | July 1971 | 3 | n/a | 3 (United States) | See chart performance entry |
| "All Day Music" | War | July 1971 | 35 | n/a | 35 (United States) | 18 (U.S. Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles) |
| "All I Ever Need Is You" | Sonny & Cher | October 1971 | 7 | 8 | 5 (Canada) | See chart performance entry |
| "American Pie" | Don McLean | October 1971 | 1 | 2 | 1 (Australia, Canada, United States, New Zealand) | See chart performance entry |
| "Another Day" | Paul McCartney | February 1971 | 5 | 2 | 1 (Australia, Ireland, Spain) | See chart performance entry |
| Song title | Artist(s) | Release date(s) | Other Chart Performance(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Eagle Rock" | Daddy Cool | May 1971 | 1 (Australia) – 17 (New Zealand) |
| "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" b/w "Home Is Where the Hatred Is" | Gil Scott-Heron with Pretty Purdie and the Playboys | April 1971 | n/a |
| "Under My Wheels" | Alice Cooper | September 1971 | 59 (US Billboard Hot 100) – 66 (UK Singles Chart) |
| Composer | Composition | Date | Location | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ligeti, György | Concert românesc | August 21, 1971 | Fish Creek, US | Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra – Johnson[8] |
| Stockhausen, Karlheinz | Sternklang | June 5, 1971 | Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany | Collegium Vocale Köln, Gentle Fire, Smalley, Souster, Vetter – Stockhausen[9] |
| Stockhausen, Karlheinz | Trans | October 16, 1971 | Donaueschingen, Germany | SWF Sinfonie-Orchester – Bour[10] |
Media related to Music in 1971 at Wikimedia Commons
