Adult Contemporary is a chart published by Billboard ranking the top-performing songs in the United States in the adult contemporary music (AC) market. In 1971, 19 songs topped the chart, then published under the title Easy Listening, based on playlists submitted by easy listening radio stations and sales reports submitted by stores.[1]
In the issue of Billboard dated January 2, "One Less Bell to Answer" by The 5th Dimension moved into the number one position, replacing "It's Impossible" by Perry Como.[2] The song held the top spot for a single week before being replaced by Bobby Goldsboro's "Watching Scotty Grow". Goldsboro's song topped the chart for six consecutive weeks, the year's longest unbroken run at number one. The Carpenters spent the most total weeks at number one in 1971, occupying the top spot for a total of nine weeks with "For All We Know", "Rainy Days and Mondays" and "Superstar". The brother-sister duo was the only act to achieve three number ones during the year; The 5th Dimension and Bread were the only other acts to take more than one single to the top of the chart in 1971.
Two of 1971's Easy Listening number ones also topped Billboard's all-genre singles chart, the Hot 100, both written, solely or in part, by Carole King. King spent five weeks atop the Easy Listening chart in June and July with "It's Too Late", for which she wrote the music but not the lyrics.[3][4] It was immediately followed into the top spot by James Taylor's recording of "You've Got a Friend", written entirely by King,[3] which spent a single week at number one. The two songs each spent the same number of weeks at number one on the Hot 100.[5][6] Taylor's song was followed into the top spot by Olivia Newton-John's cover version of Bob Dylan's "If Not for You", the first major hit for the Australian singer who would achieve considerable U.S. chart success during the 1970s in both the pop and country fields.[7] The final Easy Listening number one of 1971 was "All I Ever Need Is You" by Sonny & Cher.
Chart history
† | Indicates best-performing easy listening song of 1971[8] |
References
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2007). Joel Whitburn Presents Billboard Top Adult Songs, 1961-2006. Record Research Incorporated. p. vi. ISBN 9780898201697.
- 1 2 "Adult Contemporary chart for January 2, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- 1 2 Ankeny, Jason. "Tapestry - Carole King". AllMusic. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
- ↑ Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, volume 2. Scarecrow Press. pp. 326–327. ISBN 0810882957.
- ↑ Breihan, Tom (January 31, 2019). "The Number Ones: Carole King's "It's Too Late"". Stereogum. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ↑ Breihan, Tom (February 4, 2019). "The Number Ones: James Taylor's "You've Got A Friend"". Stereogum. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Olivia Newton-John Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ↑ "Billboard Adult Contemporary Year End, 1971". Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for January 9, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for January 16, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for January 23, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for January 30, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 6, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 13, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 20, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 27, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 6, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 13, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 20, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 27, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for April 3, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for April 10, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for April 17, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for April 24, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 1, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 8, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 15, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 22, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 29, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 5, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 12, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 19, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 26, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 3, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 10, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 17, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 24, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 31, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 7, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 14, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 21, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 28, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 4, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 11, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 18, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 25, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 2, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 9, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 16, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 23, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 30, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 6, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 13, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 20, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 27, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 4, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 11, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 18, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 25, 1971". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.