Four days after Casey Kasem presented this Top 5 on his weekly American Top 40 show, D.B. Cooper jumped out of a hijacked plane with $200,000 cash. He was never heard from again– something I really wish I could say about David Gates and Bread…
Billboard Top 5: November 20, 1971
#5:
The Chi-Lites: “Have You Seen Her” (Barbara Acklin/Eugene Record)
From the album (For God’s Sake) Give More Power To The People
Brunswick Records, 1971
“Have You Seen Her” was the first top ten pop hit for The Chi-Lites, eventually peaking at #3 in December of 1971. The band’s next single, “Oh Girl,” gave The Chi-Lites their only #1 record.
Some of the 7″ versions of “Have You Seen Her” cut off the spoken beginning– in my eyes, that’s like cutting off the coda of “Layla.” Sacrilege!
#4:
Bread: “Baby I’m-A Want You” (David Gates)
From the album Baby I’m-A Want You
Elektra Records, 1971
Despite my D.B. Cooper diss above, I really do like Bread. Mostly. Can you believe that they had SIX Top 10 singles? And that’s not even counting David Gates’ 1977 solo smash “Goodbye Girl.” Whatever happened to Quinn Cummings, anyways? She was amazing in that movie! My wife had never seen “The Goodbye Girl,” so I recorded it last month when I saw that it was airing on TCM. She loved it (as I know she would), and she loved it even more when Tina Fey appeared on-screen afterwards to explain to Robert Osborne why “The Goodbye Girl” was one of her favorite films. I really wish Tina Fey was on Twitter, as I have no doubt that she and my wife would become best friends forever. And then I would also get to meet Tina Fey!
#3:
John Lennon: “Imagine” (John Lennon)
From the album Imagine
Apple Records, 1971
It’s hard to believe in retrospect, but this #3 slot represented the peak chart position for the John Lennon classic “Imagine.” Sadly, the Analog Kid must accept at least a small part of the blame for this grave injustice. I was only four at the time, and the song was perhaps a little too deep for me. That’s a polite way of saying that while “Imagine” barely made a blip on my four-year-old radar, I definitely knew each and every word to the #2 song that week…
#2:
Cher: “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves” (Bob Stone)
From the album Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves
Kapp Records, 1971
OF COURSE I loved “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves” when I was four. Hell, I love it now and I’m not ashamed to admit it. “Gypsys” was actually on its way down the charts at this point– it had been #1 for two consecutive weeks earlier in November.
After suffering through a brief downswing in popularity, 1971 turned out to be a really great year for Cher. Her variety show with her husband Sonny had premiered in August as a summer replacement series on CBS, but big ratings ensured that it would become a part of CBS’ regular programming in December of 1971. The show never finished out of the Top 20 during its entire four-year run.
#1:
Isaac Hayes: “Theme From Shaft” (Isaac Hayes)
From the album Shaft
Stax Records, 1971
You’re damn right.
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Bonus Tracks!
The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.
The Chi-Lites: “Oh Girl” (Eugene Record)
From the album A Lonely Man
Brunswick Records, 1972
Derek & The Dominos: “Layla” (Eric Clapton/Jim Gordon)
From the album Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
Polydor Records, 1970
David Gates: “Goodbye Girl” (David Gates)
From the album Goodbye Girl
Elektra Records, 1977
Sonny & Cher: “I Got You Babe” (Sonny Bono)
From the album Look At Us
Atco Records, 1965
Isaac Hayes: “Theme From Shaft” [7″ Version] (Isaac Hayes)
Stax Records, 1971
The Analog Kid 
Check out the track titled “Father And Son” by James Griffin from his 1973 album Breakin’ Up Is Easy. John Miles makes a cameo appearance.
While I can’t be totally sure if my memory is correct on this, I think Cher’s Gypsies was one of the first 45 singles that I ever got. I guess Imagine was a bit too deep at the time for me too.