1971 Grammy Awards Record of the Year poll

Beatles > S&G > James Taylor > Carpenters > Ray Stevens

"Bridge Over Troubled Water", easily.

Everything is Beautiful? Really?

S&G rightfully won this.

S& G > Carpenters > Taylor > Beatles > Stevens

I think Stevens got the nod for having gone serious after a novelty-hit past. "EIB" was a No. 1 record, after all.

I'm not surprised it was a #1, but I am surprised in a year loaded with truly fantastic songs eligible for nomination that it was even considered.

Especially when you see:

* Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female
o Aretha Franklin for "Don't Play That Song"
* Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male
o B.B. King for "The Thrill Is Gone"
* Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group, Vocal or Instrumental
o The Delfonics for "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)"
* Best Rhythm & Blues Song
o General Johnson & Ronald Dunbar (songwriters) for "Patches" performed by Clarence Carter

JT, S&G, Beatles, Carpenters, Stevens

Song of the Year noms, btw, were exactly the same except swap "We've Only Just Begun" in place of "Close to You."

Carpenters, followed closely by James.

Same two, reversed.

Same two, reversed, then reserved back again.

the bootles

Carpenters > Fire & Rain > Bridge Over Troubled Water > Beatles > Ray Stevens

but it's a fucking close call between the Carpenters & "Fire and Rain" for me - "Fire and Rain" is one of those songs that, fifteen years ago or so, was really there for me at key moments - I talked with a friend about it back then; it's one of those songs that, if you meet it on the right road (in western Massachusetts on August evening in '95, for me), will show you all its incredible darkness

j0hn's rankings otm

fuck as much as I worship the Carpenters I cannot vote against "Fire & Rain."

I can, and did. "Close to You", with that wide-open wordless bridge, is SIGNATURE.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

"Fire and Rain", "Let It Be", and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" are all of a piece: vaguely gospel with anthemic choruses tempered by exhaustion. "Fire and Rain" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" are pretty similar sounding production-wise (listen to the drums), and I wouldn't be surprised if Peter Asher had this in mind. All of these have meant a lot to me over the years, but "Bridge Over Troubled Water" has meant more to me in Elvis and Aretha's takes than in S&G's take, so it's out. Then it's close; I went with "Fire and Rain" because the singing is tremendous; the bends of Taylor's voice on the "seen sunny days" part in particular are mesmerizing.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

listening to "Everything Is Beautiful" right now and i'm not sure i've ever heard it before in my life. kinda surprised myself with the realization that i genuinely like all 4 of the others, though.

<3 the carpenters