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Today's “Great Song of the '70s” was a lot of things—all of them interesting!
Many people consider it the very first disco song to hit #1. It certainly had the right beat and instrumentation, but in 1971, disco wasn't yet considered a musical genre, so it's hard to say for sure. The song was, most definitely, a blockbuster movie theme, as well as a #1 song for composer/singer Isaac Hayes.
The “Theme from Shaft” went to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100, #2 on the Soul Chart and #6 on the Easy Listening Chart, and then won the Oscar for “Best Original Song,” making Hayes the first African-American to win the honor. In 2004, the American Film Institute ranked the song at #38 on their “100 Years/100 Great Songs of the Cinema” list.”
It was also the first #1 song with a swear word in it! DAMN! (Another naughty word was ALMOST uttered by Isaac, but the chorus cut him off. I'll let you figure that one out on your own. :-)
TRIVIA: One of those chorus members was Telma Hopkins, who later became one-half of Tony Orlando's “Dawn,” as well as an actress on several TV shows, including “Family Matters,” “Gimme a Break,” and “Bosom Buddies.”
The “Theme From Shaft:” It's a “Great Song of the '70s!” Can you dig it? Right on!
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