Ten fresh and fantabulous funk songs from the 1970s

“Superstition” by Stevie Wonder (1972)

Two funk songs topped the charts between Thanksgiving and Christmas, in 1971, but even that didn’t prepare listeners for the avalanche of riches 1972 would bring. Leading the charge was the single greatest musician who married funk music with pop. Stevie Wonder made funk music the sound of an entire nation in the first half of the 1970s. Of course, Wonder reached out far beyond funk, but there was usually a bit of that cool vibe in his best songs.

On “Superstition,” from Talking Book, he opened with the most iconic funk riff ever recorded – played on his Clavinet and analyzed down to the molecular level by musicians ever since in a futile attempt to understand and recreate what Wonder achieved. Whenever I start to worry about AI taking over the world, I listen to “Superstition.” Lyrically, it has relevance, but more importantly, until a computer can match the human genius of that opening riff, I figure we’re all safe.

“Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” by the Temptations (1972)

The Temptations had plenty of gorgeous hits that married perfect harmony to wishful romantic lyrics in the finest soul traditions. “My Girl” and “The Way You Do the Things You Do” set a high bar for a more American style of pop at the same time the British Invasion was revolutionizing rock & roll. When they joined the new funk revolution themselves, they did it in epic style.

The album cut of “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” ran more than 12 minutes. It built its vibe brick by brick – throbbing bass, swirling strings, jagged guitar, and sprawling horns for almost four full minutes before the story begins… “It was the third of September – That day I’ll always remember….” The Undisputed Truth, who had their own big hit the previous year with a Temptations cover “Smiling Faces Sometimes,” recorded the original version of “Papa,” a brassier, jazzier version. It had some funk to it but didn't go nearly as deep as the Temptations.