“Soul Song”
Joe Stampley
Written by George Richey, Billy Sherrill, and Norro Wilson
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
January 20, 1973
This record is a great example of one of my favorite things about writing this series: discovering a fun record that I’ve never heard before.
Joe Stampley had been recording since the early sixties, both as a solo artist and as the lead singer of the Uniques. After four albums with the band, he signed a solo country deal that paid off immediately, with his debut country set earning a top ten single with “If You Touch Me (You’ve Got to Love Me).”
Stampley followed up that hit with his first of several number one singles. “Soul Song” is a fun play on words, with the “soul” referring to the spirit of the relationship, not the style of the record.
It’s a fun country romp that taps into my sweet spot of songs about songs. Stampley has a distinctive voice that I’m looking forward to hearing more of as a decade progresses, especially since I’m most familiar with his duets from the end of the decade with Moe Bandy.
I don’t have anything deep or profound to say about this record. It’s just fun to listen to and I’m glad I got to discover it through this feature.
“Soul Song” gets a B+.
Every No. 1 Single of the Seventies
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Better than I remembered. I give it an “A-“. Just a really good feel song with an infections production.