Comments: 11

• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn this day in 1971 {October 31st} "Theme from 'Shaft'"* by Isaac Hayes peaked at #2 {for 3 weeks} on Billboard's Hot Soul Singles* chart, for the first two weeks it was at #2, the #1 record for both those weeks was "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" by Marvin Gaye, and for its 3rd week at #2, "Have You Seen Her" by the Chi-Lites was in the top spot...
  And at the time, "Theme from 'Shaft'" was also at #2 on Billboard's Top 100 chart, two weeks later it would peak at #1 {for 2 weeks}...
  Between 1969 and 1980 the Covington, Tennessee native had twenty-five records on the Hot Soul Singles chart, five made the Top 10 with the above "Theme from 'Shaft''" being his biggest hit...
  Besides "Theme from 'Shaft'", his four other Top 10 records were "Never Can Say Goodbye" {#5 in 1971}, "Do Your Thing" {#3 in 1972, "Joy - Part 1" {#7 in 1973}, and "Ike's Rap VII" {#9 in 1986}...
  One of his twenty-five charted records was a duet with David Porter {"Ain't That Loving You", #37 in 1972}...
  Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. passed away at the age of 65 on August 10th, 2008...
  May he R.I.P.
  * And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, the remainder of the Hot Soul Singles' Top 10 on October 31st, 1971:
  At #3. "You've Got To Crawl (Before You Walk)" by 8th Day
  #4. "Trapped By A Thing Called Love" by Denise LaSalle
  #5. "Have To Seen Her" by the Chi -Lites
  #6. "Respect Yourself" by the Staple Singers
  #7. "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" by the Persuaders
  #8. "Make It Funky, Part 1" by James Brown
  #9. "Tired of Being Alone" by Al Green
  #10. "She's All I Got" by Freddie North
  
• Seventhmist from 7th HeavenShaft must have had a great woman, since she was ok with him being a sex machine to all the chicks.
• Jules from Negaunee, MiGreat 70s flash back :)
• John from Nashville, TnGuitarist Charles Pitts played the famous wah-wah solo on this million-seller. Two years ago, he played a distinctive guitar riff on another million-seller (The Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing"). Future Isley guitarist Ernie Isley played bass on that Isley classic.
• Thomas from Savannah, GaI can feel my inner afro try to bust out from under my ball cap with some English Leather laden bell-bottom wearing kung-fu moves every time I hear this tune.
• Joe from Palos Heights, IlThey kinda made fun of this on Who's Line is it anyway? All the actors were playing a game where they had to have a converstation and could only speak using song titles. So they were all saying things like "ooh! blue suede shoes" or "eww Smells like teen spirit" and this one guy couldn't think of anything to say so he just shouted "THEME FROM SHAFT". Pretty funny.
• Sean from TorontoThis song probably has one of the longest instrumental openings of any song in existence, with the time clocking in at approximately 2 minutes and 43 seconds.
• Joel from Lawrence, KsCool theme from a cool movie.
• Julio from Newark, NjIt has never been mentioned but Clarence Reid better known as "Blow Fly" was asked by Issac Hayes to help provide the words to "Shaft". If you have ever listened to any of "Blow Fly's" early albums you will clearly see that he helped in the writing of Shaft. Please note Clarence Reid also wrote "Clean-up" Woman for Betty Wright and numerous other R&B hits.Clarence Reid is now in his 60's and still performes as "Blow Fly" and has his own website.
  
• Sean from Media, PaThey say this cat Shaft is a baaaad motha...
• Michael from Harrisburg, PaTelma Hopkins, along with Joyce Vincent Wilson, were the actual back-up singers. These two of course went on to become Dawn, with Tony Orlando. Telma Hopkins is the one who can be held saying,: "Shut Your Mouth" on the Shaft single. That is why later, when Telma went into TV shows like "Bosom Buddies" and "Family Matters", her charater on the shows would often say.."Shut your mouth"..it was a reference to her work on Shaft. This has been documenteed in many books, and on Isaac Hayes' website, where he jokes that "Theme From Shaft" was Isaac Hayes and Dawn.:)

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