American Songwriter marks the 55th anniversary of several 1971 rock tracks with a roundup of five songs it considers among the year's best, arguing the selection makes a strong case for 1971 as a landmark year for the genre. The piece is a light retrospective feature rather than hard news, celebrating enduring classics from major rock acts of the era.

The five songs highlighted are Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven", The Doors' "Riders On The Storm", The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" (a UK and US Top 20 hit), The Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" (reportedly inspired partly by Marianne Faithfull), and Black Sabbath's "Into The Void", cited as an influence on later doom metal. The article notes many more contenders from 1971 were considered beyond this shortlist.

– Five 1971 rock songs celebrated for turning 55 this year
– Featured acts: Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Who, Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath
– Article frames 1971 as an exceptional year for rock music