Theme from Shaft by Isaac Hayes
Artist: Isaac Hayes Weeks at #1: 2 weeks Chart dates: November 20, 1971 – November 27, 1971
About
“Theme from Shaft” with its immediately recognizable melody and percussive female background vocals became not just a career defining song for Isaac Hayes, but representative of blaxploitation films like Shaft. The song is often referenced or interpolated whenever 1970’s Black films are parodied as on movies like I’m Gonna Git You Sucka and UHF as well as TV series like The Simpsons, The X-Files, and even Sesame Street. The female chorus' hushed “shut your mouth” as stylized censorship has become a trope that has been recreated time and time again based on the enduring popularity of Shaft’s theme song. Isaac Hayes became the first African American to receive a non-acting Oscar when he won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. He was also the first to win that award for a song he both wrote and performed. “Theme from Shaft” was released September 30, 1971 and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as #2 on the Billboard Soul Singles chart.
