About The Song
“Jam” is a track recorded by American rock band Three Dog Night and released on their 1971 studio album Harmony. The album was issued on September 30, 1971 by Dunhill Records, produced by Richard Podolor, and recorded at American Recording Co. in Studio City, California. On the original album sequence, “Jam” appears as track five, placed directly after “Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer.” Unlike many Three Dog Night releases that relied on outside writers, “Jam” is credited to the band itself, making it a notable in-catalog exception.
Harmony arrived during a period when Three Dog Night were already established as major hitmakers, built around a rotating-lead-vocal approach (Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton) supported by a tight rock-and-soul backing band. Commercially, the album performed strongly, reaching No. 8 on Billboard’s U.S. Pop Albums chart (Billboard 200). While the record is often discussed for its hit singles, it also contains several album tracks that highlight the group’s versatility, and “Jam” functions as one of the clearest “band performance” pieces on the LP.
Musically, “Jam” leans into groove and momentum rather than a hook-first, radio-single structure. The title reflects the basic concept: a track driven by rhythmic feel, repeated phrases, and a sense of ensemble playing. Compared to the album’s more melody-focused material, “Jam” emphasizes the interaction between drums, bass, keyboards, and guitar, with vocals used more as part of the overall texture. It is still a concise studio recording rather than an extended improvisation, but it is arranged to sound direct, energetic, and performance-centered.
From a release-history standpoint, “Jam” is best known for its role as a B-side. In November 1971, Dunhill released “An Old Fashioned Love Song” as a single from Harmony, and “Jam” was used as the flip side. The A-side became one of the band’s biggest records, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart. “Jam” did not chart separately, but being paired with a major hit single meant it circulated widely through 45 RPM purchases and radio-station copies.
The contrast between the two sides helps clarify why “Jam” stands out. “An Old Fashioned Love Song” is designed around a clear melodic line and lyric with mainstream pop-rock polish. “Jam,” by comparison, spotlights the band’s internal chemistry and instrumental backbone—Michael Allsup (guitar), Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), and Floyd Sneed (drums)—working beneath the group’s three-frontman vocal identity. In that sense, it serves as an additional “album track statement” attached to a single that otherwise represented the most accessible side of Harmony.
Because “Jam” was not promoted as an A-side, most documented chart data ties to the album’s performance and the singles released from it rather than to “Jam” specifically. Still, its authorship credit is part of what keeps it discussed among collectors: it is one of the relatively uncommon Three Dog Night tracks credited to the group as writers, appearing on an album otherwise built heavily on songs from respected contemporary songwriters. That detail also aligns with the band’s early-1970s period, when they were balancing strong commercial song selection with moments that highlighted the group’s own musical identity.
In practical terms, “Jam” works as a supporting piece within Harmony: it adds variety to the pacing of a Top 10 album and offers a different angle on Three Dog Night’s sound—less about a single vocal showcase and more about groove, ensemble tightness, and band-driven energy. Even without a standalone chart run, its placement on a landmark album and its presence as the B-side to a Hot 100 Top 5 hit make it a relevant part of the band’s 1971 catalog.
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Lyric
Ooh, I love you baby sometimes ain’t too much
Lord, I got to have ya, love to feel your touch
I had you in the summertime, I loved you in the fall.
I got to take you home with me, I got to make you ball.
Do you feel all right, do you feel all right
You make us feel all right, you make us feel all right.
You make us feel all right, you make us feel all right.
Feel it baby, feel it.
Feel it baby, feel it.
You want to clap your hands.
You want to clap your hands.
I got to feel it.
I got to feel it.
Give us some of that.
Give us some of that.
You make us feel all right, you make us feel all right.
You make us feel all right, you make us feel all right.