Think You Know 70s Music?
Think you know 70s music? Everybody remembers Hotel California, disco fever, and bell-bottoms. But this quiz digs just a little deeper. If you get 8 out of 20, you officially know your stuff. If you ace it…you probably spent way too much time staring at vinyl liner notes.
Ready? Let’s see what you’ve got.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
1. Which artist turned down the chance to record Killing Me Softly With His Song before Roberta Flack made it famous?
A. Diana Ross
B. Aretha Franklin
C. Donna Summer
D. Gladys Knight
CMS-Creative Management Associates/John Levy (management), Wikimedia Commons
Answer: Aretha Franklin
Aretha later admitted she passed on the song because she didn’t immediately connect with it. That had to sting once it became one of the biggest hits of the decade. Roberta Flack’s version ended up winning Record of the Year and became one of the defining songs of the early 70s.
Atlantic Records (Life time: Published before 1978 without a copyright notice), Wikimedia Commons
2. Which famous 70s musician originally performed under the stage name “The Duke of Prunes”?
A. Alice Cooper
B. Frank Zappa
C. Elton John
D. David Bowie
Answer: Frank Zappa
Long before becoming one of rock’s strangest and most respected musical innovators, Zappa occasionally used bizarre stage names including “The Duke of Prunes.” Honestly, for Frank Zappa, that barely even cracks the top 50 weird things.
Carl Lender, Wikimedia Commons
3. Which band famously used a giant flying spaceship prop during live concerts in the 70s?
Their concerts became known for massive stage productions, wild costumes, smoke effects, and enough surreal visuals to make audiences feel like they’d walked into another galaxy entirely.
Answer: Parliament-Funkadelic
George Clinton’s wild P-Funk shows became legendary thanks to elaborate costumes, massive stage productions, and the famous Mothership landing onstage. Their concerts felt less like regular gigs and more like giant funk-powered science-fiction movies with guitars, smoke machines, and afros everywhere.
Joe Loong from Reston, USA, Wikimedia Commons
4. Which famous 70s musician once worked as a schoolteacher before becoming a rock star?
A. Roger Waters
B. Sting
C. Bryan Ferry
D. Cat Stevens
Albert Bettannier, Wikimedia Commons
Answer: Sting
Before The Police made him famous, Sting worked as an English teacher. Somewhere out there is a student who got homework assignments from a future rock icon. His nickname “Sting” also came from a black-and-yellow sweater he wore while playing in jazz bands before The Police formed.
True or False
The Bee Gees were originally from Australia.
Screenshot from Bee Gees: Stayin’ Alive, RSO Records (1977)
Answer: False
The Bee Gees are strongly associated with Australia, but the Gibb brothers were actually born on the Isle of Man before later moving to Australia. Their massive disco success in the late 70s made them international superstars, even though critics unfairly blamed them for “disco overload” by the end of the decade.
6. Which song won the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1979?
A. Stayin’ Alive
B. What a Fool Believes
C. I Will Survive
D. Heart of Glass
Mason Souza, Wikimedia Commons
Answer: What a Fool Believes
The Doobie Brothers somehow beat out a whole tidal wave of disco and new wave hits. Written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, the song became one of the smoothest soft-rock hits of the entire decade and helped define late-70s radio.
Warner/Reprise Records, Wikimedia Commons
7. Which legendary singer briefly sang for the band Rainbow before launching a hugely successful solo career?
A. Lou Gramm
B. Graham Bonnet
C. Joe Lynn Turner
D. Ian Gillan
Helge Øverås, Wikimedia Commons
Answer: Graham Bonnet
Bonnet’s powerful voice helped Rainbow score hits like Since You Been Gone before he later fronted the Michael Schenker Group and Alcatrazz. Unlike most hard-rock singers of the era, he also became known for performing in regular shirts and ties instead of leather and spandex.
8. Which famous rock star secretly sang backup vocals on Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain?
The mystery surrounding this song became almost as famous as the song itself. For years, fans obsessed over every lyric trying to figure out exactly who Simon was singing about.
Screenshot from Carly Simon – “You’re So Vain”, Elektra Records (1972)
Answer: Mick Jagger
And yes, the irony of Mick Jagger singing on You’re So Vain is pretty incredible. Carly Simon kept the secret mostly hidden for years, which only fueled endless theories about who the song was actually written about in the first place.
Gorup de Besanez, Wikimedia Commons
9. Which Beatle became the first member of the band to have a No. 1 solo hit in the 70s?
A. John Lennon
B. Paul McCartney
C. George Harrison
D. Ringo Starr
Answer: George Harrison
Harrison hit No. 1 with My Sweet Lord in 1970, becoming the first former Beatle to top the charts as a solo artist. The song helped prove that all four Beatles could have major careers even after the band officially split up.
Apple Records, Wikimedia Commons
10. Which legendary guitarist earned the nickname “Slowhand”?
This guitarist became one of the defining blues-rock musicians of the 70s and somehow managed to collect iconic nicknames almost as easily as hit songs.
Answer: Eric Clapton
Ironically, the nickname had nothing to do with slow playing. It reportedly came from audiences slowly clapping while Clapton replaced broken guitar strings onstage. Despite the odd origin, “Slowhand” became one of the most famous nicknames in rock history.
Matt Gibbons, Wikimedia Commons
11. Which 70s band had a giant pyramid stage setup during concerts?
A. Styx
B. Kansas
C. Pink Floyd
D. Electric Light Orchestra
Answer: Pink Floyd
Their live shows became massive theatrical productions long before giant arena spectacles were normal. Between the giant pyramid setup, massive circular screens, inflatable props, and elaborate lighting, Pink Floyd concerts basically became immersive experiences instead of simple performances.
Paul Carless, Wikimedia Commons
12. Which artist released the album Aja in 1977?
A. Toto
B. Steely Dan
C. Little Feat
D. Chicago
Answer: Steely Dan
Aja became famous for its insanely polished production and session musicianship. Music nerds still obsess over it decades later because nearly every track sounds impossibly precise. The album also quietly influenced a huge amount of yacht rock, jazz-rock, and studio pop that followed.
Distributed by ABC Records, Wikimedia Commons
13. Which famous 70s album was packaged with a poster and stickers of the band members?
A. Rumours
B. Destroyer
C. Bat Out of Hell
D. Dark Side of the Moon
Answer: Destroyer
KISS understood merchandising before almost anybody else in rock music. The band practically turned albums into collectible starter kits. For plenty of kids in the 70s, opening a KISS album felt almost as important as listening to it.
Casablanca Records, Wikimedia Commons
True or False
The members of ABBA rarely wore their famous flashy stage outfits offstage because they could claim them as tax deductions in Sweden.
Anders Hanser, Wikimedia Commons
Answer: True
Swedish tax law reportedly allowed performers to deduct stage costumes only if the clothing was too outrageous to wear normally. ABBA definitely qualified. Their glittery outfits became part of the group’s identity and helped make them one of the most visually recognizable acts of the decade.
15. Which famous 70s band originally called themselves The Pendletones?
The group’s original name never quite matched the image that eventually made them world famous. Luckily for music history, the name didn’t stick for very long.
Answer: The Beach Boys
Their record label changed the name without even asking them first. “The Pendletones” sounded very 50s, but “The Beach Boys” ended up fitting their California surf image perfectly and became one of the most iconic band names in music history.
Capitol records, Wikimedia Commons
16. Which 70s superstar was born Farrokh Bulsara?
A. Cat Stevens
B. Freddie Mercury
C. Marc Bolan
D. David Essex
Answer: Freddie Mercury
And yes, he absolutely became one of the greatest frontmen ever. Before Queen exploded globally, Mercury studied graphic art and even helped design the band’s famous crest logo combining the zodiac signs of the members.
17. Which singer-songwriter wrote Me and Bobby McGee but never had the biggest hit version of it?
A. Kris Kristofferson
B. James Taylor
C. Harry Chapin
D. Jim Croce
Albert B. Grossman Management (personal manager), New York., Wikimedia Commons
Answer: Kris Kristofferson
Janis Joplin’s version became the iconic hit, even though Kristofferson wrote the song himself. The emotional performance helped turn the song into a classic and remains one of the defining recordings of Joplin’s career.
18. Which band released the 1974 album Crime of the Century?
A. Electric Light Orchestra
B. Supertramp
C. Yes
D. Genesis
Answer: Supertramp
The album helped establish Supertramp’s signature blend of progressive rock, pop hooks, and slightly weird lyrics. While it wasn’t their biggest commercial release, many longtime fans still consider it their best and most ambitious album.
19. Which singer was fired from Rainbow because he refused to sing more commercial songs?
This singer later became one of the most respected voices in heavy metal history and built a reputation around fantasy-inspired lyrics, massive vocals, and absolutely zero interest in softening his sound for radio.
kitmasterbloke, Wikimedia Commons
Answer: Ronnie James Dio
Rainbow founder Ritchie Blackmore wanted radio-friendly hits. Dio absolutely did not. The split eventually helped Dio launch one of the most respected heavy metal careers ever, including legendary runs with both Black Sabbath and his own band, Dio.
.:-Badulake-:., Wikimedia Commons
20. Which famous 70s rock album was the first ever to sell more than one million copies through mail-order TV ads?
A. Rumours
B. Bat Out of Hell
C. Frampton Comes Alive!
D. Hotel California
Evert F. Baumgardner, Wikimedia Commons
Answer: Bat Out of Hell
Meat Loaf’s theatrical rock album became a massive success partly thanks to relentless television advertising campaigns. Decades later, it remains one of the best-selling albums in music history.
Super Festivals, Wikimedia Commons
Final Score
0–4 correct: Did you accidentally study 80s music instead?
5–8 correct: Respectable. You know more than the average classic hits radio listener.
9–14 correct: Pretty impressive. You definitely know your 70s music.
15–19 correct: You may actually own vinyl alphabetized by genre.
20 correct: Congratulations, you are legally required to explain concept albums to younger people now.
Carl Lender, Wikimedia Commons
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