Still Awesome Songs
While there are those who want to dismiss the 1970s as the decade of disco, there was so much other great music happening at the time (including some awesome disco tunes as well, by the way). And whether on oldies radio stations, the 70s channel on Sirius, or our various streaming music playlists—there are a whole bunch of songs from the 1970s that we still listen to on a regular (maybe even daily) basis. These are those songs.
Oh, yeah—there are also a few that have us diving for the "skip" button the second we hear them, and we'll mention those too.
And please, let us know how our choices match up with your best-of-the-70s music playlist. Which tracks can you never get enough of?
"Stayin' Alive" (Bee Gees)
Date: 1977
Disco gets a bad rap as a musical fad—but as bad as some of it was, we wanted to begin this discussion by honoring one of the all time greatest disco tracks ever made. From the second those opening beats hit, we're turning up the volume, and you can't help but add a little John Travolta-esque strut to your step when "Stayin' Alive" comes on.
Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive (Official Music Video), beegees
"As" (Stevie Wonder)
Date: 1977
Spin magazine called "As" one of "The 30 Best Disco Songs That Every Millennial Should Know". For those of us who already know it though—we assume we aren't the only ones who are still grooving to this beauty on a regular basis.
Stevie Wonder - As - Live In The Studio 1976, Drew Horley"Mr Blue Sky" (Electric Light Orchestra)
Date: 1978
From disco to prog rock... ELO might not be everyone's cup of tea but we've been obsessed with "Mr Blue Sky" for decades—well, before the younger generations discovered it via Baby Groot's dance scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.
Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky (Official Video), ELO"Dust In The Wind" (Kansas)
Date: 1978
Originally certified gold, "Dust in the Wind" was certified 3X Platinum in 2019—so, those of us still obsessed with the song must be playing it a lot even today. And how could you not?
Kansas - Dust in the Wind (Official Video), KANSAS"Dig A Pony" (The Beatles)
Date: 1970
"Dig a Pony" might seem like an odd choice—given some of the much more popular songs on the Let It Be album. But, what can we say...we really dig this one (pun totally intended).
DIG A PONY | THE BEATLES ROOFTOP CONCERT, jose navea"Hotel California" (Eagles)
Date: 1977
As much as one might want to hate certain songs because of how popular they are—we can't do that with "Hotel California". The Grammy winner for Record of the Year is on constant rotation on our playlist. Readers of Guitarist magazine voted the guitar coda at the end of the song the "best guitar solo of all time"—and dare we say our air guitar version of it totally rocks as well. How about yours?
Eagles - Hotel California (Live 1977) (Official Video) [HD], Eagles"Bohemian Rhapsody" (Queen)
Date: 1975
Some of us had to be reminded of this one by Mike Meyers in 1992 (Wayne's World, anyone?)—but that little nudge was all we needed to get this awesome track stuck back in our heads forever. We also just love saying "Scaramouche".
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody (Official Video Remastered), Queen Official"Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" (Looking Glass)
Date: 1972
We know that for some folks out there, this catchy pop rock track by Looking Glass would be on their "never want to hear again" list. But we aren't ashamed to admit we love it.
Looking Glass - Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) (Official Music Video), Looking Glass"Rock With You" (Michael Jackson)
Date: 1979
Don't forget all the great stuff Jackson did before Thriller. The Off The Wall album is great (and was a major success)—and our go-to from said record is always "Rock with You".
Michael Jackson - Rock With You (Official Video - Upscaled), Michael Jackson
"Heart Of Glass" (Blondie)
Date: 1979
We're happy Miley Cyrus's live cover of the song introduced it to a new, younger audience—but we go back to the original Blondie version all the time.
Blondie - Heart Of Glass, BlondieMusicOfficial"Songbird" (Fleetwood Mac)
Date: 1977
Obviously, we love the whole Rumors album—and Stevie Nicks is amazing. But sometimes we feel like Christine McVie doesn't always get the appreciation she deserves as part of the group. "Songbird" is a truly beautiful track and one that McVie performs with such stunning vocal and emotional prowess.
Warner Bros. Records, Wikimedia Commons
Never Want To Hear Again: "Disco Duck" (Rick Dees)
Date: 1976
While we are mostly here to give praise to songs we still listen to constantly—we also mentioned that we would provide a few never-want-to-hear-again tunes as well. And what better song to start with than "Disco Duck"? If you were around in 1976, you are no doubt familiar with this satirical disco novelty song from famed radio DJ Rick Dees.
If you aren't familiar with it...lucky you!
Rick Dees Disco Duck (Live Midnight Special), GeorgeBantam"No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature" (The Guess Who)
Date: 1970
While oldies stations generally stick to playing "American Woman" (which we also love BTW), the great Canadian rock band The Guess Who have a whole bunch of awesome tracks—including the "No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature" medley.
And speaking of awesome songs from great Canadian bands...
The Guess Who - No Sugar Tonight // New Mother Nature (Running Back Thru Canada), PeutEtreDejaVu"Closer To The Heart" (Rush)
Date: 1977
If this was an article about songs from the 1980s, then we'd no doubt be talking about "Tom Sawyer" right now (see how we snuck it in there anyway?). But sticking to the decade of the 70s, another Rush track we listen to quite a bit is "Closer to the Heart".
Rush - Closer To The Heart (Official Music Video), Rush
"Lust For Life" (Iggy Pop)
Date: 1977
Just like Wayne's World reinvigorated "Bohemian Rhapsody", Trainspotting did the same thing for Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" (at least for those of us who remember Trainspotting). And like with the aforementioned Queen song, "Lust for Life" has been in heavy rotation on our playlists ever since.
Iggy Pop - Lust For Life, Iggy Pop Official"Let It Be" (The Beatles)
Date: 1970
Yes, we mentioned "Dig a Pony" off of the Let It Be album earlier—but there's no way we're going to produce a song list like this and not also have "Let It Be" on it. A top all-timer Beatles track, this one still hits us hard every time.
The Beatles - Let It Be, The Beatles"Bennie And The Jets" (Elton John)
Date: 1974
Unlike Katherine Heigl and James Marsden in 27 Dresses, we know all the words to "Bennie And The Jets"—and we sing 'em all every time this one comes on.
Elton John - Bennie And The Jets (Official Music Video), Elton JohnNever Want To Hear Again: "(You're) Having My Baby" (Paul Anka)
Date: 1974
This overly sentimental track became a number one hit for Anka in the 70s—however, it also took the number one spot in a 2006 CNN poll of the "worst songs of all time".
(You're) Having My Baby - Paul Anka and Odia Coates, numberonesongs111"Take Me Home, Country Roads" (John Denver)
Date: 1971
Whether on the radio, our streaming playlist, or by a campfire roasting marshmallows while someone plays the guitar—we will never say no to a rendition of "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (we'll never say no to a roasted marshmallow either).
John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Roads (from The Wildlife Concert), John Denver"Dream On" (Aerosmith)
Date: 1973
The band's first big hit song, Steven Tyler shows off his vocal chops in this one, and it still rocks hard even today. Tyler actually wrote the song as a teenager—years before Aerosmith was even a thing.
Aerosmith - Dream On (Official HD Video), HQVideoClassics"Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" (Billy Joel)
Date: 1977
The song that American Songwriter calls "a seven-minute epic" isn't just one we still listen to, but one that we pretty much have to sing along with any time we hear it. The story of Brenda and Eddie—we know all the details. Do you?
Billy Joel - Scenes from an Italian Restaurant (Official Music Video), Billy Joel"Ain't No Sunshine" (Bill Withers)
Date: 1971
The Grammy winner for Best R&B Song in 1972, "Ain't No Sunshine" has been covered (and covered well) by many artists over the years—but Withers' original is still tops in our books. And we know, we know, we know, we know, we know many of you agree with us on that one.
Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshine (Old Grey Whistle Test, 1972), Bill Withers"Smoke On The Water" (Deep Purple)
Date: 1973
We'll admit it: We're a sucker for that guitar riff.
Deep Purple - Smoke On the Water (Official Music Video), Deep Purple Official"Ooh La La" (Faces)
Date: 1973
"I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger"—a line that has become even more meaningful and introspective as we've gotten older.
"Ooh La La" (live) - Ronnie Lane, Plonk Lane
"Heart Of Gold" (Neil Young)
Date: 1972
To be honest, we'll often put on the entire Harvest album from front to back—but for our purposes here, we wanted to highlight Young's only Billboard Hot 100 number one single, "Heart of Gold".
Neil Young - Heart of Gold (Live) [Harvest 50th Anniversary Edition] (Official Music Video), neilyoungchannel Never Want To Hear Again: "Muskrat Love" (Captain & Tennille)
Date: 1976
A love song about two anthropomorphic muskrats named Susie and Sam. Need we say more?
Captain & Tennille MUSKRAT LOVE, Darren Q."More Than A Feeling" (Boston)
Date: 1976
Boston's classic track off of their mega-selling debut album has become one of the most iconic rock songs of the 1970s. Imagine a modern day movie set in the 70s that doesn't have this song playing at some point in the film. We can't.
Boston - More Than a Feeling (Official HD Video), Boston"Angie" (The Rolling Stones)
Date: 1973
The lead single off of the Stones' 1973 album, Goats Head Soup, "Angie" is one of the greatest ballads in the history of rock and roll. The song reached number one in multiple countries—including America (and our hearts forever).
The Rolling Stones - Angie - OFFICIAL PROMO (Version 1), The Rolling Stones"Stairway To Heaven" (Led Zeppelin)
Date: 1971
There are those who remember this song when it came out and was the most requested song on FM radio stations in the United States. Then there is a generation who remember "Stairway to Heaven" as the song that ended every high school dance. Some might call it overplayed—we call it one of the greatest songs of all time.
Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven (Live at Earls Court 1975) [Official Video], Led ZeppelinYou Might Also Like:
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