The 1970s is one of my favorite decades of the 20th century and the music from that time is a huge part of why I love it so much. Thanks to my mother and grandmother I grew up listening to music from the 70s and I have a long list of songs that I adore from the era that never fails to make me fall in love with music all over again.
1. Running on Empty- Jackson Browne (1978)
This song made it into the top 100 the year it was released and spent seventeen weeks as number 11 on the charts. Rolling Stone ranked it as 496 on the list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of all Time" and it is one of Jackson Browne's most popular and widely known songs. People often recognize it from Forrest Gump because it is the song that plays when Forrest is running across the country.
2. Night Moves- Bob Seger (1976)
This song was Bob Seger's first hit single in seven years. It tells the story of two teenagers who "fell in love" in the early 1960s from the perspective of an adult who is looking back at that time in his life.
3. Chevy Van- Sammy Johns (1973)
Another top hit from the early 70s this song made an impact on many people at the time it was released due to the new ideas of sexual liberation and the story that the song told.
4. Take Me Home, Country Roads- John Denver (1971)
When this song was released it was an instant success and soon became John Denver's most popular and widely known song. It was especially loved among West Virginians and remains popular around the world today.
5.One Toke Over the Line- Brewer and Shipley (1970)
This song was the greatest success for sing- songwriters Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley. The song is about drugs, mostly marijuana, and according to Shipley was based on the idea that "too much of anything will probably kill you". Accordingly, the idea for the song came to the two of them while they were high in Kansas City, Missouri.
6. Take It Easy- Eagles (1972)
Written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Fry the song became a signature song for the Eagles and the town of Winslow, Arizona erected a life-size statue and mural on the corner which is supposedly the one mentioned in the song.
7. Rock Me Gently- Andy Kim (1974)
A Billboard #1 Hit in 1974 it was Andy Kim's first song on the chart in three years and he financed the recording session for the song himself.
8. Sweet City Woman- The Stampeders (1973)
This song, which uses a banjo as the primary instrument, was a #1 hit in Canada and made it to #8 in the United States.
9.Dancing Queen- Abba (1976)
Despite being Abba's only top hit in America after the song was released in Sweden where it was originally produced, it became a worldwide hit and is still widely popular and well known today.
10. Say You Love Me- Fleetwood Mac (1975)
Written by the group's singer Christine McVie this song is one of the group's most popular and it was used as the title song for their 1975 album which helped contribute to the album's success.
11. December 1963 (Oh What a Night) - The Four Seasons (1975)
12. Recorded by the country duo in 1975, the song made it into the weekly top 100 lists in eleven different countries.
13. One Love- Bob Marley and the Wailers (1977)
Released as a single by the Wailers in 1965, the 1977 version was a remake of the song for the album Exodus While the song expresses Bob Marley's ideas that everyone should stop fighting and live peacefully, there is also an underlying idea that sinners will be punished for their deeds. It reached #5 in the UK in 1984, three years after Bob Marley's death.
14. Isn't She Lovely- Stevie Wonder (1976)
This song was written by Stevie Wonder to celebrate the birth of his daughter. Although the song was very popular it did not make it into the Top 100.
15. Bridge Over Troubled Water- Simon and Garfunkel (1970)
