70s Soft Rock was the Bomb

A look back at some of the greatest soft rock from the 1970s

 

 

I think most people, when they get nostalgic for the music of their youth tend to fall back on the music they were listening to as a teenager. That just makes sense, that’s the age you’re discovering who you are, what makes you different from everyone else. A big part of that is the music you choose to listen to. When I was a teen in the 1980s I was into the 60s psychedelic rock and heavy metal, think Jimi Hendrix and Metallica. I still love that music, but when I’m feeling nostalgic, I fall back to a very different type of music, my first musical love was seventies soft rock.

Part of the reason I don’t get overly sentimental about music from my teen years is, let’s face it, the 1980s was a weak decade for music. I mean there was a reason I was listening to 60s rock rather than the contemporary music. There are exceptions, who doesn’t want to rock out to Walk Like an Egyptian? But on the whole, eighties music was pretty boring. The 1970s on the other hand was such an exciting decade for music.

The seventies had classic soul music from the likes of Al Green, Aretha Franklin playing side by side with Parliament-Funkadelic. There were bands like Led Zeppelin that were continuing the sixties psychedelic rock while other bands like Black Sabbath and Ted Nugent were redefining hard rock. Even country music got interesting for a minute with the outlaw honkytonk genre coming from guys like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. Of course, by the end of the decade disco music was king. Despite the jokes, there were a lot of really good disco songs. Having said that, it’s probably fair to point to disco for the general decline in pop music in the eighties.

Sitting right beside disco for control of the billboard charts in the 1970s was soft rock. This is the music I listened to on the radio when I stayed up late at night when I was supposed to be asleep. I can go twenty years without hearing one of these tunes, and still break out into song when they come on over the instore soundtrack at the grocery store. Trying to categorize music into genres is always a dicey proposition. There can be a pretty fuzzy line between soft rock, soul, country, dance, and just regular pop music. Despite that challenge, I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite seventies soft rock songs. Each includes a brief commentary from me, and a YouTube link to the song.

Before we get to the music, a couple of notes on my methodology. It quickly became apparent that this list could be hundreds of songs long. To avoid this turning into a book, I’m limiting the list to songs that radio stations were playing between 1975 and 1978. These are some great bands, but I had to keep it to only one song from each. I’m also keeping to performers who are closely identified with the 1970s. Chicago, Paul McCarthy, The Eagles, James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, and Billy Joel could easily have made the list. However, they all had long careers spanning multiple decades, so to keep it manageable, I excluded them from this list.

Gordon Lightfoot — If I Could Read Your Mind — 1970

I’ve decided to arrange this list chronologically, in part because I wanted this song to be first. Gordon Lightfoot was the inspiration for this article. You may have heard on the news that he recently died at age 84. Seeing all the tributes on Facebook from people who were moved by his music got me to revisit some of his songs. Listening to all this great music and the Google recommendations for similar songs started me down the rabbit hole of seventies soft rock.

Lightfoot’s manor is so unassuming that it’s easy to overlook the fact he had a string of enduring hit songs in the 1970’s. “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” is probably the song most closely associated with him. The haunting lyrics, searing opening guitar, and frankly strange subject for a song made it an unforgettable tune. He also scored big hits in the seventies with “Carefree Highway” and “Sundown.”

However, while listening to his music, it was “If I Could Read Your Mind,” that really grabbed my attention. I’ve listened to this song over and over again the last couple of days, I just can’t get it out of my head. It’s just so lyrical. He’s singing about the longing for a lost love, his real-life divorce was the inspiration. He sings of being a ghost she can’t see, and refers to their relationship as a book that won’t be read again “because the ending’s just too hard to take.” I’m getting verklempt just writing about it. He continued to perform up into recent years, but never again had the commercial success he had in the seventies.

Jim Croce — Time in a Bottle — 1972

Jim Croce began recording in the mid-1960s but failed to find much success and even consider giving up on a recording career. However, that changed in 1972 with the release of the album You Don’t Mess Around with Jim. Over the course of 1972 and 1973 Croce had an amazing run of success recording numerous songs that have become classics including: “Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels),” “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” “Workin’ at the Car Wash Blues,” and “I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song,” in addition to “Time in a Bottle.” A fatal plane crash cut his success short on September 20, 1973. In less than twenty months he released six top twenty songs, two of which hit number one, including “Time in a Bottle” which topped the charts after his death.

Carly Simon — You’re So Vain — 1972

Carly Simon came to prominence in 1971 with her breakthrough hit “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be.” Over the next decade she had twelve more top 40 singles, although “You’re So Vain” was her only number one hit. “Nobody Does It Better” came close, topping out at number 2 in 1977. Perhaps not coincidentally, the years of her greatest success mirrored the years she was married to the great performer and song writer James Taylor. Her commercial success faded in the 1980s, but she continued to record and perform well into the 2000s. 

“You’re so Vain,” in addition to being her greatest hit, has also been the subject of much speculation concerning the object of the song’s title. Mick Jagger, who provided uncredited background vocals on the song, and Warren Beatty have both been frequently mentioned as the inspiration for the song, but Simon has never revealed who the song is about.

The Carpenters — Hurting Each Other — 1972

The most commercially successful recording artist on this list is The Carpenters. Between 1970 and 1975 this brother/sister duo had eleven top five hit songs, eventually racking up twenty top 40 hits. During that six-year period they released some of the greatest songs of the decade, but they were so hot that even some mediocre songs, that had no business being a hit, rose to the top of the charts. I’m looking at you “Top of the World,” and “Please Mr. Postman.” Lead singer Karen Carpenter with her great vocals was the public face of the band, but Richard Carpenter’s song writing, and production was also important to their success.

After 1975 there was a precipitous decline in their popularity. They still had enough fans to get songs into the top 40, but the public was becoming bored with their squeaky-clean public image and increasingly formulaic songs. By 1978 the problems with The Carpenters became more serious. Richard went into treatment for an addiction to quaaludes and it became apparent to many that Karen was suffering from anorexia. Karen recorded her only solo album in 1979/1980, but her record label was unimpressed and shelved it before its release. The Carpenters recorded one more album in 1981 that failed to achieve their earlier success. Karen died of complications from anorexia on February 1st, 1983.

Harry Chapin — Cat’s in The Cradle — 1974

Unlike the first three recording artists on this list, Harry Chapin is known primarily for this one song. In fact, that’s the only song of his I was aware of prior to writing this article. His first success was with the single “Taxi” in 1972 which peaked at 24 on the Billboard chart. I didn’t recognize the name of that song, but when I pulled it up on YouTube I realized it’s actually a song I know quite well, just didn’t realize Chapin recorded it. It’s a great song so I provided a link to it if you want to check it out.

In many ways it’s very similar to “Cat’s in the Cradle” which became his greatest hit reaching the top of the charts in 1974. This was one of my very favorite songs as a child. It just sucks you into this melancholy story of a guy who’s too busy with his career to appreciate his son until he’s grown and it’s too late. Chapin continued to record and perform for the next several years, but never again achieved his earlier commercial success. In 1981 he was driving to a benefit concert in New York when he died in a collision with a semi-truck. His widow won a $12 million decision in a negligence lawsuit against the truck’s owner.

Barry Manilow — I Write The Songs — 1975

If there’s any one musician who is synonymous with late seventies soft rock, it’s Barry Manilow. Between 1974 and 1980 pretty much everything he touched turned to gold. During these seven years he had 13 major hit songs, including three that hit #1. My Mom was a huge Manilow fan, he was second only to Elvis in our home. I’ve even seen him in concert, twice. Before he became a star he wrote and performed jingles for TV ads including “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there” and “I am stuck on Band-Aid, ’cause Band-Aid’s stuck on me!” Bette Midler saw his talent and hired him to play piano and help produce her album The Divine Miss M in 1972 for which he received a Grammy nomination.

He finally found success as a solo performer in 1974 when he released “Mandy” which launched him into stardom as a number one hit. The following year he released the semi-autobiographical “I Write the Songs” which also hit the top of the charts. The success just continued from there until we reached the 1980s. I’m not sure if there’s ever been two adjacent decades that were more culturally different than the seventies and eighties, but by 1981 it seemed the country was ready to move on from his sappy love songs. He continued to perform and managed to hit the top 40 a couple more times, but his time as a top recording artist was over.

ABBA — Fernando — 1976

The Swedish band ABBA burst into the spotlight after winning the first ever Eurovision song contest in 1974. Their Eurovision song, “Waterloo” went on to be their first hit song in 1974 topping out at six on Billboard. Fun fact that I just learned, ABBA is an acronym for the initials of their first names (Anni-Frid, Benny, Bjorn, Agnetha), arranged to be a palindrome. Their selection on this list might be controversial because they’re primarily a pop/disco band rather than soft rock, but I was obsessed with “Fernando” as a child, and I think it falls into the soft rock category. Probably because they were primarily a European band, their songs didn’t score quite as high on the U.S. charts as some of the other bands on this list, “Fernando” only got to thirteen on Billboard. However, they were an international sensation whose music has continued to remain popular. That’s in part due to being featured in the movies Muriel’s Wedding and Mamma Mia!

Kansas — Dust in The Wind — 1977

Kansas is a band from, anyone, anyone, yes Kansas. More specifically Topeka, Kansas. Full disclosure, I’m originally from Wichita, so you might think my latent Kansas bias is coming through. But let me assure you that Wichita folk don’t consort with Topekaians, so the integrity of the list is intact. Kansas is a band that’s primarily known for two songs, their first hit “Carry on Wayward Son,” and “Dust in the Wind.” My biggest surprise in researching this band is that “Dust” only got to number six on the Billboard charts. I think any discussion of the best songs from the seventies must include “Dust in the Wind.” It’s just one of those songs that transcends genre, whatever music you normally listen to, you probably like this song. Kansas has turned into one of these bands that just continues on touring the country with an ever-changing line up, a total of eighteen people have been in the band as some point.

The Commodores — Easy (Like Sunday Morning) — 1977

This is another one that some people might object to the soft rock label. Soul, Funk, and R & B, sure, but soft rock no! But when you listen to songs like “Easy,” “Three Times a Lady,” “Sail On,” and “Still,” they clearly fall into the soft rock genre. The Commodores found modest success with their first couple albums, but in 1977 they made it big with “Easy” and “Brick House” which rose to number four and five on the Billboard charts respectively. “Easy” is a bit strange in the sense it’s essentially a breakup song, so you’d expect it be filled with overwrought emotion and angst. But no, he’s come to peace with it and he’s leaving easy, like Sunday morning. They had seven top ten singles between 1977 and 1981. The band’s fortunes turned for the worse after Lionel Richie left the band in 1982 and went on to a very successful solo career. They’ve continued on with various band configurations, but only scored one additional top ten hit with their 1985 song “Nightshift.”

The Little River Band — Reminiscing — 1978

The Little River Band just barely squeezes in under my 1978 cutoff date. Along with Harry Chapin, they’re probably the most obscure recording artist on the list. However, they did score a series of hit songs between 1978 and 1981 with “Reminiscing” being their first, and largest hit song peaking at number three on Billboard. The band formed in Melbourne, Australian in 1975 and found immediate success in their native country. By 1977 they had their sights on the U.S. and found modest success there with their third album in 1977. Finally, they hit the big time in America with their fourth album the platinum selling Sleep Catcher, which included “Reminiscing.” Broadcast Music Incorporated recognized it as one of the most played songs in radio history and even John Lennon referred to it as one of his favorite songs. Their next several albums continued to do well, but after the lead singer left the band in 1982 they fell into the same pattern as The Commodores and Kansas, continuing to exist and tour, but with an ever-changing lineup.

So that’s my list. To be clear, this isn’t a “best of” the 1970’s soft rock list. It’s just a list of ten songs that represent a very good collection of that music, that meant something to me back in my youth. It would be very possible to make an entirely different list with ten different 1970’s soft rock artists that would be just as good. As proof of that I’ll list below the bands and artists that made my tentative list but were removed to keep the article from being even longer than it is.

England Dan & John Ford Coley — I’d Really Love to See You Tonight — 1976

10cc — The Things We do for Love — 1977

Al Stewart — The Year of the Cat — 1976

America — Sister Golden Hair — 1975

Gerry Rafferty — Baker Street — 1978

The Bee Gees — How Deep Is Your Love — 1977

Starland Vocal Band — Afternoon Delight — 1976

Seals & Croft — Summer Breeze — 1972

Bread — Guitar Man — 1972

Captain & Tennille — Do That to Me One More Time — 1979