(Credits: Far Out / NASA / Uwe Conrad)
Wed 29 April 2026 2:00, UK
After the 1970s had ushered in a wild era of innovation that looked to never end, the future looked bright, but for many, it was the end, the closing of a chapter led by one Elvis Presley, whose death in 1977 marked the conclusion of his rock and roll reign.
The death of ‘The King’ saw the world waving goodbye to rock and roll as they had pretty much always known it. Sure, the charts could have been awash with emerging youngsters all profiting off of the freedom Elvis had afforded them, but ultimately, the era had come to a close now that its steward had left the building.
So it was surely no coincidence that blues rock had officially drifted off into the ether, being replaced by the more expansive subgenres of rock that flourished in the more forward-looking landscape, such that prog-rock, psych-rock and heavy metal felt like worlds away from the trusted brand of blues rock that Elvis made popular in the earlier decades, not to mention the introduction of disco and soul.
So, as the cultural flame slowly burned to embers at the end of the ‘70s, expedited by the death of a cornerstone icon, fans wondered if classic rock as they knew it was slowly on the decline, and you could argue that a brief look at the charts in the year of Elvis’ death goes a long way towards proving that.
Debby Boone enjoyed the longest amount of time at the very top, with ‘You Light Up My Life’ sitting pretty for a whole ten weeks, followed closely by the likes of Stevie Wonder, The Bee Gees, ABBA, Marvin Gaye and KC and the Sunshine Band, who all contributed to the charts being a more diverse and less rock-centric environment.
But what classic rock songs peaked on the charts in 1977?
There were a handful of tracks that could have been loosely described as classic rock; whether it was Daryl Hall and John Oates’ ‘Rich Girl’ or Leo Sayer’s ‘You Make Me Feel Like Dancing’, there was a string of hits that marked the segue from rock to pop in this transient era of music.
But to categorically grant any of the hits in the ‘77 US Billboard chart the title of classic rock titans, there are only four songs that truly make the grade. ‘Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)’ by Rod Stewart, ‘New Kid in Town’ by Eagles, as well as ‘Hotel California’ and ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac did the genre proud and topped the charts for a respective week each.
The latter two tracks represent the very best of the genre, being arguably two of the last triumphant rock tracks from the decade, yet their success still proved that evolution was at play. Fleetwood Mac’s dream-tinged rock melodies and Eagles’ country-inspired harmonies were a far cry from the charismatic blues rock of Elvis’ ‘50s emergence and ultimately provided a fitting soundtrack to his farewell from music.
ADD AS A PREFERRED SOURCE ON GOOGLE 