Were you a young person or possibly a kid in the 1970s? If so, the music taste you have today was probably formed back in the 1970s. And I’d be bold enough to say that folk, rock, and disco fans were probably influenced by the following three songs to some degree. Let’s take a walk down music memory lane!
“Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac
I wasn’t alive in 1977. But if I were, I’m sure this song would have been life-changing to hear for the first time as a young music enthusiast. Even though I first heard it in the early 2000s, this song rewired my brain somehow. This might just be Fleetwood Mac’s most magical song of their career, at least in my opinion. Honestly, the whole of the glittering folk rock album Rumours influenced countless young listeners back in the late 1970s. And the album has really stood the test of time in the way that other musicians could only dream of.
“Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977 and did similarly well on the international charts.
“Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zeppelin
Is there a more influential rock song from the 1970s in existence than “Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zeppelin? That’s up for debate, but one can’t deny that this song was a massive deal back in 1971. Led Zeppelin went on to spearhead that decade’s evolution of rock music, and countless rock bands today still look to their records for inspiration.
Led Zeppelin was known for not putting out singles, so “Stairway To Heaven” became a legendary hit without ever being released as a standalone track.
“Stayin’ Alive” by Bee Gees
If you’re still a diehard disco fan today, I bet this tune from The Bee Gees absolutely influenced your music taste in the late 1970s. While there were plenty of other musicians in the disco world that were pumping out hits in 1977, “Stayin’ Alive” hit the mainstream music world in a pretty big way that year.
“Stayin’ Alive” by The Bee Gees topped the Hot 100 chart in 1978. It was also a No. 1 hit in numerous other countries. Today, it’s still considered the group’s signature song.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images