I woke up yesterday morning haunted by my dream. Not by the dream itself—that was fairly typical (I was about to teach a course I’m completely unqualified to teach, and for about six hours I couldn’t find the classroom)—but by the soundtrack. Almost all my dreams have soundtracks, and I wake up with the last song in my head, and it’s almost never good; it’s usually from my childhood, one of those songs that stuck in my head no matter how much I hated it, out of sheer repetition.
The song that morning was “Sing a Song,” by the Carpenters, from 1973. (It was the #1 song for that year.) I asked my wife if she would agree that it was the Worst Song Ever, and she said that while it was certainly bad, it may not be the very worst song of all time—in fact, she said, it might not even be the worst song of the ’70s. And that started a conversation that led to this: my list of the worst songs of the ’70s.
As it turns out, there are many, many bad songs from that wonderful decade, and it was painfully difficult to narrow it down to ten. So to make up for such a negative list, I thought I’d try appending a list of the BEST songs from the same decade as well—but that proved to be even harder. My one rule for both lists is that I couldn’t include any obscure songs (e.g. “Mary Queen of Arkansas” from “The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle” or any track from the Bay City Rollers second album). Most, if not all of the songs below made the Billboard Top 100 for the years they were released. Without further ado, then: the Worst Songs of the ’70s. And please feel free to debate my selections by way of Comments at the end!
Top Ten Worst Songs of the ’70s
1. “Let ‘Em In (Someone’s Knocking at the Door)”by Wings. As it turns out, Cynthia was right. “Sing a Song” is NOT the worst hit song of that decade. This one is. From its annoying opening to its simply awful base line (one can practically feel the musicians falling asleep) to its trombone solo (trombone solo!) to its stupid flute riff, to its inane lyrics, this song absolutely takes the cake. Side note: Why does everyone love McCartney? More than half of his hits are silly little love songs. (What’s wrong with that? Everything.)
Go ahead, have a listen. See if you disagree.
2.”Muskrat Love”—Willis Alan Ramsey, then Captain and Tenille. You’ve got to be kidding me. It’s as if the ’60s (Dylan? Hendrix?) never happened. (See also “Ben” by Michael Jackson, another rodent love song, this time depicting an inter-species affair with a human.)
Want to throw up? Watch this video:
3. “Sing a Song”—the Carpenters. Pure drivel. Then again, this seemed to be the decade for such saccharine-laden happy-happy songs—see the above selections plus “Candy Man” by Sammy Davis Jr., “Everything Is Beautiful” by Ray Stevens, and “Playground in My Mind” by Clint Holmes (“My name is Michael/I got a nickel…”)
4. “Feelings” by Morris Albert. It’s about a noun. It could have been written by a suicidal 14-year-old submitting to her high-school literary magazine in a last-ditch attempt to garner sympathy from the would-be lover who spurned her in front of everyone in the cafeteria. Feelings? Whoa whoa whoa, feelings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q3CZNKgnNE
5. “Sara Smile” by Hall and Oates. The worst thing you could say about a three-minute song is that it feels like a seven-minute song. (Side question: Hall and Oates had SIX #1 hits. Can you name just one that doesn’t suck?)
6. “Have You Never Been Mellow?” by Olivia Newton John. I couldn’t decide between this song and her other horrible hits of the ’70s (“I Honestly Love You,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” and “With a Little More Love”), but in the end, the title question itself is what put it over the top.
7. “You’re Sixteen” by Ringo Starr. You’re sixteen, you’re beautiful, and the 33-year-old guy singing this to you is a pervert.
8.”Afternoon Delight” by the Starland Vocal Band. People should never sing about sex while using their Jesus voices. (Or while wearing a pink jacket and playing air guitar. Please, oh please, watch the first few seconds of this video:)
9. “Don’t Give Up on Us” by David Soul. Soul is the “actor” from the hit TV show, “Starsky and Hutch”. ‘Nuff said.
10. “I Just Want to Stop” by Gino Vanelli. It probably doesn’t deserve to be on this list (he barely eeked out masterpieces by Peaches and Herb and Sean Cassidy), but I have a visceral reaction to this song: every time it comes on, I want to pull my car off the highway and plunge 3,000 feet to my death.
Dishonorable Mention: “You Light Up My Life,” by Debby Boone. I originally had it on the list, but my wife didn’t think it should be on it, and then I remembered singing along to it the first seventeen or eighteen times I heard it. But still.
Bad Songs that Probably Could Have Made This List But I Couldn’t Help Loving Them Because I Was Young and Stupid At the Time: “Precious and Few” by Climax, “Last Night I Didn’t Get to Sleep at All” by the Fifth Dimension, “Day After Day” by Badfinger (yes, Badfinger), “Rock Me Gently” by Andy Kim, and “I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash. But none more embarrassing than “Shannon” by Henry Gross, which I absolutely loved, and sang along to in my expert falsetto while alone in my room. (It’s about a dead dog. Not even the songwriter’s own dead dog. Someone else‘s dead dog.)
Other Songs I Sang Along to in My Expert Falsetto: “You Make Me Feel Brand New” and “Stone in Love” by the Stylistics, and “Have You Seen Her?” by the Chi-lites. Also early Michael Jackson songs, and of course Smokey Robinson.
Other Bad Songs About Death That Were Indeed Quite Catchy: “Seasons in the Sun” by Terry Jacks and “Billy, Don’t Be a Hero” by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods.
Most Popular Awful ’70s Song: “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett. And because I hate it so much, I seemed doomed to hear it at every beach town I visit.
Glaring Omissions: “Havin’ My Baby,” by Paul Anka. Really, one of the Worst Songs Ever. Thanks to my cuz-in-law Kelly Ciravalo for calling this egregious error to my attention. And “Disco Duck!” Thanks, Neil! How on earth did I leave that one out? And “Convoy”! Remember “Convoy”? (But oh, I did love singing along to the chorus of that one, too.)
And now, just because you stayed with me this long, here’s my list of the Top TEN Best Songs of the ’70s (along with the links to their studio versions, so you may crank them through your headphones when compelled to do so).
Warning: Before you get all up in arms at my selections, I would advise you to try this at home. It’s IMPOSSIBLE to pick ten songs from this decade and not leave out DOZENS that you love. And remember: This is NOT my list of what are (objectively) the “BEST” songs; it’s my list of MY favorite songs. So there.
1. “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen (Go ahead, name a better rock and roll song. I dare you.)
2. “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight and the Pips
3. “Baba O’Riley (Teenage Wasteland)” by the Who
4. “What’s Going On?” by Marvin Gaye
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-5c5o85SGo
5. “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by the Looking Glass
6. Tie: “Rocket Man” and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” by Elton John
7. “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac
8. “Shambala” by Three Dog Night
9. “Sweet Jane” by the Velvet Underground
10. “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green. (Tough to choose between this and “Take Me to the River”)
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=al+green+let%27s+stay+together
11. “Rock and Roll” by Led Zeppelin
“Someday We’ll Be Together,” by Diana Ross and the Supremes would have made the list had it been released just two weeks later. As it is, I’ll save it for my list of the Best Songs of the 60s:
And because no Best Of list is compete without the Rolling Stones, here’s my favorite single of theirs from the ’70s, “Happy”
Bonus Video: Heart performing Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”
One of my favorite bands from the ’70s playing an AMAZING rendition of the great Led Zep song. Please put your headphones on for this one:
Great late-’70s song that nobody knew about until the 80s: “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles:
Most Heinous Omissions from this List: “London Calling” by the Clash, “Roundabout” by Yes, and “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith.
Most Interesting Hit Songs: “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” by Meatloaf and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.
’70s Song I’m Most Embarrassed to Love: “Sister Golden Hair” by America.
Best ’70s songs featured in car scenes from 21st-century films: “September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire (in the French film “The Intouchables”) and “Heroes” by David Bowie (in “Perks of Being a Wallflower”)
Best ’70s song title: (Tie)”Pop That Thang,” by the Isley Brothers and Queen’s “Fat-Bottomed Girls”
Best Song with Least Lyrical Effort: “Jungle Boogie” by Kool and the Gang (total number of words: 8!)
Worst line from a great song: “I am, I said, to no one there, and no one heard at all, not even the chair” (Neil Diamond).
Song I Sang Along Quite Loudly to in My Car: “Lido Shuffle,” by Boz Scaggs.
’70s Song Most Obsessed Over by Half the Nation for No Apparent Reason: “American Pie” by Don McClean
The Most Painfully Neglected Genres on this List: punk (the Ramones came this close, I swear) and disco (Donna Summer! Michael Jackson!).
Well, as Casey Kasem used to say, “There you have it”—the best and worst of that wonderful decade we call the ’70s. This was so much fun that I think I’ll take on the ’60s—or maybe the ’80s—next.
Feel free to comment below!
Great lists – and you are correct, it is an impossible task to condense a list like this, so shame on you for even trying (but it sure was fun to read). A clarification on the worst songs: in my opinion, they are so bad that they actually cross back into awesomeness for their sheer suckitude. Put another way, any of those songs come on in the car and I am wailing along.
I know what you mean, Ken. I’ve belted out all kinds of crap in the car, making sure first that the windows are closed. :-)
Not sure which is funnier your list of worst songs or some you included in your best songs. Ha, ha, ha!
:-)
As a child growing up in the 1970s, I heard a lot of truly great music, either from my mom’s records or the radio. I feel fortunate for that, but along with all that greatness came moments of dark terror.
One of those was ‘Wildfire’ by Michael Martin Murphey. It follows a time-tested recipe for horrible songs:
1. Make it about a tragically dead person or animal, both if you can manage it.
2. Use lots of mournful-sounding minor and major 7th chords.
3. Sing it with the most heartfelt, sorrowful wail you can summon, making sure of no levity, wit, or humor in your delivery. Male singers with exceptionally high voices are ideal.
The 70s were riddled with that kind maudlin sh*t.
Not in the same genre, but equally reprehensible: ‘Wonderful Baby’ by Don McLean. I hesitated to include this for purely humanitarian reasons, because I didn’t want to be responsible for this abomination being heard by another human. But then I thought it may actually do some good to warn people about it…
Please take my word for it, preserve your sanity and avoid hearing this song at all costs. Seriously, don’t let morbid curiosity get the best of you. It’s not even ‘good’ horrible or in any way amusing. If you feel you are in danger of hearing this song, run. Cover your ears and go ‘lalalala’ until it is over. Save yourself.
When it comes to the best, there’s a couple you’re forgetting.
Best rock song from the 70s?
Toss-up between Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit In The Sky” and “Bang a Gong” by T. Rex.
Each way ahead of ts time..
And as far as a pure pop masterpiece is concerned?
“Dancing In The Moonlight”, by King Harvest.
I have never once played that song on a jukebox and subsequently had someone object to it.
Excellent choices. :-)
When it comes to the worst, always remember and never forget…
“Run, Joey,Run” by David Geddes.
If you’re ever throwing a party, and there are people straggling at the end of the night who won’t leave,spin that one.
They’ll be asking fort their hats and coats in no time flat.
Good one, Rich! That song is awful.
If you want a nominee from the disco category, try “Disco Duck” by Rick Dees. Also, I would have included “The Night Chicago Died” by Paper Lace as one of the worst ’70s songs. Overall, good job. Some of the ones you have on this list made my own “Sixty Songs I Love to Hate” list.
Don’t forget Paper Lace’s other gem Billy Don’t Be A Hero.
Come on, Jeff, the author even mentioned that song in his essay. It’s by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods.
Oh, wait, it looks like Paper Lace actually did it, too.
By the way, there is a neighborhood in Chicago known as the east side.
I couldn’t agree more about “The Night Chicago Died”. Truly gadawful! The music sounds like it was played by a band of demons from hell. The lyrics make no sense. I know most bands were stoned out of their heads during the 70’s, but the people who wrote and performed this song must have been on some experimental CIA drug.
Aargh! How could I forget “Disco Duck”?? Probably because I don’t even consider it a song. And yet it is. Thank you, Terrence.
Obviously we all have songs we love the most and some we hate but The Night Chicago Died is one I love. Some of his favs are not my favs and some of his worst are not to me. One of his worst songs I never even hear of. I find that the 70’s had the best music overall. I love the oldies. Music started to suck in the 80’s but there were still some goodies. Music got progressively worse since then. Now most of it sucks and rap is crap.
Some of those songs are pretty corny, but Sara Smile should not be on a list of bad songs! I also happen to really like Olivia Newton John. Variety’s the spice of life, as they say.
I came of age in the 70’s. And even I have to admit it was a decade where popular music reached a low point of saccharine over-sweetness, and empty headed feel-good songs. Truly the decade of the “smiley face”.
If you want to know why punk rock needed to come along, just listen to some of these songs.
Agreed! Thank God for punk!
“Brandy” was drivel and should have been on the worst list.
Well of COURSE it’s drivel. If you’re never found yourself singing along at the top of your voice to a pop song that’s absolute drivel, then you haven’t lived, my friend.
No Lovin You by Minnie Ripperton? Okay, credit where credit is due. It’s impressive in a technical sense vocally. Ripperton takes the human voice to places the human voice was never intended to go. Of course, it turns out there’s a reason the human voice was forbidden from going there in the first place.
“Loving you is easy cause you’re beautiful, Doot en doot en doo, AAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaah” That last … noise …. starts somewhere up in the piccolo register and descends from there like Lucifer being thrown from heaven.
Knowing that it was written for/to her infant daughter somewhat forgives the utter vapidity of the lyrics, but nothing excuses that screech.
You’re Sixteen is actually kinda catchy, and if it’s a guilty pleasure with only the age-inappropriate factor bothering you, it may help to know that it wasn’t really a “70s song”. Ringo’s version did come out in late 1973 when Ringo was as you point out in his early 30s, but it was first released in fall 1960, when Ringo was only 20 himself. Nostalgically deciding to do a cover without stopping to consider “hey,at my age, these lyrics are kinda skeevy” is … okay, yes unfortunate implications, but it seems more like “I maybe didn’t think about this as much as I should have” than “I am a total perv.”
@David Hicks: There’s a scene in the movie Tommy Boy where Chris Farley and David Spade are having a fight about what to play on the radio. They change channels a couple of times, and the Carpenters’ “Superstar” comes on. They look at each other uncomfortably muttering about how lame it is, Farley says “You can change it if you want”, Spade says “I don’t care, it’s up to you”, Farley says “I can live with it if you can” … Gilligan cut and they’re rolling down the highway, both of them belting out “Don’t you remember you told me you loved me baby” at the top of their lungs.
Killer comment. The Ripperton song made me tear my hair out, I agree with everything else you say, even your criticism of the Ringo song. (And I love the Carpenters song too.) Thanks Bob, whoever you are!
Bette Midler did Superstar, too, and became insulting when the Carpenters version became a hit. (After Karen’s death, Bette reversed course and was sorry.)
You left out Seasons in the Sun by Terry Jacks and Billy Dont Be A Hero by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods n the top worst list.. among many other worst of 70’s. Dont think Mccartneys Let Em In deserves number 1, others are more deserving. Dont think Sara Smile is the worst but to each his own.
Actually, gin12, he didn’t. Maybe those two songs didn’t make his top ten, but he mentioned them.
Seasons in the Sun was my favorite song at the time. And Billy was pretty darn catchy.
:)
Streisand and Summer “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough). Those two women were at the pinnacle of their popularity and as such could take a hot steamy turd on a piece of wax and it would be a hit. A boring pop/disco record. Play that record at a retro disco club and they will run for the exits. There is a reason you always find that record in used record store bargin bins right next to Engelbert Humperdinck LPs.
Am I the only one who hates Alone again, naturally by Gilbert O’Sullivan?
No, you are certainly not! Man, that song was SO overplayed… Great, and now it’s in my head. Thanks a lot! :-)
I love it. Also, Gilbert will always have a very important place in the history of music.
“Playgrounds of my mind” and “run Joey run” should be on the list of worst seventies songs also. I admit there are quite a few though.
Ouch. Yes. I agree.
I’d like to suggest “Save All Your Kisses For Me” by the Brotherhood of Man as one of the worst songs of the 70s, with that godawful closing line..”even though you’re only threee…” that had the DJ saying “Ahhh!” every time it was played.
And let’s take a moment to ponder the wonderfully 70s naffness of the name “Brotherhood of Man”.
Totally agree!
Mons, check out Tony Burrows. Truth is stranger than fiction.
Wildly uneven list, but ok. But no one ever mentions Chicago when singling out the worst 70s music. I know they had some decent hits, and that they wouldn’t truly hit rock bottom until the 80s, but I just wanted to complain about how dull they are, Terry Kath or not
I confess to absolutely loving “Feeling Stronger Every Day.” There, I said it.
I can’t believe you put Brandy on your top 10 list. That song is right up with Muskrat Love if you ask me.
I know. It’s an emotional choice. While I’m at it, I should say that I also love Barry Manilow’s “Mandy.” Same category.
What about “Get up and boogie” by the Sylvers, or “Who’s in the strawberry patch with Sally?” by Tony Orlando and Dawn.
“Una palomo blanca” is surely worse than anything Olivia Newton John did. Debbie Boone’s “You light up my life” certainly is more awful than “Sara Smile” And what about Helen Reddy’s “Ruby red dress (leave me alone)”?
Those are truly stinkers that I didn’t consider. “Leave Me Alone” was insufferable. But I did sing along (while alone in my car) to the first few dozen plays of “You Light Up My Life,” so I couldn’t include it, much to my embarrassment.
How can “Mandy” not be in any list of worst songs of the seventies?
Because I sang along to that piece of drivel, about 100 times, hand on my heart, full volume. Love that fucking song. I can’t help it.
WHY IS EVERYONE ACTING LIKE THEY DON’T SECRETLY LOVE SOME GOD-AWFUL POP SONGS THAT EVERYONE WITH AN OUNCE OF COOL IS SUPPOSED TO HATE?
“Brandy” is an awesome song. Get over it people!
Unfortunately it is only possible to fit 10 songs into the worst 10 songs of the 1970s. But, ”The Way That You Do It” by Pussyfoot (1976) is a true train wreck from start to finish.
A few other notable mentions:
”Single Bed” by Fox (1976)
“Mississippi” by Pussycat (1976)
“Moving Out Today” by Carole Bayer Sager (1977).
1976 was such a cracker of a year lol
Oh my god, those are awful. Thank you for your excellent contributions.
Here is an alternate list of the worst 10 songs of the 1970s (no double ups of either songs or artists from David’s list, but includes some suggestions from the people who have commented above).
1. ‘Disco Duck’ by Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots (1978)
2. ‘Convoy’ by C.W. McCall (1975)
3. ‘The Way That You Do It’ by Pussyfoot (1976)
4. ‘The Streak’ by Ray Stevens (1974)
5. ‘Alone Again, Naturally’ by Gilbert O’Sullivan (1972)
6. ‘You’re Having My Baby’ by Paul Anka (1974)
7. ‘Cherish’ by David Cassidy (1972)
8. ‘Single Bed’ by Fox (1976)
9. ‘Mississippi’ by Pussycat (1976)
10. ‘Don’t Cry Out Loud’ by Melissa Manchester (1978)
As an added bonus ‘I’ve Been To Paradise But Never Been To Me’ by Charlene – originally released in 1977 but disappeared without trace. It was re-released in 1982 and reached #3 on US Billboard Hot 100. So it might not technically count as a 70’s disaster.
I hate/love this list! You win–those songs are truly awful.
Thanks for making this. Found some great songs on your 10 worst list. The ONJ song will be added to my top 500 (seriously, how is it worse than her overplayed monstrosity from Grease?). By the way, what’s the godawful song from either the 60’s or 70’s that goes “ee-oh!” (two beats go by) “WHEE-oh!” The singing is syncopated over a straight quarter-note beat. I think it’s some one hit wonder and the Oldies stations played it a lot about 15-20 years ago and haven’t played it since. I honestly remember that being all there is to the song. Does anybody know the song title or the artist who performs it?
Damn; Havin’ My Baby or Disco Duck? That is a tough choice. At least one had Band of Idiots in the name of his group so they at least acknowledged their suckiness.
BTW, Jungle Boogie, has eight words, not four.
Born to Run isn’t even Bruce Springsteen’s best song let alone the #1 rock & roll song. Can’t believe Freebird or Stairway to Heaven aren’t at the top of the list. Yes, both were way overplayed but so was Born to Run.
Won’t Get Fooled Again was the best song off of Who’s Next
Shambala??? Are you kidding? Joy to the World was better than that and still sucked.
This is fun stuff though. Keep it up. As they say, “Opinions are like assholes…..”
Lost in love (Air Supply) & I want you to want me (Cheap Trick): even though both songs have some cheesy qualities and can even be considered guilty-pleasures, the lyrics were some of the most frank, emotional, and relatable I’ve ever heard. These two songs will tempt you to sing-along and share its emotions.
Shine up my old brown shoes…
If no one commented that “If” by the band Bread belongs on your worst song list than color me shocked.
“I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash? At least you admit to loving it. This is a great up-beat number especially for those with a fondness for reggae.
We all have our own list – formalised or not. Here’s mine – and we have some common ground:
https://www.geezerspot.com/single-post/2018/11/19/Shit-List-The-worst-songs-ever
This is great, thank you!
It’s hard to identify the worst songs of the ’70s because EVERYTHING sucked in the ’70s! Cars were shit, beer was like water, bread was white only, we didn’t even know what coffee was supposed to taste like, and clothes … well, forget it.
I’d like to add to the list of bad songs “Chestnut Mare” by The Byrds. A laughable song by an otherwise genius group of musicians. But it’s so ’70s and feely. Eeew.
Wait … I hate “Oh Yoko” too.
No Bill Withers? Come on!
Aint No Sunshine, Lean on Me, Just the Two of Us, Lovely Day…..
Best Voice of the 70’s
Luther Vandross
Best US Disco song of 70’s
Relight my Fire – Dan Hartman
Best Eurodisco song of 70’s
Romeo and Juliet – Alec R Constandinos
David…………….
OR, everything was MUCH BETTER during the 70’s than today.
I think someone else here already made the point that opinions are like assholes…….
(Seriously, who would compare the colorless, unintersting, dull, dreary, vapid abyss of darkness that is the pop music of the 21st century with the wonderful world of 70’s pop/rock/Top 40–the best decade for pop music EVER?)
If you are a pop music aficionado AND you actually were ALIVE to witness the music in the 70’s as a teenager (as was I) then you would have had to have been in a coma for the entire decade not to simply know and understand how vastly superior the music was to most of what came before or since. I actually am a huge fan of pop/rock/Top 40 from the 30-years from 1960-1989 (yes, there are 30 years there–count ’em), otherwise known as the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s–so it wasn’t just the 70’s that were great. That pinnacle decade was actually sandwiched in between two other great deacdes of popular music. But the further you get away from that 30-year stretch in both directions, the lousier the music is (or was).
Does EVERY decade have its share of musical “Edsels” (failures), fiascos, blunders, miscarriages, and overall quintessential sucky tunes?
Of course!!
And some of the ones from the 70’s didn’t even get mentioned here–while conversely, some really GOOD tunes were named as “the worst” by the OP and others.
(Remember, opinions and assholes…..)
Opinions are like assholes.
(And evidently, there’s no shortage of assholes with opinions!!…………)
I say that tongue in cheek–at least, to an extent–and I only say it because the particular bandwagon that’s cruising through here is the one labeled “Pop Music Haters”, which (correct me if I’m wrong) would not only include the 1970’s, but could also be stretched to include hating much of the “Top 40” pop music from every other decade, as well (such as is indicated by the Billboard Hot 100 charts) –including whatever decade we happen to be in when whoever reads this ends up reading it.
Now, here’s an opinion from someone who LOVED 70’s pop music, and who thought that 1974 was actually a STELLAR YEAR for pop…….
First of all, the millions upon millions of records that were sold from all those tunes that you guys who hated them are talking about would not have been sold if PEOPLE WHO SIMPLY HAD DIFFERENT TASTES THAN YOURS didn’t dig the hell out of ’em back in ’74, or any other year you’d like to talk about. Seasons In The Sun didn’t become a #1 hit because everybody felt the way you do about it.You might as well lament the fact that not everyone sees the world the way you do, and not even bother wasting your time bashing the songs themselves–because in the end, that’s the only real difference here, and it’s the REASON that there’s even a discussion here. History and the music charts speak for themselves. people who were INTO that music dug the shit out of it.
I was a 13-year-old kid in ’74, firmly entrenched in AM Top 40 pop music at the time–and had been for a few years already, since the summer of ’71, when in my time off between 5th and 6th grades, I suddenly found myself transfixed to tunes on AM pop radio, such as Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey by McCartney and Wings, Smiling Faces Sometimes by a One-hit-Wonder named The Undisputed Truth, Indian Reservation by Paul Revere and The Raiders, and the like. The more I listened to my local AM pop station(s), the more my interest took off like a rocket heading to Jupiter, and I eventually found myself adrift in a sea of bitchin’ ass tunes that continued to come down the pike on AM radio for years after that. Even throughout the ’80’s, when the landscape of Top 40 changed significantly, I still dug a lot of the music that pop had to offer, and it wasn’t until the ’90’s that my interest waned to the point where I didn’t really know who was who and what was what anymore.
And so it goes……
Whatever your age, if you’re old enough to remember tunes from yesteryear, or are even just getting started like I was back in the summer of ’71……
All of us have a story about our musical interests, past and present.
I happened to grow up in a GREAT time for Top 40 pop radio.
I also had older siblings who went through it all, but earlier than I did–so I’m pretty well-versed in the Top 40 from the ’60’s, as well. I would call the ’60’s, ’70’s, and ’80’s “my era”.
And it didn’t ONLY include the songs on the radio that I started listening to at a young age.
Eventually, I developed a massive interest in bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and all the myriad of other stuff that the FM “rock” stations played back in the ’70’s, right alongside of AM Top 40. But unlike many of my contemporaries who viewed themselves as “grown up now”, I never stopped digging much of the AM material. I played it all–and what it all actually REALLY boils down to is NOT that there’s anything wrong with those of us who liked it all, but in fact, the folks who cut the AM stuff out of their repertoire simply MISSED OUT on a lot of songs that were actually quite catchy and listenable, if you like that sort of thing. (Again, opinions and assholes.)
To have all-encompassing musical tatses is a BLESSING, NOT A CURSE–so those people who view the Top 40 pop stuff with a jaundiced eye are the ONLY losers here–NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.
You can argue and come up with all the insults and put-downs you want to to rebut anything I’m saying, but in the end, you could no more convince me that I’m wrong about what I like than you could convince your old man from the Frank Sinatra–Perry Como–Tony Bennet era that he should be listening to Led Zepellin instead.
See my point?….
Plus, there were actually plenty of crossover tunes that the snooty FM “rock” listeners heard playing on their stations which were simultaneously getting plenty of airplay on the Top 40 pop stations. You don’t think AM pop stations played the everloving crap out of Stairway To Heaven? (To name but one example.)
Think again.
You like what you like.
You don’t like what you don’t like.
I get it.
And this topic is about dissing (NOT LIKING) ’70’s pop.
So, I assume that means that you also allow opposing viewpoints to air their opinions.
You read my story about how I got started on ’70’s pop.
Hey, what do you want from a 10-year-old kid who one summer day found the best conglomeration of rock, pop, easy listening, country, and soul music that ever existed, all on one radio station in his living room?
The music was just TOO GOOD!!
Had it not been as fertile as ever right when I came upon it, I might have descended into a more blase’, INFERIOR realm of musical interest that WASN’T all-encompassing, and that ONLY liked the FM “rock” stations, like some of the other kids who did nothing but sit around and smoke dope and party. (THAT didn’t happen to me until age 16–hence, my introduction to the wonderful world of Pink Floyd, etc.) Not that partying NECESSARILY goes hand-in-hand with hating Top 40 pop (Hey, I eventually succumbed to being in the “5-joints before breakfast” club myself, and I still liked Top 40), but it helps……..
If you were around back then–and partying–you might have an inkling of what I’m talking about.
At any rate, Ioved ’60’s, 70’s, and 80’s Top 40, and I always will until my dying breath, and beyond.
And like Reese’s peanut butter cups…….
I’m NOT SORRY!!
have a story about our past musical interests.
Mild Bill, I am with you, babe. I never limited myself to what my peer group thought was kewl.
I always liked rock, but, even though my “disco sucks” buddies ridiculed me, I still liked disco.
My ipod has mostly classic rock and classic pop, but also has a smidgeon of just about everything else, too.
Oops, the line, “have a story about our past musical interests.” at the end of my last comment was NOT edited out, as it should have been. Can whoever reviews these comments please remove it from that post?
The dumbest song of all time without any dope and I’m sure you’ll agree good morning sunshine! Stupidest lyrics I’ve ever heard and every time I hear the song I threw up a little bit of my mouth. Flibby flop flbby glibby glop glibby la la la lay low?
I want to beat the living hell out of that guy!
That last one was supposed to say Good Morning Starshine but autocorrect screwed me over again
Speaking of Casey, if you haven’t heard his profanity laced tirade, look it up on youtube.
Allow me to jump up on my soapbox for a second.
Go to youtube, to a great sixties song, and look at the comments. Go ahead, I will wait. I guarantee that there will be several pompous, egotistical, assholish comments that state that the sixties music was the best, and today’s music sucks, stinks, is garbage.
Then go to a great seventies song, and you will find the same comments, with seventies substituted for sixties.
Then go to a great eighties song. You know the rest.
First of all, the music of our youth and early adulthood is always going to be “our favorite.”
But, why the pompous, egotistical, asshole put down of today’s music? Sure, the writer is an old fart that no one wants to be around, but let today’s youth enjoy their music.
And, as the author’s essay shows, there was a lot of questionable music way back when, too.
Today’s music “sucks” because you are no longer young. Let our youth enjoy THEIR music.
Hear hear, Marc!
Hello again,
While reading the comments something occured to me- Songs people write for their babies or children are almost invariably nauseating for anyone but the writer / singer or their offspring.
By the way, I like ‘Mandy’, too, and I’m not by any means a ‘fanilow’…
Poor Ringo, his solo career wasn’t too successful compared to John and Paul’s. It’s a shame. By the way, Ringo was never in love with a 16 year old at the time, it was a cover. I am a big fan of 70’s music, I don’t think I heard Muskrat Love by Captain & Tennille before, but, the name sounds quite absurd.
Hey I love ” Rock Me Gently” and “Convoy”!! Sirius radio just did the top voted 300 songs and “American Pie” was #3. This song sucks more than a Hoover. It drones on and on forever till you want to jump off a cliff. Almost as bad was the #1 song….”Hotel California “. What a pile of crazy! Thanks for the fun list
Clearly, and beyond any reasonable doubt, American Pie is THE WORST song of all-time. And yes, why yes I do know what it’s about. By Jove I do! By Goomba I DO know what it is about! It’s still the worst song of all-time, nothing else is even close.
You made my day with this, and I love the way you are not afraid to poke fun at yourself. An enjoyable read.
Born to run the best rock song of the 80,s?U cannot B serious.Overated,overhypted, adult “pop”at best, Jingoistic pap.Listen to You Better You Bet if you want to hear what REAL ROCK by The Who if you want to know what rock music is from the 80,s or any other decade is.
Worst song of the 70s:
First of all, lets agree that novelty songs don’t count. (The Streak, Convoy, Disco Duck). These songs had a limited shelf life.
Also, lets eliminate songs that EVERYONE agrees are just horrible. “Afternoon Delight”, “Escape (the Pina Colada Song),” and “Midnight at the Oasis” are just too obvious.
I’m looking for the WORST song that people actually think is a good song. “Margaritaville” is a close runner up, but for me, there’s just one: “Brandy (you’re a fine girl)” is pure hurl. The lyrics are beyond sophomoric. Sailors gathering in a port city bar, slamming back whiskey and… wine??? “Arrrrghh Brandy! Another Charrrrrrrrdonay” And not just that, but extremely sexist. Brandy is wife material, because she knows how to serve drinks? And is so dumb that she can’t really comprehend why her love-em-and-leave-em crush won’t stay for her, but at least she “tries her best to understand…”
The singer’s voice is pure Holiday Inn Lounge act, with a vibrato big enough to throw a muskrat through. That it show up on so many “best” lists is beyond baffling.
OMG no “Fernando” by ABBA? It’s a song by a band from, like, Iceland, about…the Mexican Revolution. Great pics though, for the God, the Bad, and the Fugly.