Growing up, my mom would always play “old music” in the car. I’m talking about songs that came out during the 60’s to late 80’s. And I remember how fascinated I was at how unique these songs would sound. How different they were compared to what would be heard on the radio mesmerized me. The lyrics were amazing and the vibe was immaculate. Everything about it was entrancing.
From romantic love songs to modern rock and dance pop, I would sing my little heart out in the backseat. I loved what every decade of music had to offer, but one that I especially enjoyed was the decade of flower power. When hippie culture became a thing…you guessed it! I’m talking about the 70’s.
I’m gonna be honest, compiling this list was not an easy feat. There are just so many amazing artists from that era. But, nevertheless, here are my top 3 artists from the 70’s.
- Beegees
Starting off with the “Kings of Disco” and the ones that made Saturday Night Fever all the more memorable, we have what started out as a rock band between brothers during the 1950’s called Rattlesnakes, and turned into a worldwide famous trio.
What gave the Gibb brothers the kickstart they needed was putting out their 12th single called Spicks and Specks as a new group called “Beegees.” Given how the song was doing in the “charts,” a producer called Robert Stigwood started to help them with worldwide promotion. Then, around the late 70’s, they did the soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever, which gave them the final boost they needed to reach stardom. With that soundtrack, they won five Grammy awards and an award for Album of the Year. Not to mention, they wrote all of their songs and also wrote songs for other artists.
My favorite song from them: More Than a Woman
- ABBA
“Dancing queen! Young and sweet, only seventeen!”… Of course, who could resist belting out the whole Mamma Mia soundtrack… Welp, you’ve got these four to thank.
It all started in 1966 when Bjorn Ulvaeus, a member of the Hootenanny Singers, met Benny Anderson, a member of the Hep Start (a very famous pop group in Sweden). They started out writing songs together for each other’s individual music careers. It wasn’t until they both met their fianceés (the other two women who would make up the band) that they established a band called Festfolk. This attempt did not go as they had planned though.
Later on in 1972, they changed their image up a bit, called themselves Bjorn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid, and put out a song called People Need Love. This song became their first semi-hit.
Then, in 1974, they entered the Melodifestivalen competition in Sweden for the second time with the band name “ABBA” and a song called Waterloo, which earned them a spot at the Eurovision finals in Brighton, England, which they later won.
The song eventually made it into the top ten in the U.S.
Their songs S.O.S and Mamma Mia also made it to the charts, helping them garner worldwide attention.
And I can’t talk about ABBA without mentioning the fact that the whole Mamma Mia franchise was inspired by the Swedish group, which made them all the more famous amongst even younger crowds nowadays.
My favorite song from them: Why Did It Have To Be Me
- David Bowie
Next on the list is the one and only David Bowie, who was originally called David Robert Jones, but later changed his name because he did not want to be confused with Davy Jones of The Monkees.
David Bowie had a passion for music since he was really young and started his own band as a teenager called Davy Jones And The Lower Third. Unfortunately, he did not have much luck with his early music career and so he decided to go on a short hiatus. Later on, in 1969, he released another single called Space Oddity, which made the charts in the U.S. and gave him a bit of recognition. One year later, he released the album The Man Who Sold The World and really made a name for himself with this musical project. He would later go through many changes in his image, including the impersonation of Ziggy Stardust, an onstage alter ego. Like Elton John, he would dress up in costumes for his performances and inspired a new wave in rock music. Later on, he changed his image once again and actually decided to focus more on his acting career. He starred in The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) and The Elephant Man (1980). Then, in 1986, he played Jareth, the Goblin King in the famous movie called Labyrinth.
His music career would later be more spaced out. Sadly, Bowie died from cancer on January 10, 2016. He will forever live on through his music.
My favorite song of his: Let’s Dance
With all of that being said, there are a bunch of other great artists from the 70’s that you should definitely check out. Listening to music from older decades will open up your mind to enjoying different melodies and rhythms, and it will also lead you to explore a world of different music styles. So, I urge you to go on your favorite music streaming app (or even YouTube) and start exploring. We all need some new songs on our playlists every now and then!