10 Best 1970s Rock And Roll Love Songs

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The 1970s was a decade filled with syrupy love songs, but this list aims to steer clear of all that fluff. Instead, it showcases rock and roll love songs with an edge, tracks that have a bite, songs that aren’t always wrapped up with happy endings, rainbows, or those viral Dubai Chocolate bars (if you know what I mean). Of course, some of these tracks are genuinely beautiful, full of meaning, hope, and moments to cherish. Others, however, lean into the bittersweetness of love, the heartbreak, the “I’ll never love again” feeling that many of us remember from our first breakups as teenagers in the 1970s.

These aren’t strictly breakup songs, though some carry a touch of that sentiment. At their core, they’re love songs, sometimes joyous, sometimes aching, but always brimming with emotional depth. Ultimately, this list is about celebrating great music. We’ve also tried to make it diverse, reflecting the many flavors of 1970s rock and roll. Whether progressive, pop rock, soft rock, or jazz rock, these songs all share a distinctive vibe that captures the spirit of my favorite decade in music. What would your picks be?

# 10 – You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth – Meat Loaf

“You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)” is the second track on Meat Loaf’s massive 1977 album Bat Out of Hell, and it carries all the theatrical excess that made the record so unforgettable. Written by Jim Steinman and produced by Todd Rundgren, the song begins with that strange spoken exchange before exploding into one of the album’s biggest rock-and-roll choruses. Roy Bittan plays piano, Max Weinberg handles the drums, Kasim Sulton plays bass, and Edgar Winter adds saxophone. Rundgren’s guitar and production help give the track the huge, dramatic sound that became the album’s signature. It is romantic, funny, over-the-top, and completely sincere all at once. Nobody did love songs quite like Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman.

Read More: Top 10 Meat Loaf Songs

# 9 – Home Tonight – Aerosmith

“Home Tonight” closes Aerosmith’s great 1976 album Rocks with a surprisingly tender turn after all the firepower that comes before it. Written by Steven Tyler, the song shows just how effective Aerosmith could be when they pulled back instead of trying to blow the walls down. Tyler’s vocal carries most of the emotion, while the band slowly builds the track into a much bigger finish. Produced by Aerosmith and Jack Douglas, “Home Tonight” was also released as a single and reached number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100. It may not have been one of the band’s biggest chart hits, but it remains one of the most beautiful deep cuts in the Aerosmith catalog.

# 8 – Amie – Pure Prairie League

“Amie” by Pure Prairie League is one of the great country-rock love songs of the 1970s. Written and sung by Craig Fuller, the song first appeared on the band’s 1972 album Bustin’ Out. It took a while to find its audience, but FM radio kept the song alive until it was finally released as a single and became a hit in 1975. “Amie” reached number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the song most closely associated with Pure Prairie League. The harmonies, acoustic guitars, and wonderful lead guitar work give the recording a warmth that has never really aged. This is one of those songs that sounds good every single time it comes on the radio.

Read More: Top 10 Pure Prairie League Songs

# 7 – Your Song – Elton John

“Your Song” is one of those rare love songs that became a standard almost immediately without ever sounding calculated. Written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, it was recorded at Trident Studios in London on January 22, 1970. The song opens Elton John’s self-titled album and became the breakthrough record that introduced him to a huge American audience. Gus Dudgeon produced the recording, while Paul Buckmaster supplied the orchestral arrangement that gives the song so much of its beauty. “Your Song” reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and number seven in the United Kingdom. More than half a century later, its simple declaration of love still sounds completely genuine.

# 6 – Crazy On You – Heart

“Crazy on You” announced Heart to American rock fans with one of the greatest acoustic-to-electric openings of the decade. Featured on the band’s debut album Dreamboat Annie, the song was released as a U.S. single in 1976 and quickly established Ann and Nancy Wilson as major new voices in rock. Nancy Wilson’s acoustic guitar introduction gives way to Ann Wilson’s powerhouse vocal and a full-band attack that still sounds explosive. Mike Flicker produced the recording, with Howard Leese, Steve Fossen, Michael Derosier, and the Wilson sisters creating the classic early Heart sound. “Crazy on You” reached the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the songs that defined the band from the very beginning. Passion, anxiety, desire, and pure rock and roll all collide in this one.

Read More: 10 Essential Heart Songs

# 5 – When You Dance I Can Really Love – Neil Young

“When You Dance I Can Really Love” is one of the tougher, more driving songs on Neil Young’s 1970 album After the Gold Rush. Young recorded the track at his Topanga home studio on April 6, 1970, with Danny Whitten on guitar, Billy Talbot on bass, Ralph Molina on drums, and Jack Nitzsche on piano. The combination of Young and Crazy Horse gives the song a ragged energy that works perfectly with its direct romantic message. Young and David Briggs produced the recording. The song was later released as a single and reached number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100. It may not be one of Young’s biggest hits, but that guitar sound and the way he sings the title make it impossible to forget.

Read More: Top 10 Neil Young Songs

# 4 – She’s The One – Bruce Springsteen

“She’s the One” is one of the great rushes of romantic obsession on Bruce Springsteen’s 1975 album Born to Run. The song is built on a pounding Bo Diddley-style rhythm that gives it a physical drive unlike anything else on the record. Springsteen’s lyrics are not about peaceful love; they are about being completely unable to walk away from somebody who can save you and destroy you at the same time. The E Street Band pushes the song harder and harder until it feels like the whole thing might come apart. “She’s the One” has remained a regular part of Springsteen’s live repertoire for decades. This is love with desperation, lust, danger, and rock and roll all tangled together.

# 3 – I Want You Around – The Ramones

“I Want You Around” proves that the Ramones could write a sweet love song without giving up the simplicity that made them great. The band recorded the song for the 1979 film and soundtrack Rock ’n’ Roll High School. Ed Stasium recorded the original track, and Phil Spector later remixed it for the soundtrack album, adding his own wall-of-sound atmosphere. Joey Ramone’s vocal gives the song a vulnerable quality that works beautifully against the band’s stripped-down playing. It is melodic, direct, and completely free of the bloated sentiment that ruins so many love songs. Leave it to the Ramones to make romance sound this cool.

# 2 – Feel Like Makin’ Love – Bad Company

“Feel Like Makin’ Love” by Bad Company is one of the great examples of a love song that starts gently and then hits you with a monster rock-and-roll chorus. Released on the band’s 1975 album Straight Shooter, the song was written by Paul Rodgers and Mick Ralphs. Rodgers handles the softer verses beautifully before Ralphs’ huge electric guitar riff turns the chorus into something much heavier. The contrast between those two sides of the song is exactly what makes the record work. “Feel Like Makin’ Love” reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. It is romantic without ever losing the hard-rock edge that made Bad Company such a great band.

# 1 – Since I’ve Been Loving You – Led Zeppelin

“Since I’ve Been Loving You” stands at number one because few rock bands ever sounded this emotionally exposed while still playing with this much power. Released on Led Zeppelin III in 1970, the song sits at the heart of an album that showed how far the band could move beyond the sound of its first two records. Jimmy Page’s guitar playing is breathtaking, Robert Plant sounds like he is living every word, John Paul Jones fills the track with Hammond organ, and John Bonham somehow makes restraint sound enormous. Page produced the recording during sessions at Olympic Studios and Island Studios in London. This is not a sweet little love song; it is seven minutes of pain, devotion, frustration, and longing pouring out of one of the greatest rock bands of all time. For a 1970s rock-and-roll love-song list, I can’t think of a better way to finish.