Ten 1970s Rock Songs Played The Most On Our Turntables

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Do you remember the first time you heard a rock song that completely blew your mind and you couldn’t stop playing it? If you grew up as a teenager in the 1970s, that happened over and over again. The people who came of age in the 1960s can make a very good argument for their decade, but I went to high school in the 1970s, and that’s the decade I know best. These are ten songs that got an enormous number of plays on our turntables and still bring back a big smile when we hear them today.

# 10 – More Than a Feeling – Boston

Boston released “More Than a Feeling” in 1976 as the lead single from the band’s self-titled debut album, and it reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Tom Scholz wrote the song and built much of the recording in his basement studio in Massachusetts, with Brad Delp delivering the lead vocal. Produced by Scholz and John Boylan, it was one of those records that seemed made for repeated plays on a big stereo system.

# 9 – Paradise by the Dashboard Light – Meat Loaf

“Paradise by the Dashboard Light” appeared on Meat Loaf’s 1977 album Bat Out of Hell. Written by Jim Steinman and produced by Todd Rundgren, the recording pairs Meat Loaf with Ellen Foley and turns teenage desire into an eight-minute argument, complete with Phil Rizzuto’s baseball play-by-play. It was the kind of album track you put on and let run from beginning to end.

Read More: Top 10 Meat Loaf Songs

# 8 – Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen released “Born to Run” in 1975 as the title track and first single from his third studio album. Written by Springsteen and produced by Springsteen and Mike Appel, the song became his first Billboard Top 40 hit, reaching No. 23. For teenagers in the 1970s, its promise of getting out, getting away, and finding something better was impossible to miss.

# 7 – Slow Ride – Foghat

Fool For The City (180 Gram Emerald Green Audiophile Vinyl/Limited Anniversary Edition)

If there was one band I loved dearly in the 1970s, it was Foghat. I saw them so many times, and it was a thrill years later to interview Roger Earl. “Slow Ride,” written by Dave Peverett and produced by Nick Jameson, was released from 1975’s Fool for the City and became Foghat’s biggest U.S. hit, reaching No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

# 6 – Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin

“Stairway to Heaven” appeared on Led Zeppelin’s untitled fourth album in 1971. Written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and produced by Page, the song builds from a quiet acoustic opening into one of the most famous guitar climaxes in rock history. It was never released as a regular U.S. commercial single, but that hardly mattered when the album itself was sitting beside so many turntables.

# 5 – Paranoid – Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath recorded “Paranoid” as a last-minute addition to their second album in 1970, and the quick song became one of the band’s biggest hits. Produced by Rodger Bain, it reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its short running time and instantly recognizable Tony Iommi riff made it especially easy to play again as soon as the needle reached the end.

# 4 – Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting – Elton John

Elton John released “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” in 1973 from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Elton wrote the music, Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics, and Gus Dudgeon produced the recording. Taupin drew on the rowdy Saturday nights of his youth, and the song’s hard-driving piano and guitar made it one of Elton John’s most aggressive rock records.

# 3 – Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd released “Wish You Were Here” on the 1975 album of the same name. David Gilmour and Roger Waters wrote the song, which fits the album’s larger theme of absence and disconnection; Syd Barrett was part of that emotional background, although Waters later said the lyric was also directed inward at himself. The opening acoustic guitar made it one of those album tracks that immediately filled a room when the record started spinning.

Read More: Top 10 Pink Floyd Deep Tracks

# 2 – Whole Lotta Love – Led Zeppelin

“Whole Lotta Love” arrived at the end of 1969 on Led Zeppelin II, but for anyone playing rock records throughout the 1970s, it belonged completely to that decade. Produced by Jimmy Page, the single became Led Zeppelin’s biggest U.S. pop hit, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. From the opening riff through the psychedelic middle section, it was a record made to be played loud.

# 1 – Free Bird (Live Version from One More From The Road) – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Lynyrd Skynyrd - One More From The Road - MCA Records - 82.004-2

The version of “Free Bird” on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 1976 live album One More from the Road was recorded at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on July 8, 1976. Written by Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant and produced by Tom Dowd, the performance stretches the song into the long guitar showcase that became a defining part of the band’s concerts. For those of us spinning records in the 1970s, this was not something you skipped halfway through.

Read More: Top 10 Lynyrd Skynyrd Songs