The 70s was a magical decade that unlocked doors for new music genres. Rock music spread its wings globally in this decade. Here’s a showcase of the best rock songs of the 70s.

As the 60s faded a lot of bands started experimenting with ideas, and this experimentation with concepts led to new genres in the realms of rock. Suddenly there was an explosion of bands that brought about an amalgamation of diverse musical styles. Rock songs from various rock genres gained momentum in the 70s. The Blues rock genre that gained momentum in the 60s and early 70s made way for a whole new wave of musicians. Progressive rock strengthened its roots and the Canterbury scene which emerged saw jazz-rock and jazz fusion elements used creatively and innovatively. Psychedelic rock bands of the 60s adopted new styles of music while being rooted in the genre.

Heavy Metal too spread its wings in the 70s with many bands bringing forth a hard hitting sound.

Majority of the pioneering acts mentioned in the realms of heavy metal emerged in the 70s. Unconventional musical structure came into prominence in this hippy-happy decade. The Southern rock sound that gained prominence in the late 60s evolved significantly in the early 70s. Both Country rock and Southern rock achieved commercial success in the 70s. Improvisational elements became hugely popular in rock and its subgenres. Rock songs of the 70s became hugely successfully globally. Free-form musical and lyrical expression by bands and artists inspired and influenced emerging musicians to explore new sounds with diverse and complex structure.

Aside from bands doing mainstream rock, bands in the glam rock, art rock, and jazz fusion genre had a cult following. The use of synthesizers and harmonizers became prominent in the 70s. The decade was notable for the development of the synth sound in rock music. Rock songs of the 70s are known for their aesthetic lyrical structure and tasteful musical compositions. A number of music festivals in emerged in the 70s making it one of the most popular decades for music concerts. The decade is also notable for the development in new sound engineering techniques. Recording techniques in the 70s have contributed in a big way towards the development of what can be termed as a ‘polished studio sound’. When you listen to rock songs of the 70s you cannot but help seep into nostalgia. The decade is gone…but the music remains.

The lines below showcase a list of the best rock songs of the 70s

100 Greatest Rock Songs of the 70s

1. Stairway To Heaven- Led Zeppelin (1971)
2. Dust In The Wind- Kansas (1977)
3. Free Bird- Lynyrd Skynyrd (1973)
4. Comfortably Numb- Pink Floyd (1979)
5. Sweet Home Alabama- Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974)
6. Money- Pink Floyd (1973)
7. Take It Easy- The Eagles (1972)
8. Paranoid- Black Sabbath (1970)
9. Josie- Steely Dan (1977)
10. Smoke On The Water- Deep Purple (1972)
11. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper- Blue Oyster Cult (1976)
12. All The Young Dudes- Mott The Hoople (1972)
13. Iron Man- Black Sabbath (1971)
14. Temple of The King- Rainbow (1975)
15. We Will Rock You- Queen (1977)
16. Hotel California- The Eagles 1976)
17. Behind Blue Eyes- The Who (1971)
18. Dream On- Aerosmith (1973)
19. Rock And Roll All Night- Kiss (1975)
20. Sweet Emotion- Aerosmith (1975)
21. Angie- The Rolling Stones (1973)
22. Bohemian Rhapsody- Queen (1975)
23. Up Around The Bend- Creedence Clearwater Revival (1970)
24. American Pie- Don McLean (1971)
25. I’m Eighteen- Alice Cooper (1978)
26. Take It Easy- The Eagles (1972)
27. Message In a Bottle- The Police (1979)
28. Sultans of Swing- Dire Straits (1978)
29. Ramblin’ Man- The Allman Brothers Band (1973)
30. Brown Sugar- Rolling Stones (1971)
31. American Woman- Guess Who (1970)
32. Just Got Paid- ZZ Top (1974)
33. Blitzkrieg Bop- Ramones (1975)
34. Won’t Get Fooled Again- The Who (1971)
35. Riders On The Storm- The Doors (1971)
36. One Of These Nights- The Eagles (1975)
37. Aqualung- Jethro Tull (1971)
38. Have You Ever Seen The Rain- Creedence Clearwater Revival (1971)
39. Crazy Little Thing Called Love- Queen (1979)
40. All Right Now- Free (1970)
41. Radar Love- Golden Earring (1973)
42. Working Man- Rush (1974)
43. Long Train Runnin’- The Doobie Brothers (1973)
44. Slow Ride- Foghat (1975)
45. Roundabout- Yes (1971)
46. Dreams- Fleetwood Mac (1977)
47. Breadfan- Budgie (1973)
48. Stone Cold Crazy- Queen (1974)
49. Always Somewhere- Scorpions (1979)
50. The Boys Are Back In Town- Thin Lizzy (1975)
51. Kashmir- Led Zeppelin (1975)
52. Black Dog- Led Zeppelin (1971)
53. Truckin’- Grateful Dead (1970)
54. Jessica- The Allman Brothers Band (1973)
55. Layla- Derek And The Dominos (1971)
56. Highway To Hell- AC/DC (1979)
57. Pretzel Logic- Steely Dan (1974)
58. School’s Out- Alice Cooper (1972)
59. The Logical Song- Supertramp (1979)
60. Wish You Were Here- Pink Floyd (1975)
61. Roadhouse Blues- The Doors (1970)
62. Question- The Moody Blues (1970)
63. More Than A Feeling- Boston (1976)
64. Love Her Madly- The Doors (1971)
65. Just What I Needed- The Cars (1978)
66. Locomotive Breath- Jethro Tull (1978)
67. Surrender- Cheap Trick (1978)
68. My Sharona- The Knack (1979)
69. Tarot Woman- Rainbow (1976)
70. Look At Yourself- Uriah Heep (1971)
71. Roxanne- The Police (1978)
72. War Pigs- Black Sabbath (1970
73. Haitian Divorce- Steely Dan (1976)
74. Bomber- Motorhead (1979)
75. Runnin’ With The Devil- Van Halen (1978)
76. Anthem- Rush (1975)
77. Black Water- Doobie Brothers (1974)
78. Low Rider- War (1975)
79. Beth- Kiss (1976)
80. A Horse With No Name- America (1972)
81. Carry On Wayward Son- Kansas (1976)
82. Moondance- Van Morrison (1970)
83. No More Mr. Nice Guy (1973)
84. Too Hot To Handle- UFO (1977)
85. Child In Time- Deep Purple (1970)
86. Walk This Way- Aerosmith (1973)
87. Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2- Pink Floyd (1979)
88. Rikki Don’t Lose That Number- Steely Dan (1974)
89. You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet- Bachman Turner Overdrive (1974)
90. Who’ll Stop The Rain- Creedence Clearwater Revival (1979)
91. Get It On (Bang a Gong) - T Rex (1971)
92. Who Are You- The Who (1978)
93. Mr. Blue Sky- ELO (1977)
94. Turn The Page- Bob Seger (1973)
95. Anarchy In The UK- Sex Pistols (1977)
96. Love Is The Drug- Roxy Music (1975)
97. The Joker- Steve Miller Band- The Steve Miller Band (1973)
98. Can’t Get Enough- Bad Company (1974)
99. Listen To The Music- The Doobie Brothers (1972)
100. Heart of Gold- Neil Young (1972)

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Thank you for visiting my profile. I am a Freelance Content Writer. I like to learn something new every day. When I’m not at the computer, I’m either reading or on vacation. I dwell in peace, I hope you do too. My Favorite Quote “When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.”- Dalai Lama

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