With a single word, it’s possible to spark a musical revolution. For proof of that, just keep reading. Indeed, we’ve all seen it—those bands whose names take up the entire record sleeve or CD cover front. But then there are those considerate groups who just use one word to get their message across.
It’s those bands we wanted to highlight here below. Because sometimes all you need is a single word—even a single syllable—to become a world-changing musical project. These are three classic rock bands from the 1970s known by a single name.
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Heart
The Pacific Northwest-born rock band Heart needed one word and two sisters to take over the world. Led by Ann and Nancy Wilson, Heart wrote songs about passion and lust and anger and power. Known for tracks like “Magic Man”, “Crazy On You”, and “Barracuda”, Heart also boasts two No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including, “These Dreams” and “Alone”. Ann would belt the lyrics and Nancy would shred the six-string. A perfect combination. Today, the group is still touring and rumors of a biopic are swirling.
Blondie
Blondie was a force of nature. They were a typhoon. They would bring you in with a little bit of bright sunshine and then put you on your behind with torrential elements. Boasting four No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Heart Of Glass” and “One Way Or Another” from their 1978 LP, Parallel Lines, Blondie bridged rock and disco and even helped to introduce hip-hop music to the world in the late 1970s thanks to their friendship with budding lyricist Fab 5 Freddy. Today, you can still hear their songs on jukeboxes in bars all over the world.
Queen
The British-born band Queen released its self-titled debut LP in 1973. From then on, the band rocked the decade like it was a paying customer. With songs like “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “We Will Rock You”, and “We Are The Champions”, Queen knew how to rouse a crowd. You can hear their chants and beats at sports stadiums all over the world today and all it took was a single-word name to spark it all.
Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images
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