In 1978, some of rock music’s best songs were released, including these three. They are all so good, it’s likely every 70s kid can still sing them by heart today.
“Copacabana” by Barry Manilow
In 1978, Barry Manilow was already used to having hits on the radio, with songs like “Mandy”, “Looks Like We Made It”, and more. But “Copacabana” was a bit of a stretch for him, one that fortunately paid off well. A Top 5 hit, “Copacabana” was written by Manilow, along with Jack Feldman and Bruce Sussman. It appears on Manilow’s Even Now record.
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“Copacabana” is also known as “Copacabana (On The Copa)”. The song’s inspiration is a popular New York City club. “Copacabana” says, “At the Copa / Copacabana The hottest spot north of Havana / At the Copa / Copacabana / Music and passion were always the fashion / At the Copa, they fell in love.”
One of Manilow’s more popular songs to this day, he admits it didn’t take him much time to write the music to it.
“I remember putting the lyric on the piano’s music stand, punching the ‘record’ button on my tape deck, and writing the song in less than 15 minutes,” he recalls.
“I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor
The biggest hit of Gloria Gaynor’s career, “I Will Survive” is on her Love Tracks album. Written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris, “I Will Survive” is an anthem of resilience. “I Will Survive” remains a fan favorite today.
“I Will Survive’ says, “Oh, no, not I / I will survive / Oh, as long as I know how to love I know I’ll stay alive / I’ve got all my life to live / I’ve got all my love to give / And I’ll survive / I will survive, hey, hey.”
“Hot Blooded” by Foreigner
“Hot Blooded” is the first single from Foreigner’s sophomore Double Vision album. Band members Lou Gramm and Mick Jones were the writers of the uptempo tune. Their most successful single at the time, “Hot Blooded” is the group’s first platinum-selling single.
The song says, “Well, I’m hot blooded, check it and see / I got a fever of a hundred and three / Come on baby, do you do more than dance? / I’m hot blooded, I’m hot blooded.”
“Last Dance” by Donna Summer
A pop, dance, and soul hit for Donna Summer, “Last Dance” is part of the Thank God It’s Friday film, starring Summer. Written by Paul Jabara, “Last Dance” gave Summer her first Grammy Award.
The song says, “‘Cause when I’m bad / I’m so, so bad / So let’s dance the last dance / Let’s dance the last dance / Let’s dance the last dance tonight.”
Photo by Christian Rose/Roger Viollet via Getty Images
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