3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1970s That Give You All the Nostalgia

One of the reasons we love music—indeed, one of the reasons we listen to it over and over whenever we can—is to be transported. Music has that power. To take you to new locales or to different eras in history. Who needs a time machine when you have vinyl records? But when you want to go back in time to, say, the 1970s, what music might you pick to put on?

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That’s a question we wanted to answer here today. We wanted to explore three terrific tracks from the 1970s that take us back to that hallowed period in time. More specifically, we wanted to examine three one-hit wonders from that era to remember. Three tunes that can transport us back to the past. These are three 70s one-hit wonders that give you all the nostalgia.

“Black Betty” by Ram Jam from ‘Ram Jam’ (1977)

While Ram Jam’s 1977 hit single “Black Betty” has appeared in movies and television shows as recently as the 21st century, it was a memorable tune way before that. In fact, it’s one of those tracks that just sounds like the 70s. Rough, buzzing guitars, heavy vocals, and backing rhythms that rumble along like a homemade race car—that’s the stuff that transports us into the past. And this tune, which hit No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, is a classic.

“Layla” by Derek And The Dominos from ‘Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs’ (1971)

While guitar player Eric Clapton has certainly had his fair share of hit songs in his career, his band Derek and The Dominos only boasted one top-40 track on the Billboard Hot 100. That song? Yup! “Layla” from the group’s 1971 LP, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. A loud, rambunctious tune, “Layla”is all passion. Growl and passion. Today, it’s remembered as one of Clapton’s best, but it was not one of his solo songs at first. Nevertheless, the Derek and The Dominos version peaked at No. 10 on the Hot 100.

“The Hustle” by Van McCoy from ‘Disco Baby’ (1975)

You can’t talk about 1970s music without mentioning disco. It’s not all about rock, after all! The light-hearted genre that wanted you to dance, dance, dance boasted many great songs in the 70s, and one of those was Van McCoy’s tune “The Hustle”. You can just hear the song play out in your mind as soon as you say the title out loud. You want to stand up, shake your hips, and get transported back to the era when disco was king and nothing else really mattered.

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