3 Overplayed Songs From the 70s That You Still Want To Hear

Some overplayed songs from the 70s never grow tiresome. They are just too good, too catchy, and too iconic to ruin with endless plays. I think you’ll agree that these timeless gems from a Heartbreaker, a Beatle, and disco’s greatest trio are tunes you’ll want to hear over and over again.

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“Refugee” by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers

Damn The Torpedoes, the first of many Tom Petty masterpieces, begins with “Refugee”. It’s the sound of heartland rock still fresh from the garage. The underdog anthem began with a Mike Campbell riff, and though it’s a longtime rock radio staple, I never turn the dial when it comes on. Petty co-produced Damn The Torpedoes with Jimmy Iovine, and it’s a sonic leap from the Heartbreakers’ first two releases. If critics thought Petty represented the future of rock and roll, it had arrived with the opening chords of “Refugee”.

Somewhere, somehow
Somebody must have kicked you around, some
Tell me, why you wanna lay there
And revel in your abandon.

“Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney recorded his solo debut mostly at home. Critics thought it sounded unfinished, but he chose to navigate life without The Beatles on a lo-fi recording. Hearing him without the sophisticated production of The Beatles almost feels like witnessing someone write songs in real time. “Maybe I’m Amazed” is as good as anything Macca wrote with John Lennon. It not only showcases McCartney’s musical genius but also the rare ability to alternate between crooning and shouting broken rock and roll on a dime.

Maybe I’m a man
Maybe I’m a lonely man who’s in the middle of something
That he doesn’t really understand.

“Stayin’ Alive” by Bee Gees

Though you’ve heard this entry on our list of overplayed songs a million times, you can’t not move when “Stayin’ Alive” plays. The groove is so funky that even the disco haters must have secretly been dancing when no one was looking. The band had looped a section of Dennis Bryon’s drum beat to create the hypnotic repetition, yet with the feel of a live musician. Drum loops are now industry standard in pop music, but few will ignite a dance floor like “Stayin’ Alive”. If you were John Travolta, you’d strut down a Brooklyn street, too.  

Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother
You’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.
Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’
And we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.

Photo by Jason Merritt/FilmMagic