3 Overplayed Songs From the 70s You Want To Forget but Can’t

Beginning in the 1960s, DJs embraced the freedom to play longer sets over FM airwaves, leading to the popularity of the album-oriented rock (AOR) format and its emphasis on LPs over singles. We now call this radio format classic rock, and one of its methods for making rock songs classic was to overplay them. AOR DJs set both singles and deep cuts on a decades-long repeat cycle, like these overplayed songs from the 70s you want to forget but can’t.

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“Layla” by Derek And The Dominos

By the end of the 60s, Eric Clapton had been moving quickly from one project to the next. Slowhand was too restless to stick around any one musical group for too long. Still, Derek And The Dominos existed long enough to produce one of Clapton’s defining tracks. Ironic because he chose the band name to keep his rising fame from overshadowing the group.

“Layla” features an iconic Clapton riff and Duane Allman’s weeping slide guitar over an AOR-approved seven minutes. It became a staple on classic rock radio and one of the most overplayed tunes in history. There’s no way to forget it, and Clapton made sure of it himself when he recorded an equally popular acoustic version for MTV Unplugged.

“Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Believe it or not, “Sweet Home Alabama” has more Spotify plays than “Free Bird”. Though the latter requires more commitment to sustain its multitude of guitar solos and nine-minute arrangement, it’s no less overplayed. Interestingly, after nine minutes, “Free Bird” still fades out. Even Lynyrd Skynyrd couldn’t figure out how to end the thing.

Meanwhile, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Southern rock anthem was written in response to Neil Young’s critique of the South in his songs “Southern Man” and “Alabama”. It’s a good thing music arrives in digital form now, because AOR DJs have spun “Sweet Home Alabama” into the ground. But you don’t have to live in Alabama or anywhere in the South to find countless listeners still excited to hear this tune.

“Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zeppelin

This track could be what set the proto-punks into action. An eight-minute ballad with layers of recorders, classical guitar arpeggios, and Robert Plant’s mysterious folklore. Yet, when this jam finally kicks in with Jimmy Page’s distorted guitars and John Bonham’s heavy drum groove, you understand why it became an inescapable classic.

If you ever visit a guitar shop in your life, you’ll likely hear, through layers of amateur cacophony, Page’s intro chords to “Stairway To Heaven”. And it doesn’t matter how it’s played or whether the guitar’s in tune, Page’s descending progression remains instantly recognizable because it has been drilled into our collective brains since 1971.

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