Some rock songs just bring out the joy in me, including a few well-worn hits from way back in 1971. If you heard these hit jams when they first made it to the radio, you might just feel the same way. How about a hefty dose of musical dopamine to get you through the rest of the day?
“Baba O’Riley” by The Who from ‘Who’s Next’
Is there anyone out there who doesn’t get a little bit excited when this hard rock classic comes on? “Baba O’Riley” is one of the catchiest and most anthemic tunes of the early 70s, and I can’t help but feel a sense of joy whenever it graces my ears. “Baba O’Riley” by The Who is considered one of the greatest rock songs of all time, though it wasn’t released as a single in the US and thus didn’t chart.
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“Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” by Paul and Linda McCartney from ‘Ram’
When the high-energy chorus of this song kicks in, it’s hard not to belt out “Haaands across the water, water!” with Paul McCartney. This is such a unique progressive pop rock piece from the former Beatle, and it still blows my mind that Ram didn’t get all that much love back in the day. He was thinking years ahead of everyone else.
“Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” by Paul and Linda McCartney remains one of the most memorable songs from that underrated album. And it did fairly well on the charts, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Sunshine” by Jonathan Edwards from ‘Jonathan Edwards’
How about a little country flavor on our list of rock songs from 1971 that might bring you some joy? This hit from Jonathan Edwards actually almost never got released as a single. The story goes that an audio engineer accidentally erased the song “Please Find Me” from Edwards’ self-titled debut album, which was intended to be the lead single. They filled it with “Sunshine” at the last minute, which ended up being the best-case scenario. “Sunshine” by Jonathan Edwards ended up becoming a huge hit. The tune peaked at No. 4 on the Hot 100 chart and No. 7 on the Easy Listening chart in the US.
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More The List
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L-R) Guitarist Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek (1950 – 2011), of the British-American rock band America, perform on stage in London, England, January 5, 1972. (Photo by TPLP/Getty Images) -
CLARKSTON – JULY 31: American singer and actress, Whitney Houston, performs at the Pine Knob Music Theater during her "Moment of Truth" world tour, on July 31, 1987, in Clarkston, Michigan. (Photo by Ross Marino/Getty Images) -
British singer-songwriter David Bowie performing at BC Place in Vancouver, during his Serious Moonlight tour, Canada, 9th August 1983. (Photo by Armando Gallo/Getty Images) -
American New Wave group Devo backstage at Max's Kansas City, New York, New York, November 15, 1977. (Photo by Allan Tannenbaum/Getty Images) -
Photo by David Redfern/Redferns -
NASHVILLE – OCTOBER 11: Music group Alabama (Pictured left to right) Mark Herndon, Teddy Gentry, Jeff Cook, and Randy Owen pose for a portrait for The 16th Annual Country Music Association Awards, (CMA Awards show), at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn., October 11, 1982. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) -
Patsy Cline poses for a portrait wearing a fur coat in circa 1958. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
