3 Rock Songs From 1977 That Still Make Tough Guys Cry

These three rock songs from 1977 are all guaranteed to make the listener cry, no matter who they are. Whether they are sad or deeply sentimental, many people shed a few tears when these classics come on. Revisit these 1970s rock tracks today and see if you’re tough enough to resist their effects.

Videos by American Songwriter

[RELATED: 4 Major Hits From 1970 That You Might Not Have Known Were Covers]

“Wonderful Tonight” — Eric Clapton

Not all cries have to be sad ones. Sometimes, lovely sentiments make us tear up the most. That’s the case for Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight.” When listeners take in this song, they’re reminded of the romantic moments in their own lives. The lyrics, “I feel wonderful / Because I see the love light in your eyes / And the wonder of it all / Is that you just don’t realize how much I love you,” become about our own lives and less about Clapton’s.

If anyone is lucky enough to experience this type of love, then this song is a tear-jerker. “Oh my darling, you are wonderful tonight,” hits hard when you have someone of your own to picture. Moreover, if you’re going through heartbreak, the memory of good times that this song evokes is even more painful.

“Dust In The Wind” — Kansas

Kansas’ “Dust In The Wind” is endlessly existential. The band meditates on the brevity of life, sending their listeners into a contemplative tailspin. “All my dreams / Pass before my eyes with curiosity…Nothin’ lasts forever but the earth and sky / It slips away,” the lyrics read.

You may not go into this song feeling teary-eyed, but you’ll surely leave that way. This song prompts an onslaught of emotion, instantly changing the listener’s whole outlook on life. “All we are is dust in the wind,” aren’t lyrics you can walk away from unscathed.

“Telephone Line” — Electric Light Orchestra

“Have you been alright / Through all those lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely nights,” Electric Light Orchestra asks in “Telephone Line.” Though the music is relatively upbeat, the lyrics about lost connection are instant downers.

If you’re going through a similar separation from someone important, this song will hit home. “I’ll just sit tight / Through shadows of the night / Let it ring forevermore,” some of the final lyrics read, leaving the listener with a bitter, unsettled taste in their mouth, and perhaps a few tear stains.

(Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)