3 Rock Songs From the 1970s That Still Sound Fresh, Despite Being 50+ Years Old

Some tunes manage to age well through the years. When it comes to the following rock songs from the 1970s, they’ve aged so well that they still sound fresh after all these years. Let’s get a little nostalgic, shall we?

“Sweet Jane” by The Velvet Underground from ‘Loaded’ (1973)

That guitar-driven sound, that ambiguous sound that you can’t quite place in terms of decades… The Velvet Underground were ahead of their time in the early 1970s, but they were really ahead of their time with “Sweet Jane”.

“Sweet Jane” by The Velvet Underground comes from the band’s fourth album Loaded, written by Lou Reed. Apparently, he was such a fan of the song that he’d whip it out during his solo performances after leaving The Velvet Underground. Loaded and “Sweet Jane”, like many of the band’s releases, were sorely underrated upon their release and did not chart particularly well in the US.

“Black Dog” by Led Zeppelin from ‘Led Zeppelin IV’ (1971)

This Led Zeppelin IV cut was particularly aggressive-sounding for 1971, and many a music historian would likely agree that “Black Dog” inspired many metal bands that came to be as the 1970s progressed. The song’s arrangement, which stops and starts over and over, was certainly unique for its time.

“Black Dog” by Led Zeppelin was a rare single for the band, who often avoided releasing singles entirely. The bluesy hard rock track made it to No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“Moonage Daydream” by David Bowie from ‘The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars’ (1972)

Naturally, a Bowie track makes it to our list of rock songs from the 1970s that still sound fresh today. I went with “Moonage Daydream”, considering how futuristic and bizarre this little glam rock tune was and still is. It’s a personal favorite, and many Bowie fans would likely agree.

“Moonage Daydream” by David Bowie was never released as a single, but instead appeared as an album cut on The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars in 1972.

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