3 Soft Rock Songs From 1970 That Had Baby Boomers Crying by the Radio

If you were young or just loved soft rock songs in the year 1970, there’s a good chance that the following three songs had you crying by the radio when they were first released. They might even still make you tear up after all these years.

“Fire And Rain” by James Taylor from ‘Sweet Baby James’

“Just yesterday morning, they let me know you were gone / Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you.”

This classic from James Taylor touches on grief and the desperation in looking for hope during dark days, and more than a few listeners resonated with it enough to shed a tear. Considering “Fire And Rain” is partially based on the death of Taylor’s childhood friend, there’s an authentic vulnerability to this song that you can hear with just one thorough listen.

“Fire And Rain” was a big hit in 1970, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“If You Could Read My Mind” by Gordon Lightfoot from ‘Sit Down Young Stranger’

“And you won’t read that book again / Because the ending’s just too hard to take.”

Gordon Lightfoot’s haunting ballad “If You Could Read My Mind” had some listeners in shambles back in 1970. Especially among those who were going through divorces. Lightfoot’s own divorce at the time inspired it, and the songwriting within is quite impeccable.

“If You Could Read My Mind” by Gordon Lightfoot was a No. 5 hit on the Hot 100 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart in the US.

“It Don’t Matter To Me” by Bread from ‘Bread’

“It don’t matter to me / If you take up with someone who’s better than me / ‘Cause your happiness is all I want / For you to find peace, your peace of mind.”

Bread really cornered the market on soft rock songs in the 1970s. And this particular entry on our list of soft rock songs from 1970 really did have listeners crying real tears when it first dropped. It’s a melancholy sort of song with a unique perspective. Our narrator is in love, but doesn’t expect the other person to love them back. It’s bittersweet, but not venomous. A gorgeous work from David Gates, I’d say.

“It Don’t Matter To Me” by Bread was a No. 10 hit on the Hot 100. It also reached No. 2 on the Easy Listening chart in the US.

Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images