Some artists seem prescient. Their musical skills are so far ahead of their time, that they feel as though they must have a crystal ball giving them sneak peeks of the future. The three artists below have earned that compliment. Check out three songs from the ’70s that were decades ahead of their time, below.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” (Queen)
We can’t imagine an era where “Bohemian Rhapsody” would be common place, truthfully, but we know no one else was making a rock epic like this in the ’70s. Queen was massively ahead of their time, splicing together this wild ride of a song. From operatic sections to driving guitar solos, “Bohemian Rhapsody” truly has it all. It was a marvel of recording techniques and impossibly innovative. We’re still waiting on someone to pick up where Queen left off…
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Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he’s dead
Mama, life had just begun
But now I’ve gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooh, didn’t mean to make you cry
If I’m not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters
“Big Yellow Taxi” (Joni Mitchell)
On top of the themes of “Big Yellow Taxi” being forward-thinking, the way Joni Mitchell structured this song was ahead of its time as well. Mitchell relied heavily on her guitar skills for this track, rounding out the recording with riffs alone. There’s a reason this song is learned by so many guitar players. It’s a surefire way to show off your skills on your instrument–if you can keep up with Mitchell, that is…
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
“God Save The Queen” (Sex Pistols)
Punk was just getting started in the ’70s, effectively making every punk song ahead of its time in one way or another. However, the Sex Pistols hold a special place in the hearts of punk fans. They were one of the groups that gave this burgeoning genre legs. Take “God Save The Queen” for example. We can’t think of any other band in that era (or now for that matter) being quite as explicitly anti-establishment. Their boldness put them leagues ahead of their peers.
God save the Queen
The fascist regime
It made you a moron
Potential H-bomb
God save the Queen
She ain’t no human being
There is no future
In England’s dreaming
(Photo by Gill Allen/Shutterstock)
More The List
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CIRCA 1966: Singer Mick Jagger of the rock and roll band "The Rolling Stones" performs onstage in circa 1966. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
Aerosmith Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, Vorst-Nationaal, Brussels, Belgium, 31st October 1993. (Photo by Goedefroit Music/Getty Images) -
UNSPECIFIED – JANUARY 01: John LENNON between 1970 and 1973. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images) -
1972: (L-R) Jim Hodder, David Palmer, Denny Dias, Donald Fagen, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and Walter Becker of the rock band "Steely Dan" pose for a portrait in 1972. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
Kyu Sakamoto. (1941-1985) Japanese singer, best known outside Japan for his international hit song "Ue o Muite Aruko" (known as "Sukiyaki" in English-speaking markets), which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies. It reached number one in the United States Billboard Hot 100 in June 1963, making Sakamoto the first Asian recording artist to have a number one song on the chart. (Photo by Sjöberg Bildbyrå/ullstein bild via Getty Images) -
Picture taken in 1974 in Stockholm shows the Swedish pop group Abba with its members (L-R) Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog and Bjorn Ulvaeus posing after winning the Swedish branch of the Eurovision Song Contest with their song "Waterloo". – Sweden's legendary disco group ABBA announced on April 27, 2018 that they have reunited to record two new songs, 35 years after their last single. The quartet split up in 1982 after dominating the disco scene for more than a decade with hits like "Waterloo", "Dancing Queen", "Mamma Mia" and "Super Trouper". (Photo by Olle LINDEBORG / TT News Agency / AFP) / Sweden OUT (Photo credit should read OLLE LINDEBORG/AFP via Getty Images)
