3 Songs That High Schoolers in 1973 Knew Every Word To

Heck, even I know every word to these songs, and I didn’t go to high school in 1973. Here are songs that defined that year, which you would definitely know if you lived to hear them first.

“Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” by Elton John

I feel like this song is one of John’s more often forgotten hits, but it’s one of my favorites. This one was partially inspired by a pub near where Bernie Taupin grew up. Apparently, there were actually fights there on Saturday nights.

“One of the urban legends I keep referring to is that it was based on a pub in a town close to where I grew up called Market Rasen,” Taupin said of the song while speaking to BBC 6 Music. “And there was a pub called the Aston Arms, and some Saturday nights there would get pretty hairy outside in the parking lot.”

“Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

This song was released on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 1973 album (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd), and later released as a single. This is one of the most famous songs in all of rock history. The lyrics aren’t typically the focus of this one. Rather, it’s that really long guitar solo that usually grabs people’s attention. The lyrics are still good, though, expressing a desire to move on from a past love.

“But if I stay here with you, girl / Things just couldn’t be the same / ‘Cause I’m as free as a bird now / And this bird you cannot change.”

“Piano Man” by Billy Joel

This is the song from which Billy Joel gets his iconic nickname. Joel himself, aside from his own shows, actually was a “piano man” at a lounge sometime between 1972 and 1973. In a Howard Stern interview, Joel actually described the lyrics of “Piano Man” as being more of a “limerick.” I honestly think the lyrics in this song are pretty smart, even if they are telling the story of a couple of folks at a bar.

“Now John at the bar is a friend of mine / He gets me my drinks for free / And he’s quick with a joke, or to light up your smoke / But there’s some place that he’d rather be.”

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