4 Rock Lyrics From 1970 That Give Me Instant Goosebumps Every Time

We all perceive and become emotionally moved by music in different ways and for different reasons, which is one of the most alluring aspects of music itself. What gives one person goosebumps might not be the same as what gives someone else the same kind of chills. For me, lyrics can be just as emotionally devastating and intensely powerful as the music itself, and that certainly includes these four rock lyrics from 1970 that give me instant goosebumps every time.

“War Pigs” by Black Sabbath

For all its dark, Satanic imagery, Black Sabbath was predominantly speaking about truth, light, and compassion. Rock songs like their 1970 release “War Pigs” have such menacing instrumentation that it’s easy to overlook the fact that Ozzy Osbourne is singing about the plight and sacred revenge of the working class in the lyrics. These lyrics, in particular, still hit just as hard today: “Politicians hide themselves away, they only started the war / Why should they go out to fight? They leave that all to the poor.”

“Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

It’s hard to overstate how much more desensitized we’ve become to mass violence since the Kent State Massacre of 1970. The pain, confusion, anger, and deep sorrow that rippled across the country after this tragedy are audible in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s “Ohio”. Even back then, the musicians were imploring people to look past the sensationalized headlines and perceived distances to truly empathize with the horrors of the situation at hand. “What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground?”

“Two Of Us” by The Beatles

1970 saw the last dying breath of The Beatles, though songs like “Two Of Us” might have convinced some listeners that there was no love lost between the musicians, given the sentimental lyrics. However, Paul McCartney actually wrote these lyrics about his first wife, Linda McCartney. The warm coziness of the relationship described in this song always gives me goosebumps. “Two of us riding nowhere, spending someone’s hard-earned pay / You and me Sunday driving, not arriving on our way back home.”

“If” by Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd’s Atom Heart Mother is a divisive album for both fans and the band members alike. But that’s not to say it was void of great lyrics—in that category, I’d gladly place the 1970 rock song “If”. Like so many other of my favorite Pink Floyd songs, this one oscillates between grown-up indifference and almost childlike vulnerability. Its tender addressing of mental health, especially one’s perception of their own, always finds a way to send chills up and down my arms. 

“If I were to sleep, I could dream / If I were afraid, I could hide / If I go insane, please don’t put your wires in my brain.”

Photo by Chris Walter/WireImages