People who aren’t in bands think that the coolest part about being in a band is commercial success. People in bands know that the coolest part is actually being in the band. Just look at these four classic rock songs from the 1970s, all of which make being in a band sound like the greatest thing you could ever do. Big words, but maybe it’s because it’s true?
“We’re An American Band” by Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad made a band anthem to end all band anthems with their 1973 track, “We’re An American Band”. Is there a more romantic notion of being in a traveling band than going to a new city each night and bringing the party with you?
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Sure, actually being on the road might require a bit more gas station coffee and long, boring stretches of highway. But once the van gets to the next tour stop, the real fun begins.
“Rock & Roll Band” by Boston
Speaking of the struggles of being on the road, Boston’s 1976 “Rock & Roll Band” doesn’t shy away from these realities of being a full-time musician. “Playin’ all the bars, sleepin’ in our cars, and we practiced right on out in the street / No, we didn’t have much money / We barely made enough to survive.”
But as the first verse continues, the payoff happened each night at the show. “When we got up on stage and got ready to play, people came alive.”
“Juke Box Hero” by Foreigner
If “Juke Box Hero” by Foreigner doesn’t make you believe in the one true rock ‘n’ roll dream, we’re not sure what will. A young music lover hears the overdriven tone of an electric guitar and immediately buys a “beat-up six-string at a secondhand store” so he can learn to play.
That boy, of course, turns into the titular jukebox hero. He even passes the same stage door he couldn’t get into as a kid at the beginning of the song, offering a full “circle of rock” moment.
“It’s A Long Way To The Top” by AC/DC
AC/DC put the paradox of being a rock ‘n’ roller in no uncertain terms in their 1975 track, “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)”. “Gettin’ robbed, gettin’ stoned, gettin’ beat up, broken-boned / Gettin’ had, gettin’ took, I tell you, folks, it’s harder than it looks.”
The road to being a successful rock band is bumpy. But boy, is the ride nice once you get there. If the driving rock chorus doesn’t get the point across, the rousing bagpipe solo certainly does.
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