4 Songs From 1973 That Give Me Instant Goosebumps Every Time

My body has always reacted strongly to music of any kind. Goosebumps, heart swells, a rush of adrenaline from somewhere in my torso—virtually any song can elicit these reactions if it’s musical enough, but I’m especially likely to experience these feelings while listening to my favorite music from the 1970s. And in my years of research (read: listening to music), I’ve found that 1973 had some of the best goosebump-inducing music of all time.

“Great Gig in The Sky” by Pink Floyd

I’d be remiss if I didn’t include something from Pink Floyd’s monumental 1973 album, Dark Side Of The Moon, on this list of goosebump-inducing songs from the early 70s. While the entire album is emotionally moving in different ways, the one that is sure to give me goosebumps is “Great Gig In The Sky”. An instrumental track, save for the impassioned wails and moans of Clare Torry, this song is meant to embody deep, intense pain. I believe Torry’s performance is one of the greatest examples of using the voice to convey emotions that the world has ever seen.

“Over The Hills And Far Away” by Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin released “Over The Hills And Far Away” as a single in the United States with “Dancing Days” as the B-side. In the band’s native United Kingdom, it was an album-only cut from Houses Of The Holy. The song starts out with relatively calm acoustic guitar before eventually evolving into the heavy rock ‘n’ roll the world had come to expect from Led Zeppelin in 1973. “Over The Hills And Far Away” peaked at a modest No. 51 when it first came out, but the general public developed a greater appreciation of the song with time.

“American Tune” by Paul Simon

Paul Simon managed to combine Bach, standard hymns, and topical politics into one song with his stunning 1973 track “American Tune”. The song was the third single off his third solo album, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon, following his genre-defining stint with collaborator Art Garfunkel. “American Tune” isn’t necessarily a complex song, rhythmically or melodically speaking. But its straightforwardness is what makes the message so poignant. Simon’s song for America feels jaded, hopeful, tired, optimistic, and resilient, something that most Americans can relate to, even decades after its first release.

“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John

The title track to Elton John’s seventh studio album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, is one of my favorite songs from 1973 that fall under the “instantaneous goosebumps” category. Bernie Taupin’s lyrics are descriptive and imaginative. But something about the way John soars into his higher register in the chorus tugs at my heartstrings just as hard on the 5,000th listen as it did on the first. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” speaks to homebodies who prefer a quiet life on the farm over the hustle and bustle of the city. As someone who falls under that category myself, it’s no wonder I react so emotionally to John’s hit song.

Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images)