4 Songs From 1973 That Will Take You Back to Your Younger Years

Music has a way of activating core memories and emotions that instantly transport us to our younger years. Songs serve as sonic time machines, connecting us with our former selves in a way that feels hopeful and melancholy all at once. If you identify as a baby boomer, then you remember when these four songs from 1973 first came out, transporting you to your younger years in a literal sense.

But even if you weren’t alive to see these releases happen in real time, these 1973 songs have a way of redirecting our attention to the passing of time and reminding us of the good ol’ days of youth.

“Time” by Pink Floyd

An obvious but still incredible selection kicks off our list: “Time” by Pink Floyd. Was it among the happiest of songs from 1973? No, decidedly not. But there’s something reassuring in the way that the lyrics remind us that time is passing us by. It almost seems to say, “It’s happening to all of us. You’re not alone. It’s okay to feel weird about it.”

“The sun is the same in a relative way, but you’re older / shorter of breath, and one day closer to death.”

“Reelin’ In The Years” by Steely Dan

Steely Dan released “Reelin’ In The Years” as a single in early 1973. While it’s more than a little sardonic in the verses, the choruses’ mention of time and quick-moving years inevitably leads the listener to wonder what they’ve been doing with the past 10, 20, or 30 years of their lives. Almost like Donald Fagen was singing right to us.

“Are you reelin’ in the years, stowin’ away the time / Are you gatherin’ up the tears / Have you had enough of mine?”

“Dream On” by Aerosmith

Despite being relatively new to the scene—the Boston-based band had just released their debut commercial album—Aerosmith presented themselves with all the wisdom of a wise, old sage on the emotional ballad “Dream On”. The song feels hopeful and lonely and inspiring and foreboding all at once, which is no small emotional feat.

“Every time that I look in the mirror / all these lines on my face gettin’ clearer / The past is gone / It went by like dusk to dawn.”

“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John

Part of what makes our younger years seem so appealing is how simple life seemed before adult responsibilities and obligations began dominating our every waking moment. Of all the songs of 1973, few capture this yearning for simplicity quite like the title track to Elton John’s monumental album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

“So, goodbye, yellow brick road / where the dogs of society howl / You can’t plant me in your penthouse, I’m going back to my plow.”

Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images