4 Songs From 1974 That Feel Like Lounging in the Sunshine

Picture it: you’re lounging in the sunshine in a comfortable chair, there’s music playing at just the right volume somewhere nearby, a lazy breeze floats across your face and wicks off the sweat forming on your brow, and you have nothing else to do today.

Now that you’re in this blissful moment of zen, here’s the most important part: what songs are playing on your imaginary sound system? We’d recommend starting with these four tracks from 1974.

“Tell Me Something Good” by Rufus & Chaka Khan

The “something good” that Rufus and Chaka Khan are singing about in their 1974 track “Tell Me Something Good” might not explicitly be sunshine, but doesn’t it sound good just the same? The funky wocka-wocka guitar and off-beat rhythm make this an excellent track for mellowing out, sinking deeper into your lounge chair, and relaxing. This ultra-groovy track first appeared on Rufus’ 1974 album Rags To Rufus and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Band On The Run” by Wings

Another 1974 song that’s perfect for lounging in the sunshine in the musically pleasing sense is “Band On The Run” by Wings. With multiple distinct sections to wade through on this magnum opus of a track, doing nothing but laying in the sun is an excellent way to clear your mind of distractions and focus on how fantastic of a songwriter Paul McCartney really is. Even decades later, this song remains one of McCartney’s most ubiquitous.

“Seasons In The Sun” by Terry Jacks

Lounging in the sunshine can also invite introspection and reflection, some of which can take on a bittersweet quality like the one imbued in Terry Jacks’ 1974 hit “Seasons In The Sun”. It’s hard not to imagine past lovers and friends when listening to this reminiscent tune, especially while basking in the golden glow of the sun. “We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun / But the hills that we climbed were just seasons out of time.”

“Sunshine On My Shoulders” by John Denver

Finally, it’s hard to hear the words “sunshine” and “1974” and not think of a track like John Denver’s “Sunshine On My Shoulders”. Though technically released the year earlier, this sun-soaked track became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. It really is the quintessential song for lounging in the sunshine: “Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy / Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry / Sunshine on the water looks so lovely / Sunshine almost always makes me high.”

Photo by Echoes/Redferns