4 Songs From 1976 That Every Baby Boomer Knows by Heart

The late 1970s saw disco, pop, and funk join rock ‘n’ roll and folk in the mainstream music market, and 1976 exemplified this musical blend perfectly. From fun, upbeat duets to grooves that embed themselves deep into the bone, we’d wager a bet that most baby boomers still know these songs from 1976 by heart. (Us, too.)

“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John & Kiki Dee

Elton John and Kiki Dee released “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” in the summer of 1976, giving the world the perfect singalong song for road trips, pool days, and late nights with loved ones. The track topped the charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom, and it’s easy to see why. This 1976 song is fun, playful, and ripe for a duet partner. In 2004, the song would gain an entirely new audience after it was featured in the Anne Hathaway fantasy comedy, Ella Enchanted.

“Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry

Even if baby boomers didn’t know all the words to the verses of this 1976 classic funk song, they likely knew the chorus. The Wild Cherry one-hit wonder is a delight to this day. And for a bit of historical context, this song literally captured the confluence of rock and disco that was happening in the late 1970s. Wild Cherry was a hard rock band originally. But during a gig in Pittsburgh, someone from the crowd asked them to “play some funky music, white boys.” The rest is history.

“Afternoon Delight” by Starland Vocal Band

Ah, “Afternoon Delight”. A song so cheesy that it made perfect sense when Anchorman included it in the first movie from 2004. But its cheesiness is part of its charm, really. Starland Vocal Band hit it out of the park with this whimsical, lush ode to making love in the daytime. This is one of those 1976 songs that baby boomers know by heart and secretly love to sing, even if they feign indifference on the outside. (Rocket sounds in the chorus optional, but definitely fun to include.)

“50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon

1961 had “Hit The Road Jack”, and 1976 had “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover”. Both tracks gave the world quippy, name-based phrases to shoot off to their friends, colleagues, etc. The latter track by Paul Simon—which he technically released in December 1975, which meant it didn’t become one of the top songs in the States until 1976—gives us plenty. “Slip out the back, Jack / Make a new plan, Stan / You don’t need to be coy, Roy / Just get yourself free.”

It’s so fun to sing along to, how could you not know it by heart?

Photo by Gus Stewart/Redferns