The music we learn in our younger years tends to stick with us the most, which is why many of us can still recite lyrics to songs we haven’t listened to on a regular basis since high school. Baby boomers had some of the best songs to choose from during their younger years, including these Top 40 songs from 1972.
“American Pie” by Don McLean
First, we’ll start this list of 1972 songs that baby boomers can still sing by heart with an entry that requires two asterisks. One, Don McLean’s “American Pie”, came out in 1971, technically. It just became a Top 40 hit the following year. Two, we would wager that not many people can sing every single word to this song. There are a lot of verses. However, any baby boomer alive can proudly join in on “Bye, bye, Miss American Pie / drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.”
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“Lean On Me” by Bill Withers
Bill Withers released his career-defining hit, “Lean On Me”, in April 1972. From the catchy, scalar chord progression to the heartwarming message, “Lean On Me” became an instant classic. Every baby boomer will start warming up their vocals (even if it’s just the voice inside their head) when they hear this song’s iconic intro. “Sometimes in our lives, we all have pain, we all have sorrow / But if we are wise, we know that there’s always tomorrow.”
“Brand New Key” by Melanie
Some songs from the 1970s are just plain fun to sing, which makes it easier to memorize them, and Melanie’s 1972 track “Brand New Key” is certainly no exception. The lilting, playful melody and flirtatious lyrics make it easy for this song to lodge permanently into your brain. “Well, I got a brand new pair of roller skates, you got a brand new key / I think that we should get together and try them out to see.”
“Heart Of Gold” by Neil Young
Neil Young has always been a master at capturing the idea of peaceful loneliness, curious wandering, and the quiet acceptance of the passing of time. His 1972 album Harvest stands out in his catalogue as one of the best examples of this pleasantly melancholy feeling. “Heart Of Gold” came out in 1972 and became Young’s only No. 1 single. Consequently, every baby boomer alive can still sing his iconic words “Keep me searchin’ for a heart of gold, and I’m getting old.”
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More The List
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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – JANUARY 01: Diana Ross performs on stage at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England in January 1974. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns) -
Pink Floyd playing on the stage surrounded with a smoke and illuminated with a red stage lights during the concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland in June 1973, July, 1973. Image courtesy National Archives. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) -
LOS ANGELES – APRIL 1980: Rock and roll legend Ozzy Osbourne poses for a portrait in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images) -
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – JANUARY 01: Diana Ross performs on stage at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England in January 1974. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns) -
SAN FRANCISCO – NOVEMBER 1976: Ronnie Hawkins, and Robbie Robertson of The Band, perform during The Last Waltz at Winterland on November 25, 1976 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Images) -
CIRCA 1967: The "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin poses for a portrait with circa 1967. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
Singer Stevie Nicks shot in Los Angeles, California in 1982. (Photo by Aaron Rapoport/Corbis via Getty Images) -
Country artist Tammy Wynette poses for a portrait in circa 1968.(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)