Country rock had something of a heyday in the early 1970s, though the genre did come to be in the mid-1960s. By 1972, country rock had enough time to evolve and refine, resulting in these four incredible songs that baby boomers still love today. Let’s take a look!
“Garden Party” by Rick Nelson from ‘Garden Party’
Rick Nelson’s country rock classic is a bit of a stiff middle finger to a particular group of haters. Back in the day, Nelson once performed at Madison Square Garden in 1971, where he was promptly booed offstage by the uninterested crowd who were there to see Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Bobby Rydell. He wrote “Garden Party” about the debacle, and the song became a Top 40 hit, though it would be Nelson’s last. “Garden Party” peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
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“Heart Of Gold” by Neil Young from ‘Harvest’
There’s no way I’d leave the country rock song of all country rock songs off our list. “Heart Of Gold” is considered one of Neil Young’s greatest songs for a reason. This folky country rock song was a gorgeous release from a gorgeous album, Harvest, and the song took over the charts in 1972. “Heart Of Gold” peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and reached the Top 20 around the globe.
“Motorcycle Mama” by Sailcat from ‘Motorcycle Mama’
How about a bit of a deep cut? “Motorcycle Mama” by Sailcat was a decent hit in 1972. And yet, it’s rarely brought up in conversations about country rock from the early 1970s. I also rarely hear this gem on classic rock radio, which is a huge shame. Fortunately, though, country rock fans in 1972 appreciated the track, taking it all the way to No. 12 in the US and No. 14 in Canada.
“Alabama Wild Man” by Jerry Reed from ‘Jerry Reed’
This classic from Jerry Reed leans more country than rock, but it has enough rock elements to it to make it worthy of a spot on our list of 1972 songs that baby boomers love. “Alabama Wild Man” was actually originally released in 1966 from the album of the same name. However, the song didn’t quite hit. It wasn’t until Reed re-released the song in 1972 that it climbed the charts.
“Alabama Wild Man” peaked at No. 22 on the Hot Country Singles chart. It was an even bigger hit in Canada, peaking at No. 12 on the Canadian country chart.
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