5 Feel-Good Songs From 1976 That Every Baby Boomer Can Still Sing by Heart

Nostalgia always has a way of coloring the past with a rosy tint, convincing us that things were better way back when. And while this might be true for some, more often than not, we think this way because we forget the bad times and forget to acknowledge the positives of the present. Still, if you look at the popular music from 1976, you would think the whole world was having a great year, with all the feel-good songs on the charts.

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

Kicking off our list of feel-good songs from 1976 that every baby boomer can still sing by heart is a duet (to which most baby boomers know both parts, backward and forward). Escaping Elton John and Kiki Dee’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” was virtually inescapable in the mid-1970s. Still, if one song is going to dominate the cultural zeitgeist, it might as well be about loyal, unwavering love.

“Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry

Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music” came from a real-life experience the rock band had while playing at a club with a crowd that wanted funk and soul. Someone really did ask them to start playing some funky music, and based on the massive success of this hit, we’d argue that the band fulfilled their request and then some.

“Afternoon Delight” by Starland Vocal Band

Some songs are so cheesy in hindsight that you almost remember them against your will, and the ultra-lush, ultra-1970s ode to daytime love-making, “Afternoon Delight”, is absolutely one of those songs. To be fair, the melody and vocal arrangement are just plain good, even if the more prudishly minded might scoff at the idea of singing about what they’re singing about.

“Love To Love You Baby” by Donna Summer

One of the best parts about feel-good songs from 1976 is that most of them were disco and, generally speaking, disco is a genre of few words. The point of disco is to groove, not necessarily to focus on the lyrics. Songs like Donna Summer’s “Love To Love You Baby” are easy to sing by heart all these years later because there’s a grand total of maybe five whole sentences in the entire song.

“Slow Ride” by Foghat

Just like the name would suggest, “Slow Ride” by Foghat takes its time. Indeed, this bluesier offering in our list of feel-good songs from 1976 is easy to sing along to because there’s so much space for the lyrics to breathe. Even if you don’t remember all the words in the verses, virtually every baby boomer can follow up the line “slow ride” with an effortless “take it easy!”

Photo by Gus Stewart/Redferns