5 Top 40 Hits From 1976 That Every Baby Boomer Can Still Sing by Heart

Mainstream music has a way of embedding itself deep in our memories so that even years later, we can still hear songs we heard endlessly on the radio “way back when” by heart—sort of like musical muscle memory. We’d argue that baby boomers have some of the best Top 40 hits to choose from in this category, including these five tracks from 1976 that anyone born before 1965 can still sing along to like no time has passed.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen

“Bohemian Rhapsody” didn’t come out until late 1975, which means Queen didn’t see this magnum opus rise to the top of the charts until the following year. Once it did, practically everyone could sing the words to this Top 40 hit by heart—both the introspective, melodic verses and the absurd and fantastical operetta section. The 1992 comedy Wayne’s World ensured that Gen X-ers knew this one by heart, too. And on and on the “Bohemian Rhapsody” cycle goes.

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

Elton John and Kiki Dee gave the world a timeless duet with the 1976 summer release of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”. The song is bouncy, campy, and joyous, making it the perfect option for long car rides or karaoke nights with a pal. Tell any baby boomer, “Don’t go breaking my heart,” and they’re likely to respond, “I couldn’t if I tried.” Similar to how Wayne’s World revitalized “Bohemian Rhapsody” in the 1990s, Ella Enchanted did the same thing for this late-70s duet in the early 2000s.

“Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry

Even if you don’t know all the words to the verses of “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry, you probably know the chorus. This is a classic funk-rock track that was actually born out of necessity. Wild Cherry was primarily a rock ‘n’ roll band, not a funk band. During one fateful club gig, a partygoer asked the band if they were ever going to play some funky music. The rest is musical history.

“Afternoon Delight” by Starland Vocal Band

Starland Vocal Band certainly released more music than “Afternoon Delight” alone. But that’s undoubtedly what they’re remembered for. If this song about a midday romp with a lover had been even slightly less on-the-nose, maybe it wouldn’t have gone down in history as one of the cheesiest songs to come out of the late 1970s. Nevertheless, on-the-nose was the route the vocal band took. So, the cheesy one-hit wonder camp is where they remain. But cheesy or not, most baby boomers can still sing along.

“Take The Money And Run” by Steve Miller Band

Wrapping up this list of Top 40 hits is a classic from Steve Miller Band: “Take The Money And Run”. The last track in this list is particularly special because not only can baby boomers sing along with the driving rock song. Most of them also know just when to come in with a quick “clap-clap-clap-clap-clap.” This was the baby boomers’ Friends theme song before Friends existed. And who doesn’t love adding the “Hoo, hoo, hoo!”s and “Oo-OOh, Lord”s after “Go on, take the money and run”?

Photo by Brad Elterman/FilmMagic