3 Folk Songs From 1975 That Will Never Cease To Make Our Minds Race (In a Good Way)

When listened to diligently, folk music can make sunken feelings resurface. It can transport you to the past, to the future, and make one consider both while living in the present. It has an existential quality that makes you think a little more than most music. For those who like to put themselves through an emotional ringer, we’ve got a three-song playlist for you. That being so, here are three folk songs from 1975 that will never cease to make our minds race(in a good way).

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“Still Crazy After All These Years” by Paul Simon

Paul Simon‘s voice has always been that of a whisper, and his words have always been that of a secret message; seemingly tailored just for you. That truth relates to the majority of his songs, and one that winds up our romantically bitter-sweet thoughts is his 1975 folk-rock track, “Still Crazy After All These Years”.

Simon doesn’t beat around the bush in this track. He gives you the context, the meaning behind it, and then inspires you to reminisce about a past moment or person and imagine if and how they’ve changed. The song leaves you in a suspended state of nostalgia and maybe even grief.

“Buckets Of Rain” by Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan often encases bleak meanings in a playful lyrical and musical shell, and “Buckets Of Rain” is just one example of that. The consonance of the words and the melody produce feelings of whimsy and celebration, but it’s a two-faced song.

When digested fully, Dylan’s words sting, as they harp on the innate truth that with love comes misery. Although he doesn’t leave you with that singular message, for a brief moment, Dylan alludes to the fact that anything lost can be regained or forgotten.

“At Seventeen” by Janis Ian

Janis Ian‘s 1975 folk single is an underrated song when it comes to the depiction of teenage angst. Ian’s narrative paints a picture that has, in fact, been painted a thousand times, but with different colors and through varying perspectives. Despite the very particular character Ian uses as her vehicle, there is a broader sense of relativity embedded.

While Ian might not have intentionally woven this into the underlying notion, it is there, ready for you to interpret. To us, Ian relays that teenagers rarely achieve the prototypical and pristine teenage dreams they envisioned for themselves.

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