3 Songs From the 1970s That Made Classic Rock Radio So Much Better

In the mood for some classic rock radio hits from the 1970s? There’s no way you haven’t heard these three hits, especially if you were young in the 1970s. But I think they deserve to be celebrated even more, namely for how they popularized classic rock radio in the decades that followed. Let’s take a look at a few iconic classic rock radio jams from the good ol’ 1970s!

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“We Will Rock You” by Queen (1977)

The A-side of this song, “We Are The Champions”, might be one of Queen’s biggest songs. But the B-side, “We Will Rock You”, has to be one of the most prominent go-to songs on classic rock radio today. In fact, I’d be bold enough to say that it seems like the B-side gets way more airplay than “We Are The Champions” on classic rock radio, at least in my experience.

“More Than A Feeling” by Boston (1976)

Boston started with a guy with a dream (that guy being Tom Scholz) and basically no band. And with a little luck and some record label attention, Boston absolutely took over rock radio with the release of their self-titled debut album in 1976. One of the singles from that album is “More Than A Feeling”, and I can’t think of a song more deserving of a spot on our list of classic rock radio hits from the 1970s. When one thinks of classic rock radio, they think of this very song.

“More Than A Feeling” peaked at No. 5 on the coveted Billboard Hot 100 chart and did similarly well in Canada. The sign was also a No. 22 hit on the UK Singles chart.

“Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith (1975)

“Sweet Emotion” still hits so good, decades after it first wowed listeners in 1975. And it remains a classic rock radio staple that will probably never go out of style for another 50 years. Those soaring guitars and that killer harmony just can’t be beat.

“Sweet Emotion” was, shockingly, only a modest hit for the band when it was first released. It peaked at No. 36 on the Hot 100 and No. 56 on the Canada Top Singles chart.

Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns