3 Soft Rock Songs That Defined Summer for Millions of Americans in the 1970s

Soft rock will likely always be a genre that musicians touch on, but some of the best songs from that genre can be found in the 1970s. And the following three soft rock gems from the 1970s dropped during summertime, serving as the soundtrack for summer break and good times for countless 70s kids. Let’s catapult you back to a time when things were simple, the weather was warm, and the music was good, shall we?

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“Summer Breeze” by Seals And Crofts from ‘Summer Breeze’ (1972)

Summer’s in the name, after all. This gorgeous soft rock tune from Seals And Crofts dropped in late summer in August 1972. It was a radio favorite for months afterward. “Summer Breeze” peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year and did similarly well in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. You really can’t beat the original 1972 version by the duo Seals And Croft. But the genre-bending covers by The Isley Brothers (1974) and Type O Negative (1995) are also pretty solid.

“Still The One” by Orleans from ‘Waking And Dreaming’ (1976)

Another summertime soft rock classic, “Still The One” comes from the band Orleans from their album Waking And Dreaming. This tune was written by Johanna and John Hall. It was a fast hit on the Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 5. The lyrics of this romantic, sweet song were written by Johanna Hall after she was challenged by a friend to write a song about being in love and staying together instead of breaking up. She definitely nailed it, and “Still The One” is a standard for any warm, summery 1970s playlist today.

“Reminiscing” by Little River Band from ‘Sleeper Catcher’ (1978)

Yacht rock can be soft, too. That’s best evidenced by Little River Band’s 1978 hit, “Reminiscing”. This summery classic brings to mind trips to the beach on a friend or family member’s boat as a youngin’. And it makes sense that this warm song dropped in the middle of summer in June 1978. This entry on our list of soft rock summertime songs from the 1970s was a No. 3 hit on the Hot 100 and topped the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart as well.

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