Remember how good the music was back in the early 1970s? If you’re a baby boomer, you probably got to experience some of the best tunes, especially soft rock, to ever drop in the year 1972. Let’s look at just a few such songs that still hit so good after all these years.
“Summer Breeze” by Seals & Crofts from ‘Summer Breeze’
Seals & Crofts dropped this memorable gem in summer 1972, and it was the gift that kept on giving for a few years. The Isley Brothers covered it in 1974 and turned the song into a hit a second time. But you just can’t beat the original version of “Summer Breeze”. That version made it all the way to No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and did similarly well on the Adult Contemporary chart.
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“Heart Of Gold” by Neil Young from ‘Harvest’
Neil Young’s folky soft rock hit “Heart Of Gold” is still one of his greatest songs after all these years. Honestly, the whole of Harvest is still one of his greatest works. But this particular single got everybody on the Neil Young train back in 1972, and the song peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100. Listen closely, and you’ll hear Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor singing backup on the track.
“The Guitar Man” by Bread from ‘Guitar Man’
Bread was one of those soft rock bands that everyone who was around in the 70s remembers fondly, even if the group didn’t have a ton of hits. But they did have a hit with the 1972 soft rock classic “The Guitar Man”. You just can’t beat that rich production. “The Guitar Man” peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart in 1972.
“It Never Rains In Southern California” by Albert Hammond from ‘It Never Rains In Southern California’
This one’s a total classic, one that came to be an anthem of sorts of the era. British singer-songwriter Albert Hammond wrote the track with Mike Hazlewood and took the single to the Top 10 of numerous charts in 1972. This baby boomer-beloved soft rock song from 1972 peaked at No. 5 on the Hot 100 chart.
(Photo by Dieter Klar/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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th September 1976: British rock group Queen at Les Ambassadeurs, where they were presented with silver, gold and platinum discs for sales in excess of one million of their hit single 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. The band are, from left to right, John Deacon, Freddie Mercury (Frederick Bulsara, 1946 – 1991), Roger Taylor and Brian May. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) -
Left to right: Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page, of British heavy rock group Led Zeppelin, performing at Earl's Court, London, May 1975. The band were initially booked to play three nights at the venue, from 23rd to 25th May, but due to public demand, two more concerts were later added, for 17th and 18th May. Total ticket sales were 85,000. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images) -
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Badfinger performs at Pasadena Civic Auditorium Pasadena, CA 1972; Various Locations; Mark Sullivan 70's Rock Archive (Photo by Mark Sullivan/Contour by Getty Images)
