The year 1979 was basically the “golden year” for soft rock; tons of hits that many a baby boomer loved from the genre dropped that very year. And if you were one of them, I bet you remember the following four tracks like you just heard them for the first time yesterday.
“Babe” by Styx from ‘Cornerstone’
This 1979 soft rock jam from Styx might just be the band’s most well-known song. Released in September of that year, “Babe” was Styx’s lead single from the album Cornerstone. It would become their only No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The Dennis DeYoung-penned tune was also a Top 10 hit in a number of other countries, too.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Love Is The Answer” by England Dan & John Ford Coley from ‘Dr. Heckle And Mr. Jive’
Outside of this being the best-titled album ever, Dr. Heckle And Mr. Jive also featured one of the best soft rock singles of 1979. “Love Is The Answer” was originally a Todd Rundgren track first performed with his group Utopia in 1977. England Dan & John Ford Coley covered the song in 1979. They took it all the way to No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and No. 10 on the Hot 100 chart.
“Love Takes Time” by Orleans from ‘Forever’
“Love Takes Time” by Orleans is a pop rock classic with a touch of soft rock. And it’s one of the most memorable tracks to hit the radio in 1979. In fact, this soft rock jam was Orleans’ first big hit since they graced the airwaves with “Still The One” in 1977. “Love Takes Time” peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100 chart and No. 13 on the Easy Listening chart.
“This Is It” by Kenny Loggins from ‘Keep The Fire’
Well, I couldn’t not include at least one Kenny Loggins track on our list of baby boomer-beloved soft rock songs from 1979, could I? “This Is It” dropped in October 1979. The track features plenty of soft rock, R&B, and pop elements to delight just about every listener. Michael McDonald also contributed vocals to the song, which he also co-wrote with Loggins. “This Is It” peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100 chart.
Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images
More Features
-
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Beth Nielsen Chapman performs in Cantina Navarro at the 2026 Folk Alliance International in the Sheraton Hotel on January 24, 2026, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by R. Diamond/Getty Images) -
American rock group Blue Oyster Cult, USA, 30th July 1976. Left to right: bassist Joe Bouchard, guitarist Donald 'Buck Dharma' Roeser, keyboard and guitar player Allen Lanier, singer Eric Bloom and drummer Albert Bouchard. (Photo By Michael Putland/Getty Images -
English Rock musician Mick Jones, of the group Foreigner, plays electric guitar as he performs onstage at Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, September 12, 1985. Visible in the background are Mark Rivera, on keyboards, Dennis Elliott, on drums, and Lou Gramm (born Lou Grammatico), on vocals. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images) -
THE JOHNNY CASH SHOW – Airdate: March 24, 1971. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)TOMMY CASH -
CIRCA 1975: (L-R) Dougie Thomson, Bob C. Benberg John A. Helliwell, Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies of the rock band "Supertramp" pose for a portrait in circa 1975. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
HEREDIA, COSTA RICA – MARCH 21: Pierre Bouvier of Simple Plan performs live on stage as part of the Picnic Festival 2026 on March 21, 2026 in Heredia, Costa Rica. (Photo by Manuel Arnoldo Robert Batalla/Getty Images) -
Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns
