I Grew up on 70s Classic Rock—These Are 5 Hits Every Beginner Fan Should Know

From Aerosmith to The Beatles, here are a few songs to listen to if you’re new to 70s classic rock.

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“Dream On” by Aerosmith

If “Dream On” feels familiar to you, it’s probably because Stephen Tyler found some inspiration for this one from classical music.

“I grew up, under the piano, listening and living in between the notes of Chopin, Bach, Beethoven, Debussy,” Tyler shared in his 2011 autobiography. “That’s where I got that ‘Dream On’ chordage.”

Aside from that, this is one of Aerosmith’s trademark songs, so you’ve definitely already heard it a couple of times.

“Hotel California” by The Eagles

Anyone who’s ever taken guitar lessons at one point in their lives already knows the melody to “Hotel California” by The Eagles. As singer Don Henley revealed to 60 Minutes, however, the lyrics of the band’s life-changing hit are also worth acknowledging. They tell a pretty heavy story about materialism in America.

“I know, it’s so boring,” he said. “It’s a song about the dark underbelly of the American Dream, and about excess in America which was something we knew about.”

“American Pie” by Don McLean

If you want a song that has been both impactful to the rock genre and also makes references to rock and roll, “American Pie” by Don McLean is the tune for you. In this 1971 song, McClean sings about “the day the music died”, which is a reference to the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and “The Big Bopper”. He also sings about “The King(Elvis Presley),” who’s lost his thorny crown.

“Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac

If you’re looking to get to know Fleetwood Mac a little bit better, there’s no better place to start than the Rumours album. “Go Your Own Way” was the first song written for the project, which would go on to be one of the most successful rock albums of all time.

“Let It Be” by The Beatles

This is one of those Beatles songs that everybody seems to know. If you don’t, I recommend you give it a listen, or a few.

As Paul McCartney shared with WIRE, the song was inspired by a dream he had during the years when he was “drinking and staying out too late and getting crazy.” In this dream, his mother, who had died about a decade before that, gave him a visit.

“So she seemed to know that I was a bit stressed out, and she said, ‘Don’t worry, it’s gonna be fine. Just let it be,’” he shared. “And I thought, ‘Wow, that just felt really great that my mother had given me advice.’”

Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns