Need a good dose of late 1970s rock nostalgia? These three tunes have been more or less forgotten by mainstream audiences. Though, obviously, I can’t read the minds of the masses. There’s a good chance you might remember one or all of these four hit rock songs from 1978. Still, I think they deserve more love in the 21st century. Let’s take a look!
Videos by American Songwriter
“Straight On” by Heart
I had to include at least one Heart song on this list. “Straight On” is quite a good little hard rock disco tune from Dog & Butterfly, but I don’t think it gets as much love as the title track. “Straight On” is a fine little mid-tempo work that is perfectly danceable, thanks to that funky bass line. In fact, Ann Wilson herself has said that this tune was Heart’s very first dance song. And, obviously, Wilson’s vocals are totally captivating.
“Blue Morning, Blue Day” by Foreigner
Foreign dished out a few hits in 1978, but they made it to our list of somewhat forgotten rock songs with “Blue Morning, Blue Day”. This standout hard rock hit from Double Vision was a No. 15 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart when it was first released. If you’re a musician who has ever felt burnt out because of your art and the music industry, this song might just resonate with you in a big way. “Blue Morning, Blue Day” is definitely on the moody side of Foreigner tracks.
“Still The Same” by Bob Seger
How about some velvety-smooth soft rock? “Still The Same” by Bob Seger makes it to our list of underrated rock songs from 1978 because I honestly don’t hear it that often on classic rock radio anymore. That needs to change, though. This tune was an immediate Hot 100 hit upon its release, and that introductory piano line is absolutely addictive.
There’s an R&B vibe to “Still The Same” that blends seamlessly with Bob Seger’s lead vocals and acoustic guitar. It’s also a bit of a serious tune about a narrator who admires a man with a gambling addiction, and ultimately walks away because the man in question will never change. Seger himself said that the song was about a number of people he met when he first moved to Hollywood.
Photo by Brian McLaughlin/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images










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