I can hear the posters to http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=36347 barfing already.
I love Pink Floyd, Led Zep, The Who, Allman Bros., Grateful Dead just as much as anyone. But I still love 1970’s AM radio hits. The kind of stuff that is on the “Have A Nice Decade” box set. So my question is, what song never fails to take you back?
“Hello, It’s Me” by Todd Rundgren
“Without You” by Harry Nilsson
“Do It Again” by Steely Dan
“We’ve Only Just Begun” by Carpenters
“Precious and Few” by Climax
“Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul
“Make It With You” by Bread
“Show and Tell” by Al Wilson
“Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green
Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett
“Brandy,” by Looking Glass
“Drift Away,” by Dobie Gray
And my all-time favorite song in the whole world, “American Pie” by Don McLean.
Woohoo! People after my own heart!
hm…so many to choose…
“Space Cowboy” or anything else bySteve Miller Band
“Horse with no Name” or anything else by America
“Aja” or anything else by Steely dan
Does anyone remember who did “Love is like oxygen, you get too much, you get too high, not enough and you’re gonna die” ?
There are loads of songs I could nominate… but how about “Please Come to Boston” by Dave Loggins?
“Thunder Island” by Jay Ferguson
“Sausalito Summer Night” by Diesel.
You’ve already taken me back. Lib and I love 70’s music! Okay, here’s a few (sigh) of my favourites of the not already mentioned.
All By Myself
American Pie (Hands down! Sorry, Had to!)
Black Magic Woman
Bohemian Rhapsody
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Brown Sugar
Build Me Up Buttercup
Candle In The Wind (Elton in general)
Cat’s In The Cradle
December 1963 (Oh What A Night)
Dream On
Fire and Rain
Guitar Man (Bread)
He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother
Hotel California
I Don’t Know How To Love Him
If
Imagine
It Don’t Matter To Me
Knocking On Heaven’s Door
Knowing Me, Knowing You
Lean On Me
Let It Be
Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)
Love The One Your With
Lucky Man (Emerson, Lake & Palmer)
Mama Told Me (Not To Come)
My Sweet Lord (George Harrison)
Nights In White Satin
No Time (Left For You)
One Toke Over The Line
Send In The Clowns
Smoke On The Water
Stairway To Heaven
These Eyes
Geez… I know I’ve missed some. Though I didn’t list them, Ohio, Teach Your Children, Woodstock, Our House, Judy Blue Eyes… Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, deserved their own paragraph.
Don’t even get me started on the 60’s! 
Can’t end this thread without mentioning
“You Make Me Fell Brand New” by The Stylistics
“Then Came You” by the Spinners
“Midnight Train To Georgia” by Gladys Knight
“Killing Me Softly With His Song” by Roberta Flack
“Focus” by Hocus Pocus
“Backstabbers” by The O’Jays
“Love’s Theme” Love Unlimited Orchestra
Thanks for reminding of American Pie.
Putting “American Pie” “Don McLean” into google produced 12,500 hits.
Here’s a nice list I just found:
Holy jumpin’ jehosaphat, I’m sooo old! I know and love every song on these lists so far!
Rally Vincent, I think that song was by Sweet, and it was called “Love is Like Oxygen” (my best guess).
“Black Betty” by RamJam (I think it’s a 70’s song) would be my addition to these lists. Cranked that one up in my car many a time.
Mine are “Sprit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum, “How Much I Feel” by Ambrosia, and “I Love You” by the Climax Blues Band. I have especially deep affection for “Spirit In The Sky” because it’s the first song I learned on guitar and I still play it whenever I play solo in coffeehouse open mike nights (I’m a drummer, not a guitarist, so my guitar skills are extremely limited).
Terry Jacks’ version of “Seasons in the Sun”. It’s one of those songs that sounds sugary and light on the surface. But, if you actually pay attention to the lyrics, it’s quite melancholy.
I like Harry Chapin’s “Cat’s in the Cradle” for the same reason.
And yet another vote for “American Pie”.
I have a weird thing for Baker Street–everyone has to shut up anytime it comes on the radio!
Also, I know I will forever be shunned for this but I cannot help loving Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Group!
‘Baby Blue’ and ‘Day after Day’ by Badfinger!
ok, not sure if this was the 70’s or earlier, but i have been trying to figure out what the name of the song and artist are for the LONGEST time now. all i know is that on the oldies station around here it was part of the commercial they played in the morning, and it used to be on all the time when i would get in the car, AND NOW THEY NEVER PLAY IT!!! if anyone can help, and i am sure someone can…PLEASE
anyway, here are some of the lines…
since you’ve been gone, all i hvae left is a band of gold
MISSING LINES
still here with me, blah blah blah
i know it isn’t a lot but…
i think the jacksons did a cover of it, but it wasn’t as good as the original
HELP
“Could It Be Magic?” by Barry Manilow.
“Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart” by Elton John & Kiki Dee
[ul][li]The Night Chicago Died. Sure, it’s hokey and goofy, but damn, it’s fun.[/li][li]Dream Weaver. Best drug song ever?[/li][li]Low Rider. (All. My. Friends. Love the Low Rider.)[/li][li]Drift Away. The best 70’s soul number.[/li][li]If You Don’t Know Me By Now[/li][li]I Can See Clearly Now[/li][li]Space Cowboy[/li][li]Into the Night (If I Could Fly)[/li][li]At Seventeen[/li][li]That song by Kenny Loggins, the name of which I can never remember. (“Love the girl who holds the world in a paper cup; Drink it up; Love her and she’ll bring you luck”)[/li][li]Amy (What you want to do?)[/li][li]Chevy Van. Perhaps the most “70’s song-ish” of all 70’s songs.[/li]Rock On[/ul]
Her name’s Freda Payne, and that’s a great song. Don’t know the year though.
Now that you’re gone
All that’s left is a band of gold
All that’s left of the dreams I hold
Is a band of gold
And the memories
Of what love could be
If you were
Still here with me
You took me from the shelter of a mother
I had never known
The love of any other
We kissed after taking vows
But that night on our honey moon
We stayed in separate rooms
I waited in the darkness of my lonely room
Filled with sadness, filled with gloom
Hoping soon
That you’d walk back through that door
And love me
Liked you tried before
The name of this song is, surprisingly enough, Band of Gold. The version I remember is by Frieda Payne. Here are the lyrics:
Now that you’re gone
All that’s left is a band of gold
All that’s left of the dreams I hold
Is a band of gold
And the memories, of what love could be
If you were still here with me
You took me from
The shelter of my mother I had never known
Or loved any other
We kissed after taking vows
But that night on our honeymoon
We stayed in separate rooms
I wait at night
In the darkness of my lonely room
Filled with sadness, filled with gloom
Hoping soon, that you’ll walk
Back through that door
And love me like you tried before
Now that you’re gone
All that’s left is a band of gold
All that’s left of the dreams I hold
Is a band of gold
And the dreams of what love could be
If you were still here with me
The song is called “Band of Gold” by Freda Payne. It occasionally makes the rounds of the oldies stations and is on some compilation albums. It did come up on CDNow.
Robin
“Band Of Gold” Made me think of another fav:
“Heart Of Gold” by Neil Young.
I also love “Day after Day” by Badfinger.
Have to at least mention Barry White & Marvin Gaye
“Indian Reservation” by Paul Revere and The Raiders
“Hooked On Feeling” by Blue Suede (Hokey, but it takes me back when I hear it)
“Kung Fu Fighting”
70’s Cher
I agree about “Seasons In The Sun” & “Cat’s In The Cradle”
I dig “Baker Street”
Love the songs posted! The two or three I don’t recognize I’m gonna check them out.