# Best songs of the seventies: nomination thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 22, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982 "2013-01-22T05:16:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/41 "2013-01-22T22:46:42Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Didn’t I? I nominated _School Days_, the title track (from the album of the same name) by Stanley Clarke. It is the first track on the album. You mentioned several other artists (Al Di Meola, Jean-Luc Ponty, Frank Zappa, Todd Rundgren, Genesis). If you felt they should be nominated, then why didn’t you nominate them? If you didn’t feel they should be nominated, why did you mention them? Don’t ask other people to make up your mind for you. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/42 "2013-01-22T22:48:26Z")
Do you really want your own thread derailed like this? ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/43 "2013-01-22T23:39:50Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Sara Smile – Hall and Oates Damn, you totally misspelled “She’s Gone”. I guess nobody here has ever heard of **The Clash**. I’d nominate “London Calling” ('79), “White Man in Hammersmith Palais” ('78) and “Complete Control” ('77). Also: Instant Karma! - John Lennon (What’s So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding? - Elvis Costello I Don’t Mind - Buzzcocks So Lonely - The Police The Model - Kraftwerk Nervous Breakdown - Black Flag Another Girl, Another Planet - The Only Ones September - Earth, Wind & Fire Outdoor Miner - Wire Sheena Is A Punk Rocker - Ramones One Way Or Another - Blondie Somebody To Love - Queen Flash Light - Parliament Boys Don’t Cry - The Cure Cruel To Be Kind - Nick Lowe Up The Junction - Squeeze I Wanna Be Your Lover - Prince A Message To You, Rudy - The Specials Don’t Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson Rock Lobster - The B-52s At Home He’s A Tourist - Gang Of Four September Gurls - Big Star ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/44 "2013-01-22T23:54:51Z")
We’re a little light on the whole singer-songwriter genre, so I’ll add some from there. Fire and Rain - James Taylor Free Man in Paris - Joni Mitchell Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot So Far Away - Carole King Bridge Over Troubled Waters - Simon and Garfunkel Maggie May - Rod Stewart ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/45 "2013-01-22T23:55:36Z")
I see tons of people have already suggested American Pie, but I’ll go ahead and just say that it’s my favorite song EVER, let alone from the 70’s. It’s perfect 🙂 I also see that Bat out of Hell is nominated and that’s probably my favorite Meat Loaf song so I won’t nominate anything else, even though I want to 😃 Kashmir just popped into my head… and I see that was already nominated too. Hmph. Basically I guess this post is absolutely useless. OH here’s a favorite, and a timeless one that hasn’t been nominated yet: **Carly Simon - You’re So Vain**. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/46 "2013-01-22T23:57:43Z")
**Stuck In The Middle With You** , Steely Dan **Long Cool Woman** , The Hollies **[Elegant Gypsy Suite](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrH4JbXIDx4)**, Al Di Meola (instrumental) ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/47 "2013-01-22T23:58:08Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > **Stuck In The Middle With You** , Steely Dan At the danger of making myself look the fool for the SECOND time in this thread, do you mean Stealers Wheel, and not Steely Dan? Sultans of Swing (Dire Straits) - a great tune, a great tale, and the fingerstyle awesome that is Knopfler’s guitar work. My Sharona (The Knack) - I really can’t overstate the amount of kickass that is in that guitar solo. If it were ANY more kickass, it might have been fatal. It’s perilously close to a kickass overdose, but it feels SOOO good. Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen) - I can’t believe someone conceived of and created this song. It’s just so _very_ out there. If lesser talent had attempted this, it could’ve been the standard-bearer of pretentious overproduction, and the subject of ridicule to this day. Not in Queen’s hands. They took up the challenge before the whole human race, and they came through, the champions of the world. Love, Reign O’er Me (The Who) - Great tune, great lyrics, and Daltry vocals were _incredible_. The piano, the guitar, the synthesized strings, it’s just magnificent. I’ll nominate this over Baba O’Riley, which I also love dearly. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/48 "2013-01-23T00:08:10Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Don’t ask other people to make up your mind for you. Wouldn’t dream of it. I was merely commenting on their (to me) surprising omission. However, if there is some sort of format that I must follow, so mote it be— Return To Forever (Clarke, White, Corea, Di Meola): _No Mystery_. Todd Rundgren: _Hello It’s Me_. Genesis: _Cinema Show_, _Los Endos_, _Dance on a Volcano_ (from side four of _Seconds Out_). Zappa: _Joe’s Garage_. And honorable mention to Yes’ _Roundabout_, which as a teenager I was convinced was the greatest song of all time. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/49 "2013-01-23T00:36:56Z")
Plenty of contenders for a “Worst song of the seventies” poll here as well. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/50 "2013-01-23T00:52:30Z")
Theme From Live & Let Die by Wings. Theme From SWAT. * * * ---
**Author:** ![abderian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@abderian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abderian)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/51 "2013-01-23T01:11:59Z")
Dream On - Aerosmith Running on Empty - Jackson Browne Wild World - Cat Stevens Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel Stairway to Heaven – Led Zepplin You’ve Got a Friend – Carole King Fire and Rain – James Taylor Layla – Derek and the Dominoes Moondance – Van Morrison These Eyes - The Guess Who ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/52 "2013-01-23T01:18:57Z")
Billion Dollar Babies – Alice Cooper Renegade – Tom Petty Barracuda – Heart Walk This Way – Aerosmith ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/53 "2013-01-23T01:20:21Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > At the danger of making myself look the fool for the SECOND time in this thread, do you mean Stealers Wheel, and not Steely Dan? :smack: _Night Moves and Down on Main Street_, by Bob Seeger. _Running on Empty_, Jackson Browne ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/54 "2013-01-23T01:28:59Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/55 "2013-01-23T02:16:34Z")
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen What’s My Name - Clash Take Me To The River - Talking Heads Rebel Rebel - Bowie Won’t Get Fooled Again - Who Less Than Zero - Elvis Costello I Wanna Be Sedated - Ramones Cherry Bomb - Runaways ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/56 "2013-01-23T02:27:14Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > Plenty of contenders for a “Worst song of the seventies” poll here as well. As befits a decade where Howard Cosell was voted Most Popular Television Personality and Least Liked Television Personality in the same poll. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/57 "2013-01-23T02:41:11Z")
From the other thread: “Won’t Get Fooled Again” – Who “Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys” – Traffic “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” – Elton John “Stairway to Heaven” – Led Zeppelin “Sunday Papers” – Joe Jackson “Life During Wartime” – Talking Heads “I Want to Be Sedated” – Ramones “Surrender” – Cheap Trick “Cool for Cats” – Squeeze “Allison” – Elvis Costello “Here Comes the Weekend” – Dave Edmunds “Cruel to be Kind” – Nick Lowe “I Do the Rock” – Tim Curry “Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen Plus “Layla” – Derek and the Dominoes “Forever Autumn” – Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of War of the Worlds. “Fresh as a Daisy” or “With My Face on the Floor” – Emitt Rhodes “Imagine” – John Lennon “Band on the Run” – Paul McCartney “Awaiting on You All” – George Harrison “Only You Know and I Know” – Dave Mason ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/58 "2013-01-23T02:42:37Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Blinded By The Light Bruce Springsteen or Manfred Mann? ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/59 "2013-01-23T02:44:38Z")
Stand Tall - Burton Cummings Iron Man - Sabbath Stairway To Heaven I don’t think songs should be considered on popularity alone, but I don’t think songs should be penalized because they got overplayed either. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982/60 "2013-01-23T02:52:29Z")
O.K., there gotta be some Bachman-Turner Overweight: 1. Roll on Down the Highway 2. Let it Ride 3. Takin’ Care Of Business [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songs-of-the-seventies-nomination-thread/647982.md?page=4)