# Perfect 70's neighborhood swimming pool songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 27, 2017, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019 "2017-06-27T22:45:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/21 "2017-06-28T14:50:47Z")
> [@SykoSkotty](#): > > “We’re an American Band” - Grand Funk Railroad > > “China Grove” - The Doobie Brothers > > “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” - Elton John > > “Son of a Preacher Man” - Dusty Springfield > > “Slow Ride” - Foghat > > “Sweet Emotion” - Aerosmith > > “Thank You” - Sly & The Family Stone > > “I Feel The Earth Move” - Carol King > > “My Sharona” - The Knack I came back to post ‘Free Ride’ damnit. [Rock the Boat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfBwsG8ubFw) hasn’t been posted yet, so i’ll do so. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/22 "2017-06-28T15:51:36Z")
Hot Summer Day - It’s a Beautiful Day ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/23 "2017-06-28T17:15:58Z")
_Thunder Island_ [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SEKZJp-x-Dc/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AG-AoAC8AGKAgwIABABGGUgVChdMA8=&rs=AOn4CLDlXFdemZuGYZYylBPewgjvTWNWjg "Jay Ferguson ~ Thunder Island") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEKZJp-x-Dc) And pretty much everything that comes up on that page 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/24 "2017-06-28T17:17:14Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Baker Street This was the first one that came to mind for me. Anytime I hear it, it instantly brings me back to our neighborhood pool in the late 70s/early 80s. ---
**Author:** ![Periwinkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Periwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Periwinkle)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/25 "2017-06-28T17:20:37Z")
“All Right Now” by Free and “Maggie May” by Rod Stewart. ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/26 "2017-06-28T17:35:54Z")
Elton John’s Island Girl and/or Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy Michael Murphy’s Wildfire ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/27 "2017-06-28T20:47:11Z")
_Ma Cherie Amour_ by Stevie Wonder. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/28 "2017-06-29T01:43:16Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > _Ma Cherie Amour_ by Stevie Wonder. I’d call that one too romantically intimate for poolside. Also has a sorta introspective feel that would really count it out. I’d opt for his “Boogie On Reggae Woman” or “Masterblaster”. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/29 "2017-06-29T02:16:08Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > I’d call that one too romantically intimate for poolside. Also has a sorta introspective feel that would really count it out. > > I’d opt for his “Boogie On Reggae Woman” or “Masterblaster”. I included this one out of actual memory. I was lifeguarding at a pool one summer in the early 70s and this song played on local radio at least once an hour. I always think of it whenever I think of the Elk’s Club pool and my lifeguarding gig. But yes, the others you suggest fit in more with the theme you are going for. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/30 "2017-06-29T02:27:59Z")
Games People Play, by The Spinners ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/31 "2017-06-29T04:06:52Z")
The first song I thought of was “Sunny Days” by Lighthouse. “The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car” by Trooper is a good summer tune, too. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/32 "2017-06-29T04:26:28Z")
I seriously doubt anyone heard this song at a local swimming hole in the 70s, but I think [Earschplittenloudenboomer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkpLo3FqAWw) is a perfect tune for lazin’ round the pool. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/33 "2017-06-29T05:15:02Z")
Agree with Anamorphic and FoisGras that “Baker Street” is the perfect choice, and with kiz that anything by KC and the Sunshine Band is just right as well. And anything by Sly and the Family Stone (blondebear mentioned one), but they were “hot and happening” just a couple years before my time. (I grew up with them indirectly, via their influence on the sonic atmosphere of Sesame Street). ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/34 "2017-06-29T07:17:00Z")
How could we not have Springsteen’s\* Born to Run\* and _Spirit in the Night_? ---
**Author:** ![by-tor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/by-tor/32/266_2.png) [@by-tor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/by-tor)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/35 "2017-06-29T17:06:34Z")
I remember the 70’s pool I went to as a kid played The Eagles “Heartache Tonight” and Fleetwood Mac “Don’t stop” pretty much all summer. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/36 "2017-06-29T20:31:39Z")
Diana Ross: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” Linda Ronstadt: “You’re No Good” Carole King: “I Feel the Earth Move” Cher: “Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves” Carly Simon “You’re So Vain” Peaches & Herb: “Reunited” Stevie Wonder: “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” Chuck Mangione: “Feels So Good” Joe Walsh: “Rocky Mountain Way” Jackson Browne: “Running on Empty” Yes: “Roundabout” The album version, not that silly single edit. Eagles: “Best of My Love” Doobie Brothers: “Black Water” Wings: “Band on the Run” Stories: “Brother Louie” Steve Miller Band: “Fly Like an Eagle” Partridge Family: “I Think I Love You” (Don’t laugh, it’s objectively a well-crafted pop song, as such things go) Dawn: “Knock Three Times” Three Dog Night: “Joy to the World” Rod Stewart: “Maggie May” Johnny Nash: “I Can See Clearly Now” Neil Young: “Heart of Gold” and “Like a Hurricane.” (Actually, I just came here to post “Feels So Good” and “Like a Hurricane”; the rest are filler—but good filler.) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/37 "2017-06-29T23:52:58Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > _Thunder Island_ > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEKZJp-x-Dc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEKZJp-x-Dc) > > And pretty much everything that comes up on that page 😃 Thunder Island! ::makes note to add to 70s mix on iPod Guardians of the Galaxy 2 reminded me of the existence of Glen Campbell’s “Southern Nights”, another good one. Quirky: Loudon Wainwright III Swimming Song This summer I swam in a public place And a reservoir, to boot, At the latter I was informal, At the former I wore my suit, I wore my swimming suit. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/38 "2017-06-30T01:00:52Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > The first song I thought of was “Sunny Days” by Lighthouse. > > “The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car” by Trooper is a good summer tune, too. Me too with the Lighthouse. The second one ain’t bad - with me, it was literally Trooper’s “Santa Maria”\* - associating it with a buncha (ancient, lost-in-[Sir-Ian-McKellan](http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/sir-ian-mckellen-ive-had-it-with-gandalf-a6751166.html)-land) summer memories, trekking out to the Gulf Islands. \*Great - I’m now actually commenting unironically on Trooper. Maybe should “just step away from the keyboard” for a spell.😛 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/39 "2017-06-30T01:24:37Z")
How about something by Spirit? [_I Got A Line On You_](https://youtu.be/2aKNhvMd_5U) I don’t see Badfinger on the list–how about _“No Matter What”_? ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019/40 "2017-07-01T01:26:35Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > How about something by Spirit? > > [_I Got A Line On You_](https://youtu.be/2aKNhvMd_5U) > > I don’t see Badfinger on the list–how about _“No Matter What”_? Amazing. I hope that wasn’t the line-up that actually went on the road, or else I could easily envision a whole lot of squabbling over divvying up the gig money. I liked the seated hirsute guitarist who still managed to rock about as hard as any other guitarist could on a stool. Mr. Fripp would be humbled.😛 Great tune, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-70s-neighborhood-swimming-pool-songs/790019.md?page=3)