# What's the "Seventies-est" song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [March 25, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777 "2010-03-25T18:00:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/21 "2010-03-25T19:53:41Z")
Either “Get Down Tonight” or “That’s the Way I Like It” by KC and the Sunshine Band ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/22 "2010-03-25T19:55:34Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Starbuck’s [Moonlight Feels Right](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwOirZ-rg6Q). Yep, that’s what I came here to post. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/23 "2010-03-25T19:56:21Z")
And then there was “You Light Up My Life” (shudder) by Debbie Boone. Wasn’t it number one for, like, three and half years? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/24 "2010-03-25T19:57:26Z")
[Carry On Wayward Son](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw6_VXPwm6U), Kansas (you know - the \*Supernatural \*song). ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/25 "2010-03-25T20:07:23Z")
The theme from “Rocky”. Either that or “Muskrat Love”. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/26 "2010-03-25T20:16:06Z")
“She ran calling Wiiiiiildfire” ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/27 "2010-03-25T20:16:28Z")
This is a really hard question. Because there are different types of 70s cheese. The Debby Boone/Captain and Tennille kind, the disco hits kind, the Smoke of a Distant Fire/yacht rock kind, the bombastic Kansas/Styx kind, the bubble-gummy Billy Don’t Be a Hero kind… So much to choose from! And then there’s my favorite kind, the Moonlight Feels Right kind. So my nomination is… Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR47TZdJg64](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR47TZdJg64) This represents to me more than any other tune what I truly believed my adult life was going to be, back when I was an unhappy kid listening to my clock radio in my bedroom. Second place, for much the same reason, is Sweet City Woman by the Stampeders. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR47TZdJg64) 70’s music is my bestest kind; I could go on for hours but when I do, you Dopers get bored so I’ll stop. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/28 "2010-03-25T20:20:29Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Starbuck’s [Moonlight Feels Right](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwOirZ-rg6Q). Yeah, that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/29 "2010-03-25T20:28:18Z")
I’m not sure it can take the top spot from some of the above, but I think one must consider Sammy Johns’ _Chevy Van_. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/30 "2010-03-25T20:28:41Z")
I love every single one of these so.. > [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Either that or “Muskrat Love”. Well, _almost_ every single one! :mad: What about The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia? It certainly gets the most discussion time around here. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/31 "2010-03-25T20:34:38Z")
Chevy Van certainly fits that freewheelin, leftover hippie 70s kinda zeitgeist to a T. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/32 "2010-03-25T20:35:15Z")
Here is **a** list of the top 10 rock songs from the 1970s. 1. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin 2. Imagine - John Lennon 3. Hotel California - The Eagles 4. What’s Going On - Marvin Gaye 5. Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen 6. Layla - Derek and the Dominos 7. Superstition - Stevie Wonder 8. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen 9. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel 10. Let’s Stay Together - Al Green Source: [http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com/pages/best\_songs70s.html](http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com/pages/best_songs70s.html) ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/33 "2010-03-25T20:39:58Z")
I swear to God, the first thing I thought of was [“Kiss You All Over”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3qVUR7ZeB8&feature=related) by **Exile**. I’m sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/34 "2010-03-25T20:40:04Z")
And in a completely different vein, how about “Hotel California” by the Eagles? Or “Philadelphia Freedom” by Elton John (or any of the other 575 hits he had during that decade :D). Or “Mandy” or “Copa Capana”, both by Barry Manilow. ETA: I see **Gagundathar** just beat me to “Hotel California”. Shazzbot! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/35 "2010-03-25T20:40:37Z")
The problem is, there wasn’t just ONE “Seventies.” Depending on who you were or where you lived, “The Seventies” meant a lot of different things. “Stairway to Heaven” was the quintessential Seventies song if you were a young white male. But if you were a girl? Something from Carole King’s _ **Tapestry** _, maybe, like “You’ve Got a Friend.” For Seventies soul? How about Isaac Hayes’ “Shaft,” or the Ohio Players’ “Fire”? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/36 "2010-03-25T20:42:28Z")
Of course, one of the biggest (and most deplorable) trends of the Seventies was guys who’d ONCE been respected rockers suddenly embracing disco cheese. So… Rod Stewart’s “Do ya Think I’m Sexy” belongs on the list of contenders. ---
**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:** [March 25, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/37 "2010-03-25T20:45:56Z")
> [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](#): > > This is a really hard question. Because there are different types of 70s cheese. The Debby Boone/Captain and Tennille kind, the disco hits kind, the Smoke of a Distant Fire/yacht rock kind, the bombastic Kansas/Styx kind, the bubble-gummy Billy Don’t Be a Hero kind… So much to choose from! And then there’s my favorite kind, the Moonlight Feels Right kind. So my nomination is… I agree. I was an official, certified rock radio deejay during the 1970’s and I had a chance to play every one of those genres (and a few others.) I can narrow the choice down to three, but no more: [_Chevy Van_ by Sammy Johns.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&v=RiEIToOWr64) Your basic long-haired, free-loving, hippie acoustic guitar, and there’s nothing more 70’s than a van. [The Carpenters and _We’ve Only Just Begun_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvBCl3CBMXA). Not nearly as bad as Debbie Boone, but WOJB started out life as a commercial jingle for a bank, which gives it a certain _je n’est ce quoi._ [_More More More_ the Andrea True Connection.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1u448TAZjQ) Not only is Andrea True not a singer (notice, the vocal is just one verse and a chorus that’s been looped several times) but she had more porn movies (10) than singles (9 or 5 if you don’t count remixes) to her credit. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/38 "2010-03-25T20:50:07Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Or “Mandy” or “Copa Capana”, both by Barry Manilow. Make that “Copa Ca **b** ana”. My fingers have been doing really weird stuff ever since I got this laptop. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/39 "2010-03-25T20:53:40Z")
I’ve been hoping somebody would name one of the songs I associate most with the 70’s, but y’all keep on missing the ones I think of. So I’ll mention these: Pink Floyd – Money Leon Russell – Tightrope Doobie Brothers – Long Train Running The Doors – Riders on the Storm ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777/40 "2010-03-25T20:54:04Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > “Stairway to Heaven” was the quintessential Seventies song if you were a young white male. I dunno about that. It was a Led Zep song you could slow dance to, but not really something you’d crank on the 8-track while cruising. _Whole Lotta Love_ or \*Immigrant Song \*maybe…but not _Stairway_. In the South, \*Freebird \*would have been more likely for young white males. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-seventies-est-song/533777.md?page=3)