What about TSOP by MFSB?
The Avengers The American in Me.
What :p? Okay, admittedly that was at the very close of the decade. How about The Ramones’ Pinhead?
Yep, the seventies were a diverse time. I actually agree with many of the above selections, particularly Kung Fu Fighting. Pure, goofy seventies.
Another vote for Rocky Mountain High. Followed closely by Poems, Prayers and Promises.
Love Hurts - Nazareth
Cheesy, simple, rock-ballady
No mention of Boston’s More Than A Feeling? Maybe not the winner, but it certainly deserves to be considered.
Radar Love - Golden Earing
For my money, it’s one of these three:
“(Theme From) Shaft” - Isaac Hayes ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAa5rP64YbQ ), for its decade-defining usage of strings, reeds, and, of course, guitars drenched in shimmering wah-wah.
“Afternoon Delight” - The Starland Vocal Band ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYwEHLRmILY ), for it’s '70s-typical, indiscriminate deployment of a bland, whitewashed MOR country groove, with colorless, sub-Muzak singers providing the vocals.
“Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” - Looking Glass ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-dleViv2nc ), because it reeks of self-righteousness and gin-soaked, Holiday Inn lounge style instrumentation.
And I forgot Al Stewart’s “The Year of the Cat” ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM7LR46zrQU )
Ray Stevens’ “The Streak”
Novelty music was HUGE in the 70s. Besides Ray Stevens, there were tonnes of parody songs, and an almost superstar (to me) of Jim Stafford.
Not Just Another Pretty Foot, Stafford had “Spiders and Snakes” and “Swamp Witch” besides his novelty hits of “Wildwood Weed” and “I Got Stoned and I Missed It” (other cute songs of his also got lots of late night pop AM station airplay around my hometown). His Branson show is a riot. Comedy, music, comedy music … Great fun.
Big boys don’t cry…
Could you be thinking of 1968’s Angel of the Morning by Merilee Rush? Juice Newton did a more famous version, but it was in 1981.
Came here to post Chevy Van.
This 27 year-old weighs in with “Incense and Peppermints” by Strawberry Alarm clock.
And I can’t really recall the tune right now, but, I think it scores up there on the title alone.
A few more nominations that say “70s” to me (apologize if any of these have been mentioned):
Firefall - You Are the Woman
Seals and Crofts - Summer Breeze
Neil Diamond - Cracklin’ Rosie
King Harvest - Dancing in the Moonlight
Redbone - Come and Get Your Love
Apologies – I haven’t read the whole thread, but even though the song is about the 60’s, it just sounds so 70’s:
Sweet Home Alabama.
Not eligible, as it came out in the sixties.
That was my first answer as well. I don’t know why, I think it was the overt naughtiness that would not have been allowed earlier, coupled with the shiny-happy totally sexless delivery.
Can we get a ruling from the Judges? I don’t see a stipulation on a year. The OP was after the sound, not the year.
I ran the title by my parents, who assured me it was from the 70s.
Incense and Peppermints was out in the fall/winter of 1967 and owed much to the psychedelic sound which was becoming popular at that time. I suspect that people who think it typical of the seventies probably got that impression from hearing it in a movie or on an oldies station where the time lines of songs often get muddled. It was out at about the same time as White Rabbit by the Jefferson Airplane and Light My Fire by the Doors, and it preceeded Woodstock by almost two years. It really can’t be classified as a seventies song at all.