Growing up is tough. What’s tougher, though, is the anticipation. Still being technically a child on the cusp of adulthood is one of the most burdensome moments of a person’s life. And back in the 1970s, a few folk rock songs made growing up seem even more daunting. Let’s look at a few examples of tunes that might have freaked you out if you came of age in the 1970s, shall we?
“Cat’s In The Cradle” by Harry Chapin from ‘Verities & Balderdash’ (1974)
“And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me / He’d grown up just like me / My boy was just like me.”
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A lot of people out there are afraid of becoming their parents, especially the youngest among us. This song from Harry Chapin really encapsulated that notion. Though, “Cat’s In The Cradle” is more of a warning to parents than anything else.
“Time In A Bottle” by Jim Croce from ‘You Don’t Mess Around With Jim’ (1973)
“But there never seems to be enough time / To do the things you want to do once you find them.”
Not only did this psychedelic folk rock song make growing up seem daunting, but it’s also a bit of an existential song that might have freaked out some youths back in the day. And considering the fact that Jim Croce died before this song about the fleeting nature of time dropped, “Time In A Bottle” still gives listeners chills after all these years.
“If You Could Read My Mind” by Gordon Lightfoot from ‘Sit Down Young Stranger’ (1970)
“You’ll know that I’m just tryin’ to understand / The feelings that you lack / I never thought I could feel this way / And I’ve got to say that I just don’t get it / I don’t know where we went wrong / But the feeling’s gone and I just can’t get it back.”
Gordon Lightfoot made it seem like adult relationships are mysterious and dangerous emotionally in “If You Could Read My Mind”. In a way, he’s right. And this entry on our list of folk rock songs from the 1970s likely sent more than a few soon-to-be-adults spiralling.
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Tommy Heath and Jim Keller of the rock band 'Tommy Tutone' pose for a studio portrait session in 1981 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
LOS ANGELES – AUGUST 1977: Cellists Melvyn Gale and Hugh McDowell, violinist Mik Kaminsky, guitarist and singer Jeff Lynne, drummer Bev Bevan, bassist Kelly Groucutt, and piano player Richard Tandy of the rock and roll band "Electric Light Orchestra" perform onstage in August 1977 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Richard Creamer/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
CIRCA 1975: Pop Singer Elton John plays piano as he performs onstage in a bowler cap and a striped red and black scarf in circa 1975. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
Kenny Rogers performing at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey on August 19, 1982. (Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns) -
1976: British audio engineer, musician and producer Alan Parsons . (Photo by BSR Agency/Gentle Look via Getty Images) -
Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac performs on stage, New York, 1977. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images) -
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 5: Chris Cornell performs with Soundgarden in concert at the Marriott Hotel Ballroom on October 5, 1991 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage) *** Local caption *** Chris Cornell -
Anglo-American folk rock band America, at the Royal Festival Hall, London, 18th March 1972. Left to right: Gerry Beckley, Dan Peek (1950 – 2011) and Dewey Bunnell. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)