Some of the best songs from the 1970s have been somewhat forgotten by rock fans in recent years, but I know I certainly haven’t forgotten a few such jams. In fact, the following three somewhat underrated songs by today’s standards still totally rock my world. Let’s enjoy a bit of 70s-flavor nostalgia, shall we?
“Never Been Any Reason” by Head East from ‘Flat As A Pancake’ (1975)
Head East dropped some seriously memorable songs back in the day, but I still feel like their hard rock stylings are a bit underrated. They never reached the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which is a travesty, in my opinion. “Never Been Any Reason” is a good example. This song is fantastic, and yet, it only made it to No. 68. It’s a classic rock radio go-to nowadays, but it was far too underrated when it first dropped.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Showdown” by Electric Light Orchestra from ‘On the Third Day’ (1973)
This song leans a little more R&B and disco than pure rock, but it definitely still rocks our world. And while ELO had plenty of hits over the years, “Showdown” seems to slip through the cracks in favor of megahits like “Telephone Line” or “Don’t Bring Me Down”. Though, this song did get some love back in the day. “Showdown” peaked at No. 12 on the UK Singles chart in 1973.
“Dirty Work” by Steely Dan from ‘Can’t Buy A Thrill’ (1972)
Diehard Steely Dan fans probably think I’m insane for including this catchy song on our list of “forgotten” rock songs from the 1970s. However, while “Dirty Work” recently had a bit of a resurgence on social media platforms like TikTok, I really can’t remember the last time I heard this iconic rock tune on classic rock radio. Maybe it’s just me. Either way, “Dirty Work” is still an iconic song that continues to rock our world today. “Dirty Work” was only released as a single in the Netherlands, so it never properly charted, which is still a bit crazy to me. Some of the best songs really never get released as singles, it seems.
Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images