In the mood for some niche songs from 1972? Maybe you long for your teen years back in the 70s, and need some transportative music to take you back? The following three songs were hits in 1972, but they could easily be considered niche songs today. And plenty of teens at the time of their release adored them. Let’s get nostalgic and look back at some 1972 classics!
“Nice To Be With You” by Gallery from ‘Nice To Be With You’
It’s sweet, it’s romantic, and it has all the elements of a pop song that would send teens spiralling. It’s no surprise that the soft rock jam “Nice To Be With You” by Gallery was such a hit back in the day. You’ll definitely remember it if you heard it back in 1972. Back then, it was a smash hit, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 in Canada.
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“Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan
Teens really weren’t so different from modern teens back in the 70s. They all had a tendency to love pop music, but were also incredibly moody and loved a good dark tale. This Gilvert O’Sullivan hit is typical catchy pop fodder, but the brooding lyrics were what drew a lot of teens in. Puberty sucked as much back then as it does today.
“Alone Again (Naturally)” was a melancholic hit back in 1972, when it peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and No. 3 on the UK Singles chart.
“Use Me” by Bill Withers from ‘Still Bill’
Older teens in 1972 were getting into niche songs that were erupting from soul and funk music at the time. And this Bill Withers song touched on the uncomfortable experience of being unpopular that many a teen resonated with.
“That’s just a song about being a little playful, a little arrogant and a little cool,” said Withers of the song’s inspiration. “Unless you were one of those people that were born popular, I was a chronic stutterer until I was twenty-eight. I avoided the phone. So I wasn’t this popular guy. I remember being young and I would have girls tell me, ‘You’re too nice.’ I didn’t understand that.”
“Use Me” by Bill Withers was a No. 2 hit on the Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles chart in 1972.
(Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns)