In 1970, rock music was about to undergo a pretty significant metamorphosis. A decade that, in retrospect, bridges the gap between the plucky sounds of the 60s and the heavier sounds of the 80s, 1970 remains one of the most pivotal years in rock music. These are three of the best songs that came out in 1970, songs that likely every 70s kid can still sing word for word today.
“I’ll Be There by Jackson 5
On Jackson 5’s third album, appropriately called Third Album, is “I’ll Be There”. Written by Berry Gordy, Hal Davis, Bob West, and Willie Hutch, “I’ll Be There” remains one of The Jackson 5’s most popular songs.
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A song about commitment, “I’ll Be There” begins with, “You and I must make a pact / We must bring salvation back / Where there is love, I’ll be there / I’ll reach out my hand to you / I’ll have faith in all you do / Just call my name, and I’ll be there.”
In 1992, Mariah Carey had a massive hit with her version of “I’ll Be There”. Jackson 5 had a No. 1 on both the pop and R&B charts with this song.
“Fire And Rain” by James Taylor
As James Taylor songs go, “Fire And Rain” is among his most popular. His first Top 10 hit, “Fire And Rain” appears on Taylor’s sophomore Sweet Baby James record.
Inspired by both the heartbreaking death of a friend and his own depression, “Fire And Rain” says, “Won’t you look down upon me, Jesus, You’ve got to help me make a stand. / You’ve just got to see me through another day. / My body’s aching and my time is at hand, and I won’t make it any other way. / Oh, I’ve seen fire, and I’ve seen rain. I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end. / I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend, but I always thought that I’d see you again.”
“25 Or 6 To 4” by Chicago
Chicago’s own Robert Lamm wrote “25 Or 6 To 4”. The song appears on Chicago’s eponymous sophomore album.
“25 Or 6 To 4” says, “Staring blindly into space / Getting up to splash my face / Wanting just to stay awake / Wondering how much I can take / Should I try to do some more? / Twenty five or six to four / Oh yeah.”
Lamm reportedly wrote “ 25 Or 6 To 4” about the challenge of songwriting. “25 Or 6 To 4” was written in the middle of the night, when Lamm couldn’t sleep.
“I looked across the room, and there was an old Grandmother’s clock on the wall,” Lamm recounts. “I couldn’t quite make out what the time was, but the hands on the clock were somewhere around 25 or 26 to 4 a.m., and I just began to just jot down what the hell I was doing there, and I thought, ‘Well, for now, I’m just going to describe the process of writing this song, and I’ll figure out what the lyrics are going to be later,’ but I didn’t need to.”
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