The rock songs of the 1970s are among the most timeless songs ever released. These are three of the best rock songs from 1973, songs that still sound just as good today as when they were first released.
“Blinded By The Light” by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen’s first single, “Blinded By The Light” appears on Springsteen’s debut Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. record.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Blinded By The Light” says, “And she was blinded by the light / Oh, cut loose like a deuce another runner in the night / Blinded by the light / She got down but she never got tight, but she’ll make it alright.”
Written solely by Springsteen, “Blinded By The Light” remains one of his signature songs, a surprising success since it did not chart when it was first released.
Springsteen may not have had much of a hit with the song, but another act did. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s 1976 cover of this song went all the way to No. 1.
“Dream On” by Aerosmith
Also a debut single, “Dream On” by Aerosmith is on their eponymous first record. Lead singer Steven Tyler is the sole writer of the rock anthem.
“Dream On” says, “Sing with me, sing for the year / Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear / Sing with me, it’s just for today / Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away / Dream on, dream on, dream on / Dream until your dreams come true / Dream on, dream on, dream on / Dream until your dreams come true / Dream on, dream on.“
A multi-platinum hit, “Dream On” was not a hit single when it was released to the radio.
“Ramblin’ Man” by The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band’s first Top 5 single, “Ramblin’ Man” is on their Brothers And Sisters album. Written by band member Dickey Betts, it remains their biggest hit. It was inspired by a Hank Williams song of the same name, although the story is autobiographical to Betts.
“When I was a kid, my dad was in construction and used to move the family back and forth between central Florida’s east and west coasts,” he said in the book Anatomy Of A Song. “I’d go to one school for a year and then the other the next. I had two sets of friends and spent a lot of time in the back seat of a Greyhound bus. Ramblin’ was in my blood.”
“Ramblin’ Man” begins with, “Lord, I was born a ramblin’ man, / Tryin’ to make a livin’ and doin’ the best I can / And when it’s time for leavin’ / I hope you’ll understand / That I was born a ramblin’ man.”
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images