Rock music in the 1970s will likely always sound timeless. Especially in the early part of the 1970s, some of the best rock songs of all time were released, including these three tunes. All out in 1973, I still smile when I listen to them today, even after so many years.
“Live And Let Die” by Wings
Wings was still a relatively new band when they released “Live And Let Die”. Part of the soundtrack for a film of the same name, “Live And Let Die” was written by Paul McCartney and his wife, Linda McCartney.
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A No. 1 single, “Live And Let Die” says, “But if this ever-changing world in which we’re livin’ / Makes you give in and cry / Say live and let die / Live and let die / Live and let die / Live and let die.”
In 1991, Guns N’ Roses released their own version of “Live And Let Die”. On their Use Your Illusion I record, it became a Top 20 hit for them.
“Ramblin’ Man” by The Allman Brothers Band
Arguably The Allman Brothers Band’s most popular song, “Ramblin’ Man” is their first Top 5 single. Part of their Brothers And Sisters record, the band’s Dickey Betts is the sole writer of “Ramblin’ Man”.
“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.”
After “Ramblin’ Man”, it took 17 more years before The Allman Brothers Band had another big hit on the radio. In 1990, they had a No. 1 single with “Good Clean Fun”.
“Dream On” by Aerosmith
A rock anthem if there ever was one, “Dream On” is the band’s first single. Written by Steven Tyler, the band’s lead singer, “Dream On” also became their first single to reach the top of the charts.
“Dream On” says in part, “Sing with me, sing for the year / Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear / Sing with me, if it’s just for today / Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away.”
“People ask me all the time what ‘Dream On’ is all about,” Tyler says in Aerosmith’s autobiography, Walk This Way. “It’s simple. It’s about dreaming until your dreams come true. It’s about the hunger and desire and ambition to be somebody that Aerosmith felt in those days. You can hear it in the grooves because it’s there.”
Photo by David Warner Ellis/Redferns/Getty Images
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