4 Hits From 1972 That Brought Power Pop to the Masses

As musical genres go, power pop is one that’s a little tough to define. It’s sort of a situation where you know it when you hear it. But we can say for certain that the style really started to take hold in the early 70s.

In fact, the genre made a huge imprint on the pop music scene in 1972. These four big hits from that year all carried major power pop vibes.

“Go All The Way” by The Raspberries

You can point to this song as one of those Big Bang moments for the power pop genre. After all, The Raspberries constantly featured music that had a heavier rock element, which they then combined with refined melodic sensibilities. “Go All The Way” put all that together and even included some barely disguised sexual innuendo to get folks interested. In lead singer Eric Carmen, the band boasted a golden-throated vocalist who could go swooning up into the upper atmosphere. When they needed a grittier element to their music, they could rely on the crunching guitar of Wally Bryson, whose riff here sets the whole thing alight. “Go All The Way” helped put this band on the map by landing at No. 5 on the pop charts.

“Day After Day” by Badfinger

Badfinger suffered through a bundle of negative circumstances beyond their control in their time together, so much so that their music never quite received the recognition it deserved. In fact, it says something about their gifts that they were able to break through as often as they did. The Beatles connection helped them only sporadically, as the Fab Four had their own stuff to worry about while Badfinger was trying to make it. But George Harrison certainly did right by “Day After Day”, a No. 4 hit in the US. Not only did he produce the track, but he also added his signature weeping slide guitar. Pete Ham, who wrote and sings on the track, takes it from there with an emotional performance.

“I Saw The Light” by Todd Rundgren

Already extremely prolific by the time he released the double album Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren finally grabbed the spotlight with that record that his boundless talent deserved. “I Saw The Light” went a long way towards making that happen for him. Rundgren later dismissed the song as something he wrote rather quickly and purposely kept on the simple side. Then again, those songs are often the ones that make the biggest impact. His ability to crank out an unforgettable tune is evident in this track, one where every chord change seems designed for maximum impact. Rundgren also played all the instruments on this song, which made it to No. 16.

“Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass

This is probably the one track on this list that people might argue against as an example of power pop. But we believe that’s just because the band that recorded it, Looking Glass, wasn’t around long enough to establish themselves in that arena, unlike the other three on this list. All the elements are there. There’s some grit in the music, giving us the power part of the equation. And the music certainly offers the tunefulness necessary to qualify as pop. Maybe it has more of a storytelling element to it than your average power pop blast. Looking Glass lead singer Elliot Lurie wrote “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)”, giving us a love story that’s both inspiring and heartbreaking all at once.

(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)