Everybody has that bucket list artist that they wish they could’ve gotten to see in person, dead or alive. Here are four bucket list 70s songs that I think we can all agree would hit even more from the front row.
“Jolene” by Dolly Parton
In honor of the now-late Dolly Parton, I had to throw one of her hits in here. Parton actually played this one back in 2014 at a festival in Glastonbury, of which she said afterwards in an interview: “There were a lot of people there, and uh, I was just trying to pretend they were all just one, one special person. That’s kind of how it felt to me…”
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“Vienna” by Billy Joel
“Vienna” is one of those songs that speaks to everybody, whether you’re young and stuck in your hometown or a little older and chasing a dream. Apparently, Joel was in Vienna, Austria, when inspiration struck for this one. He saw an older woman sweeping the streets, and he thought it was terrible that someone that age was doing that kind of work. His father disagreed, saying the woman was providing a valuable service to society. “Vienna” is about young people, but it’s also about older people too.
“The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac
This is a song that I personally think would be awesome to hear live. Obviously, Fleetwood Mac has a plethora of material that feels live-worthy- from “Dreams” to “Silver Springs”- but I think this one is underrated. Not to mention, “The Chain” truly captures the tensions between band members at Fleetwood Mac at the time. Everyone in the band also wrote it, and you can feel how everybody contributed musically and emotionally.
“Tiny Dancer” by Elton John
Similar to Fleetwood Mac, Elton John has countless songs that make the cut for tracks I wish I could hear live. There’s just something special about “Tiny Dancer”, though, that feels like it can’t be perfectly replicated in a recording. From the opening piano riff, “Tiny Dancer” grabs your attention and doesn’t let go, even through that final chorus.
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