4 Rock Songs From the 70s That You Probably Forgot You Loved

The 1970s brought rock the end of The Beatles, the explosion of new genres like glam rock, and the increased popularity of heavy metal. Amidst all that, it’s possible that there were some killer hits you missed. Without further ado, here are some forgotten 70s rock gems.

“Don’t Bring Me Down” by Electric Light Orchestra

“Don’t Bring Me Down” is pretty much the ultimate pump-up anthem. In this song, Electric Light Orchestra gets loud and a little accusatory. This one’s supposed to be about a girl that’s not treating the guy she’s dating very well, a type of frustration that can totally be heard in the lyrics.

“It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It)” by The Rolling Stones

This 1974 fan favorite of the Stones is all about public criticism. As Mick Jagger shared in the liner notes of Jump Back, this song kind of takes a jump at overexpectant listeners.

“The idea of the song has to do with our public persona at the time,” he shared. “I was getting a bit tired of people having a go, all that, ‘Oh, it’s not as good as their last one’ business. The single sleeve had a picture of me with a pen digging into me as if it were a sword. It was a lighthearted, anti-journalistic sort of thing.”

“Just What I Needed” by The Cars

You definitely know this one. “Just What I Needed” is fun, upbeat, and oh so classic. As Greg Hawkes, The Cars’ keyboardist, once shared, this song has been cool from the very beginning.

“I remember hearing ‘Just What I Needed,’ thinking … ‘Wow, that’s pretty cool,’” he said in an interview. “It’s got something sort of unique about it, it’s, like, nice and concise and … fairly short pop song format … so I still remember hearing that for the first time.”

“Message In A Bottle” by The Police

It might not be an “Every Breath You Take” type of hit, but “Message In A Bottle” is certainly one of the Police’s more cleverly crafted songs. As Sting told 1000 UK #1 Hits:

“I think the lyrics are subtle and well-crafted enough to hit people on a different level from something you just sing along to. It’s quite a cleverly put-together metaphor. It develops and has an artistic shape to it.”

Photo by: © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images