By the 1970s, many baby boomers were old enough to have experienced a heartbreak or two. Fortunately for heartbroken boomers, the 70s were packed with soft rock songs that made the perfect soundtrack for sadness. Years later, those songs still hit just as hard. Some may be steeped in memories. Others are universal lyrical daggers to the heart. Either way, these songs are still extracting tears five decades later.
1. “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”–Neil Young (1970)
This might be one of the saddest soft rock songs of the 70s. Multiple people have claimed that Neil Young wrote “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” about them. However, it is widely believed that Young wrote it after watching Graham Nash and Joni Mitchell’s breakup and its aftermath unfold. If so, he channeled the pain of two of his friends into this folk-leaning tear-jerker. Baby boomers who remember when this song hit the airwaves still get a little misty-eyed when they hear it.
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2. “Everything I Own”–Bread (1972)
This deceptive but classic soft rock song extracted an ocean of tears in the 70s. Upon first listen, it sounds like another tune about a broken relationship. If that were the heartache at the center of the lyrics, it would be sad enough. Bread’s David Gates wrote the song as a tribute to his dad, who died before his career took off. Knowing this makes the lyrics a little heavier.
3. “Alone Again (Naturally)”–Gilbert O’Sullivan (1972)
This is another song that could easily be listed among the saddest soft rock songs of the 70s. Gilbert O’Sullivan packed this one with heartache, and it became an international hit. “Alone Again” starts with the narrator contemplating suicide after being left at the altar. It ends with both of his parents dying. Listening to this one without crying would be a challenge for anyone.
4. “Dust in the Wind”–Kansas (1978)
Sometimes, you don’t need heartbreak or the loss of a loved one to make you cry. Sometimes, all you need is a beautifully finger-picked acoustic guitar and three and a half minutes to think about how we’re all going to die one of these days.
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American country singer Johnny Cash (1932 – 2003) plays acoustic guitar in a still form his television series, 'The Johnny Cash Show,' circa 1969. (Photo by Getty Images) -
LOS ANGELES – 1965: Singer Mel Carter poses for a photo in 1965 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images) -
Canadian folk-rock singer and songwriter Gordon Lightfoot sings and plays acoustic guitar for the television concert series, 'Midnight Special,' 1970s. (Photo by Getty Images) -
ST. PAUL, MN – August 25: Alan Jackson plays acoustic guitar at the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul, Minnesota on August 25, 1995.(Photo by Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/GettyImages) -
Taste Of Honey at Soldier Field in Chicago Illinois , August 26, 1978. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images) -
Photo by Michael Webb/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images -
1970s one-hit wonder Norman Greenbaum
