The year 1979 was basically the “golden year” for soft rock; tons of hits that many a baby boomer loved from the genre dropped that very year. And if you were one of them, I bet you remember the following four tracks like you just heard them for the first time yesterday.
“Babe” by Styx from ‘Cornerstone’
This 1979 soft rock jam from Styx might just be the band’s most well-known song. Released in September of that year, “Babe” was Styx’s lead single from the album Cornerstone. It would become their only No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The Dennis DeYoung-penned tune was also a Top 10 hit in a number of other countries, too.
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“Love Is The Answer” by England Dan & John Ford Coley from ‘Dr. Heckle And Mr. Jive’
Outside of this being the best-titled album ever, Dr. Heckle And Mr. Jive also featured one of the best soft rock singles of 1979. “Love Is The Answer” was originally a Todd Rundgren track first performed with his group Utopia in 1977. England Dan & John Ford Coley covered the song in 1979. They took it all the way to No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and No. 10 on the Hot 100 chart.
“Love Takes Time” by Orleans from ‘Forever’
“Love Takes Time” by Orleans is a pop rock classic with a touch of soft rock. And it’s one of the most memorable tracks to hit the radio in 1979. In fact, this soft rock jam was Orleans’ first big hit since they graced the airwaves with “Still The One” in 1977. “Love Takes Time” peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100 chart and No. 13 on the Easy Listening chart.
“This Is It” by Kenny Loggins from ‘Keep The Fire’
Well, I couldn’t not include at least one Kenny Loggins track on our list of baby boomer-beloved soft rock songs from 1979, could I? “This Is It” dropped in October 1979. The track features plenty of soft rock, R&B, and pop elements to delight just about every listener. Michael McDonald also contributed vocals to the song, which he also co-wrote with Loggins. “This Is It” peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100 chart.
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