Eldergays, explain music from the 1970s?

No more than any other decade.

Have a nice day.

I disagree.

The 70s were very corny and earnest. It seemed like the decade was trying to incorporate all the changes from the 60s and making it All American Bicentennial Flavored.

Meanwhile the 80s was all about jingoistic patriotism and religious fundamentalism.

And apparently enormous shoulderpads.

Am not "old" but if OP and others think 1970's only produced "corny" music, they're idiots.

Decade gave us some of the best music, far better than the shit you hear today.

Harry Chapin

Harry Chapin again..

Muskrat Love, Afternoon Delight, Seasons in the Sun … are there any modern equivalents on the Billboard charts?

[quote] the shit you hear today.

Close your ears, R3, and let it fall into the toilet.

Maybe corny to some, but love "Sylvia's Mother"

What you do have with 1970's bands were people who could actually sing and harmonize.

OP's rhetoric is an effective yet tired and ridiculous trick. Say something provocative, no matter how untrue, and wait for clicks and reaction.

Everyone knew “Seasons in the Sun” was terrible, but it was a hit nonetheless. IIRC, the version sung on school playgrounds went something like “We had joy, we had fun, we had streaking in the sun, but the cops had the guns, and they shot us in the buns.”

Lol,OP!

Corny it may be to some, but listen to "Afternoon Delight". You'll find not only great voices singing but harmonizing that just doesn't happen much if at all today.

Indeed "Afternoon Delight" won a Grammy for best vocal arrangement.

For those untrained or otherwise don't know, one of the most difficult things to do is sing in harmony with a group.

"Afternoon Delight" is frequently used by music teachers as an example of good or excellent vocal arrangement and harmony.

OP. I think the ambiguity and messy outcome of the Vietnam war contributed to the need for refuge in corny nostalgia and overwrought sentimentality.

Are we just talking about AM radio hits for some reason?

Most of the best rock was from the 70s.

Obviously, the 1970s contain five of the greatest masterworks EVER composed, and I would hardly label them as corny:

Company A Little Night Music Follies Pacific Overtures Sweeney Todd

Sondheim and Prince were a match made in heaven (ok, Prince didn’t understand Merrily, but it has since been vindicated!).

OP, are you calling Sweeney corny?

The corniest cornball 70s song:

R15 OP is doing so just to justify his declaration.

OMG OP MY EARS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! who the fuck is that screeching whore ??

Because it was a "cornball" time. It's not brain surgery.

[quote] The corniest cornball 70s song:

Ahem....hellooo

beautiful song from my childhood

Still love Melanie

And then there's this gem!!!

Explain, OP?

You had to be there.

Jackson Browne, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Elton John, Paul McCartney, The Jackson 5, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, David Bowie, Chicago, The Rolling Stones...need no explanation.

Another really bad one.

I love "Midnight at the Oasis". It always pains me to see it lumped in with "Billy, Don't Be a Hero", "The Night Chicago Died", "Run Joey Run", "Seasons in the Sun", etc. as a prime example of 70's pop cheese. It really isn't. To me, it's a sultry little pop-jazz tune, in the same vein as "Moondance". I think the "sing your camel to bed" line seems to rub people the wrong way, I've seen that mentioned more than once. But it's been covered (respectfully, not ironically) by loads of jazz musicians, and the Brand New Heavies had a sizable UK/European hit with their version in the 90's.

And Maria was a very respected interpreter who'd been around for years and paid her dues. I remember an interview with Bonnie Raitt after she finally hit it big, where she talked about how it was her, Linda Ronstadt, and Maria Muldaur who were all doing variations of the same thing (eclectic albums that featured blues, folk, country, rock, gospel, etc.), and it was Maria who broke out big first, which in turn inspired her and Linda.

And the album she released after "Midnight at the Oasis", "Waitress in a Donut Shop", was a staple in our house growing up. I love that album, one of my all-time favorites by any artist in any genre.

[quote]OP. I think the ambiguity and messy outcome of the Vietnam war contributed to the need for refuge in corny nostalgia and overwrought sentimentality.

[quote]The 70s were very corny and earnest. It seemed like the decade was trying to incorporate all the changes from the 60s and making it All American Bicentennial Flavored.

You're all wrong.

There was plenty of corny music in the 20s, 30s and 40s. The 1950s were rife with them. One of the biggest hits of that decade was "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window".

The 1960s were full of corny stuff that became massive hits with gems like "Sugar, sugar", "Honey" and high-brow corn from the Beatles with stuff like "Yellow Submarine".

It was all in innocent good fun, because that's the way we were.

Today we're in an ugly period. We no longer even have melody. It's a dismal ghetto-fied aesthetic that has taken over.

Cornball does still exist in country music though.

[quote]I love "Midnight at the Oasis". It always pains me to see it lumped in with "Billy, Don't Be a Hero", "The Night Chicago Died", "Run Joey Run", "Seasons in the Sun", etc. as a prime example of 70's pop cheese. It really isn't. To me, it's a sultry little pop-jazz tune, in the same vein as "Moondance".

It's a gorgeous melody with ironic worldly lyrics.

Follow me, OP

I enjoyed the song op posted. Corny but relaxing.

R27 too bad love didn't keep them together

[quote]Today we're in an ugly period. We no longer even have melody. It's a dismal ghetto-fied aesthetic that has taken over.

That's ridiculous. You're listening to thje wrong music for you. There's a lot of melody, a lot of great songwriting.

such as ... ? Taylor Swift ?

I like those somewhat dark, yet musically catchy, songs like Jackie Blue, and Angie Baby.

Maria Muldaur is cool to me, OP. She's been around since time it seems. Marry me R28!

Seasons in the Sun was written in 1961 and resurrected/repackaged in the’70s.

^not trying to copy Joan baez at all

R39 was for R37

Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder to name a few, did some outstanding work during the 70s.

R35 This is not the thread for me to list or post examples. Check out Wallows - Are You Bored Yet? (Live from Henson Studios), and 5 Seconds of Summer - Lie To Me (Acoustic), on Youtube, off the top of my head.

R28 I agree, MATO is jazzy and sultry, but the lyrics are hilariously cheesy.

There were many cornball songs on the radio, but some of the best American music (the CBGBs punk and new wave scene) was being made and perfected at the same time. It's an even trade.

Why are you focusing only on cheesy songs? There were a lot of great songs, look up top songs of 1974 or '75.

Do NOT write off 70's dance music.

It was an eclectic decade.

Amanda Lear isn't corny.

you were saying OP

I really dislike when some people create a thread that is indirectly (or even blatantly) judging a previous decade's music, fashions, etc. while not looking to more recent decades and all the craptastic music and fashions and pop culture in general that happened then.

To OP's question: what is to explain? A whole lot of great music came out of the 70s, and even stuff that OP might think "cheesy" was pretty great as well. And there was music and fashion that sucked as well.

Just like any other decade. I love a lot of music from the 70s, as I do music from the 80s, 90s, 00s, etc. Explore a little further and I'm sure you'll find a lot to enjoy.

Have a nice day and be sure to pet your pet rock. 🙂

Muldaur made some great records, “Waitress in a Donut Shop” and “Sweet Harmony.”

It was all terrible.

Disco-Tex And the Sex-O-Lettes - Get Dancin'

[quote]This is not the thread for me to list or post examples. Check out Wallows - Are You Bored Yet? (Live from Henson Studios), and 5 Seconds of Summer - Lie To Me (Acoustic), on Youtube, off the top of my head.

Sure, if you search around you can find something OK, like that insignificant derivative sounding number from Wallows etc. Wallows who?

Oh yes, because today's music is SO sophisticated 🙄

Babygays, you go first.

Hip-hop. WTF?

Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep

Gliddy glub gloopy, nibby nabby noopy la, la, la, lo, lo

Sabba sibby sabba, nooby abba nabba, le, le, lo, lo

Tooby ooby walla, nooby abba naba

Early mornin' singin' song

Don't Cry Joni

R55 The unique thing about 70s cheese was it’s naivety and lack of self-awareness. Modern cheese is almost always cynical or ironic, like that stupid Imagine Dragons video. Speaking of irony, David Letterman used to do sketches on The Starland Vocal Band’s TV variety show. It was a strange contrast. He was the harbinger of things to come.

Maria Muldaur was a great talent. Love her!

R58 "Goodmorning Starshine" and the other hits from Hair are about as durable as pop music gets. They're pop classics.

R62 If you like nonsense lyrics

Jane

Guess you had to be there...

OP: I think you are ignorant or trolling.

I’m 67 and the late 60s and 70s had absolutely the best hard rock, southern rock, country rock, pop rock, anti-war rock, Michigan blues, Southern blues, Texas blues, LA sound, diverse pop, traditional country, and new country music. Ever.

Not so much always on AM Billboard top 100 (although there were many great AM songs), but we also had a thing called FM too. And FM was a free-for-all and not as compartmentalized and commercialized as it became after the 70s.

Sorry you missed it.

[quote]If you like nonsense lyrics

The song was in the context of a scene in a show.

Furthermore the Sabba sibby sabba, nooby abba nabba, le, le, lo, lo stuff is comparable to "scat" improv lyrics in jazz or the nonsense vocal sounds in Doo-Wop. It is a thing.

R65 Beautiful song.

I'm Not In Love...

R69 Compared to anything today, those well crafted lyrics sound like the finest poetry.

Theme song for DL posters....

Wait, the other theme song for DL posters..

""Midnight At The Oasis" is "corn'ball?" What's "corn ball" about it? I thought it was kind of strange, but see nothing corn ball about it?

I think cheesy music has been a thing across every generation. I'm a 90s kid. When my friends and siblings and I reminisce, we think of all the wonderful alternative music there was at the time. It's not 'til you watch one of those "Hits of every year of the 1990s" type videos on YouTube that you realise how much dreck was also there alongside it, haha.

But when we look back, we always just look at the good stuff. And there's plenty of good stuff out there, definitely in the 1970s as I am pleasantly finding out lately.

No discussion about 70's music would be complete without mentioning Simon & Garfunkel

Sorry you missed the 70s OP.

The gorgeous Carly Simon....

No thread on a gay website with a thread about music wouldn't be complete without Barbara Streisand.

R75 Not so.

They're associated with the 1960s, not the 70s.

Yes "Bridge Over Trouble Waters" was released in 1970, but it was their last album. They're a 1960s duo.

You go [R28] I agree.... I never understood why those early Maria Muldaur albums aren't given their due. She's continued to release albums for years, toured through my town before covid.

Best movie decade.

"Midnight at the Oasis" was supposed to be funny.

I like "Midnight at the Oasis" just fine. I don't really see it as cheesy.

Feelings

When I think of "cornball" songs, this one from the 60s comes to mind. It later became the "I Love Turtles" chocolate candy jingle.

Eres Tu

There was a lot of silly music in the 70s. But a lot of incredibly great music, too. Really classic music that stands the test of time.

R36 I love those freaky songs!

On my afore-mentioned Grand Canyon backpacking trip, I mentioned on the first day to one of the other campers that I couldn’t get “25 or 6 to 4” out of my head and he replied that he had it stuck in his head the day before. I told my BFF about the strange coincidence when I got home and she told me that she and her boyfriend had talked about the exact same song that morning. It’s such a random 70s song for us all to be thinking of but the songs back then had such cool hooks and jams, they are easy to remember and recall.

Okay, these are some stupid people. The horse busted down his stall and went galloping into a blizzard. The woman follows the horse calling its name, "Wildfire." She and the horse presumably die. The guy sticks around and plants his crop. An early frost kills his crop. Why stick around if you have not food? Then the hoot owl shows up, apparently a bad omen. After two nights outside your window...get the fuck outta there!! No, he waits for six nights because his dead wife shows up with the dead horse to take him with him....dead. WTF?

And yet, it's a great cheesy song.

Did the 70s have their share of cheese? Sure, just like other decades. But it was great cheese.

I see all your AM Gold hits and raise you one early 1970's rock band that teleported in from Mars! So ahead of their time.

Dan...

Here's Roxy.

Wildfire is a beautiful, harmonious song that really conveys the beauty and heartbreak of life. I actually never scrutinized the lyrics to the extent that you did, but rather the tune itself and the singer really conveyed all of it to me. I really wish there were radio stations (that I didn't have pay for) that would play music like this.

R89 The woman who died with Wildfire in the blizzard wasn't the singer's wife. That's why he sings "oh they say she died one winter". It sounds like she was a local "urban legend" (or, in this case, "rural legend"), or else a real person from the past that the locals still talked about.

I agree it's a beautiful song, though. I never thought it was cheesy, mainly because it was so well executed, even though it's about the ghost of a dead horse.

Now THIS one, about a dead DOG, is cheesy. Seriously, how very DARE you sing about a dog drowning? I get upset just thinking about it!

Helen Schneider

This is probably my favorite one-hit wonder from the 70's.

I don't know why I love it so much. It's very simple, it's pretty repetitive, it doesn't feature a memorable riff or a killer guitar, piano, or sax solo.

There's just something about it. I think it's his imperfect, ragged lead vocal that gets me, and the uniqueness of the record itself. I've never heard anything else that sounds quite like it.

Oh, I've always loved "Midnight At The Oasis". I agree with many posts up above about the good songs. I came out in the 70s and I have to admit that it was disco that made me crazy. "I Love The Nightlife", "More, More, More", "Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel", "Could It Be Magic" by Donna Summer, "Brazil" by The Ritchie Family. Someone above also posted "Cherchez La Femme". Loved that one too! OH! "That's The Way I Like It" by KC and The Sunshine Band. I Loved Them All.

R66

I'll see your Black Sabbath and raise you one Nazareth.

The one and only Meatloaf!

This was officially released in 1980, but I think it still qualifies…

I thought Meat Loaf was a mostly 80s act. Anyway, I HATED Meat Loaf. All those cliched titles: "Bat Out of Hell", "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad', "You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth", "For Crying Out Loud." Couldn't he think of ANYTHING original?

Lovin'...

This horror

Cheesy but delicious, I was a kid in the 70’s and sings like this were great

[quote] This horror

"The Rain, the Park and Other Things" by the Cowsills is a great pop hit. And it wasn't from the 70s. It was released in 1967. It's a song from the SIXTIES.

I’m enjoying all these cheesy 70s songs a little too much…

Has this one been mentioned yet?

Minnie Ripperton was a huge vocal talent including having a legitimate coloratura soprano and rare ability to sing in "whistle range".

Sadly Ms. Ripperton died young (aged 31) of breast cancer cutting short what may very well have been a brilliant career.

Nothing corny at all...

Here. One of the worst.

^^Completely agree

9,999,999 Tears

Paul McCartney was in his corny glory. I love the '70s, especially Wings.

I love MANY of the songs listed here.

Some of my posts seem to disappear. I posted earlier to r113 that I also love Wings but it disappeared somehow. Maybe I didn't hit the POST button? No, I'm not drinking. Must be I didn't click the POST button correctly.

Anyhow, I love Wings.

This song is typical of a lot of 70's pop: a little cheesy, kind of silly, very catchy, borderline disco, fun, but ultimately forgettable.

It was one of those big hits that disappeared from the public consciousness the moment it fell off the charts, never to be heard again.

R103 As R105 pointed out it's from the 1960s and it is generally recognized as one of the great songs of the era.

R110 Rhinestone Cowboy: "won numerous awards from the Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music, and American Music Awards. It also obtained nominations for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, as well as for Record of the Year "

It is a good pop song/country song. Glen Campbell was one of the all time greats.

Disco Bette

Why?

R108 Maya Rudolph, I hope I spelled it correctly, is Minnie Riperton's daughter

How could Christmas get any cornier? Paul figured it out.

Everyone was high O.P.

Show tunes...

Maya Rudolph is *interesting* looking. It doesn't appear she got much in the way of her father's looks.

Lee Michael's "Do You Know What I Mean" is one of my all time favorite songs. One critic said it was a success "simply on the basis of the near-hypnotic repetition of the organ riff that powered the song, the interjections that Michaels snuck every time the song came to a rest, and the fact that every single person on the planet knew exactly what he meant." And indeed it does have one of the greatest organ riffs in any rock song ever, right up there with "Light My Fire", "96 Tears" and "House of the Rising Sun."

The New Wave started in 1976.

OP, I have no idea what you're talking about.

Kraftwerk

Tomita

[quote] Gliddy glub gloopy, nibby nabby noopy la, la, la, lo, lo

"Good Morning Starshine" is a hit song from the SIXTIES. It's from the musical "Hair" which came out in 1967. It's NOT from the 70s!

Melissa's Home to Myself is the absolute best...

R126 I’d argue 1974/1975 as that’s when Ramones, Blondie, Television, Talking Heads etc all made their debuts at CBGBs. Their full length albums didn’t come out until around 1976 for the most part, that is correct. Some of my all time favorite music!

[quote]Maya Rudolph is *interesting* looking.

You're a very generous person, my friend.

Peter Allen could be campy or whatever, but he wrote some of the best music of 1970's.

There's always a demand for catchy silly songs, so every era has them.

"How much is that doggy in the window . . ."

"Anyone knows an ant, can't. Move a rubber tree plant. . ."

"Workin' 9 to 5, What a way to make a livin' . . ."

Novelty songs and catchy silly songs really don't exist much these days. Any examples?

Songs with double entendre go back to early 1900's if not before. Scores of tunes both from musical theatre and the blues fit that bill.

Much music that comes out nowadays simply isn't able nor designed to handle such subtle differences in meaning.

To R134 -

Miss Olivia Newton-John did it MUCH better in 1974...

R136, I don't listen to a lot of modern day stuff (at least not the anglo-stuff), but I was just thinking that it seems there is much less of the novelty stuff around these days. I suppose WAP?

LIZA!

R24 What the fuck is this ?

Novelty songs of the 70s:

The Streak - Ray Stevens

King Tut - Steve Martin

Convoy - CW McCall

My Ding-A-Ling - Chuck Berry

Disco Duck - Rick Dees

Dead Skunk - Loudon Wainwright III

Life Is A Rock But The Radio Rolled Me - Reunion

You're the eldergay, R141, so you tell me!!

I found another version, this one in English.

R54 The song went double playinum and was a #1 or #2 on the alt charts. Lie To Me is a much better song, but hey I just did a couple off the top if my head, like I said. I was replying to this: "Today we're in an ugly period. We no longer even have melody. It's a dismal ghetto-fied aesthetic that has taken over." Other than the racism I didn't knpw what this was saying.

*platinum

The Pina Colada Song

Joni...

Another.

This one was actually a hit of sorts.

[quote]This one was actually a hit of sorts.

A hit "of sorts"? The song was huge.

I was too young and suburban to be a part of the NYC club scene in 1974-75, alas. The records are what count for most of us.

^for r132

I used to hear this all the time on the radio. It's not necessarily cheesy but close enough.

Bonnie '71

In the late 60's and 70's, American went through puberty. We stripped down, fucked, talked, drank, drugged, solved problems, and created problems.

And, we smoked a lot of weed. And listened to really good music. Including breezy pop.

"Sing your camels to bed", says it all.

Cheesy or corn ball as some of their songs may seem today, Tony Orlando and Dawn were a very hot property though 1970's. They have continued being a somewhat popular act still today when on tour.

Thelma Hopkins went on to a very successful acting career. Mainly television but still

"Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree" has taken on a life of it's own, being adapted or otherwise made part of various revolutions and so on.

I don't know how "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" became a song about returning soldiers. It was about someone getting out of prison.

See Wiki link above.

Yellow ribbons long had significance before that song came along.

"The origin of the idea of a yellow ribbon as remembrance may have been the 19th-century practice that some women allegedly had of wearing a yellow ribbon in their hair to signify their devotion to a husband or sweetheart serving in the U.S. Cavalry. The song "'Round Her Neck She Wears a Yeller Ribbon", tracing back centuries but copyrighted by George A. Norton in 1917, and later inspiring the John Wayne movie She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, is a reference to this.[4][5] The symbol of a yellow ribbon became widely known in civilian life in the 1970s as a reminder that an absent loved one, either in the military or in jail, would be welcomed home on their return."

Thanks, R158. I've learned something new, so it's a good day. Now it's time for bed.

Was Tony a sex symbol ?

We also had six seasons and 140 episodes of the very popular but always stupid and unfunny Laugh In ending in 1973. Don’t even start me on Hee Haw. Corny was everywhere.

[quote]I thought Meat Loaf was a mostly 80s act. Anyway, I HATED Meat Loaf. All those cliched titles: "Bat Out of Hell", "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad', "You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth", "For Crying Out Loud." Couldn't he think of ANYTHING original?

You thought wrong, and Meatloaf wasn't the songwriter- Jim Steinman was. Bat Out of Hell was a tongue in cheek rock opera, not meant to be seriously analysed.

162 replies and no BREAD... ?

Are we drinking Sancerre or Viognier with the Xanax?

R98, little 15-year-old me couldn’t decide whether he preferred Nazareth’s or Jim Capaldi’s version

… bit then I opted for the original.

The ‘70s were incredible.

[quote] … but then I opted for the original.

Seriously?

I'm 62 and have never heard of Waitress in a Donut Shop!

R119 might like this campy version better ...

[quote] For those untrained or otherwise don't know, one of the most difficult things to do is sing in harmony with a group. "Afternoon Delight" is frequently used by music teachers as an example of good or excellent vocal arrangement and harmony.

You just completely made that shit up didn't you?

By the way, this 1971 production OWNS this thread!

None of you mentioned my favorite 70s cheeseball song - "Convoy"

OMG, R170. That's both cheesy and delightful. How on earth did that make it onto Lawrence Welk?

We used to have 70s parties when I was in college in the mid-00s.

The whole point was to play all of the cheesy songs you have been posting and dress in cheesy disco 70s outfits like the one below -- not sure you've posted this song, which was sort of the anthem for those parties.

Why Eldergays feel compelled to arch their backs and HISSS rather than acknowledge that there was a sea of cheesy pop music which made the good stuff sound all that much better (and there was a whole lot of good stuff too.)

There's this new concept album out...

This is another Cornball Classic

Cathy Chamberlain

Why, R172 - it's a song praising Mary and Jesus!

This is great - there are a ton of "Cheesy 70s Songs" playlists on Spotify

This one is hilarious

Telephone Bill

On the other side. 1978 and it's still holds up. Do your homework OP. Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Carol King, James Taylor, Led Zepplin, Queen, Supertramp, Genesis, Earth WInd and Fire, Marvin Gaye, Chic, Bee Gees, etc.

OP, there's been corny music from every era. Give it a rest.

Chillax GrampaGays at R180 and R181

Just because there's a lot of cheesy music from the 70s--and there is A LOT of cheesy music from the 70s-- does not mean that the entire decade was a wasteland.

Punk started back then, so did Springsteen and lots of bands like Blondie that got classed as "New Wave" And there was plenty of great music at the front end of the decade from 60s bands like the Stones and CSNY and all that.

But why so defensive (rhetorical question, I am not new here)

Just embrace the massive cheesiness and tackiness of the Bicentennial Decade.

It won't detract from all that is good about that decade.

Telephone Bill by The Roches was a great song. So sad that Maggie Roche died of breast cancer.

Suzzy Roche had a daughter, Lucy, with Loudon Wainwright. Lucy is the half-sister of singers Martha and Rufus Wainwright.

The Roches were music critic darlings. They even worked with progressive rock guitarist Robert Fripp from King Crimson.

As usual, lots of people who post in DL music threads are quite clueless. They adore compartmentalizing all sorts of music.

R180 I mean, just HOW GOOD is that song!

[quote] You thought wrong, and Meatloaf wasn't the songwriter- Jim Steinman was.

Meat Loaf's first album was released in 1977. But the rest were from the 80s and 90s and beyond. And he SANG the cliched songs so he must have liked them. Which just goes to show he liked unoriginal junk.

R184 it was in response to the horrible Telephone song above it.

I'm quite aware who the Roches are, r183.

So much cool and innovative music!

Wow, there are so many pop music connoisseurs and experts at DL. 😂 🤣😂 🤣

Listen to Wazmo Nariz' "Tele-tele-telephone" , then, tell me which telephone song is better. You will not be able to because they are completely different genres ofd pop music.

I'll throw in the truly nutty 'Telephone Man" by Meri Wilson and well as New Edition's "Mr. Telephone Man".

"We...are Maggie and Terre and Suzzy Roche." My favorite album in 1979.

R94, Shannon is the song that inspired this classic clip of Casey Kasem having a meltdown over having to do a long distance dedication to a dead dog.

Hanging on the Telephone is great. Here is the original by The Nerves.

[quote]We used to have 70s parties when I was in college in the mid-00s. The whole point was to play all of the cheesy songs you have been posting and dress in cheesy disco 70s outfits like the one below

R173 In the 70s we had 50s parties. They didn't bear any relation to real life in the 50s, any more than your 70s parties did.

The top five singles acts of the Seventies:

1) Elton John

2) Bee Gees

3) Paul McCartney/ Wings

4) Carpenters

5) Stevie Wonder

R78: but Disco Barbra is so much more fun!

This is probably more of a UK/Commonwealth disco dance phenom, Ms Tina Charles

Like Kylie, but set in the 70s

Popular music was — popular. And not constrained by genre.

Always brings a tear to my eyes.

I present the best

Note Barbra is absent

Slightly off topic, but the Blondie isn't punk thing annoys me. Blondie was just as punk as The Ramones and Patti Smith, original NYC punk (yes, it was years before the UK) had no singular sound, it was about look and attitude. New wave was nothing but a marketing label created to commercially push the more radio friendly punk bands.

Agree with R66. Some of the best music came from the 70s. As a millennial, however, I find that the corny songs, when taken out of context, are delightfully creepy and atmospheric (an example of this is the way these songs were used in Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides).

I was thinking about OP’s song recently, & about how I always thought both Muldaur sisters were so ugly. I love the song but the lyrics are a bit racist, no?

The guy with the glasses in the Italian video, Adriano Celentano, looks like Sacha Baron Cohen.

This song is basically an early version of rap. People have to face facts, nothing in pop music is original, it's all been done before.

[quote]People have to face facts, nothing in pop music is original, it's all been done before.

Absolutely. It might be a twist on something older, but still something done before. Hell, even a lot of the Beatles songs were 60s versions of the type of song you might hear in the 20s-40s.

Rap itself can be traced back to the patter songs in 1800s musicals, and from there back to Italian opera. It's actually really fascinating, I love music history.

OMG at r24

I’m laughing so hard, tears are in my eyes.

And no, I’m not striving to find deep meaning when I observe the following, but, I find something ingenious in that video.

The costumes, choreography, props ( props- whatever the lead singer stuffed into his jumpsuit)…

Thanks OP, been a while since I laughed so hard

[quote] [R173] In the 70s we had 50s parties. They didn't bear any relation to real life in the 50s, any more than your 70s parties did.

1850s or 1950s?

Either way, thanks for clarifying because until I read that I thought that we were just recreating a typical day in the 1970s. Glad we cleared that up!

I just took a gigantic whizz out in my back yard. I know, born in a barn. Elton leapt into my mind..."How wonderful life is, while urine the world..."

Thank you. I'll show myself out.