And now that you’re thoroughly caught up on the one-hit-wonder obscurities, here are some 70s’ actual hits by actual hitmakers to add to your playlist.
Most love songs, and it doesn’t matter if they are from the 1970s or not, fail to make any couple feel close and intimate, however, when James Brown delivers ‘Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine,’ whoever is around is in the mood for love. Bobby Byrd is responsible for the backup vocals, and with Brown, they created one of the best songs of the era.
After its release in 1970, it became number two on the R&B hit list and number 15 on the Hot 100 Billboard. Today, the song is considered one of the best songs ever and ranked 196, and although Brown himself is considered one of the greatest lyric writers, this performance is what he is remembered for most.
"Wildflower" by Skylark
The Vancouver-born Skylark was a known pop/rock band that hit it big with their 1972 single, "Wildflower". The soft rock, southern boogie sounding tune reached number one in Canada and number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and Skylark sold over a million copies.
Even though the band stopped recording in 1973, "Wildflower" lived on, being sampled by hip hop legends like Tupac and Kanye West decades later.
"Video Killed The Radio Star" by The Buggles
The Buggles were a quirky British New Wave band that covered the popular hit "Video Killed the Radio Star", which you probably remember very well, even though it was released in 1979. The single topped the music charts around the world, in sixteen different countries, to be exact. However, it wasn't just the song that made The Buggles wildly popular, it was its music video.
The very odd, trippy video was actually the first ever music video shown on MTV. What's ironic is that it got its fair share of criticism from viewers that deemed the video way too violent because it featured a TV blowing up in the end scene. It's safe to say that people's definition of violence has dramatically changed over the last 30 years.
"No Woman, No Cry" by Bob Marley & The Wailers
It's hard to believe that 'No Woman, No Cry' was released in 1974, and has been part of our life's soundtrack for more than 50 years. The love song, written by Marley, is about the rough days of living in the ghettos of Trench Town, pleading with his girlfriend to wipe her tears and look up since everything was going to be all right.
Things were going to get better. The lyrics, the melody, and Marley's unique and addictive vocals made this song one of the best in his rich and influential song resume. The live version, recorded in 1975, has become the most recognized one.
"Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush
Kate Bush was just 19 years old when she released Wuthering Heights, which she wrote by herself. She was inspired by the novel of the same name written back in 1847. This remarkable creation is one of the few songs based on a book. It was a phenomenon back then and is even considered to be one today. Not too many pop songwriters based their songs on classic novels like this. It would be impossible to live up to it.
Bush has always been seen as an artist who is positioned off the boundaries and is unique in the way she expresses herself, and although 'Wuthering Heights' was a little hard to swallow at first, it became one of the greatest songs, not only in the UK (Bush's homeland) but all over the world.