50 songs you won't believe are turning 50 this year
The 1970s was a tumultuous time, full of upheaval on many fronts, from the end of the Vietnam War to the dawn of personal computers. It makes sense that its music had a similar helter-skelter feel.
The early '70s were a musical melting pot where rock, reggae, funk, and pop could coexist. Ingenuity was essential, and as artists were wary of the mainstream music industry, they began doing things unconventionally and bolder than ever. Punk and funk rose to popularity after the age of psychedelia essentially died at the end of the '60s and became the quintessential sound of the early '70s.
As the decade moved along, disco was on the rise with instrumental tracks like MFSB's "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" and Eddie Kendricks' "Boogie Down" gaining prominence. Love ballads such as Roberta Flack's "Feel Like Makin' Love" and Mac Davis' "One Hell of a Woman" also hits on the radio.
1974 was the aftermath of the explosion that was the 1960s, giving way to a groovy new sound called disco, which would make its mark later in the decade. It was a year when experimentation was key, and these songs are proof of that.
To display this diverse year of music-making, Stacker surveyed Billboard's Hot 100 chart in 1974 to highlight the top 50 songs, collected on Jan. 19, 2024. The original Billboard Top 100 of 1974 was published on Dec. 28, 1974, and is based on the performance of songs on the Hot 100 charts between the Nov. 24, 1973, and Oct. 26, 1974 issues. Though some songs on this list were released in 1973, they all charted in 1974. In the '70s, this performance was based on each single's physical sales and airplay on American radio stations.
Keep reading to discover 50 songs celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2024.
