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Music of the 70s was a decade of rock, disco, soul, funk, country and pop, all competing on the Billboard Hot 100 from 1970 to 1979. Singer-songwriters and soft rock led the early years, soul and funk pushed forward mid-decade, and disco peaked from 1976 to 1978.
Ask anyone who lived through it and they'll tell you the same thing: the music of the 70s wasn't just a soundtrack, it was a revolution playing out one record at a time. No single decade has ever packed in more reinvention. The 70s opened with The Beatles bowing out and Motown still humming, and closed with disco balls spinning over packed dance floors and punk tearing the rulebook to shreds. In between sat some of the most enduring 70s songs ever pressed to vinyl.
70s rock music alone could fill a lifetime of listening. Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple turned amplifiers into weapons, while Pink Floyd, Yes and Genesis stretched songs into side-long suites that rewarded patient headphone sessions. Meanwhile the easy-rolling sound of the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and the Laurel Canyon crowd proved that 70s classic rock could be just as powerful when it whispered as when it roared. These are the records that still pack arenas and dominate classic-rock radio half a century later.
But to call the 70s a rock decade sells it short. This was disco's golden age, when Donna Summer and the Bee Gees made the whole world move. It was the era of Stevie Wonder's untouchable run, of Marvin Gaye asking what was going on, of Al Green's velvet soul and James Brown's relentless funk. Country crossed over with Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson, while singer-songwriters like Carole King and Jim Croce turned diaries into hit singles.
That breadth is exactly why the greatest hits of the 70s still feel inexhaustible. There's always another band to discover, another forgotten number-one to rediscover, another genre rabbit hole to fall down. That's what these tools are for: spin the random song generator, find the #1 from the week you were born, match a track to your mood, or test yourself on trivia. However you got here, welcome. The decade is waiting.
Frequently Asked Questions About 70s Music
What was the biggest hit of the 1970s?
By weeks at number one, the biggest hit of the 1970s was "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone. It spent 10 straight weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977, more than any other song of the decade. Rod Stewart's "Tonight's the Night" and the Bee Gees' "Night Fever" followed with 8 weeks each.
What were the biggest hits of the 70s?
Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 names each year's biggest hit. The decade opened with Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" in 1970, passed through Wings' "Silly Love Songs" in 1976 and Andy Gibb's "Shadow Dancing" in 1978, and closed with The Knack's "My Sharona" in 1979.
What are the top 100 songs of the 70s?
This site's top 100 songs of the 70s are the ten biggest songs from each year's Billboard Year-End Hot 100, 1970 through 1979. Chart position decides the order, not opinion. You can sort the list by year, artist and rank, and play every song on the page: Best Songs of the 70s.
What were the main genres of 70s music?
The main genres of 70s music were pop, soul, soft rock, classic rock, disco, country and funk. In this site's 1,000-song Listen Now library, drawn from Billboard Year-End charts, pop (230 songs), soul (185), soft rock (165) and classic rock (156) are the four biggest groups. Browse them on the 70s music genres page.
Who had the most number one hits in the 1970s?
The Bee Gees had the most number one hits of the 1970s, with nine Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers. Those nine songs spent 27 weeks at number one in total, the most of any act in the decade. "Night Fever" alone held the top spot for 8 weeks. See every number one hit of the 70s.
Where can I listen to 70s music for free?
You can listen to 70s music for free on the Listen Now radio. Pick a genre station and press Play, or browse a jukebox of 1,000 songs from Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 lists for 1970 to 1979. Songs play through embedded YouTube videos, and nothing starts until you press Play.
