3 Songs From the 70s That Everyone Knows but Can Never Name

Some of the most influential songs in our lives are the ones that serve as background music. Here are a few songs from the 70s that are difficult to identify, no matter how familiar they feel.

“Baker Street” by Gerry Rafferty

You might not recognize Gerry Rafferty‘s “Baker Street” by the words, likely because the song is best known for the saxophone riff that first comes in at about the thirty-second mark.

Even Billboard identified the saxophone in this song as “the most recognizable sax riff in pop music history,” proving that it has an undeniable familiarity.

“The Logical Song” by Supertramp

Even if you’ve never heard this song in your life, it gives you an automatic, nostalgic feeling that makes it seem like you have. Perhaps this is because “The Logical Song” was written from a pretty introspective place.

Band co-founder Rodger Hodson wrote this song, inspired by his time at boarding school as a child. He spent 10 years there and found it challenging to learn about who he really was.

“In ‘The Logical Song’, the burning question that came down to its rawest place was ‘please tell me who I am’, and that’s basically what the song is about,” Hodson explained to Classic Rock. “I think this eternal question continues to hit such a deep chord in people around the world and why it stays so meaningful.”

“The Hustle” by Van McCoy

“The Hustle” by Van McCoy is a bit of a juxtaposition. That little post-chorus riff sounds oddly familiar, but this isn’t necessarily a song you would pick for karaoke. At the same time, it’s also one of those songs that leaves you with plenty of room to dance. This makes sense because that was kind of the intention for which it was written.

In the 70s, there was a dance called, you guessed it, “the hustle” that was taking over New York City. This song emerged after Charles Kipps, Van McCoy’s musical partner, went to a club to investigate this new craze.

“When he came back, [Kipps] showed me this very strange dance,” McCoy explained in an interview. “It was something completely different from the you-do-your-thing-and-I-do-mine dances – it was people dancing together again. The hustle reminded me of ballroom dancing, and I love graceful dancing.”

Photo by: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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