3 Classic Rock Songs From 1974 That Sound Like the End of the Party

If you’re a 50s or 60s kid, I’ll bet that you hosted a party or two in the 1970s, shag carpets and whiskey sours abundant. Just as well, you probably remember what it was like when the night was winding down, it was definitely past your bedtime, and you just wanted to get your friends out of the house. It’s a universal experience, one that carries on to this very day. I’ll bet you played one of the following three classic rock party songs from 1974, perhaps, to send the message that it was time to mosey on home. These songs just seem to have the telltale vibe of the end of a party.

“Teenage Dream” by Marc Bolan and T. Rex from ‘Zinc Alloy And The Hidden Riders Of Tomorrow’

What better way to say “the party’s over” than a glam rock song about how one’s youth is dead and gone behind them? It’s a bit dark (and on the nose), but “Teenage Dream” is as musically sound as it is dreadfully mournful. “Teenage Dream” is a soulful glam tune that was quite popular on the charts in the UK, peaking at No. 13.

“Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” by Elton John from ‘Caribou’

The title of this Elton John orchestral pop jam alone sounds like the end of the party in every sense. It’s a closing time ballad, one that’s as suitable for last call at a bar as it is the end of a get-together at someone’s house in the 1970s. This lovely arrangement, written by both John and Bernie Taupin, was also quite a hit in 1974. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“Late For The Sky” by Jackson Browne from ‘Late For The Sky’

This song is a bummer, but it is, more or less, suitable for this list. This entry on our list of classic rock songs from 1974 that sound like the end of the party really does sound like the end of the party. And back in the 70s, “Late For The Sky” was a pretty well-loved soft rock favorite among the masses. But, for some reason, Browne didn’t opt to release this song as a single, so it didn’t chart.

(Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)

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