3 Songs From 1977 That 70s Teens Couldn’t Stop Playing in Their First Car

Back in 1977, quite a few 70s teens finally got their very first cars. The coming-of-age experience of landing your first vehicle is a pretty big deal, and one of the perhaps lesser big deals surrounding the experience is putting together the perfect mixtape to listen to while driving to high school. These three songs from 1977, specifically, made it to plenty of teens’ car mixtapes that year. Let’s get a little nostalgic, shall we?

“I Want You To Want Me” by Cheap Trick from ‘In Color’

“I want you to want me / I need you to need me / I’d love you to love me / I’m beggin’ you to beg me.”

This hit power pop jam was particularly popular among young rock fans in 1977. I can see why. Cheap Trick really made waves with this song, though it didn’t really get the love it deserved until it was released via the live album Cheap Trick At Budokan in 1978. Still, there’s a lot to love about the studio version.

“Stayin’ Alive” by Bee Gees from ‘Saturday Night Fever’

“Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother / You’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.”

Disco took over the airwaves in the 1970s, and teens embraced the genre more than most. Naturally, teens and adults alike became obsessed with this 1977 disco classic. Nothing screams “disco” quite like Bee Gees’ iconic 1977 song, “Stayin’ Alive”. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and plenty of other charts and would later earn three Grammy Awards.

“It’s Sad To Belong” by England Dan & John Ford Coley from ‘Dowdy Ferry Road’

“That it’s sad to belong to someone else / When the right one comes along.”

This soft rock ballad might be one of the most well-known “divorce” songs out there, but it also resonated with a lot of teen listeners who were going through the stages of puppy love and heartbreak. This entry on our list of 1977 songs that teens listened to in their first cars ended up becoming one of songwriter Randy Goodrum’s very first career hits. “It’s Sad To Belong” by England Dan & John Ford Coley peaked at No. 21 on the Hot 100 chart, and topped both the Canadian and US Adult Contemporary charts.

Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images

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