3 Rock Songs From 1972 That Still Make Me Smile Today

Rock music in the 1970s has its own unique sound, one that is still enjoyed today, even after so many years have passed. Among the many great rock songs from the decade are these three tunes. All out in 1972, they still make me smile big when listening to them today.

“Ventura Highway” by America

America’s third single is “Ventura Highway”. The song is the first release from Homecoming, the band’s sophomore album.

Written by band member Dewey Bunnell, “Ventura Highway” is packed with visual imagery. The chorus says, “Ventura Highway in the sunshine / Where the days are longer / The nights are stronger than moonshine / You’re gonna go, I know.”

“Ventura Highway” was not as big as “A Horse With No Name”, America’s first single, which reached No. 1. Still, “Ventura Highway” did become a Top 5 hit for the band.

“Witchy Woman” by Eagles

“Witchy Woman” is the second single by Eagles. The song, written by band members Don Henley and Bernie Leadon, is on the band’s eponymous freshman record.

A Top 10 single, “Witchy Woman” says, “Woo hoo, witchy woman / See how high she flies / Woo hoo, witchy woman / She got the moon in her eye.”

“I was living in an old house in the Hollywood Hills on the corner of Camrose and Tower, near the Hollywood Bowl,” Henley recalls. “Bernie was living way out in Topanga Canyon, but he came over one day and started playing this strange, minor-key riff that sounded sort of like a Hollywood movie version of Indian music. … It had a haunting quality, and I thought it was interesting, so we put a rough version of it down on a cassette tape.”

“The Way Of Love” by Cher

Written by Jack Diéval and Michel Rivgauche, “The Way Of Love” is the second single from Chér, Cher’s seventh studio album. The record was later reissued as Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves.

“The Way Of Love” began as a French song, “J’ai le mal de toi”. In 1965, Kathy Kirby released an English version of the song, as “The Way Of Love”.

However, it’s Cher’s version that is the best known. The song says, “For the way of love / Is a way of woe / And the day may come / When you’ll see him go / Then what will you do / When he sets you free / Just the way that you / Said goodbye to me?“

Numerous other artists have put their own spin on “The Way Of Love”, including Johnny Mathis. His version came out in 1969.

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