The 1970s were an electric time for music in more ways than one. This decade saw rock and roll, which had coalesced in the 1960s, splinter off into subgenres including glam, soul, disco, heavy metal, and punk. Bands like Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones continued their rise and expanded the boundaries of what rock and roll could be, and groups like ABBA brought sparkling disco flavors from Sweden to the world. 

How well do you know your ‘70s music? See if you can match the lyrics to the song they’re from in the quiz below.

Music in the 1970s

The end of the 1960s and early 1970s were marked by tragedy and changes in the music industry. The final years of the ’60s saw the abrupt collapse of the hippie era thanks to murders spearheaded by Charles Manson and a bloody disaster at the Altamont Music Festival in California. The Beatles broke up in 1970, and Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Janis Joplin all died at the age of 27 in the early ‘70s.

In the wake of this, the music industry fractured a bit—but also soared in popularity, as people began shaping their personalities, aesthetics, and fashion sense around specific music genres with increasing frequency.

Led Zeppelin reigned supreme over the ‘70s rock scene after releasing their debut album in 1969, and bands like Pink Floyd mixed psychedelic flavor with evocative and nihilistic lyricism. Mainstream rock acts like The Eagles, Queen, and Fleetwood Mac, which had established themselves in the 1960s, continued to release massive hits. At the same time, more experimental acts like David Bowie brought an element of artistry and innovation that has continued to reverberate across the decades.

Meanwhile, heavy metal, which had taken root in the late 1960s, came into its full form with the release of Black Sabbath’s debut album in 1970. Punk rock emerged in the mid-1970s with the rise of acts like The Ramones and Patti Smith. 

The second half of the decade saw disco beginning to fill clubs around the world. Disco had originated out of a heady blend of soul, funk, and Latin music that arose in New York City nightclubs early in the decade, and often these parties featured diverse, often Black and queer crowds and celebrated liberation and joy. The genre hit the mainstream with acts like Donna Summer and the Bee Gees. Meanwhile, hip-hop was born in the early 1970s in the Bronx, New York, when DJ Kool Herc held block parties that kickstarted a movement.

Many of the musical seeds that were planted in the 1970s continue to grow strong today. Some songs from that decade—from Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”—still remain in heavy rotation.

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