We can argue all day long about what the best decade for music was, but in this writer’s opinion, it was the 1970s.
The 1960s were also great, but they felt like a benchmark-setting year, one where the public got to witness just how impactful music could be and therefore devotion to artists, styles and genres grew at an exceptional rate. However, while the potential of music was being realised, the boundaries surrounding sound were yet to be well and truly pushed. Nudged, sure, but there was a long way to go.
It was in the 1970s when musicians really started to tap into the potential that came with their given genre. There was no right or wrong way to experiment with sound; people could inject various styles and themes into their music in a bid to create something completely unique. A lot of these adventurous takes were lost amidst the sands of time; however, the songs that stuck with listeners back then still resonate today just as strongly.
Within the genres of pop, soul and rock, there were huge steps forward taken as musicians proved just how much they could achieve within their given styles. Some of these songs will be remembered for decades to come.
Led Zeppelin’s 1971 song that will still be remembered—still and forever:
Led Zeppelin – ‘Stairway To Heaven’
This isn’t just a rock song, it’s so much more than that. This is quintessential Led Zeppelin in the way that it combines multiple genres but presents them in a way where it all sounds perfectly normal for it to be coming from the one band. Led Zeppelin did this throughout their career, but it’s on ‘Stairway To Heaven’ where you feel the full force of this musicianship.
Robert Plant fell out of love with this song. There were a couple of reasons for this; one was that he felt it was overplayed, and people everywhere would constantly listen to it. Equally, though, he fell out with the lyrics because they seemed too hopeful. Regardless of Plant’s opinion of the song, there is no escaping the fact that ‘Stairway To Heaven’ is one that will continue to be played for decades to come.
