Silly Love Songs

One Tin Soldier and Billy Don’t Be A Hero were message songs in the 70s. But those aren’t the ones I remember. My song memories are later and/or less political: Johnny Cash, Abbey Road, Wings. But mostly, when I think of the 70s, I think of the Eagles. Mom had Hotel California–she put on headphones and sang along in the most tuneless way imaginable. I still can’t hear Take It Easy without shuddering. The Eagles Greatest Hits was the makeout album of choice when I was a sophomore. Anything from that blue album can still get me hot.

I know most of the words to A Boy Named Sue, Lady Madonna, Paperback Writer. I think of road trips in my Grandma’s Oldsmobile with 8-tracks playing on long drives to Nashville and Cumberland Pass. My Grandpa had a recording of steamboat whistles he used to play. He also had an Iron Butterfly tape–we still haven’t figured that out.

The big hi-fi cabinet, needing a good 20 minutes to warm up. Record changers were the height of audio technology. AM radio. Radar Love (was that 70s or 80s)? Saturday Night Fever. Rocky. Led Zepplin (during my mom’s rebellious period). The Partridge Family. The Bradys. It was a dark time for the music industry.