by Nick Somoski

Created on: March 28, 2009   Last Updated: April 10, 2009

The 1970s gave us so much to reflect upon - peace reached its max, the counterculture and their idealistics swept the nation, the sexual and social revolution began reaching America's suberbs, couples began swinging, drugs were in use, and pop culture at best was seen through TV, movies, and music, most importantly music.

You can't even count the number of songs that came out of this decade. The '70s were singlehandedly the best decade for music in history. Rock & Roll, Disco, Pop, and R&B all gave its listeners something to think about and enjoy. I'm not a huge Rock fan, but I do enjoy the softrock songs of the decade. Where should I even start? The '60s gave us so many hits. Motown was the stuff - Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Martha Reeves, and more covered the airwaves for more than 8 years. But by the time 1970 rolled along, Americans were looking for a new type of music. And entered so many memorable bands.

You had bands like Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young with such hits as "Our House" and "Love the One You're With" that carried the counterculture population with their lyrics, and are still being played today. The Rolling Stones gave us "You Can't Always Get What You Want," while Led Zeppelin gave us "Stairway to Heaven" and Lynard Skynard gave us "Sweet Home Alabama." Thin Lizzy had "The Boys are Back in Town" and The Doobie Brothers sang "Listen to the Music" and "Long Train Running." And just look at the hits of Elton John and Billy Joel, which easily left their mark in music history, with hits like "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and "Piano Man." The Eagles, arguably one of the best bands ever, gave us songs like "Hotel California" and "Take it to the Limit" that are among my favorites. Jackson Browne left me tingling with hits such as "Running on Empty," "Somebody's Baby," and "Doctor My Eyes," where Chicago proved their worldwide success with songs like "Saturday in the Park." And lastly, one of my favorite bands, Fleetwood Mac, left us singing to "Landslide," "Don't Stop," "Go Your Own Way," and "Rhiannon."

Among the big-name bands, the '70s also left us with those one-hit wonders and songs that were a mark of the period. Just look at all the songs: King Harvest gave us "Dancing in the Moonlight," Otis Redding sang "I Can See Clearly Now," Captain & Tennille gave us "Love Will Keep us Together," Norman Greenbaum left us with "Spirit in the Sky," Rita Coolidge keeps me singing with "Your Love is Lifting me Higher,"

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