1970s in music

English rock band Led Zeppelin in 1977

In North America, Europe, and Oceania, music in the 1970s saw the rise of disco, which then went on to become one of the biggest genres of the decade, especially in the mid-to-late 1970s. In Europe, a variant known as Euro disco rose in popularity towards the end of the 1970s. Aside from disco, funk, soul, R&B, smooth jazz, and jazz fusion remained popular throughout the decade. Rock music played an important part in the Western musical scene, with punk rock thriving throughout the mid to late 1970s.

Other sub-genres of rock, particularly glam rock, hard rock, progressive rock, art rock, blues rock, and heavy metal achieved various amounts of success. Other genres such as reggae were innovative throughout the decade and grew a significant following. Hip hop emerged during this decade, but was slow to start and did not become significant until the late 1980s. Classical began losing a little momentum; however, through invention and theoretical development, this particular genre gave rise to experimental classical and minimalist music by classical composers. A sub-genre of classical, film scores, remained popular with movie-goers.

Alongside the popularity of experimental music, the decade was notable for its contributions to electronic music, which rose in popularity with the continued development of synthesizers and harmonizers; more composers embraced this particular genre, gaining the notice of listeners who were looking for something new and different. Its rising popularity, mixed with the popular music of the period, led to the creation of synthpop. Pop also had a role in the 1970s.

Quotes

• The 1970s was arguably the single decade of the 20th century when recorded music was most central to culture. There were, of course, fewer kinds of media competing for the average consumer’s time—television meant just a handful of channels, video games were the size of refrigerators and could be found in arcades. As the used vinyl bins of the world are still telling us, records were the thing. Labels were flush with cash, sales of LPs and singles were brisk, and record stores were everywhere. Home stereos were a standard part of middle-class culture. Analog recording technology was at its zenith, FM radio was ascendant, and the AM dial still focused on music. The children of the baby boom were coming into their late twenties and thirties—young enough to still be serious music consumers, but old enough to have their own generation of children who were starting to buy music. And then there was the music itself. Disco, an entire cultural movement fueled by a genre of music—with massive impact on fashion, film, TV and advertising—was utterly ubiquitous. Rock music emerged from the ’60s as to go-to choice of white youth culture. Soul and funk were reaching new levels of artistry. Punk, the first serious backlash against the rock mainstream, came into its own. Records from Jamaica were making their way to the UK and, eventually, the U.S., changing sounds and urging a new kind of political consciousness. As culture moved in every direction at once, there were more great songs than anyone could count.
  • Pitchfork (August 22, 2016)

• The 1970s: It was the decade that punk and disco landed like a bludgeon against the bourgeoise stronghold on the arts as virtuosity made way for music of attitude and individualism. It was the decades that saw David Bowie unleash a constant swirl of singular masterpieces and inspire millions with his creative character studies. It saw Joni Mitchell make everybody cry with the folk explosion’s last hurrah on Blue, Californian rock ‘n’ roll went out in style with LA Woman, and the emergence of new masters on albums like London’s Calling, Marquee Moon, Paranoid, Horses, Rumours and an endless string of others. In short, it was the great decade of art in history.
  • Tom Taylor of Far Out Magazine (April 30, 2022)

• The 1970s saw a number of genres flourish apart from just rock and disco. Everything from funk, soul and R&B to country, folk and reggae music emerged during the decade, and more importantly several artists within these styles established the “gold standard” for what exceptional music should sound like in these genres. And the same can be said about both rock and disco music, as many consider the pinnacle of these genres to come from artists of the ‘70s.
  • Quentin Thane Singer of Forbes (Jun 15, 2024)

• One hit single is one more than most bands ever achieve. That said, more often than not throughout music history, we tend to remember them as one-hit wonders. There were plenty of them in the 1970s.
  • Jeff Mezydlo of Yardbarker

• Arguably one of the best decades of music, the 1970s saw the rise of disco, long shaggy hair, the continuation of the free love movement, and, of course, Rock and Roll at its height of fame.
  • Kate Franke of Woman's Day (September 6, 2024)

• Shaking off the naturalism, daisy chains, and acid tabs of the 1960s was easier than expected. The 1970s unfurled as a paradox of both striking diversity and remarkable coherence: From high-concept prog nerds and high-octane guitar solo to high-heeled glam-rockers and rough-and-ready punks, the decade saw the rise and dominance of the album-as-unified-statement.
  • Pitchfork (June 23, 2004)