How Well Do You Know 1970s Music?

Paul McCartney, his wife Linda McCartney, and music producer George Martin were nominated together for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for their theme to the 1973 James Bond film “Live and Let Die.” It was the first Bond theme to receive an Oscar nod, though it lost to Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were.” Despite falling short, the tune won the Grammy for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) in 1974.

Rubin “Hurricane” Carter was a boxer wrongfully convicted of murder, and was the focus of Bob Dylan’s 1975 protest song “Hurricane.” Dylan also held concerts to help raise money for Carter’s defense. The boxer was ultimately exonerated years later, in no small part thanks to Dylan’s efforts to raise awareness.

In 1967, Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman signed an up-and-coming rock group known as the Doors. During Holzman’s commute down Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, he noticed a string of billboards that seemed to advertise everything except music. He decided to promote his young rock outfit on a billboard, hoping that local disc jockeys would see it and get inspired to spin the band’s music. Spoiler alert: It worked.

In 1978, 19-year-old Kate Bush broke onto the music scene with her U.K. No. 1 hit single “Wuthering Heights,” named after Emily Brontë’s classic novel. The song details the struggle of two characters, Catherine and Heathcliff, and was a regional success. However, the single initially failed to catch on in America, receiving limited to no radio play.

AC/DC was founded in Australia by the Young brothers in 1973. Angus played lead guitar and was known for the schoolboy outfit he wore onstage, and Malcolm was the rhythm guitarist. The band found success in Britain with their 1977 album “Let There Be Rock,” and followed it up with the internationally acclaimed album “Highway to Hell” in 1979.

Leonard Skinner was a Florida gym teacher who once sent a group of students to the principal’s office for having long hair. That group included future members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, who later named their Southern rock band in honor of their former teacher. As band member Gary Rossington put it, “Coach Skinner had such a profound impact on our youth.”

The members of Queen were big fans of the Marx Brothers, and named two albums after the comedy troupe’s movies: 1975’s “A Night at the Opera” and 1976’s “A Day at the Races.” Groucho Marx even sent the band a congratulatory letter on choosing such excellent titles, and Queen later visited the comedian’s home in 1977 to present him with a gold record.

Joni Mitchell has been nominated for 17 Grammys, winning nine times. Her first victory came at the 12th Annual Grammy Awards in 1970, where she claimed Best Folk Performance for her album “Clouds.” In the same decade, Mitchell won another Grammy for the song “Down to You,” and was also nominated for her albums “Court and Spark” and “The Hissing of Summer Lawns.”

For his 1978 debut album, “For You,” Prince told his bosses at Warner Music that he wanted to play every instrument himself. Though they were initially dismissive, the label eventually arranged a trial run. Prince impressed them to get his way, and ultimately played all the instruments on the album, including the drums, guitar, bass, synthesizer, and finger cymbals.

John Lennon's anti-war sentiments ruffled a lot of feathers within the U.S. government in the 1970s, and a deportation order was issued against him and his wife, Yoko Ono, on the grounds of them being convicted of marijuana charges in England in 1968. In 1975, the New York State Supreme Court overturned the order, allowing Lennon to stay.

The live triple album “Europe ’72” is one of the Grateful Dead’s most legendary works, featuring live performances from their tour of the continent in April and May of 1972. The album was among the first triple rock albums certified gold, and was also the band’s final recording with founding member and original keyboardist Ron “Pigpen” McKernan.

KISS performed their first show in 1973 and released their self-titled debut album the following year. The band was composed of bassist Gene Simmons (the Demon), rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley (the Starchild), drummer Peter Criss (the Catman), and lead guitarist Ace Frehley (the Spaceman).

Formed in 1963, Bob Marley and the Wailers achieved commercial renown in the U.S. with their 1976 album, "Rastaman Vibration," which featured the top 10 hit "Roots, Rock, Reggae." Though the group was originally a vocal group, they added instrumentation and rhythm in the early '70s to help give reggae music more appeal.

Fleetwood Mac produced dozens of classic songs, but only one managed to top Billboard’s Hot 100 charts. The Stevie Nicks-penned track “Dreams” — the first single to be released off the band’s album "Rumours" — made it to No. 1 the week of June 18, 1977. Alas, it stayed on top for only one week. The band’s albums tended to sell better, with four of them making it to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts.

One of the best-selling rock bands of all time might never have formed if not for the efforts of singer Linda Ronstadt, who brought Don Henley and Glenn Frey together to play in her band in 1971, shortly before the duo formed the Eagles. Henley and Frey quickly connected through their musical talents. The first song they co-wrote was “Desperado,” the title track to their 1973 sophomore album. The track became a hit and a rock classic when Ronstadt (a music legend in her own right) when she recorded her cover that same year.

Pink Floyd established an enduring legacy with the release of their eighth studio album, 1973’s "Dark Side of the Moon.” The album spent 407 weeks on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart and peaked at No. 10. The band’s next album, “Wish You Were Here,” was released in 1975, followed by “Animals” in 1977. "The Division Bell" wasn’t released until 1994, marking a seven-year gap between its debut and the band’s previous studio album.

The Sex Pistols ushered in punk rock with their 1977 defiant hit "God Save the Queen,” which was released to coincide with Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee. The band, which formed in 1975, split one year later after a disastrous U.S. tour. Despite their brief existence, the Sex Pistols remain one of the most influential bands in the punk genre.

In 1975, at the age of 17, Joan Jett formed the all-female rock powerhouse the Runaways, for which she played lead guitar. The band recorded five albums together before breaking up due to artistic differences in 1979. In 1981, Jett released “I Love Rock 'n' Roll,” her first single with her new band the Blackhearts, which became a bona fide rock classic.

Written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris, 1978’s “I Will Survive” was sung by Gloria Gaynor as the B-side to her cover of the Righteous Brothers' hit "Substitute." While the A-side only peaked at 107 on the charts, "I Will Survive" spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to serve as an anthem of empowerment among women and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Despite the enduring popularity of Dolly Parton's other songs, like "9 to 5," 1971's "Joshua" was actually her first No. 1 hit on the U.S. Country chart. The song was the title track from Parton's 1971 studio album of the same name, and was nominated for Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the 1972 Grammys. In 1974, Parton earned her second No. 1 hit with the anthemic "Jolene.”

In July 1968, a band called the Yardbirds essentially broke up and rebuilt itself with new members. Jimmy Page invited a buddy, Robert Plant, to come on as lead vocalist, and John Bonham to join on drums. The reformed group initially played as the New Yardbirds, but a bigger name change was still to come. In October 1968, the group performed its first concert under its new, new name, Led Zeppelin.

Composed for the 1971 film "Shaft," "Theme From Shaft" took home the Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement the following year. The song also won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, which made Hayes the first African American to win the award for music composition. Hayes re-recorded the song for a 2000 remake of the film, and performed as the opener at his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2002.

Black Sabbath's eponymous 1970 debut album ushered in a new era of heavy metal, as Ozzy Osbourne's powerful vocals and guitarist Tony Iommi's legendary riffs were unlike anything else on the music scene at the time. The band was originally called Polka Tulk Blues Band and later Earth, but changed their name to Black Sabbath after composing a hit song of the same title.

Known as P-Funk, George Clinton's most famous production formed from two individual bands named Parliament and Funkadelic. At its peak, P-Funk's live performances featured more than 40 artists on stage, including the tremendously talented Bootsy Collins on bass. Clinton not only produced the act, but wrote and sang as well.

One year after previously entering the competition in 1973 and finishing in fifth place with the song "Ring Ring," ABBA topped the rest of the field with their performance of "Waterloo" at the 1974 Eurovision competition. The group reworked the song's lyrics from Swedish to English in an effort to broaden its appeal, and it worked. "Waterloo" topped charts all across Europe and reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S.

Released in 1978, the song “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire is one of the most joyous tunes of the ’70s. Though people have long wondered about the meaning behind the specific date chosen in the lyrics, co-writer Maurice White said that the 21st of September was selected because it sang well phonetically.

Roger Daltrey is the lead singer of the British rock band the Who, one of the most influential rock acts of the 1960s and '70s. The band was unparalleled at the time, with songs and lyrics that embraced the teenage experience for what it often is: lonely and moody. Thanks to their prolific contributions, the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

The year 1977 saw the release of the disco movie “Saturday Night Fever.” The soundtrack contains some of the Bee Gees' most legendary tracks, including “Stayin' Alive,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” and “Night Fever.” The album went on to sell 15 million copies, setting a record for soundtrack sales at the time. (The record was overtaken by “The Bodyguard” soundtrack in the '90s.) It remains the only disco record to win the Grammy for Album of the Year.

“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” is one of rock ’n’ roll’s seminal double albums, selling over 30 million copies and topping the charts for eight weeks. While recording, Elton John’s band produced around three to four songs each day, which he composed early each morning. The album’s biggest hits include “Bennie and the Jets” and “Candle in the Wind.”

Conceived in conjunction with Bowie's 1972 album, "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars," the character Ziggy Stardust was an omnisexual alien rock star sent to Earth as a messenger. Ziggy's look was highlighted by a striking orange mullet and glam rock-inspired outfits, and the name "Ziggy" was taken from a local tailor shop that Bowie passed while riding the train.