100 Best 70s Songs: The Ultimate Playlist

The 1970s mixed glitter with grit. Clubs pulsed with four-on-the-floor disco, stadiums shook under guitar anthems, and turntables jumped from soul and funk to reggae, punk and art pop. This playlist is built to travel across that spectrum. It balances chart impact, cultural influence and staying power, then spreads the love across genres so the decade’s range comes through clearly.

How we ranked the list

We considered five signals: chart performance at release, cultural footprint since, streaming relevance today, genre balance and historical influence on later artists. When two tracks felt equal, we leaned toward songs that still spark fresh listeners.

The Top 10

1) “Stayin’ Alive” — Bee Gees (1977)

The mirror-ball heartbeat of the decade: urgent falsettos, strutting groove, immortal opening riff.
Quick stats:
• Spotify streams: ~1.28B.
• US Billboard Hot 100: #1 (1978).
• Notes: A Saturday Night Fever pillar and one of the most recognizable intros in pop.

2) “Bohemian Rhapsody” — Queen (1975)

Opera-rock drama that turned a six-minute epic into a global anthem.
Quick stats:
• Spotify streams: ~2.90B.
• US Billboard Hot 100: #9 (1976; re-peaked at #2 in 1992).
• US certification: RIAA Diamond single.

3) “Dancing Queen” — ABBA (1976)

Euphoric pop perfection with symphonic sparkle and a chorus everyone can sing.
Quick stats:
• Spotify streams: ~1.76B.
• US Billboard Hot 100: #1 (1977).

4) “Stairway to Heaven” — Led Zeppelin (1971)

A slow-burn odyssey from folk hush to hard-rock catharsis; the most famous non-single of the era.
Quick stats:
• Spotify streams: ~1.18B.
• Chart note: Not originally released as a US single; later charted via digital era.

5) “Superstition” — Stevie Wonder (1972)

That clavinet riff. Funk powered by Moog bass, horns, and unstoppable swing.
Quick stats:
• Spotify streams: ~709M.
• US Billboard Hot 100: #1 (Jan 1973).

6) “Hotel California” — Eagles (1976)

Sun-bleached mystique and twin-guitar majesty; a parable of excess that never ages.
Quick stats:
• Spotify streams: ~1.98B.
• US Billboard Hot 100: #1 (1977).
• US digital single: RIAA Platinum (downloads).

7) “Imagine” — John Lennon (1971)

A plain-spoken piano hymn that became pop’s universal wish.
Quick stats:
• Spotify streams: ~794M.
• US Billboard Hot 100: #3 (1971).

8) “Let’s Stay Together” — Al Green (1971)

Velvet-toned soul, perfectly balanced between devotion and groove.
Quick stats:
• Spotify streams: ~680M.
• US Billboard Hot 100: #1 (1972). US RIAA: Platinum.

9) “Le Freak” — Chic (1978)

Studio 54 turned into a bassline — Chic’s most iconic call to the dancefloor.
Quick stats:
• Spotify streams: ~229M (2018 remaster lead version; multiple versions exist).
• US Billboard Hot 100: #1 (six weeks across three runs). RIAA: 5× Platinum (single).

10) “I Will Survive” — Gloria Gaynor (1978)

An enduring empowerment anthem that keeps finding new generations.
Quick stats:
• Spotify streams: ~522M (Original 7″ version) + ~246M (popular album/single listings) — ~768M combined across official versions.
• US Billboard Hot 100: #1 (1979). US RIAA: Platinum.

The Rest of the Best

11. Fleetwood Mac – “Go Your Own Way” (1977)
12. Blondie – “Heart of Glass” (1978)
13. The Clash – “London Calling” (1979)
14. Pink Floyd – “Wish You Were Here” (1975)
15. Earth, Wind & Fire – “September” (1978)
16. The Sugarhill Gang – “Rapper’s Delight” (1979)
17. The Rolling Stones – “Brown Sugar” (1971)
18. Don McLean – “American Pie” (1971)
19. Bob Marley & The Wailers – “No Woman, No Cry” (1975)
20. The Who – “Baba O’Riley” (1971)
21. Fleetwood Mac – “Dreams” (1977)
22. Simon & Garfunkel – “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970)
23. Sex Pistols – “Anarchy in the U.K.” (1976)
24. Bill Withers – “Lean on Me” (1972)
25. Marvin Gaye – “Let’s Get It On” (1973)
26. The Police – “Roxanne” (1978)
27. Pink Floyd – “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2” (1979)
28. Black Sabbath – “Paranoid” (1970)
29. Elton John – “Tiny Dancer” (1971)
30. Elton John – “Your Song” (1970)
31. David Bowie – “Life on Mars?” (1971)
32. David Bowie – “Heroes” (1977)
33. Billy Joel – “Piano Man” (1973)
34. Boston – “More Than a Feeling” (1976)
35. Ramones – “Blitzkrieg Bop” (1976)
36. Lou Reed – “Walk on the Wild Side” (1972)
37. Neil Young – “Heart of Gold” (1972)
38. Fleetwood Mac – “The Chain” (1977)
39. Deep Purple – “Smoke on the Water” (1972)
40. Bruce Springsteen – “Born to Run” (1975)
41. Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Free Bird” (1973)
42. The Beatles – “Let It Be” (1970)
43. Thin Lizzy – “The Boys Are Back in Town” (1976)
44. Aerosmith – “Dream On” (1973)
45. Aerosmith – “Walk This Way” (1975)
46. Dire Straits – “Sultans of Swing” (1978)
47. The Clash – “Train in Vain” (1979)
48. Supertramp – “The Logical Song” (1979)
49. Elton John – “Bennie and the Jets” (1973)
50. Roberta Flack – “Killing Me Softly with His Song” (1973)
51. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “American Girl” (1976)
52. The Rolling Stones – “Wild Horses” (1971)
53. Fleetwood Mac – “Landslide” (1975)
54. Electric Light Orchestra – “Mr. Blue Sky” (1977)
55. AC/DC – “Highway to Hell” (1979)
56. Michael Jackson – “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” (1979)
57. Village People – “Y.M.C.A.” (1978)
58. Patti Smith Group – “Because the Night” (1978)
59. Bill Withers – “Lovely Day” (1977)
60. Donna Summer – “Hot Stuff” (1979)
61. Funkadelic – “One Nation Under a Groove” (1978)
62. Steve Miller Band – “The Joker” (1973)
63. Gary Wright – “Dream Weaver” (1975)
64. Gerry Rafferty – “Baker Street” (1978)
65. Bob Seger – “Night Moves” (1976)
66. The Charlie Daniels Band – “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” (1979)
67. Eagles – “Lyin’ Eyes” (1975)
68. America – “A Horse with No Name” (1971)
69. Gordon Lightfoot – “If You Could Read My Mind” (1970)
70. Fleetwood Mac – “Rhiannon” (1975)
71. Al Green – “Tired of Being Alone” (1971)
72. Marvin Gaye – “What’s Going On” (1971)
73. Bob Marley & The Wailers – “I Shot the Sheriff” (1973)
74. Jimmy Cliff – “The Harder They Come” (1972)
75. Toots & The Maytals – “Pressure Drop” (1970)
76. The Stranglers – “No More Heroes” (1977)
77. Gary Numan – “Cars” (1979)
78. The Police – “Message in a Bottle” (1979)
79. The Knack – “My Sharona” (1979)
80. The Buggles – “Video Killed the Radio Star” (1979)
81. Faces – “Stay With Me” (1971)
82. Iggy Pop – “The Passenger” (1977)
83. Roxy Music – “Virginia Plain” (1972)
84. T. Rex – “Get It On (Bang a Gong)” (1971)
85. Mott the Hoople – “All the Young Dudes” (1972)
86. Alice Cooper – “School’s Out” (1972)
87. The Who – “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (1971)
88. Raspberries – “Go All the Way” (1972)
89. Kansas – “Carry On Wayward Son” (1976)
90. Bob Marley & The Wailers – “Jamming” (1977)
91. Queen – “We Will Rock You” (1977)
92. Queen – “We Are the Champions” (1977)
93. The Rolling Stones – “Miss You” (1978)
94. Thin Lizzy – “Jailbreak” (1976)
95. Black Sabbath – “Iron Man” (1970)
96. Supertramp – “Goodbye Stranger” (1979)
97. Elton John – “Rocket Man” (1972)
98. Rod Stewart – “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” (1978)
99. Chic – “Everybody Dance” (1977)
100. Carl Douglas – “Kung Fu Fighting” (1974)