Category Archives: 1970s songs

The best 500 songs from the 1970s. Meanings, lyrics and interpretations from your favorite seventies artists. Fleetwood, The Eagles, Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell, Queen and all your favorite 70s artists ranked.

1970s songs, friendship

#334 Little Help From My Friends- Joe Cocker/The Beatles

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What do you see when you turn out the light?
I can’t tell you, but I know it’s mine.

“With A Little Help From My Friends” is a Joe Cocker classic written by the Beatles. They let Ringo sing lead on it and he performs admirably…or at least it works well for this song. The song’s structure is a serious of questions and answers that make for a unique song and experience.

The background sings the questions, “Would you believe in a love in first sight?” And Ringo answers, “Yes, I’m certain that it happens all the time.” That is a nice structure for the bridge that continues into the chorus…”Do you need anybody?” “I just need someone to love”… The song sounds simple due to the lack of variety in Ringos voice, but the song is actually very well written.

Little Help From My Friends Meaning
Joe Cocker

Joe Cocker’s cover of the song because it borderline surpasses the original. Whereas the The Beatles version feels like a collective effort, Cocker’s sounds lonelier. He is saying that he needs help from his friends because that is part of the human condition. It is a fantastic version and perhaps the best introduction song to a TV show ever: The great Wonder Years.

Little Help From My Friends Meaning
Ringo

Little Help From My Friends Lyrics & Meaning

What would you think if I sang out of tune?
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song
And I’ll try not to sing out of key

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends

What do I do when my love is away?
Does it worry you to be alone?
How do I feel by the end of the day?
Are you sad because you’re on your own?

No, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends

Do you need anybody?
I need somebody to love
Could it be anybody?
I want somebody to love

Would you believe in a love at first sight?
Yes, I’m certain that it happens all the time
What do you see when you turn out the light?
I can’t tell you, but I know it’s mine

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, get high with a little help from my friends
Oh, I’m gonna try with a little help from my friends

Do you need anybody?
I just need someone to love
Could it be anybody?
I want somebody to love

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
Oh, I get high with a little help from my friends
Yes, I get by with a little help from my friends
With a little help from my friends

written by lennon/mccartney

1970s songs, party songs

#330 Blitzkrieg Bop- The Ramones

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Pulsin to the backbeat/
The Blitzkreig Bop.

The lyrics in The Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop” contain words that are similar to those used by the Germans during WWII, but I think that is a bit of a red herring. The meaning of “Blitzkrieg Bop” is innocuous–it is a party song which is played fast, thus “Blitzkrieg”—which connotes fast and “bop” which is slang for party. Plus, the alliteration and absurdity of the phrase makes for a cool song title.

Blitzkrieg Bop Meaning
The Ramones

This is one of those songs that makes you feel good. It reminds you of school being out for summer, and parties and concert-going, specifically, when you were younger. Overall, it reminds you of a simpler time in your life. It is a great anthem that still resonates some fifty years after it was written. The power chords and unmelodic vocals make this pretty much the beginning of punk music. The Ramones were extremely influential on punk and even heavy metal.

Blitzkrieg Bop Lyrics

Hey ho, let’s go.
Hey ho, well let’s go.
Hey ho, let’s go.
Hey ho, let’s go.

They’re formin’ in a straight line.
They’re goin’ through a tight one.
The kids are losin’ their minds-
The Blitzkrieg bop.

They’re pilin’ in the back seat.
They generate steam heat.
Pulsatin’ to the back beat-
The Blitzkrieg bop.

Hey ho, let’s go.
Shoot ’em in the back now.
What they want? I don’t know
They’re all reaved up and ready to go.

They’re formin’ in a straight line.
They’re goin’ through a tight one.
The kids are losin’ their minds-
The Blitzkrieg bop.

They’re pilin’ in the back seat.
They generate steam heat.
Pulsatin’ to the back beat-
The Blitzkrieg bop.

Hey ho, let’s go.
Shoot ’em in the back now.
What they want? I don’t know,
They’re all reaved up and ready to go.

They’re formin’ in a straight line.
They’re goin’ through a tight one.
The kids are losin’ their minds-
The Blitzkrieg bop.

They’re pilin’ in the back seat.
They generate steam heat.
Pulsatin’ to the back beat.
The Blitzkrieg bop.

Hey ho, let’s go.
Hey ho, let’s go.
Hey ho, let’s go.
Hey ho, let’s go.

Songwriters: Joey Ramone / John Cummings / Douglas Colvin / Thomas Erdelyi

1970s songs, looking for love

#329 All By Myself- Eric Carmen

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When I was young/
I never needed anyone…
Those days are gone.

Eric Carmen expresses a couple of interesting ideas in “All By Myself”. One, is that when you are young, you have a lot more friends and you sort of take them for granted. You think you’ll always be able to make friends. But it becomes harder as we get older. Also, when we are younger, many go through a rebellious faze, where they feel they don’t need anyone: that we can do everything by themselves.

All By Myself Meaning
Eric Carmen

Perhaps at that time in their life it is a way of seeking independence from their parents, but here, years later, Carmen finds himself with no one to answer his calls. He is all by himself and he doesn’t want to be that way anymore.

Like many great songs on this list, “All By Myself” is great because the lyrics match the emotional tone of the song. We feel Carmen’s loneliness in his voice: and we feel for him. We also think about the times in our lives that we have been alone and the friendships we have let lapse. Were all of those choices we made the right decision?

I like that the piano carries the first verse and solo until we start adding the full band and orchestration. In the last verse we add a great electric guitar solo followed by the piano solo again. It is a great sequence.

Part of the song is based on a motif of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto in C minor. Here is another song on this list that takes a riff from a classical song and turns it into a pop song.

All By Myself Lyrics

When I was young,
I never needed anyone.
And makin’ love was just for fun.
Those days are gone.

Livin’ alone-
I think of all the friends I’ve known,
But when I dial the telephone,
Nobody’s home.

All by myself,
Don’t want to be
All by myself.
Anymore.

All by myself.
Don’t want to live
All by myself.
Anymore.

Hard to be sure-
Some times I feel so insecure.
And love so distant and obscure,
Remains the cure.

All by myself.
Don’t want to be,
All by myself
Anymore.

All by myself.
Don’t want to live
All by myself.
Anymore.

When I was young,
I never needed anyone.
And makin’ love was just for fun.
Those days are gone.

All by myself,
Don’t want to be, all by myself anymore.
All by myself,
Don’t want to live, all by myself anymore.

All by myself,
Don’t want to be, all by myself anymore.
All by myself,
Don’t want to live, all by myself anymore.
All by myself,
Don’t want to be, all by myself anymore.

Songwriters: Eric Carmen / Sergei Rachmaninoff