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, breakup songs

#103 The Chain- Fleetwood Mac

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And if you don’t love me now,
You will never love me again.

Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” is a great breakup song. It appears that promises were made and now that couple is no longer together. The chain that held them together was supposed to stay like that forever.

These words that we speak to each other when we are together–of forever and permanence–do they lose all meaning when the love dies? Was it a lie? Regardless, the narrator says you will never have his love again.  Buckingham has used this line before in Never Going Back Again. Apparently, you get one try with him.

The Chain Meaning
Fleetwood

“The Chain” was written on the famous Rumours album, in which everyone in the band was enmeshed in each other’s sex lives and it was crumbling apart. It made for excellent music, but perhaps not the best working environment. The album is a masterpiece and I cannot imagine anyone not having it in their top five all-time.

“The Chain” is one of the only songs written by everyone in Fleetwood Mac. You can hear the individual contributions of each performer if you listen closely. Most notable is John McVie’s contribution on the bass. The song is heavily driven by its distinct bassline. It has one of Lindsey’s best solos as well. He really rocks. If you have seen him play this live you can see he plays part of the lead while singing at the same time. It is ridiculous.

The Best Cover of The Chain- The Highwomen

This is one of those songs that you would think could never be covered well. However, The Highwomen deliver a captivating performance–worthy of the original–below.

The Chain Lyrics

Listen to the wind blow, watch the sun rise.
Running in the shadows, damn your love, damn your lies.

And if, you don’t love me now,
You will never love me again.
I can still hear you saying,
You would never break the chain (Never break the chain).

And if you don’t love me now,
You will never love me again.
I can still hear you saying,
You would never break the chain (Never break the chain).

Listen to the wind blow, down comes the night.
Running in the shadows, damn your love, damn your lies.
Break the silence, damn the dark, damn the light.

And if you don’t love me now,
You will never love me again.
I can still hear you saying,
You would never break the chain (Never break the chain).

And if you don’t love me now,
You will never love me again.
I can still hear you saying,
You would never break the chain (Never break the chain).

And if you don’t love me now,
You will never love me again.
I can still hear you saying,
You would never break the chain (Never break the chain).
Chain keep us together (running in the shadow)…

written by Fleetwood Mac

1970s songs, couples songs

#102 If- Bread

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If a picture paints a thousand words
Then why can’t I paint you?

“If” by Bread is a beautiful, underrated song from an underrated band. Let me tell you about how I discovered Bread. I remember the scene perfectly, but it could be completely wrong. When I was young, I loved The Wonder Years. Wayne, the big brother, played by Jason Hervey, gets his first girlfriend Carla Gugino. They are sitting in a red car and Wayne turns to her and sings the line above.

If Bread Meaning
Bread

That line and the tune stayed with me. Years later I asked my dad if he knew who sang this song (this was pre-internet), and I quoted him the above line. He said, “That’s the band Bread!’ I bought a Bread cd and they sing the song better than Jason Hervey (naturally). It turns out you know about ten of their songs, but you probably have never heard their name.

There are several things that make Bread’s “If” great. That guitar sound is one-of-a-kind. There are very few songs that can be identified based upon the strumming of the first chord, and this is one of them. The sound throughout is amazing. David Gates singing sounds tender yet intense. We wonder if he’ll be able to hit that final high note and it feels like an accomplishment. We’re happy and relieved. The lyrics are a bit over-the-top, but they are still well-written.

“If’s” melody during the bridge and the verses are both incredible. The song doesn’t have a chorus, which is why you might not hear this on the radio, sadly (though it did reach top 5 when it was released). But it is one of the most well-constructed and performed soft-rock songs of all-time.

If Lyrics

If a picture paints a thousand words,
Then why can’t I paint you?
The words will never show the you I’ve come to know.
If a face could launch a thousand ships,
Then where am I to go?
There’s no one home but you,
You’re all that’s left me too.
And when my love for life is running dry,
You come and pour yourself on me.

If a man could be two places at one time,
I’d be with you.
Tomorrow and today, beside you all the way.
If the world should stop revolving spinning slowly down to die,
I’d spend the end with you.
And when the world was through,
Then one by one the stars would all go out,
Then you and I would simply fly away…
written by David Gates

1970s songs, songs about exes

#100 Heart Of The Matter- Don Henley

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But everything changes/
And my friends seem to scatter/
But I think it’s about forgiveness.

If you watch The Eagles documentary it is clear that Henley has lived a full life. Fuller than most of us. In Don Henley’s “The Heart of the Matter” he seems to be coming to terms with some of the choices he made and believes that forgiveness is a virtue onto itself.

Interestingly, in the song he is giving this advice to someone else, but it doesn’t make it any less poignant. Perhaps carrying around anger will eat you up inside.  Three years after this song was released, he got back together with The Eagles.

The Heart Of The Matter

As I was working on this project, I was surprised by how Henley’s solo work held up. This will be his third song on this list which in my book makes him HOF worthy. He had two other borderline songs as well. I think The Eagles and Henley get a bad rap—much of it rightly deserved due to their arrogance, but there is no doubting their talent.

In “Heart of the Matter” we hear Henley sound more sincere than he does in other songs. The material sounds more personal than anything he did in The Eagles or solo and it comes across in his voice.

Heart Of The Matter
Henley

The Heart Of The Matter Lyrics & Meaning

I got the call today, I didn’t want to hear,
But I knew that it would come.
An old, true friend of ours was talkin’ on the phone,
She said you found someone.

And I thought of all the bad luck,
And the struggles we went through.
And how I lost me, and you lost you.
What are those voices outside love’s open door?
Make us throw off our contentment,
And beg for something more?

I’m learning to live without you now.
But I miss you sometimes.
The more I know, the less I understand.
All the things I thought I knew, I’m learning again.

I’ve been tryin’ to get down
To the heart of the matter,
But my will gets weak,
And my thoughts seem to scatter
But I think it’s about forgiveness,
Forgiveness.
Even if, even if you don’t love me anymore.

These times are so uncertain,
There’s a yearning undefined,
People filled with rage.
We all need a little tenderness,
How can love survive in such a graceless age?

Ah, the trust and self-assurance that lead to happiness,
They’re the very things we kill, I guess.
Oh, pride and competition,
Cannot fill these empty arms.
And the work I put between us, you know it doesn’t keep me warm.

I’m learning to live with out you now,
But I miss you, baby.
And the more I know, the less I understand.
All the things I thought I’d figured out,
I have to learn again.

I’ve been trying to get down
To the heart of the matter,
But everything changes,
And my friends seem to scatter
But I think it’s about forgiveness,
Forgiveness.
Even if, even if you don’t love me anymore.

There are people in your life,
Who’ve come and gone.
They let you down,
You know they’ve hurt your pride.
You better put it all behind you baby,
‘Cause life goes on.
You keep carryin’ that anger,
It’ll eat you up inside baby.

I’ve been trying to get down
To the heart of the matter.
But my will gets weak,
And my thoughts seem to scatter
But I think it’s about forgiveness,
Forgiveness.
Even if, even if you don’t love me.

I’ve been tryin’ to get down
To the heart of the matter.
Because the flesh will get weak,
And the ashes will scatter
So, I’m thinkin’ about forgiveness,
Forgiveness.
Even if , even if you don’t love me.

Forgiveness, forgiveness, baby,
Forgiveness, forgiveness.
Forgiveness, forgiveness.
Even if, even if you don’t love me anymore.

Written by Don Henley