(Credits: Far Out / NASA / Uwe Conrad)
Tue 20 January 2026 20:00, UK
If the 1960s were defined by peace and love, the 1970s were marked by uncertainty over what would come next. Rock and roll had already exploded into the mainstream and was evolving rapidly. With the stars of the previous decade moving far beyond their original sounds, no one could have predicted where music in the ’70s would head.
As soon as the 1960s ended, it seemed that the law of physics was playing out: what comes up, must come down. While the decade is characterised by tie-dye sprawling colours and rose-tinted reflections of the hippie age, it ended with a crash, as between the Manson murders, the Altamont deaths and the grip of drugs beginning to truly have disastrous effects, the hedonism seemed to finally be showing its consequential colours.
There’s also the matter of politics and the economy, wherein the US economy settled into a state of stagflation, meaning that inflation was skyrocketing while any sort of economic advancement seemed to have stagnated. In the UK, it was a disaster as industries fell into strike after strike, with workers across the board getting bad deals, especially in workforces where the majority was made up of working-class people.
In this period of intense unrest in the workforce, while unemployment was also spiking, a new villain was about to come into play. In 1975, Margaret Thatcher became the leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, and by 1979, she’d be prime minister; however, while it might seem like political figures would have little to do with music, the two worlds have always been intertwined, and in the 1970s, they were closer than ever.
With the crash of the 1960s into a darker world of political chaos and economic struggles, people were angry, so naturally, the music matched the tone, showing that, really, only a decade like the ‘70s could lead to the birth of punk. It is no coincidence that the year of Thatcher’s step up to party leader was also the year the Sex Pistols launched as the new voice of the youth’s rage.
With punk, heavy metal, and hard rock hitting the street, you could hear the sounds getting rowdier and fueled with more passionate angst, so when reflecting on the era, it’s bands on the cutting edge that stand out, including the likes of the Ramones, Sex Pistols, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and even new wave genre-defining acts like Blondie or Talking Heads, or the names evolving classic rock further, like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.
However, the question arises of whether that translates to chart victory, and if the bands we now remember from the era match up to those who were winning it year on year. In 1976, punk was at its peak, Ramones came out with their debut, Sex Pistols were signed to EMI, and Patti Smith was a rising icon, but when it comes to the charts, was any of this reflected there?
So, what was the best-selling classic rock song in 1976?
In short, no, and despite it being one of the most exciting and passionate years in the world of rock music, even the bestselling track from the genre barely even fits the description, with Wings’ ‘Silly Love Songs’ taking the victory as the best-selling track of the year in the US.
However, the song is arguably one of the band’s most pop-leaning offerings, or certainly it’s most twee, as Paul McCartney and his band present a sweet love ditty that mums everywhere would love. It lacks any of the rage that had the music world gripped, reminding us that the mainstream often doesn’t reflect the truth of the times.
In the UK, the best-selling song makes that point even clearer, wherein Brotherhood of Man’s ‘Save Your Kisses for Me’ was the top track of the year, once again barely fitting the rock descriptor as another song your mum, or even your gran, would have on repeat. It’s meek and mild, utterly inoffensive, and utterly out of touch with the year that birthed punk and saw the volume turn up.
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