#9 - "Well You Can Tell By The Way I Use My Walk" - Soundtracks and Theme Songs

There were decades before and there have been decades since that had popular soundtracks, but the 70's was really the beginning of mass-appeal for soundtracks.  There were television theme songs that became radio hits.  There were movie soundtracks that broke records and remain popular to this day.  And there were theme songs that could define a movie, a character or a television show.  There were even movie themes that became disco hits.  So let's take a look at some of the best of the decade.

Soundtracks

Saturday Night Fever: As seen in #10 (The birth and death of disco) - Saturday Night Fever became the soundtrack of the decade.  The movie and the soundtrack launched both The Bee Gees and John Travolta into super stardom.  The Bee Gees scored 4 Top-10 hits from the album with "How Deep Is Your Love", "Night Fever", "If I Can't Have You" and "Stayin' Alive".  John Travolta became so popular that anything he appeared on was an instant success - at least until the 80's rolled around.

The Bee Gees - You Should Be Dancing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JoZS6LgqYI

Grease: Hot off the heels of the success of Saturday Night Fever, John Travolta teamed up with Olivia Newton-John in this classic 70's musical set to the 50's.  Olivia Newton-John had success as a singer in the early 70's, but with this big screen debut she jumped into super-celebrity status alongside John Travolta.  To date this album has sold more than 30 million copies and produced 4 Top-10 hits in the US with the title track "Grease", "You're The One That I Want", "Summer Nights" and "Hopelessly Devoted To You".  I can still remember playing "Grease" on the playground at my grade school.  But somehow I was never cool enough to be Danny Zuko...that bites the big one, with relish

John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John - "Summer Nights"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW0DfsCzfq4

American Graffiti - Okay, I know you're saying to yourself "Why is American Graffiti listed in a 70's category?".  Yes, American Graffiti is full of songs from the 50's and early 60's, BUT this movie and soundtrack did not come out until 1973.  This was the first hit for future Star Wars director George Lucas, and the soundtrack was a best seller as well.  This album has been certified triple platinum.  The film starred Richard Dreyfuss and featured Harrison Ford, both of whom went on to achieve major success as film stars.  It also featured Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips and Suzanne Somers who all four went on to star in very successful 70's tv shows.  One of these shows, Happy Days, was created based on American Graffiti

Theme Songs

Star Wars Theme (Disco version) - When Star Wars, later titled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, came out in 1977, nobody had high expectations for the success of the movie.  However, this movie would change the entire way movies were made.  While "Jaws" had been the first summer blockbuster, Star Wars took the crown away and held onto it for several years.  The impact Star Wars had on popular culture still continues to this day.  Meco came up with a disco version of the popular Star Wars Main Theme and it reached #1 on the US Billboard Charts.  

Meco - Star Wars Theme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWRWYYt47RI

Theme From Shaft - This song was written and recorded by Isaac Hayes for the motion picture Shaft.  The song went to #1 in the Billboard Hot 100 and later won an Academy Award for Best Original Song....that's one bad mutha

Isaac Hayes - Theme From Shaft

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q429AOpL_ds

Welcome Back - This song was written and recorded by John Sebastian written specifically for the ABC television sitcom, "Welcome Back, Kotter".  The tv show was the launch pad of future mega star John Travolta.  The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100

John Sebastian - Welcome Back

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6o0Cah5kQU

The Rockford Files Theme - The Rockford Files Theme was written by Mike Post and was the intro to the television show "The Rockford Files" starring Oklahoma native James Garner.  Mr. Garner starred as Detective Jim Rockford.  The Rockford Files Theme went on to reach #10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Mike Post - Rockford Files Theme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg1Cx26-928

There are many other "Theme" songs from the 70's that were hits and other soundtracks that were popular during the decade.  In fact, the first music album I ever received was a soundtrack and I still have a copy of it to this day...Mahna Mahna

The Muppet Show - Mahna Mahna

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTXyXuqfBLA

#10 - "I Want To Put On My Dancin' Shoes" - Disco

For as long as I can remember, music has been a huge part of my life.  From the earliest days of my childhood, I can always think back to particular songs that moved me or that when I hear them take me back to a feeling or a memory of a moment in time.  The face of music has changed a lot over the years but there's always one decade that brings back the most memories for me and that's the 70's.  It was such a unique time for music.  The 70's brought such a great, diverse offering of music that you literally did not know what you might hear next on the radio.


In a day before MTV (when they actually played videos), iPod's and iPhones, Sony Walkman's (for us older folks), Pandora, YouTube or even the internet for that matter, music was mainly received through the radio.  AM radio was dying out and FM was where it was at.  Tune in to your favorite station and you might get Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Glen Campbell, Neil Diamond and The Bay City Rollers all in the same hour of music.  Tuning into Casey Kasem's American Top 40 on the weekends was an experience the country shared together.  Hearing the hits of the day would inspire generations to go out and purchase albums and 8-tracks of their favorite artists and it wasn't just about a single (although there were plenty of one-hit wonders to choose from), but it was about the ALBUM.  The entire album was an experience.  This decade became the birth of Album Rock. 


So now I present to you - the top 10 reasons that the 70's was THE GREATEST decade in music!!!




10.) The Birth of Disco (and death) - Say what you will about disco music.  This music defined the late part of the 70's.  Ask some random people about the 70's and disco WILL come up in the conversation.  People claim that they can't stand disco, but put on "Stayin' Alive" by The Bee Gees or "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor and I guarantee people will sing every word as loud as they can and do their best John Travolta - Saturday Night Fever (not to be confused with Saturday Night Live) dance moves.  Disco wasn't just a style of music, it became the whole scene of the late 70's.  It determined the style of clothing, it determined the popularity of clubs (Studio 54 anyone?), it determined the popularity of movies, it was every where.  So popular was the style of music that even rock bands jumped on the bandwagon.  Bands like KISS, The Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart had huge hits with disco songs. 




Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBR2G-iI3-I




KISS - I Was Made For Lovin' You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7isxoTIeYM




Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iw_BE_X9sA




Rod Steward - Da Ya Think I'm Sexy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hphwfq1wLJs






Other bands fully embraced the disco era and they defined the genre.  No other band had more of an impact than The Bee Gees.  The Bee Gees had a string of hits in the 60's and early 70's but they were turned into Mega-Stars once Barry Gibb developed his falsetto singing style set over a disco beat.  Their soundtrack and the movie Saturday Night Fever is a true time-capsule into the impact of disco on the country.  This album is still in the top 10 list of highest selling albums of all-time.  Personally I felt like the plot was empty with this movie, but I still absolutely love it.  I will watch it any time I happen across it on tv.  This movie and soundtrack not only launched the Bee Gees into super-stardom, but also John Travolta.  If you've never seen it, check it out sometime.  You'll be longing for the days of leisure suits and light-up dance floors




Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_izvAbhExY




ABBA was another "disco band" that achieved huge success based on their danceable hits.  They were a band from Sweden and they garnered a huge following with their disco sound.  Songs like "Dancing Queen", "The Winner Takes It All" and "Take A Chance On Me" could be heard on the radio and in clubs across the country.




ABBA - Take A Chance On Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOR5GA4gDfM




One other band that has to be mentioned is The Village People.  The Village People was a "gimmick band" comprised of 6 different "masculine cultural" personalities that sang disco hits.  The members were made up of a cop, a Native American, a soldier, a construction worker, a cowboy and a leather "biker".  They started out with just a gay following, but soon broke out into international superstars with their disco hits "Macho Man", "In The Navy" and of course "YMCA".  People still can't help but throw up their arms to YMCA when they hear it.




Village People - YMCA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS9OO0S5w2k




There are many other bands and one-hit wonders that had huge successes in the disco era, but these were major players to the genre.  Disco was so huge in the 70's that it completely absorbed pop culture and choked itself out.  By the end of the decade, people were so sick of hearing disco that a backlash ensued.  People were sporting "Disco Sucks" t-shirts and bands that had jumped on the disco bandwagon were accused of being sell-outs. Band like KISS had a huge backlash that took years to recover due to "selling out" their music for disco.  On July 12th, 1979, there was a huge event held at Comiskey Park in Chicago called Disco Demolition Night in which disco albums were blown up on the field.  This is known as "The Day Disco Died"




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1zN-oLCKo4




Say what you will about disco, but it's impact on the decade cannot be denied.  The songs are catchy and still hold up today.  You can still hear many of them in clubs and at sporting events across the country