There are some quite opposing views about the quality of music released 50 years ago, back in 1974. While some consider it the worst year in pop, others think it truly rocked.
So, which is it? Probably somewhere between these two ends, but as is the case with practically any year you consider, there is always a selected crop that constitutes a great musical vintage, albums, and songs that you can still pick up and play and get great satisfaction out of them.
In hindsight, the 21 songs below could easily grace any 1974 playlist, a 1970s one, and quite a few of these would easily find their way on a great classics list.
21 amazing songs turning 50 years old in 2024
January
Paul McCartney and Wings - “Band on the Run”
The album of the same name, and possibly McCartney’s solo best, was released in 1973 but the great one decided to start a new year with the title song, and an incredible combination of pop and prog rock, in the manner that only he could.
February
David Bowie - “Rebel Rebel”
When Bowie released his Diamond Dogs album it got mixed reviews, one of the possible reasons may be lying in the fact that this single that preceded it raised expectations so high. To this day, it remains one of Bowie's classics.
March
Gordon Lightfoot - “Sundown”
By this time pop/rock singer-songwriters were mainly considered album artists, and most of the singles they came up with never made it big. But this Canadian late great really had a knack for coming up with big singles, this one making it really big, and all for the right reasons.
Joni Mitchell - “Help Me”
By her Court and Spark album, from which this song was culled as a single, Mitchell was fully immersed in jazz forms without leaving her pop melody sensibilities behind, and this song proved to be a perfect blend of the two.
Stevie Wonder - “Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing”
By all standards, Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions album is possibly his best and surely one of the classics of modern pop/rock/soul/R&B all the modes Wonder presented on this album, and quite effectively showcased on this, the third single from the album.