50 Best Songs of 1972

11/30/2022

by Julian Spivey

Picture: Elton John (upper left), Stevie Wonder (under right), David Bowie (lower left) & Neil Young (lower right)

1. "Layla" by Derek and the Dominos
“Layla” by Derek & the Dominos is a perfect rock song. You have the iconic guitar intro by Eric Clapton to kick off the song. You have the iconic piano outro by Jim Gordon, which may be the single most beautiful piece of popular music ever. Everything about the playing on this seven-minute song is a masterpiece. The lyrics to “Layla,” written by Clapton and inspired by 12th-century poet Nizami Ganjavi’s narrative poem The Story of Layla and Majnun, are one of a few popular rock songs written about Pattie Boyd, the wife of Clapton’s friend George Harrison of The Beatles, whom Clapton had unrequited love for. The two would marry following Boyd’s divorce from Harrison. As for the beautiful piano part, it was credited to Gordon though many believe he took it from a piece he heard his then-girlfriend musician Rita Coolidge playing. The outro would memorably soundtrack the ending to Martin Scorsese’s gangster classic “Goodfellas.” Clapton would later perform an acoustic version of “Layla” on his “MTV Unplugged” appearance in 1992, which would become a hit and classic in its own right.

2. "Changes" by David Bowie
This list will be filled with multiple tracks off David Bowie’s iconic The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars concept album released in June of 1972, but Bowie’s highest ranking song on this list is “Changes” off his previous album Hunky Dory, which came out in late 1971 with the single coming in the first week of ’72. “Changes” is such an important song for me. My reading on it is about being different from others and how the world must come to accept that people aren’t all the same. I adore the line: “strange fascinations fascinate me.” Bowie certainly wasn’t afraid to be strange and he inspired many to accept they’re strange.

3. "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John
Fair warning. Elton John is going to be all over this list. 1972 was a massive year for him. “Tiny Dancer” is the best of Elton’s 1972 “greatest hits” output, though it’s certainly grown in its legacy since its release. When released as a single in ’72 the song didn’t even crack the Top 40 on Billboard, but through years of radio play, live shows, and maybe the greatest music movie scene of all time in Cameron Crow’s “Almost Famous” the song has gotten to where Rolling Stone in its latest 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list has it ranked as the No. 47 greatest song ever. The lyrics, written by Elton’s career-long lyricist Bernie Taupin, were a mixture of his wife at the time Maxine Feibelman, and Taupin’s first trip to California where he noticed the women there contrasted greatly in overall spirit from the ones back home in England.

4. "Pancho & Lefty" by Townes Van Zandt
I was first introduced to Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho & Lefty” via Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard’s terrific 1983 cover that became a No. 1 country hit. I love both versions of the song and the original by country-folk singer-songwriter Van Zandt deserves such a lofty spot on this list. The tale of a duo of outlaws broken apart by greed and betrayal is quintessentially country and Van Zandt did such a masterful job at crafting sympathy for both characters it became one of the greatest story songs ever written.

5. "Rocket Man" by Elton John
Elton John’s second entry in the top five is “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time,” off Honky Chateau. “Rocket Man,” a No. 6 Billboard hit, tells the mixed feelings an astronaut has about leaving his family behind on Earth to do his job – a space flight to Mars. There’s some debate about the inspiration Bernie Taupin had for the lyrics – possibly Ray Bradbury’s short story The Rocket Man, possibly David Bowie’s 1969 song “Space Oddity” (which Taupin has denied) or maybe just seeing a shooting star or airplane in the distant. Whatever the inspiration, Taupin’s words with Elton John’s beautiful piano playing led to a classic.

6. "Take It Easy" by Eagles
The Eagles and Jackson Browne both broke out with their debut albums in 1972 and the Eagles debut single “Take It Easy,” which would peak at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, was co-written by Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey with Browne. “Take It Easy,” a catchy road song about trying to outrun a number of lovers, would become one of the Eagles most famous hits and a part of many of Browne’s set lists too. Browne would cut the track for his sophomore release For Everyman in 1973.

7. "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young
The biggest hit of Neil Young’s career, his only Billboard No. 1, “Heart of Gold” is quintessentially country-folk-rock with the singer-songwriter going a bit softer on his album Harvest. Young went quieter with an acoustic and harmonica sound after a back injury wouldn’t allow him to stand to play electric guitar for long periods of time. The song, inspired by Young’s newly growing love for actress Carrie Snodgrass, blew up and Young kind of had mixed feelings about it, writing in the liner notes of his 1977 compilation albums Decades: “This song put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there.”

8. "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)" by Jim Croce
I’m sure many young people today wouldn’t understand the premise of Jim Croce’s “Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels,” his No. 17 Billboard Hot 100 hit off You Don’t Mess Around with Jim, which sees a jilted, broken-hearted man calling up a phone operator just so he has someone to spill his guts to about the woman who left him for his friend. It’s a devastating vocal and lyric by Croce reportedly inspired by his time in the military when he’d see soldiers lining up by the phone at the base to see if the Dear John letters they had received from their significant others were true.

9. "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
The lead single off Stevie Wonder’s late 1972 epic Talking Book, “Superstition” would reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January of 1973 and go on to have a place on Halloween playlists for the rest of eternity. The song, which talks about superstitions and their impact on people, would go on to win Wonder two Grammy Awards, including Best R&B Song in 1974. The Hohner Clavinet and Moog bass, both played by Wonder, would give the song its funkiness making listeners want to groove throughout its almost four-and-a-half-minute runtime.

10. "Good Hearted Woman" by Waylon Jennings
In 1969 while staying at a motel in Fort Worth, Texas Waylon Jennings saw a newspaper ad promoting a Tina Turner concert as “a good-hearted woman loving two-timing men.” The phrase instantly stuck in Waylon’s mind, and he immediately went to his friend and fellow songwriter Willie Nelson wanting to write an entire song around the phrase. What came next is one of the all-time greatest country songs that appeared as the title track of Waylon’s 1972 album, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard country chart. This version just featured Waylon on vocals. A probably more known duet version with Nelson that would appear on the collaborative concept album Wanted: The Outlaws! in 1975 would go to No. 1 on the country chart and become a minor crossover hit.

11. "The City of New Orleans" by Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Guthrie’s somewhat of a folk music legend as the offspring of the greatest folk music legend Woody Guthrie. His only top-40 hit was his cover of Steve Goodman’s “The City of New Orleans,” off his 1972 album Hobo’s Lullaby. Guthrie’s version of the song went to No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, a pretty lofty spot for a straight-up folk song in ’72. Goodman, who released his own version the year before on his self-titled debut album, talked Guthrie into listening to the song at a Chicago bar one night as Guthrie begrudgingly said sure if Goodman bought him a beer.

12. "Sail Away" by Randy Newman
Randy Newman’s “Sail Away,” the opening track off his 1972 album of the same name, might be the heaviest song on this list, even if it sounds a bit fairy-tale and whimsical in accompaniment by a full orchestra. Newman, never one to shy away from controversial topics or get into the point of view of a bad guy in song, wrote “Sail Away” as a slave trader promising the American dream to an African. Critic Greil Marcus would say of the song: “[it’s] like a vision of heaven superimposed on hell,” in his 1975 book Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock ‘n’ Roll Music.

13. "Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed
Due to an out-of-date term to refer to African Americans (that was never appropriate), there’s been some talk about canceling Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side,” but that would take away one of the first popular songs to take on topics like transgender people and other things that were taboo at the time. Inspired by the people Reed met as part of Andy Warhol’s Factory scene in the ‘60s when he was a member of The Velvet Underground it’s a unique song about a specific scene frozen in time in a song.

14. "Me & Julio Down By the Schoolyard" by Paul Simon
One of the most fun-sounding songs you’ll find on this list is Paul Simon’s “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” from his self-titled 1972 album. The song with its bouncy pop-rock sound tells the story of two young boys busted for breaking some kind of unmentioned law and the lengths gone to to get the kids out of trouble. I particularly love the lyric about “when the radical priest come to get me released/we was all on the cover of Newsweek” a probable reference to Priests Daniel and Philip Berrigan appearing on a TIME magazine cover in 1971 around the time Simon wrote the song.

15. "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon
For much of my life, including into my thirties, I thought Carly Simon’s was just a catchy chorus on a pop hit. Then one day on a local oldies station I guess I finally really listened to the verses – a seething, biting takedown of an ex-lover (the identity of whom had been debated for years, but is likely Warren Beatty) that struck me with its specificity – it’s probably also the only song I’ve ever heard with the word “gavotte,” which I find cool as a writing nerd. The No. 1 hit would go on to be nominated for many Grammys including Song and Record of the Year both of which it would lose to Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”

16. "Irma Jackson" by Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard’s “Irma Jackson” is one of the most important country songs ever written and recorded, but unfortunately wasn’t released as a single so its impact was limited. The song is about interracial romance, which would’ve absolutely set the country music world on fire in 1972 if released to radio. Haggard wanted it to be a single, but Capitol Records feared it would hurt his image and career.

17. "Ziggy Stardust" by David Bowie
“Ziggy Stardust” is such an epic rocker that it’s hard to believe it wasn’t actually a single off David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Ziggy, the character, is mentioned earlier on the album, but this track (the album’s third to last) is his character’s centerpiece as it tells of his shooting star fame and the jealousy his band has about his superstardom. It’s glam rock at its absolute best.

18. "Peaceful Easy Feeling" by Eagles
“Peaceful Easy Feeling,” the third single of the Eagles’ self-titled debut album, is one of the standard bearers of easy-sounding country rock. Written by Jack Tempchin, the song sees Glenn Frey on the lead vocal with terrific harmonizing vocals from Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner. It’s a simple love song that will make you long for a quiet desert night with the one you love. The song went to No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in ’72.

19. "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" by The Temptations
The Temptations’ final No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” came out in 1972 eight years after their initial No. 1 “My Girl” from 1964. The Motown stars brought more of a soulful funk sound (especially that almost four-minute instrumental intro) to this track of a family dealing with the lingering questions that come after the death of a deadbeat father. The Temptations version was actually the second of ’72. It was originally cut and released by another Motown act, The Undisputed Truth, but The Temptations cut would have the lasting impact.

20. "Political Science" by Randy Newman
Randy Newman’s cheeky, satirical songwriting is one-of-a-kind. One of his first and best pieces of satire was “Political Science,” off 1972’s Sail Away, which takes on American culture and its place in the world with a bit of an “America First” position. The solution – “let’s drop the big one now.” It’s a perfect punchline to the song.

21. "America" by Simon & Garfunkel
“America” by Simon & Garfunkel is the unusual case of a song being released as a single many years after its original album recording. In fact, by the time the single was released in 1972 the duo had been broken up nearly two years. “America,” a tale of a duo traveling the country looking for “America” in both the literal and figurative sense, was on the duo’s 1968 album Bookends, but released as a single when included on Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits in ’72. The song didn’t do much on the charts, but it has been remembered fondly ranking as the duo’s fourth-best song in a 2014 Rolling Stone reader’s poll.

22. "Honky Cat" by Elton John
I find Elton John’s “Honky Cat,” the first track off his fifth studio album Honky Chateau, to be one of his most effortlessly fun recordings with its jazz-tinged boogie-woogie sound mixed with lyrics that could be country (if it were stripped down a bit it wouldn’t have been out of place on 1970’s Tumbleweed Connection). It would top out at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.

23. "Use Me" by Bill Withers
“Use Me” certainly wasn’t Bill Withers’ biggest hit of 1972 – that would be his No. 1 smash “Lean On Me,” but I believe it was his best hit of the year. “Use Me” is funky and sexy as hell, especially Withers’ vocal. It’s a song about a man whose woman is so good at loving him that he frankly doesn’t give a damn if he’s merely being used for his body. “Use Me” would go to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

24. "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" by Elton John
“Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters” is one of the most beautiful songs Elton John ever recorded and Bernie Taupin ever wrote, but because it was never released as a single, it’s not among the most known in his discography. I’ll call it Elton’s best deep cut. The song was on side two of Elton John’s 1972 album Honky Chateau but was introduced to me during his emotional performance of the tune during 2001’s “The Concert for New York” special meant as a tribute to members of the New York Police and Fire Departments in the wake of 9/11.

25. "Old Man" by Neil Young
Neil Young’s “Old Man” is a little happier in its backstory than I ever realized. Young wrote the song for the caretaker of a ranch he bought in Northern California in 1970 comparing the caretaker’s life to his and how they both had similar needs. I always felt the song was a bit more plaintive like the narrator didn’t want to end up like the old man. “Old Man,” the second single off Young’s Harvest, went to No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 in ’72.

26. "Reelin' in the Years" by Steely Dan
I knew I was getting older when I finally decided I liked a Steely Dan song. “Reelin’ in the Year,” a No. 11 Billboard Hot 100 hit off the band’s debut album Can’t Buy a Thrill, was the song that did it for me. How many young folks really dig jazz-rock anyway? I, of course, had heard the song many times before on oldies and classic rock format radio stations, but somehow the lyrics of the verses of a man just letting his ex have it verbally in a sarcastic manner passed me by until one day I just got it. I haven’t skipped past the track since.

27. "You Don't Mess Around with Jim" by Jim Croce
Jim Croce had proven himself to be something of a story song master in his short career and “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim,” his No. 8 hit in 1972 may have been his best. “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim” tells the tale of an underground pool hall and a hustler named “Big” Jim Walker with a reputation as something like a superhero. Nobody can stop “Big Jim,” until a pool player from south Alabama comes to town seeking some revenge. With a supremely catchy chorus and oozing fun, it’s just a delight to hear and sing along with.

28. "Suffragette City" by David Bowie
I hadn’t been aware of this fact when I initially ranked David Bowie’s “Suffragette City” and “Starman” off Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars at No. 28 and 29 on this list, but it turns out “Suffragette City” was actually the B-side to “Starman” when released as a single in 1972. Both songs were recorded in the same session on February 4, 1972. “Suffragette City” was originally offered to the group Mott the Hoople, but they declined and chose to record Bowie’s “All the Young Dudes,” which they would have a hit with, instead. “Suffragette City” certainly feels as if it came from outer space compared to the other records and songs being released during its time.

29. "Starman" by David Bowie
“Starman” seems like such an integral part of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, but it was actually a last-minute addition to the album. In fact, Bowie initially had a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Round and Round” in its place. “Starman” wound up being the lead single off the album and its performance on Britain’s “Top of the Pops” show really helped blast Bowie into the stratosphere of music stardom. The song sees the titular Ziggy Stardust giving the beings of Earth hope in the midst of a potential apocalypse through the radio.

30. "Box No. 10" by Jim Croce
Every now and then I wonder what might have been had Jim Croce not died in a plane crash on September 20, 1973, so early in his career. He had written and recorded so many fantastic story songs in his short career there’s no telling what his turnout might have been. “Box No. 10” wasn’t a single off You Don’t Mess Around with Jim but it’s one of my favorite tracks off the album. It tells the story of a small-town Illinois kid who moves to the big city hoping to make it big as a recording artist and the struggles that follow. It’s devastating but honest.

31. "Doctor My Eyes" by Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne’s self-titled debut album dropped in January of 1972 and its debut single “Doctor My Eyes” instantly signaled the arrival of a new singer-songwriter to pay attention to. It also showed that Browne, at just 24, was wiser than his ears with a track about seeing the evils of life and being concerned that he may never be happy again. It’s depressing stuff, but the music is a bit more uplifting, which probably helped the song peak at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, the second highest charting song of Browne’s career.

32. "Carolyn" by Merle Haggard
There’s a great chance “Carolyn” would probably make a list of my 20 favorite Merle Haggard songs, but it’s not one I see or hear talked about all that much. The song off Hag’s 1971 album Someday We’ll Look Back tells the tale of a man who seeks love elsewhere when he’s not feeling love from his wife Carolyn at home. It was written by one of Haggard’s mentors and friends Tommy Collins. The song was released as a single in late ’71 and topped the Billboard Country chart in January of 1972 staying at No. 1 for three weeks.

33. "Crocodile Rock" by Elton John
Elton John’s ode to early rock & roll, pop culture and youthful independence “Crocodile Rock” would become his first career No. 1 Billboard hit in late 1972, as the first single off Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player. Elton John leaves his piano behind for a Farfisa giving the track a more electro-synthesizer sound that helped it skyrocket up the pop charts. Lyricist Bernie Taupin would later tell Esquire: “It was simply something fun at the time,” while also stating it’s not something he would listen to.

34. "The Cover of the Rolling Stone" by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show
Who would’ve thought poet Shel Silverstein would’ve written two of the 50 best songs of 1972? But here The Giving Tree and Where the Sidewalk Ends author sits with his first entry on the list “The Cover of the Rolling Stone,” which was recorded by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show on their album Sloppy Seconds. The song satirizes success in the music industry and how sometimes the superficial stuff gets in the way of the actual music. It’s an infectiously fun song to sing. It also got Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show on the cover of the actual Rolling Stone magazine – albeit as a caricature – in 1973.

35. "Tight Rope" by Leon Russell
Leon Russell was criminally underrated as a solo artist – better known as a songwriter and musician - but he did have a no. 11 Billboard hit in 1972 with “Tight Rope” off his album Carney. The song is a metaphor comparing one’s life to a high-wire act at the circus. With a fantastic piano performance with a Ragtime feel to it the song really nails the entire circus feel both in its performance and lyrics.

36. "Tumbling Dice" by The Rolling Stones
“Tumbling Dice,” the lead single off the Rolling Stones’ tenth studio album Exile on Main St., sees the rock band going back to its blues-rock roots with a bluesy, boogie rhythm on the song about a hedonistic gambler unable to remain faithful to any one woman. The song would top out at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

37. "Delta Dawn" by Tanya Tucker
It’s incredible but Tanya Tucker was just 13 years old when her recording of “Delta Dawn,” which had been released first by Bette Midler the previous year, became a top-10 country hit that’s lived on forever. Her age at the time of the recording/release is so surprising given the mature story of a past-her-prime woman who used to turn heads in her younger days and now curses the memory of a man who did her wrong.

38. "The Needle & the Damage Done" by Neil Young
“The Needle and the Damage Done,” the third track on this list from Neil Young’s 1972 best-selling album Harvest, is one of the saddest and best (probably because of its sad honesty) anti-drug songs of all time. The track, which was recorded live in concert in early 1971, was about the effects heroin addiction had on musicians and friends Young knew, including Crazy Horse bandmate Danny Whitten, who would overdose less than a year after the release of Harvest.

39. "If You Don't Know Me By Now" by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
“If You Don’t Know Me By Now” is one of the greatest R&B soul vocals of all time by Teddy Pendergrass, who was the lead vocalist for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes at the time of the song’s recording and fantastic backing vocals from a group that included the song’s writers and producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The Recording Industry Association of America would name the song as one of the “Songs of the Century” in 2001, which included 365 total songs.

40. "It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad)" by Merle Haggard
Country music has always had some great and fun song titles and Merle Haggard’s 1972 country No. 1 hit “It’s Not Love (But It’s Not Bad)” is a quintessential country genre title. The only single of Hag’s album of the same name, ‘It’s Not Love’ was released at the very end of ’72 and tells of an affair with a woman who makes him feel better than his cold wife back home has in years.

41. "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" by The Hollies
Upon first listening to The Hollies’ “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” you might mistake it for a Creedence Clearwater Revival song. CCR was clearly the inspiration for the track, co-written by Allan Clarke, Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, with Clarke imitating CCR vocalist John Fogerty’s vocal style from “Green River” and other swamp rock hits by the band. The song would go to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it was kept out of the top spot by Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Alone Again (Naturally).”

42. "New York's Not My Home" by Jim Croce
Jim Croce’s breakthrough 1972 album You Don’t Mess Around with Jim is one of the greatest folk-rock albums of all time and vastly underrated in my opinion. This is the fourth track from that album to make this list and “Time in a Bottle” would’ve been a fifth, but it was released as a single one year later. “New York’s Not My Home” is a homesick tune about a man going to the big city hoping to make it to the big time and realizing that kind of life just ain’t for him.

43. "Burning Love" by Elvis Presley
“Burning Love” would be Elvis Presley’s last big hit. The song, written by Dennis Linde, went to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 making it Elvis’s first Top-10 hit since 1969’s “Suspicious Minds.” It would be his final top-10 song before his untimely death in 1977. It was kept from the top spot by Chuck Berry’s ridiculous novelty track “My Ding-a-Ling,” but Berry probably deserved to finally one-up Presley for multiple reasons. It was nice to see some late-career fire out of Elvis.

44. "Moonage Daydream" by David Bowie
The fourth and final song from David Bowie’s concept album Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars to appear on this list (the fifth Bowie song overall) is “Moonage Daydream.” The glam rock track is the one that first introduces the titular Stardust on the album, a bisexual alien rockstar who’s come to save the Earth from impending disaster. Mick Ronson’s guitar playing is a highlight of the track.

45. "Someday Never Comes" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
“Someday Never Comes” was the final single (topping out at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100) for Creedence Clearwater Revival before they broke up before the year’s end. John Fogerty wrote the song as his marriage and band were falling apart and was inspired by his parents’ divorce when he was a child and being told “someday you’ll understand.” As an adult, he came to realize that’s someday that never comes.

46. "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers
“Lean On Me,” which was a No. 1 hit in 1972 for three weeks, is likely Bill Withers’ most popular and best-known song, but it’s not even my favorite Withers song from ’72. It is, however, one helluva vocal for Withers that would stand the test of time and go on to win Best R&B Song at the Grammy Awards. Withers said his hometown of Slab Fork, Va. was the inspiration for the song when he missed his tight-knit community after moving to the big city of Los Angeles to pursue a music career.

47. "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues" by Danny O'Keefe
I was first introduced to “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” through a cover by Dwight Yoakam, whom I confess to enjoying his version more because I think his vocal truly gets the sadness out of the lyric. But the song was written and originally released by Danny O’Keefe in 1972 and somehow the song, despite its plaintive tone, became a top-10 hit (O’Keefe’s only as an artist). It’s the tale of a down-on-his-luck man living a restless life in a rundown small town and being left by everybody he knows.

48. "Lonely at the Top" by Randy Newman
Randy Newman wanted Frank Sinatra to record “Lonely at the Top” and goddamn it would’ve been the perfect song for Ol’ Blue Eyes to belt. But it was kind of a satire of Sinatra’s whole lifestyle, which didn’t fly for him, and he turned it down. Newman would record it himself for his critical breakthrough Sail Away and that’s probably for the best as he’s able to wring the appropriate amount of satire in his own vocal.

49. "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" by The Looking Glass
“Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” might have been The Looking Glass’ only hit – though it was a massive one topping the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1972 – but it has lived on in musical history as one of the greatest one-hit wonders of all time and a regular on soft rock and oldies platform radio stations. The song, written by the group’s guitarist and co-vocalist Elliot Lurie, tells the tale of a seaport harbor town barmaid serving numerous flirty sailors daily but pining for one who left her to be with the sea long ago.

50. "One's On the Way" by Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn, who we, unfortunately, lost this year, was one of the toughest ladies (if not the toughest) throughout the history of country music. She was also not afraid to take on a controversial subject. Her birth control ode “The Pill,” wouldn’t be released for another three years, but it wasn’t her first song to bring up the subject – that would be 1972’s “One’s On the Way,” with its lyric “the pill may change the world tomorrow/but meanwhile today/here in Topeka the flies are a-buzzing/the dog is a-barking and the floor needs a scrubbing/One needs a spanking and one needs a hugging Lord/One’s on the way.” It would be a No. 1 country hit, but surprisingly wasn’t written by Lynn (who penned much of her own work) but by Shel Silverstein, the writer who had already had a massive country hit writing Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue” and also penned the song at No. 33 on this very list.

0 Comments

50 Best Songs of 1972

Leave a Reply.

Archives