How the '70s Still Influence Music Today

8 Ways the 70s Still Influences Music Today

Welcome to MsMojo, and today were counting down our picks for the ways that the 1970s live on in your headphones today.

Punk Rock Attitude

This hard-charging, countercultural, often controversial subgenre is nothing if not a direct product of the 1970s. Popularized by such revolutionaries as the Ramones, New York Dolls, and most crucially, the Sex Pistols, punk rock was a defiant middle finger to the establishment, encouraging young people to fight the power and think for themselves. Although the raw, DIY ethos of 70s punk gradually gave way to polished 80s new wave, the genre never truly died. Instead, it shifted and evolved, and eventually gave rise to pop-punk, which combined sugary-sweet melodies and more personal songwriting with punks classic sound. The enormously popular new genre, then, ushered in bands we know and love today like Blink-182, Green Day, and Paramore.

Glam Theatricality

It should go without saying that the LGBTQ+ community has always played a role in the music industry. However, that role became significantly more prominent with the advent of quote-unquote glam rock. Artists like David Bowie and T. Rexs Marc Bolan flaunted their androgynous aesthetic, playing on audience expectations and confirming that rock music could truly be for everyone. The scene even produced Jobriath, the first openly gay rock musician to be signed to a major label. While glam rock took a significant hit from Marc Bolans 1977 death, artists like Queen and Elton John would confidently pick up his baton. Glam rocks flouting of gender conventions would go on to inspire such modern-day pop acts as Harry Styles, Benson Boone, and Måneskin[a].

Hip Hop Origins

Hip hop music is unique, a truly American invention in the vein of jazz and blues. The genre started in earnest during the 70s, the product of Bronx block parties that opened their doors to people of all races and creeds. Neighborhood MCs would rap spoken-word poetry over the percussive breaks in disco, funk, and soul records. Fast forward to 1979, and hip hop was a genuine mainstream sensation. Artists like the Sugarhill Gang and DJ Kool Herc took the art form from the streets of New York to everywhere else. We probably dont need to tell you that hip hop has since become a bona fide global phenomenon, with seemingly every culture around the world having their own take on it.

Recording Studio Innovations

It probably goes without saying that the technology that musicians use to record their tunes has become just a tad more sophisticated in the past half-century. With that having been said, Pitchforks Marc Hogan once wrote that the 1970s marked the dawn of the modern era in music technology, applying and refining the developments of earlier decades while also laying the foundations of the techniques and styles that would follow. The 70s saw the invention of such groundbreaking bits of tech like the Fairlight CMI, an early sampling machine, along with portable synthesizers, commercial digital recording, and crucially, the Sony Walkman. People really wanted their music to go!

Enduring Disco Grooves

Nowadays, the sound of disco is so ubiquitous in pop music that you would think it had been beloved and widely accepted since its inception. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Despite the genres inclusive culture, it was blasted by fans of rock music for its perceived blandness and consumerist leanings. This culminated in Disco Demolition Night in 1979, an event held at Chicagos Comiskey Park that would blow up a crate of disco records. Largely attributed to homophobia and racism, disco eventually began to experience a slow revival starting in the 1990s. In the 2020s, the disco revival is inescapable, with artists like Dua Lipa and Jessie Ware putting their own knowing, self-aware take on the genre.

The Concept Album

We wouldnt say itd be accurate to say that the notion of the concept album was invented during the 70s. The idea of an album that told a complete story through its songs, though, was largely popularized during the decade, with records like Pink Floyds Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall setting the standard for generations to come. The concept album defied genre lines, too, with Marvin Gayes 1971 classic Whats Going On serving as a non-rock example. While the concept album threatened to disappear over time, the rise of digital streaming has encouraged contemporary indie artists like Ethel Cain and Frank Ocean to let their albums be just that albums, rather than a collection of individual songs. Check out Preachers Daughter and Blonde for proof!

Yacht Rock Vibes

You might already be able to tell from the name that yacht rock was never exactly considered the coolest genre. Emerging as an antidote to abrasive hard rock, soft rock artists like Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, Carole King, Steely Dan, and more pulled from jazz, R&B, and soul to formulate an instantly recognizable smooth sound. While the genre was tragically derided by rock purists at the time, so-called yacht rock has since experienced a cult revival from people who appreciate its irresistible grooves and tight musicianship. Modern-day acts like Mac DeMarco, Thundercat, and Clairo have mined that classic yacht rock sound to great effect, finally giving an underappreciated age of music its due.

Funk & Soul Forever

Of course, we couldnt close out our video without mentioning the two genres arguably most crucial to the development of what would eventually become pop, hip hop, and R&B. Although the two genres histories are so intertwined and deep-rooted that we couldnt break them all down here, just know that the 70s were funks heyday and souls renaissance period, respectively. Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Chaka Khan, Parliament-Funkadelic the list goes on, and on, and on. Countless modern-day artists have cited 70s funk and soul as being formative to their sound, whether directly or indirectly, including such heavy hitters as Adele, Steve Lacy, and maybe youve heard of her Beyoncé.

Whats your favorite musical act from the 70s? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

[a]https://youtu.be/bmoth7zPSyQ?si=so2SM4GnVn-hcI0T