About This Quiz
Are you on a "Stairway to Heaven" or a "Highway to Hell"?
There is no denying that the '70s was one of the most influential decades in the recent history of music. In fact, many industry experts and critics consider this decade to be the "decade of disco." While the disco genre reared its head in the late '60s, it wasn't until the early '70s that it truly began to get to its feet and hit the dance floor. Artists like Donna Summer (the Queen of Disco) and groups like the Bee Gees experienced great success. However, disco wasn't the only thing that was big during this time. Rock and roll was still going strong and strutting its stuff on the charts, and heavy metal gained even more legitimacy during this time.Â
In this quiz we've taken a look at some of the biggest names from one of the biggest decades in music and then selected a handful of the most iconic songs that we could find. From Elton John to Bob Marley, Black Sabbath to Stevie Wonder, this quiz has it all! So are you down with the cool cats? Then let's jump right into this funkadelic quiz and get started!
Kool & the Gang is a Grammy Award winning group from New Jersey that has over 20 studio albums in their catalog. The group has been putting out music since 1964 and they have managed to encompass a wide range of genres, such as soul, R&B, disco, jazz, and funk.
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English rock band the Who are responsible for the creating of "Won't Get Fooled Again," a hard rock song that received widespread critical acclaim. The song notably speaks on themes of power and revolution.
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"Superstition" is widely hailed as one of Stevie Wonder's most popular songs and in 1973 it managed to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Stevie Wonder is also notable for being a devoted activist, notably for supporting the campaign to establish Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
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ABBA is a Europop group that originated in Sweden in the early '70s and they also notably won the Eurovision Song Contest 1974. "Dancing Queen" is notable for being their only number one song in the United States.
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"Born to Run" is the eponymous song of its album and without a doubt one of Springsteen's most notable singles. It has received praise and critical acclaim from several notable names in the music industry, including "Rolling Stone" and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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Barry White is a Grammy Award winning singer and one of the most prolific artists of all time, wit over 100 million units sold. "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby" was Barry White's first single from his first album "I've Got So Much to Give."
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"Imagine" holds the distinction of being John Lennon's most successful single as a solo artist. After his murder in 1980, it eventually reached number on on the UK charts.
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Earth, Wind & Fire is a soul/funk band that originated in Chicago in the late '60s. With close to 100 million records sold, they are one of the best-selling bands in the world and they have earned countless awards, including half a dozen Grammy Awards.
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"It's a Matter of Time" was initially released as a B-side to "Burning Love," and this single is notable for being Elvis Presley's last one that was certified platinum. It was released in 1972 and was actually written by prolific British songwriter, Clive Westlake.
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"Super Bad" was originally structured as a three part single, with the complete version having a length of just over 9 minutes. The song peaked at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart and number 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
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"Rock Steady" is a funk song that was both written and performed by Aretha Franklin. Initially it was released with "Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)" as its B-side and then the song was also included as a part of her eighteenth album, "Young, Gifted and Black."
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In 1979, "Just the Way You Are" earned Billy Joel the Grammy Award for Song of the Year and the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. The song also holds the distinction of being his very first gold single in the United States.
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Neil Young is an influential Canadian musician who is affectionately referred to as the Godfather of Grunge. "Heart of Gold" is notable for being his first and only number 1 single in the United States.
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Brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Micheal, altogether made up the now iconic pop band known as the Jackson 5. Known for its fun and upbeat sound, the song peaked at number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was eventually inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
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"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is notable for being one of the most iconic tracks from Pink Floyd's ninth studio album, "Wish You Were Here." While the single edit of the song fell just under four minutes in length, the full length of the complete nine part composition was twenty-six minutes.
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The Isley Brothers were veterans of the music industry by the time 1975 rolled around and their thirteenth album "The Heat Is On" only helped to cement this fact. "For the Love of You" was a powerful smooth soul song that served as the second single off of this album.
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While "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is without a doubt one of Bob Dylan's most iconic tracks, it was actually originally written and recorded for the soundtrack of the western drama film "Pat Garret and Billy the Kid." The song has been covered by popular artists including Eric Clapton and Guns N' Roses.
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The main guitar riff from Black Sabbath's song "Iron Man" is widely hailed as one of the most famous riffs in rock and roll history. In 2000 (30 years after the initial release of "Iron Man"), at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards, the live version of the song notably won the award for Best Metal Performance.
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Affectionately referred to as the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer is undoubtedly one of the most influential women in music and also one of the best-selling artists of all time. "Hot Stuff" earned her the award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 22nd Grammy Awards.
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The Bee Gees originally wrote and performed "Stayin' Alive" as one of the songs on the now classic film Saturday Night Fever. Due to its catchy nature and the fact that it featured prominently on the Saturday Night fever soundtrack, the song has become one of the group's most iconic songs.
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"Rocket Man" is a soft rock song that was released in 1972 by Elton John and it has become one of the most iconic songs in his catalog. The song is actually co-written by Elton John and his longstanding close collaborator Bernie Taupin.
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"What's Going On" is a soul song by Marvin Gaye that was released in 1971 on the album of the same name. The lyrics of the song are primarily focused on themes of police brutality and it was inspired by the Bloody Thursday protest at People's Park in Berkeley, California.
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"Hotel California" was one of them most influential tracks off of the band's album of the same name. This album is one of the top 10 best-selling albums of all time.
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"Wheel in the Sky" drew a lot of inspiration from a poem by Ross Valory's (Journey's bassist) wife that was titled "Wheels In My Mind." In fact, Diane Valory, the writer of the poem, is credited as a songwriter on the track.
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Robert Lamm, one of the founding members of Chicago, was inspired to write this song by Central Park and the joyful people that he had seen there. This soft rock song was release in 1972 with the B-side "Alma Mater."
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"Walk This Way" was released in 1975 by Areosmith and is is notable for being one of their most influential songs of the 70s. The song became a hit one again in the mid 80s when it was covered by Run-D.M.C., a hip hop group from New York.
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"It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" was inspired by Mick Jagger's feelings towards critics and naysayers that were putting down their newer music and disparaging it. The song was released as the lead single off off their band's album of the same name.
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"One Love" is a roots reggae song that was originally released in 1977 on the album "Exodus." It is hailed as one of the most iconic reggae songs of all time and focuses on themes of unity and peace.
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"Fat Bottomed Girls" was one of the band's most talked about songs of the '70s and it eventually peaked at 24 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was initially released as the A-side to "Bicycle Race" and it even references the other song in its lyrics.
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Tito Puente released the original song in 1963 and Santana released their cover in 1971. The Santana cover was inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.
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The Ramones made a strong impression with their very first album and "Blitzkrieg Bop" is responsible for a lot of its success. Perhaps one of the most memorable things about the song is the catchy (and now widely used) chant "Hey! Ho! Let's go!"
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"Let's Stay Together" was also covered by Tina Turner and included on her fifth album, "Private Dancer." In 2010, the Library of Congress added "Let's Stay Together" to their National recording Registry.
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"Maggie May" was co-written by Rod Stewart and British guitarist Martin Quittenton. The song, which talks about a boy who is in a relationship with an older woman, was featured on his third album, "Every Picture Tells a Story."
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"Carry On Wayward Son" was released in 1976 with the B-Side "Questions of My Childhood." The song has also received contemporary attention due to its consistent use on the TV show Supernatural.
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"Life on Mars?" is notable for being one of the most prominent examples of David Bowie's cryptic and eccentric artistry. In recent years, the song has been hailed as one of the best songs from the '70s.
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The song "Highway to Hell" shares its name with the 1979 album. This album is the very last AC/DC album that Bon Scott (the lead singer) was a part of, since he died a few months later due to alcohol poisoning.
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Parliament had already shown the world just how funky they were before 1976 but their hit track "Give Up the Funk" helped to catapult them even further into the mainstream. It is notable for being the groups first million selling single.
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"Rock and Roll All Nite" is widely regarded by many critics and KISS fans to be the band's signature song. The song was released in 1975 as a part of their third album which was titled "Dressed to Kill."
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"Stairway to Heaven" is notable for its distinct sections and also for its considerable length of over 8 minutes. It is widely considered to be one of the band's best songs.
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"Move On Up" was initially featured on Curtis Mayfield's debut album in 1970. While the song failed to have any notable success on the charts when it was released, in subsequent years it has been hailed as a classic and become increasingly popular.
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