20 Classic Rock Guilty Pleasures From the ’70s

The term “guilty pleasure” tends to be cast in a negative light, but in many ways, it is a term of endearment.

Take music, for example. If you believe a song is terrible, you just don’t listen, casting it aside and never giving it the time of day again. However, guilty pleasure songs are tunes you return to time and time again, even if they may not be the coolest tracks to have on your playlist.

Of course, songs don’t usually arrive as a guilty pleasure. More commonly, they evolve like a haircut that has since gone out of fashion. When you got it, you thought you looked great, but now you pull out old photos and mutter, “What the hell was I thinking?”

The ’70s offered plenty of guilty pleasures, from straight-ahead rockers to folk and disco. Below, we’ve ranked our 20 favorites. Time may not have been kind, but we still love them.

20. Nazareth, “Love Hurts”
In its original form, “Love Hurts” was a heartbreaking tune recorded by the Everly Brothers in 1960. However, 15 years later, Scottish rock band Nazareth got ahold of the song and turned it into a power ballad. The single was an international success and peaked at No. 8 in America. Though it’s generally regarded as overdramatic and cheesy, the track continues popping up everywhere, appearing in TV shows like Scrubs and Superstore, as well as an array of commercials.

19. Pilot, “Magic”
Credit where credit is due, Pilot’s 1974 hit “Magic” is versatile. Catchy yet nondescript, fun yet inoffensive, the tune has been featured in everything from the blockbuster hit Guardians of the Galaxy to commercials for diabetes medication. Despite the chorus’ sing-ability – “Oh-ho-ho it’s magic, never believe it’s not so” – there’s something slightly puzzling about the track. Maybe it’s because the tune sounds like a halfhearted ELO ripoff, or maybe it’s the faint falsetto “la-la-las” in the background.

18. Kiss, ‘Rock and Roll All Nite’
There is something inherently cliche about a rock and roll song whose sole purpose is to proclaim how cool it is to rock and roll. Throw in grown men wearing makeup and spandex and you have all the ingredients necessary for one of music’s great guilty pleasures. “Rock and Roll All Nite” is not Kiss’ greatest song, but it may be their greatest party starter.

17. Blue Swede, “Hooked on a Feeling”
It’s not the words that make Blue Swede’s rendition of “Hooked on a Feeling” a guilty pleasure, it’s the noises – namely, “Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga Ooga-Chaka.” The weirdly tribal chant is fun to sing along to alone, or perhaps with a toddler still learning how to speak. But there’s no way you’ll find us ooga-ing in public around otherwise respectable members of society.

16. Carl Douglas, “Kung Fu Fighting”
Before “Gangnam Style,” “The Fox” or any of the many other viral novelty songs that have come and gone in recent memory, there was “Kung Fu Fighting.” Culturally speaking, Jamaican-British singer Carl Douglas seemed unlikely to deliver a disco classic about kung fu, but that’s exactly what he did in 1974. The single sold more than 11 million copies worldwide, yet these days nobody is willing to admit they bought it.

15. Buggles, “Video Killed the Radio Star”
The Buggles’ loan hit is a quirky remnant from the era in which it was made. Music videos’ impact was on the horizon, and “Video Killed the Radio Star” was appropriately the first clip played on MTV (albeit two years after the song’s release). With its layers of synths and peculiar vocals, the tune is unabashedly odd. But its chorus is pure nostalgia, and we can’t help but grin every time we hear it.

14. Starland Vocal Band, “Afternoon Delight”
Maybe it was the Anchorman a cappella rendition, or perhaps it was the uncomfortable duet in Arrested Development. Regardless, at some point, Starland Vocal Band’s “Afternoon Delight” evolved from a forgotten one-hit wonder to a modern guilty pleasure. We blame the lighthearted song’s giggle-inducing lyrics. Never has a midday romp sounded so tame.

13. Rupert Holmes, “Escape: (The Pina Colada Song)”
Hey, look! It’s that song everyone mistakenly thinks was recorded by Jimmy Buffett! Rupert Holmes’ 1979 hit certainly connected with Parrotheads, what with its similar appreciation for iced mixed cocktails. Some have even criticized the English singer for copying Buffett’s mellow, good-time style. Regardless, much like the titular beverage, “The Pina Colada Song” is a tasty treat that we’ll never admit to enjoying (even though we do).

12. Partridge Family, “I Think I Love You”
If the Bradys had a band, they’d be the Partridge Family – that’s not necessarily a good thing. While the sitcom was popular during its four-season run in the early ‘70s, The Partridge Family was more about sugary family entertainment than cool music. That’s what makes “I Think I Love You” such an outlier. The 1970 single was a No. 1 hit for the fictitious family band and has since been covered by a broad spectrum of artists, including Olivia Newton-John, Less Than Jake and Tenacious D.

11. Lipps, Inc., “Funkytown”
Lips Inc.’s classic “Funkytown” is incredibly repetitious. The phrase “Gotta move on now” is sung six times, while “Won’t you take me to Funkytown” is repeated an astonishing 14 times in the song. Despite the simplicity, we can’t help but get swept up by the intoxicating disco beat.

10. Barry Manilow, “Copacabanna”
We don’t know a single person who openly admits to being a Barry Manilow fan. Yet we’re pretty sure you know the words to “Looks Like We Made It,” “Mandy” or the cream of the guilty pleasure crop, “Copacabana.”

9. Harry Chapin, “Cat’s in the Cradle”
It’s pure heartstring fodder, the kind of song inherently designed to stir emotions from deep inside. We know that going in, we even expect it, yet every time “Cat’s in the Cradle’ gets played, our eyes well up just a little bit. Now, please excuse us for a moment, we’ve got to go call our dad.

8. ABBA, “Dancing Queen”
Yes, we hear you when you complain that ABBA doesn’t belong on a classic rock list. But we also see you when “Dancing Queen” begins to play – your hips sway, your head bobs to the beat and you try to hide the fact that you’re quietly singing along to every word. Let’s all just accept that this 1976 song is a classic guilty pleasure and agree to move on, OK?

7. Gary Wright, ‘Dream Weaver’
Too spacey for standard rock, too mainstream sounding to be called prog, Gary Wright’s “Dream Weaver” falls awkwardly in music’s no man’s land. The song’s synthesizers, while modern at the time, sound cheesy more than 40 years later, and the celestial sound effects don’t help rein in the tackiness. Still, the chorus remains emphatic enough to keep us coming back time and again.

6. The B-52’s, ‘Rock Lobster’
Let’s briefly analyze the absurdity of the B-52’s “Rock Lobster”: The lyrics make no sense, the vocals feature animalistic squawks and could anyone really confuse a crustacean with a rock? Despite all of these factors, the 1978 single is a beloved bop. It’s even remained an unlikely pop culture reference point, appearing in everything from Family Guy to Knocked Up.

5. Foreigner, “Hot Blooded”
We’re card-carrying Foreigner fans, but even we can recognize the problems with “Hot Blooded.” Besides being lyrically simplistic, the tune simply doesn’t fit with Foreigner’s persona. Unlike many other frontmen of his time, Lou Gramm was (refreshingly) not a sex-crazed lothario. His attempts to go against character in this song feel uncomfortable, like a tabby cat pretending to be a tiger. Though “Hot Blooded” feels a bit too fabricated to be cool, the catchy chorus and melody keep it on our playlist.

4. The Knack, ‘My Sharona’
One of the ‘70’s greatest guilty pleasures only barely made it into the decade. Released in 1979, the Knack’s “My Sharona” is an undeniable earworm. From the perfectly utilized “M-m-m-my” stutter to the instantly familiar guitar riff, the chart-topping single is built to get stuck in your brain. Sure, rhyming lines like “thighs Sharona” and “eyes Sharona” may seem a little simplistic, but we can’t help but love the Knack’s classic tune.

3. Doobie Brothers, “What a Fool Believes”
If there’s one type of music that embodies the concept of a guilty pleasure, it’s yacht rock. And captaining the genre’s ship is Michael McDonald, with his distinctive voice and perfectly groomed facial hair. “What a Fool Believes” was a chart-topping hit for the Doobie Brothers in 1979 and even earned a pair of Grammys. It’s proof that a song can be both timeless and a guilty pleasure.

2. Elton John & Kiki Dee, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”
Few musicians can compete with Elton John’s impressive resume of work. We’ll happily play 99% of his hits on full blast, but we’re turning the volume down for “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.” The 1976 duet is certainly catchy, and we’ve even been known to sing it at karaoke after a couple of beers. Problem is, it’s always sounded like a karaoke tune. And singing along to the saccharine track while sober can be embarrassing.

1. Bay City Rollers, “Saturday Night”
The cheese-factor is turned to 11 on this Bay City Rollers track, originally released in 1973. By ‘76, the infectious chant of “S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y… Night!” was ubiquitous around the globe. Given that the Bay City Rollers were essentially a teen idol boy band, it’s understandable that “Saturday Night” was never considered “cool” despite its popularity. Still, its remained a guilty pleasure for decades, and became a surprising influence to one of punk’s greatest tunes: The Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop.”