17 Songs From The 1970s That Became Hits Against All Expectations
Some of the biggest chart-toppers from the 1970s were songs that nobody thought would succeed.
Radio stations dismissed them as too weird, too long, or too different from what was popular at the time.
Yet these tracks defied the odds, captured hearts worldwide, and became timeless classics that still get people singing along decades later.
1. Maggie May – Rod Stewart
Nobody expected a B-side track to become one of rock’s most beloved anthems.
Radio DJs flipped the record over from its intended A-side and fell in love with this autobiographical tale about a young man and an older woman.
That mandolin riff became instantly recognizable, and suddenly Rod Stewart had a signature song that would define his entire career and make him a household name overnight.
2. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
Six minutes of pure musical chaos shouldn’t have worked on radio.
Record executives told Queen that nobody would play a song that mixed opera, rock, and ballad sections without any chorus.
Freddie Mercury refused to cut a single second, and the gamble paid off spectacularly when it became one of the most iconic tracks in music history, proving that breaking all the rules sometimes creates magic.
3. Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees
Before disco fever took over, the Bee Gees were struggling to find their sound.
This track was just one piece of a movie soundtrack, not meant to stand alone as a single.
Those falsetto vocals and that unforgettable beat turned it into the anthem of an entire era, launching the brothers Gibb into superstardom and making disco the biggest thing since sliced bread.
4. Spirit in the Sky – Norman Greenbaum
A Jewish songwriter penning a gospel-rock song about Jesus raised eyebrows everywhere.
Norman Greenbaum admitted he didn’t know much about Christianity but loved the sound of gospel music.
That fuzzy guitar riff and spiritual lyrics connected with audiences across all backgrounds, climbing charts and becoming one of the most played songs on radio for decades, proving that authentic emotion transcends religious boundaries completely and totally.
5. Lola – The Kinks
Telling a story about gender confusion was risky business in 1970.
Radio stations worried the subject matter was too controversial for mainstream audiences.
Ray Davies crafted such a catchy melody and clever lyrics that listeners couldn’t resist, and the song became a surprise hit that pushed boundaries and showed that rock music could tackle topics nobody else dared to touch at the time.
6. Heart of Glass – Blondie
When a punk rock band experiments with disco, everyone expects disaster.
Critics thought Blondie was betraying their roots by adding synthesizers and dance beats to their sound.
Instead, Debbie Harry and the crew created a genre-blending masterpiece that topped charts worldwide, proving that musicians don’t have to stay in one lane and that taking creative risks can lead to your biggest success ever.
7. Afternoon Delight – Starland Vocal Band
Writing a cheerful song with surprisingly suggestive lyrics created unexpected controversy.
Many listeners initially thought it was just about daytime romance, missing the innuendo completely.
Once people caught on, the song became a cultural phenomenon, winning a Grammy and spawning endless debates about whether it was appropriate for radio play, but everyone kept singing along anyway because that harmony was just too darn catchy to resist, honestly.
8. O-o-h Child – The Five Stairsteps
A family group of young siblings singing about hope seemed too innocent for the turbulent seventies.
The Five Stairsteps were just kids when they recorded this optimistic message about better days coming.
Radio programmers worried it was too simple and sweet, but listeners craving positivity during difficult times embraced it completely, and the song became a timeless classic that still appears in movies and TV shows whenever someone needs musical comfort.
9. Rich Girl – Hall & Oates
Originally written about a spoiled rich guy, the gender got switched during recording.
Daryl Hall and John Oates worried the lyrics were too mean-spirited for radio.
Instead, audiences loved the catchy melody and relatable theme about entitled people who take everything for granted, pushing it to number one and establishing the duo as hitmakers who could blend pop, rock, and soul into pure chart gold every single time.
10. I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
Recorded as an album filler, this empowerment anthem almost never got released as a single.
Gloria Gaynor had just recovered from back surgery and poured all her pain into the performance.
DJs started playing it at clubs, and suddenly everyone was singing about surviving heartbreak and becoming stronger, turning it into one of the most enduring anthems of resilience ever recorded and an LGBTQ+ community favorite forever.
11. You’re So Vain – Carly Simon
Writing a mysterious song about a self-absorbed ex-lover created decades of speculation.
Carly Simon refused to reveal who inspired the lyrics, driving everyone absolutely crazy with curiosity.
That secrecy became part of the song’s appeal, with fans endlessly debating whether it was about Warren Beatty, Mick Jagger, or someone else entirely, and the track climbed to number one while keeping its delicious secret locked away tight.
12. Hooked on a Feeling – Blue Swede
Adding a bizarre ooga-chaka chant to a love song sounds like musical madness.
Blue Swede, a Swedish band, took B.J. Thomas’s original ballad and transformed it into something completely different and totally unexpected.
That weird introduction became the most memorable part, and the song shot up charts worldwide, proving that sometimes the strangest creative choices become the most brilliant ones and that taking big swings can pay off big time.
13. Black Betty – Ram Jam
Taking an old work song and turning it into hard rock raised serious questions.
Ram Jam’s heavy guitar version of the traditional tune stirred controversy about cultural appropriation and the song’s mysterious origins.
Despite the debates, that pounding rhythm and electric energy made it impossible to ignore, and it became a massive hit that still gets played at sporting events and rock clubs everywhere, proving sometimes controversy creates curiosity.
14. Dancing Queen – ABBA
Swedish pop music wasn’t taken seriously by critics in the mid-seventies.
ABBA faced constant dismissal as lightweight bubblegum despite their incredible songwriting and production skills.
This disco-pop masterpiece about a young woman feeling alive on the dance floor became their only American number one hit, silencing critics forever and proving that perfectly crafted pop music deserves just as much respect as any other genre, period, end of story.
15. Baker Street – Gerry Rafferty
That saxophone solo almost got cut from the final recording completely.
Gerry Rafferty wrote this melancholy song about loneliness in London while going through personal struggles.
Producer Hugh Murphy convinced him to keep the sax riff that became the most recognizable part, and the song became a massive international hit that launched Rafferty’s solo career and proved that instrumental breaks can make or break a song’s success entirely and completely.
16. American Pie – Don McLean
Eight minutes of cryptic lyrics about the day the music died seemed destined for obscurity.
Radio stations refused to play songs longer than three minutes as a general rule.
Don McLean’s epic storytelling about Buddy Holly’s plane crash and American cultural loss captured imaginations everywhere, and stations started playing both parts, making it one of the longest hits ever and spawning endless debates about what every verse actually means, honestly.
17. The Joker – Steve Miller Band
Combining silly nicknames with cosmic imagery created a wonderfully weird mix.
Steve Miller threw together lyrics from previous songs, calling himself a joker, smoker, and midnight toker without much deeper meaning.
Critics thought it was too goofy and nonsensical for serious airplay, but that whistling intro and laid-back groove made it an instant classic that defined California rock and proved that sometimes fun beats profound every single time, just saying.
