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1973 Music Hits: Soul, Classic Rock, Singer-Songwriters, Funk, and AM Radio Variety

1973 music hits captured a year when soul, classic rock, soft rock, funk, country crossover, and novelty songs all shared the same radio space. It was the kind of year where Let’s Get It On, Money, Time in a Bottle, Love Train, Frankenstein, and Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree could all live on the same chart without asking permission.

This was the year of Superstition, Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, Ramblin’ Man, Crocodile Rock, Midnight Train to Georgia, Smoke on the Water, Walk on the Wild Side, Angie, and Will It Go Round in Circles. AM radio was still wonderfully unpredictable, album rock was growing stronger, and soul music had both groove and sophistication.

The songs below mix Philly soul, funk, Southern rock, glam rock, soft rock, country-pop, singer-songwriter classics, early hard rock, and a few oddball pop-culture moments. 1973 was not a neat little box. It was more like a record crate after a very interesting yard sale.

Top 10 Songs of 1973

  1. Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye
  2. I’ll Always Love My Mama – The Intruders
  3. Love Train – The O’Jays
  4. Money – Pink Floyd
  5. Ramblin’ Man – The Allman Brothers Band
  6. Friends – Bette Midler
  7. Time in a Bottle – Jim Croce
  8. Touch Me in the Morning – Diana Ross
  9. Crocodile Rock – Elton John
  10. You Are the Sunshine of My Life – Stevie Wonder

1973 Music Hits by Style

Soul, R&B, Funk, and Philly Sound

Soul and R&B were central to music in 1973. Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On became one of the year’s defining slow grooves, while The O’Jays’ Love Train and The Intruders’ I’ll Always Love My Mama represented the warm, polished sound of Philadelphia soul. Stevie Wonder was also everywhere, with You Are the Sunshine of My Life, Superstition, and Higher Ground showing his incredible range.

Funk and soul-pop also came through Curtis Mayfield, War, Barry White, James Brown, Billy Preston, The Spinners, The Stylistics, Gladys Knight & The Pips, and Sylvia. This was a year with deep grooves, big vocals, and enough clavinet to make a keyboard feel like it had rhythm in its bones.

  • Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye
  • I’ll Always Love My Mama – The Intruders
  • Love Train – The O’Jays
  • You Are the Sunshine of My Life – Stevie Wonder
  • I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby – Barry White
  • Superstition – Stevie Wonder
  • Superfly – Curtis Mayfield
  • Higher Ground – Stevie Wonder
  • The Cisco Kid – War
  • Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got) – Four Tops
  • Midnight Train to Georgia – Gladys Knight & The Pips
  • I’ve Got So Much to Give – Barry White
  • I Got Ants in My Pants – James Brown
  • Could It Be I’m Falling in Love – The Spinners
  • Break Up to Make Up – The Stylistics
  • Rockin’ Roll Baby – The Stylistics
  • Pillow Talk – Sylvia
  • One of a Kind (Love Affair) – The Spinners
  • Where Peaceful Waters Flow – Gladys Knight & The Pips
  • Will It Go Round in Circles – Billy Preston

Classic Rock, Southern Rock, and Guitar-Driven Hits

Rock music in 1973 was wide open, ranging from Southern rock to progressive rock, glam rock, hard rock, and album-radio staples. Pink Floyd’s Money, The Allman Brothers Band’s Ramblin’ Man, Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water, Grand Funk Railroad’s We’re an American Band, and Aerosmith’s Dream On helped make guitars a major part of the year’s pop story.

Southern and roots-flavored rock had a strong year, too. The Allman Brothers Band, The Doobie Brothers, Eagles, Joe Walsh, Lynyrd Skynyrd-adjacent sounds, and The Charlie Daniels Band all helped keep American rock grounded in blues, country, and road-song energy. The denim was strong with this one.

  • Money – Pink Floyd
  • Ramblin’ Man – The Allman Brothers Band
  • You Can’t Always Get What You Want – The Rolling Stones
  • Do It Again – Steely Dan
  • Long Train Runnin’ – The Doobie Brothers
  • Little Willy – Sweet
  • Frankenstein – The Edgar Winter Group
  • I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band) – The Moody Blues
  • We’re an American Band – Grand Funk Railroad
  • Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting – Elton John
  • Peaceful Easy Feeling – Eagles
  • China Grove – The Doobie Brothers
  • D’yer Mak’er – Led Zeppelin
  • Stuck in the Middle with You – Stealers Wheel
  • Hocus Pocus – Focus
  • Dream On – Aerosmith
  • Rocky Mountain Way – Joe Walsh
  • Free Ride – The Edgar Winter Group
  • Smoke on the Water – Deep Purple
  • Sugar Magnolia – Grateful Dead
  • No More Mr. Nice Guy – Alice Cooper
  • Give It to Me – The J. Geils Band
  • Show Biz Kids – Steely Dan
  • My Old School – Steely Dan
  • Tequila Sunrise – Eagles
  • Over the Hills and Far Away – Led Zeppelin
  • Right Place, Wrong Time – Dr. John
  • Reeling in the Years – Steely Dan
  • Sail On, Sailor – The Beach Boys
  • Jesus Is Just Alright – The Doobie Brothers
  • Living in the Past – Jethro Tull
  • Mama Weer All Crazee Now – Slade
  • Cum On Feel the Noize – Slade

Pop, AM Radio, and Mainstream Favorites

Mainstream pop in 1973 was wonderfully varied. Elton John’s Crocodile Rock, Daniel, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting showed how dominant he had become, while Jim Croce, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Carole King, and Dawn featuring Tony Orlando gave the year a wide pop-radio personality.

This was an era when a chart could move from romantic soul to novelty pop to serious singer-songwriter material without blinking. 1973 AM radio did not have a lane. It had a whole parking lot.

  • Friends – Bette Midler
  • Touch Me in the Morning – Diana Ross
  • Crocodile Rock – Elton John
  • Daniel – Elton John
  • Dancing in the Moonlight – King Harvest
  • Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree – Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
  • Hello It’s Me – Todd Rundgren
  • Brother Louie – Stories
  • Young Love – Donny Osmond
  • Sing – The Carpenters
  • Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy – Bette Midler
  • Kodachrome – Paul Simon
  • The Twelfth of Never – Donny Osmond
  • I Got a Name – Jim Croce
  • The Cover of “Rolling Stone” – Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
  • Twistin’ the Night Away – Rod Stewart
  • Daisy a Day – Jud Strunk
  • The Right Thing to Do – Carly Simon
  • Been to Canaan – Carole King

Soft Rock, Singer-Songwriters, and Adult Contemporary

The softer side of 1973 was rich with singer-songwriters, ballads, and adult contemporary songs. Jim Croce’s Time in a Bottle, Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, One Less Set of Footsteps, and I Got a Name gave the year some of its most memorable storytelling. James Taylor, John Denver, Seals & Crofts, Anne Murray, Lobo, and The Carpenters also helped keep radio warm and reflective.

These songs were built for quiet rooms, long drives, and people who owned at least one serious-looking acoustic guitar. 1973 did not just want to rock; sometimes it wanted to sit down and talk about feelings.

  • Time in a Bottle – Jim Croce
  • Touch Me in the Morning – Diana Ross
  • You Are the Sunshine of My Life – Stevie Wonder
  • Drift Away – Dobie Gray
  • Bad, Bad Leroy Brown – Jim Croce
  • Daniel – Elton John
  • Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight – James Taylor
  • Just You ’n’ Me – Chicago
  • Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – Bob Dylan
  • We May Never Pass This Way Again – Seals & Crofts
  • Rocky Mountain High – John Denver
  • Behind Closed Doors – Charlie Rich
  • One Less Set of Footsteps – Jim Croce
  • Danny’s Song – Anne Murray
  • Don’t Expect Me to Be Your Friend – Lobo
  • Sing – The Carpenters
  • I Got a Name – Jim Croce
  • Daisy a Day – Jud Strunk
  • The Right Thing to Do – Carly Simon
  • Been to Canaan – Carole King

Country, Country-Rock, and Americana Crossovers

Country crossover and Americana were strong in 1973. The Allman Brothers Band’s Ramblin’ Man, Eagles’ Peaceful Easy Feeling and Tequila Sunrise, Bob Dylan’s Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, Charlie Rich’s Behind Closed Doors, and Charlie Daniels’ Uneasy Rider gave the year a mix of country, rock, folk, and storytelling.

John Denver, Anne Murray, Johnny Rivers, Rod Stewart, and Dr. Hook also added rootsy and country-adjacent color. It was a year where a song could sound at home in a bar, a pickup truck, or a dorm room with an Eagles poster on the wall.

  • Ramblin’ Man – The Allman Brothers Band
  • Peaceful Easy Feeling – Eagles
  • Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – Bob Dylan
  • Your Mama Don’t Dance – Loggins & Messina
  • Rocky Mountain High – John Denver
  • Behind Closed Doors – Charlie Rich
  • Danny’s Song – Anne Murray
  • Tequila Sunrise – Eagles
  • Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu – Johnny Rivers
  • Uneasy Rider – The Charlie Daniels Band
  • Twistin’ the Night Away – Rod Stewart

Movie Themes, Novelty Songs, and Pop Culture Moments

Movie and novelty songs had a memorable place in 1973. Deodato’s Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001) turned a famous classical theme into a funky pop hit, while Dueling Banjos from Deliverance became one of the year’s most recognizable instrumental moments. Wings’ Live and Let Die brought James Bond energy to rock radio.

The year also had playful and oddball entries like Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show’s The Cover of “Rolling Stone”, Bette Midler’s Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, and Charlie Daniels’ Uneasy Rider. 1973 had plenty of serious songs, but it also knew when to wink at the audience.

  • Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001) – Deodato
  • Dueling Banjos – Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell
  • Live and Let Die – Wings
  • Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy – Bette Midler
  • The Cover of “Rolling Stone” – Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
  • Uneasy Rider – The Charlie Daniels Band
  • Rhapsody in Blue – Deodato

Classic Rock Veterans and Legacy Artists

1973 had plenty of established artists still shaping pop and rock. The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, The Beach Boys, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart, The Moody Blues, Jethro Tull, and The Grateful Dead all appeared in the year’s wider mix. Some were already legends, while others were building the albums and songs that would make them permanent fixtures.

This was also a strong year for artists crossing between rock, folk, soul, and radio pop. The old guard still had plenty of energy, and the newer acts were not exactly waiting politely in line.

  • You Can’t Always Get What You Want – The Rolling Stones
  • Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – Bob Dylan
  • Space Oddity – David Bowie
  • Mind Games – John Lennon
  • Walk on the Wild Side – Lou Reed
  • Sugar Magnolia – Grateful Dead
  • Over the Hills and Far Away – Led Zeppelin
  • Sail On, Sailor – The Beach Boys
  • Kodachrome – Paul Simon
  • Living in the Past – Jethro Tull
  • Twistin’ the Night Away – Rod Stewart
  • Angie – The Rolling Stones

Progressive Rock, Jazz-Rock, and Left-of-Center Sounds

1973 also had room for more adventurous radio sounds. Pink Floyd’s Money, Focus’ Hocus Pocus, Edgar Winter Group’s Frankenstein, Deodato’s Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001), and Steely Dan’s Do It Again, Show Biz Kids, My Old School, and Reeling in the Years gave the year a smarter, stranger, and more musically complex edge.

These songs were not always standard pop sing-alongs, but they became important parts of the year’s sound. They gave 1973 its jazz-rock turns, instrumental surprises, prog energy, and studio-musician cool. In short, this was the section where the record collection started wearing glasses.

  • Money – Pink Floyd
  • Do It Again – Steely Dan
  • Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001) – Deodato
  • Frankenstein – The Edgar Winter Group
  • Hocus Pocus – Focus
  • Show Biz Kids – Steely Dan
  • My Old School – Steely Dan
  • Reeling in the Years – Steely Dan
  • Rhapsody in Blue – Deodato

1973 Top 100 Pop Music Hits

  1. Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye
  2. I’ll Always Love My Mama – The Intruders
  3. Love Train – The O’Jays
  4. Money – Pink Floyd
  5. Ramblin’ Man – The Allman Brothers Band
  6. Friends – Bette Midler
  7. Time in a Bottle – Jim Croce
  8. Touch Me in the Morning – Diana Ross
  9. Crocodile Rock – Elton John
  10. You Are the Sunshine of My Life – Stevie Wonder
  11. I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby – Barry White
  12. Feelin’ Stronger Every Day – Chicago
  13. Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001) – Deodato
  14. Drift Away – Dobie Gray
  15. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown – Jim Croce
  16. You Can’t Always Get What You Want – The Rolling Stones
  17. Daniel – Elton John
  18. Do It Again – Steely Dan
  19. Superstition – Stevie Wonder
  20. Long Train Runnin’ – The Doobie Brothers
  21. Just You ’n’ Me – Chicago
  22. Superfly – Curtis Mayfield
  23. Little Willy – Sweet
  24. Frankenstein – The Edgar Winter Group
  25. Higher Ground – Stevie Wonder
  26. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – Bob Dylan
  27. Dancing in the Moonlight – King Harvest
  28. I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band) – The Moody Blues
  29. We’re an American Band – Grand Funk Railroad
  30. Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight – James Taylor
  31. Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting – Elton John
  32. Peaceful Easy Feeling – Eagles
  33. China Grove – The Doobie Brothers
  34. Space Oddity – David Bowie
  35. The Cisco Kid – War
  36. Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree – Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
  37. D’yer Mak’er – Led Zeppelin
  38. Stuck in the Middle with You – Stealers Wheel
  39. Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got) – Four Tops
  40. Hocus Pocus – Focus
  41. Dream On – Aerosmith
  42. Dueling Banjos – Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell
  43. Your Mama Don’t Dance – Loggins & Messina
  44. Mind Games – John Lennon
  45. Midnight Train to Georgia – Gladys Knight & The Pips
  46. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John
  47. Rocky Mountain Way – Joe Walsh
  48. Free Ride – The Edgar Winter Group
  49. Hello It’s Me – Todd Rundgren
  50. Angie – The Rolling Stones
  51. Smoke on the Water – Deep Purple
  52. Walk on the Wild Side – Lou Reed
  53. Sugar Magnolia – Grateful Dead
  54. We May Never Pass This Way Again – Seals & Crofts
  55. Rocky Mountain High – John Denver
  56. I’ve Got So Much to Give – Barry White
  57. No More Mr. Nice Guy – Alice Cooper
  58. I Got Ants in My Pants – James Brown
  59. Behind Closed Doors – Charlie Rich
  60. Give It to Me – The J. Geils Band
  61. Live and Let Die – Wings
  62. One Less Set of Footsteps – Jim Croce
  63. Danny’s Song – Anne Murray
  64. Show Biz Kids – Steely Dan
  65. My Old School – Steely Dan
  66. Redneck Friend – Jackson Browne
  67. You’ll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart) – The Stylistics
  68. Tequila Sunrise – Eagles
  69. Brother Louie – Stories
  70. Over the Hills and Far Away – Led Zeppelin
  71. Right Place, Wrong Time – Dr. John
  72. Reeling in the Years – Steely Dan
  73. Sail On, Sailor – The Beach Boys
  74. Could It Be I’m Falling in Love – The Spinners
  75. Break Up to Make Up – The Stylistics
  76. Don’t Expect Me to Be Your Friend – Lobo
  77. Rockin’ Roll Baby – The Stylistics
  78. Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu – Johnny Rivers
  79. Pillow Talk – Sylvia
  80. Young Love – Donny Osmond
  81. Jesus Is Just Alright – The Doobie Brothers
  82. One of a Kind (Love Affair) – The Spinners
  83. Sing – The Carpenters
  84. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy – Bette Midler
  85. Kodachrome – Paul Simon
  86. The Twelfth of Never – Donny Osmond
  87. Will It Go Round in Circles – Billy Preston
  88. I Got a Name – Jim Croce
  89. The Cover of “Rolling Stone” – Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
  90. Living in the Past – Jethro Tull
  91. Twistin’ the Night Away – Rod Stewart
  92. Cheaper to Keep Her – Johnnie Taylor
  93. Uneasy Rider – The Charlie Daniels Band
  94. Mama Weer All Crazee Now – Slade
  95. Daisy a Day – Jud Strunk
  96. Where Peaceful Waters Flow – Gladys Knight & The Pips
  97. Rhapsody in Blue – Deodato
  98. The Right Thing to Do – Carly Simon
  99. Cum On Feel the Noize – Slade
  100. Been to Canaan – Carole King