Some classic tunes never truly fade away... Join us as we count down iconic songs from the 1970s that found new life decades later! From movie soundtracks to viral TikTok trends, these timeless tracks captivated new generations long after their initial release. Which of these musical comebacks was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we're counting down our picks for those old-time tunes from the
00:121970s that received a new lease on life in the modern day.
00:1610. Dirty Work – Steely Dan
00:28Modern movies and television shows can often be great sources for younger audience members
00:34to discover songs from a bygone decade.
00:37Dirty Work by Steely Dan is a great example of how Donald Fagan and Walter Becker could
00:43craft jazzy pop tunes with lyrics that could vacillate between the absurd and bitingly satirical.
00:53The Sopranos utilized this song on its soundtrack, while another HBO show, Euphoria, also unearthed
01:02Dirty Work for its second season premiere.
01:05Two different generations, as a result, have now been exposed to the genius of Steely Dan,
01:11and that's always a good thing.
01:139. Long Long Time – Linda Ronstadt
01:22The fact that this first season episode of The Last of Us actually lifts its title straight
01:28from this Linda Ronstadt song is a pretty telling giveaway in our opinion.
01:32This highlighting of Ronstadt's cover from an original by Gary Weitz isn't only in the
01:46title, however, since Long Long Time also features prominently within the episode's soundtrack.
01:51This led many viewers who were unfamiliar with Long Long Time to Google and research the song after watching the
01:58episode. The end results also proved to be significant on the streaming platform Spotify, which reported a
02:054,900% increase as a result of this primetime placement.
02:17Knowing that you warned me of the prize I have to pay at last for the flops.
02:33Who knows the cost?
02:51Number 8. Dreams – Fleetwood Mac
02:57It's sort of funny to think about how those that were there during the original success of Fleetwood Mac's
03:03Dreams might not even realise that the song resurfaced via a viral TikTok trend.
03:12Such a great song, isn't it? And it's been streamed eight million times the past week. I mean, what do you think Mick Fleetwood would make of it?
03:19Then again, older listeners who are up to date on their social media might just appreciate how this Stevie
03:25Nicks composition gained a new lease on popular life.
03:28TikTok allowed for Dreams to escape the confines of classic rock and heritage radio waves as actual members of Fleetwood Mac
03:37filmed responses to user Nathan Apodaca's 2020 video.
03:42I don't know. I'm pretty sure he's happy about it. You know, I haven't, I always hear the numbers and they just keep rising.
03:47And you know, it's amazing. You know, it's amazing.
03:50It is amazing.
03:51Meanwhile, a remixed cover by New Zealand DJ Jollyon Petch was also a hit on the Australian singles chart.
03:58Players only love you when they're playing.
04:05Number seven, Immigrant Song, Led Zeppelin. Call this one a perfect match. The mythological origins of Thor seem to be tailor-made for the battle-ready riffing and lyrical content of Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin.
04:21The Asgardian Thunder God's third starring movie, Thor Ragnarok, made good use of the tune within its advertising, nicely tying together the themes from both sources.
04:37Immigrant Song remains a landmark song for Led Zeppelin, one that continues to be closely associated with the band on rock radio.
04:55But a little association with the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn't really a bad thing, right?
05:07Number six, Old Time Rock and Roll, Bob Seger.
05:11You either love it or you hate it.
05:14Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger was released in 1979 and sounded light years away from the raw garage rock of the Bob Seger system.
05:23The song was immediately catchy, however, and marked a turning point on Seger's tenth studio album.
05:36Fast forward only a few years later to 1983 and Old Time Rock and Roll returned to the public zeitgeist after it was featured in the Paul Brickman film, Risky Business.
05:47The image of a young Tom Cruise dancing to the tune has now become so ingrained in pop culture that it's actually difficult to separate this iconic 80s scene from the late 70s Seger hits.
06:06That kind of music just soothes my soul, I reminisce about the days of old, with that old time of rock and roll.
06:17Number five, Stuck in the Middle with You, Steelers Wheel.
06:21Do you think that either Jerry Rafferty or Joe Egan thought that their 70s hits Stuck in the Middle with You would eventually be utilized as the soundtrack to a torture scene from the 90s?
06:33We're guessing not, but that doesn't change the fact that this song from Rafferty and Egan's Steelers Wheel went down as an iconic moment from Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs.
06:50The dance that Michael Madsen performs during the scene is effortlessly cool, yet undercuts the shocking violence of what's going on with a captive cop.
07:08It's a juxtaposition that couldn't have been predicted, but we're so glad it exists.
07:21Number four, Dancing Queen, ABBA.
07:24Some songs enjoy a resurgence for very specific reasons, while others never really go away.
07:31The 1980s saw a big-time backlash when it came to the performance of disco within the United States.
07:38The disco sucks movement never really seemed to harm Sweden's ABBA, however, since songs like Gimme Gimme Gimme, A Man After Midnight, or Dancing Queen have continued to be popular with future generations.
07:59Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah.
08:09Ignoring for a moment the jukebox musical Mamma Mia, or the much-publicized ABBA Voyage residency in London, Dancing Queen is still played on the radio.
08:19It's also been used to great effect as background music for TikTok and Instagram videos, proving that truly great music lives on forever.
08:36Number three, Hooked on a Feeling, Blue Suede.
08:39Like a bad penny, or is that a good penny?
08:43Blue Suede's cover of the B.J. Thomas tune, Hooked on a Feeling, continues turning up.
08:49This Swedish rock band covered the song back in 1973, and it reappeared in a number of places, including on the soundtrack to the aforementioned Reservoir Dogs.
09:15The Ooga Chaka refrain of Hooked on a Feeling also accompanied the dancing biological clock baby on Ally McBeal, before finding its forever home within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
09:35Blue Suede will probably forever be associated at this point with Peter Quill, the Star-Lord, since so much of the first Guardians of the Galaxy franchise referenced that band's cover.
09:47Not to mention other hits like ELO's Mr. Blue Sky.
09:51Number two, Tiny Dancer, Elton John.
09:58The story of Tiny Dancer by Sir Elton John is somewhat similar to that of ABBA's Dancing Queen.
10:18Fans never really stopped loving the song, and Tiny Dancer has seen consistent usage over the years.
10:25This has included being referenced on the sitcom Friends via Phoebe's misheard lyrics, as well as on the soundtrack to the film Almost Famous.
10:41Meanwhile, a 2022 collaboration with Elton John and Britney Spears titled Hold Me Closer was a nice tribute to both the original chorus of Tiny Dancer, as well as another Elton John tune, The One.
11:011. Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
11:29Die-hard fans of bands such as Queen often have a lot of passionate debate whenever a biopic the likes of Bohemian Rhapsody is released.
11:38One thing that nobody denied, however, is how this 2018 film reminded just about everyone about Queen's total greatness.
11:47Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?
11:51Bismillah!
11:52No!
11:53We will not let you go!
11:54Let him go!
11:55In fact, the value of their records on the second-hand market shot up significantly in the aftermath of Bohemian Rhapsody's cinematic success.
12:04This wasn't the first time the actual song titled Bohemian Rhapsody returned to the public consciousness, of course.
12:13Since Wayne's World from 1992 also featured the song within what's easily its most iconic scene.
12:22Are there any songs from the 70s you think should become a hit again in the modern era? Let us know!
12:31In the comments!
12:32You can dance! You can jive!
12:33Having the time of your life!
12:34Let us know!
12:35You can dance! You can jive!
12:36Having the time of your life!
12:43You can dance! You can jive!
12:45Having the time of your life!
12:46What a magic story is to get turn off times with some game.
12:48Glue's.
12:49Good just to meet you while you play while you play rest, of them.
12:52I mean, can you do this year?
12:54Are there any songs from the 70s you think should become a hit again in the modern era?
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