50 times 50 years: music from 1976

David Lee

6.5.2026

Translation: Natalie McKay

50 songs that are turning 50, recommended by a 50-year-old. You can listen to ten of them right here in this article, and the rest on your preferred streaming service.

The ’70s are my favourite decade in music. They were just as dynamic as the ’60s, but the quality of the recordings is much better. I like the sound from that era – I think you can tell the music was produced for hi-fi systems, and not for phone speakers or boomboxes. But maybe it’s also because I’m a child of the ’70s myself. I was born in the same year that the following 50 songs – which are turning 50 in 2026 – were recorded.

Finding tracks to put on this list was simple. The hard part was narrowing down my selection. I had to leave off some well-known acts, including Paul McCartney, Genesis (featuring Phil Collins on vocals for the first time) and The Supremes. As always with lists like this, my selection’s entirely subjective.

The Eagles – Hotel California

Hotel California’s probably the best-known song on this list these days – but it didn’t make it into the charts back in 1976. That’s because the single didn’t come out until early 1977. But the album of the same name had already been released the previous year. This long, slow song leaves a lasting impression, partly thanks to the catchy guitar solo. The lyrics leave plenty of room for interpretation, especially the closing line: «You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.»

The Doobie Brothers – It Keeps You Runnin’

Many of the tracks that made it into the charts in 1976 were soft rock or even soft pop: Chicago with If You Leave Me Now, Elton John and Kiki Dee with Don’t Go Breaking My Heart and the Bee Gees with Love So Right. My favourite soft rock band is The Doobie Brothers. It Keeps You Runnin’ surprises with chiptune-style sounds. Many people probably know the song from the 1994 film Forrest Gump.

AC/DC – TNT

By 1976, rock music had essentially run its course. It had become more sophisticated, refined and cultured. Admittedly, it needed to do this to be taken seriously as an art form at all. But as a result, rock lost its raw, brute force – and with it, precisely what had made it so captivating to begin with.

The need for wild noise was quickly met by new faces on the scene. On the one hand, thanks to the emergence of punk – for example in 1976 with Blitzkrieg Bop by the Ramones. On the other hand, by AC/DC, who released their first album outside Australia in 1976. AC/DC were sometimes classified as punk to begin with. It seems absurd – but back then, only punk music sounded as loud, wild and raw as the guys from Down Under.

Stylistically, their music had nothing to do with punk. Instead, AC/DC picked up where rock ‘n’ roll was rooted – the blues. The band later became known for their perseverance, even releasing a song about it back in 1976: Ride On.

Herbie Hancock – Doin’ It

The second major music trend of 1976, alongside soft rock, was disco. Daddy Cool by Boney M. was a classic disco hit. Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry leaned more towards funk-rock, but still rode the wave of the disco craze. It’s the same story with ABBA’s Dancing Queen and Love Hangover by Diana Ross, which was actually too slow for a disco number. But anything went as long as it had funk and disco influences. Even a funk adaptation of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony made it into the charts.

Herbie Hancock, originally a jazz pianist, drew heavy inspiration from disco and funk from 1974 onwards. A few of his songs even made it into the charts, which was very unusual for a jazz musician. It also caused him to be scorned by jazz purists. If that’s not proof he was doing things right, I’m not sure what is!

Santana – Europa

And it’s followed by another purely instrumental piece. Santana’s Europa consists mainly of guitar solos, which even I – a guitarist – usually find boring. But if you play like Carlos Santana, you can get away with it.

Joni Mitchell – Amelia

Unfortunately, female artists were few and far between in the male-dominated music industry of 1976. With Joni Mitchell, though, the question isn’t whether she belongs on this list – it’s which song to include. I’m a huge fun of her whole album Hejira. The guitars have a unique sound because Mitchell used a variety of string tunings she came up with herself. These were created out of necessity, as the fingers of her dominant hand were weakened by polio.

Stevie Wonder – I Wish

Was Joni Mitchell too melancholic for you? There’s no risk of that with I Wish by Stevie Wonder. Having said that, the lyrics look back on childhood with a touch of nostalgia: «I wish those days could come back once more. Why did those days ever have to go?» I wonder the same thing when I compare the music from back then with today’s hits.

I don’t even want to try to figure out which musical genre best describes Stevie Wonder. Instead, I’ll resort to the overused old saying that there are only two kinds of music: good and bad. This song falls into the first category.

Queen – Somebody To Love

An undeniable highlight from 1976 is Queen’s anthem Somebody To Love from their album A Day At The Races. One of the band’s best songs – there’s no doubt about it. It gets even better when Freddie Mercury’s at his best on stage. Incredible!

Led Zeppelin – Nobody’s Fault But Mine

Of course, there were still plenty of hardcore rockers around back in 1976. Presence isn’t Led Zeppelin’s best album. It was recorded in just three weeks, with an injured Robert Plant singing from a wheelchair. But the band stayed true to itself. Reimagined blues classic Nobody’s Fault But Mine has all the components of a great Led Zeppelin song: a hypnotic intro, powerful riffs and the incomparable John Bonham really letting loose on the drums.

Tom Waits – Tom Traubert’s Blues

Rod Stewart later recorded a popular cover of this song, but I think the original’s far superior. I just can’t picture Rod Stewart – with his perfectly coiffed hair and the voice of a kitten – as a desperate drifter.

Long before I’d finished my list, I knew it had to end with this song. It’s so emotionally intense that whatever followed it would just seem dull and flat in comparison.

The complete list

You can import my list of top 50 songs from 1976 into the streaming service of your choice with just one click.

Since Tom Waits deserves a moment of silence, his track’s followed by John Cage’s 4’33. This song’s complete silence, so I’m not counting it. Next come the ten songs that were mentioned earlier in the article but didn’t make it onto my list. The remaining 30 are recommendations given in no particular order.

Happy listening! Let me know in the comments what tracks you’d add to the list.

David Lee

Senior Editor

David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.ch

My interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.

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