From punk to art rock: Five iconic songs that started new genres in the 1970s
Although it may not always seem like it, new musical genres rarely emerge from nowhere. For the most part, new labels and terms burgeon from established sensibilities and styles, usually blended together to appear like something more distinctive than before. After all, even the originators of rock ‘n’ roll—one of the biggest and most authentic movements—borrowed their tricks from somewhere else.
However, while that’s undeniably the case with most musical innovators, it doesn’t make them any less original in their thoughts and processes. In fact, being original in today’s landscape is less about coming up with things people haven’t done before but using them in a way that feels fresh and exciting, and that builds upon those worlds with purpose, not meaningless imitation.
Sometimes, these intentions fail, and the music sounds like a poor copy of another legendary piece of work. However, when musicians pull it off and can skillfully blend different facets rooted in cultural transitions and shifts, that’s when there’s a basis for the real magic. While most point to the 1960s as a major turning point in these trends, the 1970s were when more artists raised the stakes, revolutionising and progressing old tropes to reach a higher level of excellence.
While this drive manifested in different ways, from the hard rock guitar solo to the funky bassline of glam rock, most ’70s innovators were fighting in a similar arena, trailing the brilliance established by the previous decade’s pioneers with a newfound fervour centring on bigger and better artistic grandeur. While many sought to remain loyal to specific genres, others, like those below, laid the groundwork for something entirely new.
1970s songs that pioneered new genres:
‘Hot Love’ – T. Rex
Emerging primarily from folk rock roots, Marc Bolan led the charge for a new flame with T. Rex, setting the stage for a new flavour of rock with all the flair and flamboyance that made it feel more stylish yet still grounded. While many throughout the ’70s pioneered similar tropes, songs like ‘Hot Love’ made a particular show of them, introducing audiences to the beauty of the blend when it’s done right.
These songs also managed to re-energise an era loosely defined as the hangover of the 1960s, categorised predominantly by its solemn, lacklustre hues that still had their place in music but quickly ran the risk of becoming stale. While some ensured this didn’t happen, others, like Bolan, evoked a different kind of charm that said, “Hey, look! We can still have fun!”
‘Psycho Killer’ – Talking Heads
Oh, Talking Heads. What can be said about the countless ways that Talking Heads revolutionised music? In the ’70s, when everything felt particularly weighed down by different political and societal developments, reaching almost every corner of every genre, Talking Heads blasted out of the woodwork with explosive angst and contortionist bodily movements, like a trepid school kid who finally plucked up the courage to stand on stage and sing out to the world.
With songs like ‘Psycho Killer’, Talking Heads didn’t just set the standard for delectable blends of rock, funk, pop, and world music, they reinvented the meaning of the word innovation in music, powering up all that was left to be said about societal paranoia with extraordinary words and sounds that felt as much a part of it as a mere rejection of it. In the end, they became inexplicably brilliant, which says more than words ever could.
‘Black Sabbath’ – Black Sabbath
While the debate about the originators of heavy metal remains open, there’s no denying the brilliance of ‘Black Sabbath‘ from the band’s debut 1970 record, which kicked off the subgenre with quintessential notes of foreboding and sluggish, resigned intent that still appeared with purpose. It also delivered a more enhanced layer of narrative storytelling than perhaps other, more generic rock players did, setting the stage for something unpredictable yet refreshingly exciting.
Inspired by an experience Geezer Butler had, ‘Black Sabbath’ is as ominous as the tale that precedes it, unfolding like a deeply unsettling dream that set the tone for the doom metal boom that followed. What made this particularly poignant was that it was also the first track on the record, setting the tone for the different twists and turns that would follow, tainted black in its promise yet hypnotic in its dimly lit hues.
‘Sound and Vision’ – David Bowie
By the time David Bowie reached Berlin, he was aching for something new. While this also stemmed from his desire to get clean and escape America’s fight to tear him down, starting a new chapter also meant establishing a new, refreshed artistic vision, one alienated from the outside world and entirely focused on clear-headed brilliance. Low would be filled with distinctive gems, few touching the level of excellence set by ‘Sound and Vision’.
Several others were pioneering the emergence of art rock around this time, but Bowie’s attempt felt like a particularly noteworthy moment, with different dynamics and vocal control that almost feels like more than one line of dialogue at a time. After all, ‘Sound and Vision’ feels intensely haunting beneath the surface and despite the upbeat nature of the arrangements, establishing art rock as something that knows no bounds or even a singular, defining personality.
‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ – The Ramones
In 1976, The Ramones‘ ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ set the pace—quite literally—for what would become the punk rock explosion. With an unmistakable aggression rooted in the perils of society, the song took on a new charm with its inbuilt melodic appeal, creating the kind of infectious energy that made punk worth listening to in the first place. After all, more than just shouting into the void, the genre was also about having fun with it, escaping from the world while facing it head-on.
It also established the kind of pace and rhythms punk latched onto in earnest, unintentionally creating a blueprint countless others would follow to spotlight their tales of woe. On top of this, the song to some felt too garbled to mean anything specific, giving it an ambiguity that beckoned multiple interpretations, so long as they stemmed from innate urgency and passion.
