Continuing the Music I Love: the 70’s series, here are some songs from 1976. 

Breakdown– Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers  
Smoooooth and cool, with one of the great guitar riffs.  

Still the One– Orleans  
First time I heard this song was when it had been appropriated by the ABCTV as a jingle. I loved the song and when I found out it was an actual pop song, even better. But I’ve loved this song ever since. 4 part harmonies don’t hurt at all. 

Fernando– Abba   
I actually like this song better than their more famous Dancing Queen that was released the same year. It has a sweet, melancholy vibe for the verses and converts to a more bouncy tune in the chorus. Not a lot of songs I like that feature the flute…. 

Somebody to Love– Queen 
My all-time favorite Queen song. This song contains one of those moments that sends chills up my spine; it’s where the song climaxes to- “Can anybody find meeeeeee… (pause) somebody to…. Lo-o-o-ove.” The drums kick in and the backing vocals start back in with “oooh, find me… somebody tooooo love.” The chord progression, the backing vocals… oooh. Sweet. I’ve heard this done by flash mobs, and in movies… it’s always that same chill up the spine when I hear it. 

Hotel California– The Eagles 
This was a BIG hit when it came out. It’s probably my least favorite of the Eagles’ songs that I have on the list, but it’s still a great song 

Don’t Fear the Reaper– Blue Oyster Cult
So the songwriters swear this isn’t a song advocating for suicide, but it certainly seems like it is. Despite that, it’s a pretty catchy tune, so it’s being added to the list. Probably most famous for the Saturday Night Live skit with Will Farrell and Jimmy Fallon, who can barely keep from laughing, with the line: More Cowbell!

PS: I was gonna include Dancing Queen… but on second thought… who needs it?