I tend to make my music taste very well known, whether it be my seemingly endless amount of band t-shirts or the random music history facts I know. While I love music from a wide range of genres, the music of the 1970s tends to have a close spot to my heart. 

Thus, it’s always a nice surprise when a song that I love starts to become popular again, whether it be because of a movie trailer or a TikTok trend. So, here are a few songs from the 70s (and one from the 60s) that I love that have come back for a new generation recently. 

“Make Your Own Kind of Music” – Cass Elliot 

Cass Elliot was one of four members of the Mamas & the Papas, who were a big folk rock band during the mid-to-late 60s. “Make Your Own Kind of Music” was one of her first big hits in her solo career, enough so that her then-new album was reprinted and renamed to “Make Your Own Kind of Music/It’s Getting Better” due to the song’s success. 

Recently, this song has come back to popular culture through TikTok with a trend including a scene from the 2022 movie “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” which stars Nicolas Cage as a fictionalized version of himself. 

The scene in question has Cage scowling at co-star Pedro Pascal, who has a big smile on his face as he drives Cage along the coast. The actors’ faces are used to show reactions by two different people in a situation, such as an unamused boyfriend and his girlfriend who can’t stop laughing over something, and “Make Your Own Kind of Music” has been the theme for this scene. 

Along with the comedic nature of the scene and the happy vibe of the song, it has been great to see more appreciation for Cass Elliot on TikTok. Not only has her music been appreciated far more, but so has the understanding of the health issues she had involving her weight and eating disorders. While society does still have these stigmas, we have moved in a far more accepting path for people like Elliot, and I love that this silly trend has been able to lead to discussions about acceptance and support for people who are concerned about their body and appearance. 

“The Great Gig in the Sky” – Pink Floyd 

Pink Floyd’s legendary album “The Dark Side of the Moon” recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, being released on March 1, 1973. In the leadup to this, the band released several promotional videos for new content coming out involving the album’s anniversary. Some of these included videos of fans attempting to sing the vocals on the song “The Great Gig in the Sky.” 

This song features vocals by a singer named Clare Torry, making it one of the only Pink Floyd songs not to include one of its band members in the role of lead vocalist. Torry’s vocals on this song have been considered as one of the greatest performances by a singer in the history of classic rock. This is due to the sheer power of her vocals and the notes she can hit.  

After Pink Floyd rereleased it as a single, “Great Gig in the Sky” started appearing all over my TikTok feed for all kinds of videos. Whether it be just in as background music for a dramatic video, appreciation for Pink Floyd and their music or in attempts to imitate Torry. 

“Copacabana (At the Copa)” – Barry Manilow

Since 2020, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame and producer Greg Kurstin have been making albums called “The Hanukkah Sessions.” These albums are made up of eight tracks – one for each night of Hanukkah – made by well-known Jewish musicians. Night three of “The Hanukkah Sessions 2021” was a cover of “Copacabana” by Barry Manilow. 

Around the start of this year, “Copacabana” – both the Manilow original and the Kurstin x Grohl cover – took over my TikTok and my Spotify. Thankfully, it was just late enough that it did not affect my Spotify Wrapped last year, although it may do so this year. The song has been taking over all of my Spotify stats, and it’s crazy how good this song is and how many people on TikTok are saying the same thing.