Some songs take years to find their audience, and the 1970s were full of them. Plenty of tracks that barely made a dent on the charts back then have since become the kind of songs you blast with the windows down on a summer drive.
Whether they were buried on an album’s B-side or simply ahead of their time, these songs deserve way more credit than they ever got. Get ready to build your new favorite road trip playlist.
1. Walk This Way – Aerosmith (1975)
Hard to believe, but when “Walk This Way” first dropped in 1975, it didn’t chart at all. Nobody paid attention.
Aerosmith re-released it in 1976 and it finally cracked the top ten.
Then came 1986, when Run-DMC flipped it into a hip-hop-rock crossover that blew everyone’s minds. Suddenly, the original sounded fresh all over again.
Crank this one up on the highway and you’ll understand why it never really needed a second chance – it just needed more time.
2. Sail on Sailor – The Beach Boys (1973)
By 1973, most people had written off The Beach Boys as a nostalgia act stuck in the 1960s. “Sail on Sailor” peaked at a forgettable number 79, barely registering on anyone’s radar.
But listen to it now with the wind rushing through the car window, and it hits completely differently. The raw, almost desperate energy in the vocals feels timeless.
It’s one of those songs that sounds better the older you get and the faster you drive.
3. Iron Man – Black Sabbath (1972)
Only number 52 on the charts when it came out – that’s the kind of chart performance that gets songs forgotten forever. Somehow, “Iron Man” refused to disappear.
Decades later, the 2008 Marvel movie borrowed its name and a whole new generation discovered the riff. Few guitar openings in rock history are as instantly recognizable.
Rolling down the road with this thundering out of the speakers feels less like listening to music and more like declaring something.
4. Tequila Sunrise – The Eagles (1973)
The Eagles were one of the biggest bands of the decade, which makes it wild that “Tequila Sunrise” only climbed to number 64. People clearly weren’t paying close enough attention in 1973.
There’s a sleepy, golden-hour feeling baked into every chord of this song. It’s the kind of track that fits perfectly when the sun is low, the road is long, and you’ve got nowhere urgent to be.
Underappreciated then, absolutely essential now.
5. Tiny Dancer – Elton John (1972)
Peaking at just number 41 when it first came out, “Tiny Dancer” was considered a modest effort at best. Rolling Stone now ranks it among the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Most people know it from that unforgettable scene in Almost Famous, where a whole bus of strangers sings along together. That scene captures exactly how this song works – it pulls people in.
Windows down, this one turns a regular drive into something that feels genuinely cinematic.
6. Changes – David Bowie (1971)
“Changes” peaked at number 66 on the pop charts, which feels almost criminal looking back. Rolling Stone eventually ranked it at number 128 on their all-time greatest list, and it’s easy to see why.
There’s something about Bowie’s vocal delivery that makes this song feel urgent even now. The saxophone break alone is worth turning the volume up for.
It’s one of those rare tracks that sounds like it was written specifically for the moment you’re living in, whenever that happens to be.
7. Rock and Roll – Led Zeppelin (1971)
From the same album that gave us “Stairway to Heaven,” this track somehow got overshadowed despite being an absolute firecracker of a song. Its chart performance was modest at best, which still baffles rock fans today.
The drums kick in within the first two seconds and refuse to let go. There’s no slow build, no long intro – just pure, unfiltered energy from the very first beat.
With the windows down and the volume maxed, it feels like the car itself wants to go faster.
8. Rock and Roll All Nite – Kiss (1975)
Critics in 1975 largely dismissed Kiss as a gimmick, and the studio version of this anthem barely charted to prove their point – or so they thought. Nobody’s laughing now.
Live recordings eventually turned this song into a stadium-shaking legend that audiences around the world screamed back word for word. The studio original has a scrappier, rawer energy that’s easy to love once you hear it properly.
Blasting this with the windows down feels like crashing a party you were always supposed to attend.
9. The Passenger – Iggy Pop (1977)
Buried on side two of the Lust for Life album, “The Passenger” wasn’t even a proper single hit. It drifted quietly past most listeners without making much noise at all.
Decades later, it became one of the most hypnotic driving songs ever recorded. The circular guitar riff feels like it was literally designed for watching streetlights blur past a car window at night.
Once you hear it in that context, it’s almost impossible to experience it any other way.
10. American Girl – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1977)
When “American Girl” came out, it completely whiffed in the United States – zero chart action domestically, though it sneaked to number 40 in the U.K. Tom Petty fans had to wait for the world to catch up.
It has since become one of those songs that feels like it’s always existed, like a piece of American fabric. After Petty passed away in 2017, it re-charted and introduced itself to a whole new generation.
Few songs sound more alive with the windows rolled all the way down.
11. Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen (1978)
Released as a single in 1979, this Queen gem failed to chart in the U.S. and barely scraped into the U.K. top 40. Freddie Mercury was at the absolute peak of his charisma, and almost nobody noticed in real time.
Younger generations eventually adopted it through the Bohemian Rhapsody biopic and endless TikTok moments, turning it into an anthem for pure joy. It’s nearly impossible to sit still while this song plays.
Windows down, foot a little heavier on the gas – it practically drives itself.
12. Sweet Jane – The Velvet Underground (1970)
The album Loaded didn’t chart when it came out, and “Sweet Jane” wasn’t even released as an official single until 1973 – where it also failed to chart. The Velvet Underground were simply too ahead of their time for most people to process.
That guitar riff is now considered immortal by music historians, and for good reason. It has a loose, almost conversational groove that feels completely effortless.
On a slow afternoon drive with no particular destination, this song is the exact right speed for everything.
13. Dream On – Aerosmith (1973)
When Aerosmith first released “Dream On” in 1973, they were completely unknown, and the song disappeared without a trace. A re-release in 1975 after heavy touring finally gave it the audience it deserved.
Steven Tyler’s vocal range on this track is genuinely jaw-dropping, especially when it builds toward that final screaming crescendo. It’s one of those songs that hits differently depending on where you are in life.
Somewhere between the opening piano notes and the finish line, it always manages to give you chills.
14. Layla – Derek and the Dominos (1970)
Poor promotion meant “Layla” only hit number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it first came out – a genuinely shocking result for what many now consider one of the greatest rock songs ever recorded.
A 1972 re-release featuring the now-iconic piano outro finally brought it the recognition it always deserved, climbing all the way to number 10. Eric Clapton reportedly wrote it during one of the most emotionally raw periods of his life, and every note sounds like it.
This one demands high volume.
15. Footsteps in the Dark – The Isley Brothers (1977)
Originally a B-side that never cracked the Hot 100, “Footsteps in the Dark” seemed destined to fade into obscurity. Then 1993 happened, and Ice Cube sampled it for “It Was a Good Day,” one of the most beloved hip-hop tracks ever made.
Suddenly, everyone wanted to hear the original. The mellow, rolling groove of the Isley Brothers version has a warmth that feels almost sun-soaked.
Late afternoon, open road, this song playing – it’s the definition of effortless cool.
16. Black Betty – Ram Jam (1977)
Ram Jam’s “Black Betty” peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, which sounds decent until you realize how completely it has outlasted everything else the band ever did. Most people can’t name another Ram Jam song to save their lives.
The opening riff is one of those sounds that makes you automatically turn up the volume before you even realize you’re doing it. It’s chaotic and catchy in equal measure.
With the windows down and the speedometer creeping up, this song makes perfect, reckless sense.
17. I Want You to Want Me – Cheap Trick (1977)
The studio version of this Cheap Trick banger flopped completely when it came out in 1977. Nobody seemed interested.
Then the live version recorded at Budokan in Japan dropped in 1979 and changed everything almost overnight.
Hearing the Japanese crowd go absolutely wild during the intro makes the song feel electric in a way the studio cut never quite captured. But even the original has an undeniable hook that sticks for days.
On a road trip, this one has a way of making everyone in the car sing along whether they planned to or not.
18. No Woman, No Cry – Bob Marley and the Wailers (1974)
The original studio recording of “No Woman, No Cry” made almost no impact when it came out in 1974. A live version recorded in 1975 at the Lyceum in London completely changed that story.
That live version captured something raw and communal that the studio take couldn’t quite bottle – the feeling of a room full of people sharing the same emotion at the same moment. It helped introduce reggae to a worldwide mainstream audience.
Rolling down a quiet road with this playing feels like exhaling after holding your breath too long.