Wild Misconceptions About the 1970s

The 1970s were the height of disco, punk, and the sexual revolution, right?

Generally speaking, most people would say that punk rock as a music genre fully emerged in the 1970s. By the latter part of the decade, bands like The Ramones and The Clash began to typify it, thanks to seminal albums like 1976’s Ramones—which kicks off with “Blitzkrieg Bop”—and the 1979 London Calling double LP. But if you dig a bit deeper into it, the root system for that kind of sound is actually much wider, and stems from much earlier.

Between the ubiquitous wood paneling and orange shag carpets, you’d be forgiven for thinking that a lot of what was hip back in the ‘70s is outdated by today’s standards. For those who grew up with iPhones, that divide is even wider; imagining an era where there were no smartphones, no tablets, no search engines—and when VCRs weren’t affordable for most households—seems pretty wild. Despite our modern perception of technology, the ‘70s were fairly technologically advanced.

But what about disco? You’d be laughed off the dance floor if you tried to argue that disco was uniformly loved back in the ‘70s. In fact, “disco sucks!” became a rallying cry for a whole generation.

In this episode of Misconceptions, Justin Dodd breaks down some common myths about the 1970s.

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