“Carry On Wayward Son” is a progressive rock single recorded by Kansas and written by Kerry Livgren for their 1976 album Leftoverture. In 1977, the song peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard pop singles chart, becoming their first Top 40 hit. The 7″ single has been certified Gold by the RIAA. This version was a much shorter version of the song, edited down to 3:26, a version that was also the band’s only single to chart in the UK, reaching number 51 there. All initial releases of the single had a B-side of “Questions of My Childhood”.
Category: 1976
JJ Cale – Cocaine (live)
“Cocaine” is a song written and recorded by JJ Cale in 1976, and also known as a cover version recorded by Eric Clapton. Allmusic calls the latter “among [Clapton’s] most enduringly popular hits” and notes that “even for an artist like Clapton with a huge body of high-quality work, ‘Cocaine’ ranks among his best.”
Queen – Somebody to Love (live at Montreal)
“Somebody to Love” is a song by British rock band Queen, written by Freddie Mercury. It debuted on the band’s 1976 album A Day at the Races and was also featured on their compilation album Greatest Hits. The song offers listeners something similar to that of Queen’s earlier hit “Bohemian Rhapsody” with its complex harmonies and guitar solos; however instead of mimicking an English choir, the band turned to a gospel choir.
Abba – Dancing Queen
“Dancing Queen” is a pop song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in August 1976, and is commonly regarded as one of the most successful singles of the 1970s and greatest songs of all time. “Dancing Queen” was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Stig Anderson and features the shared lead vocal performance of Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. It is considered by many to be ABBA’s signature song, as it reached the number 1 position on popular music charts in 13 countries. Recorded in 1975, it was released on the group’s album Arrival the following year.