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3 Soft Rock Songs That Defined Summer for Millions of Americans in 1973
The article highlights three soft rock songs it says became part of many Americans’ summer soundtrack in 1973: Eagles’ “Tequila Sunrise”, Bread’s “Aubrey” and Seals and Crofts’ “Diamond Girl”. It argues that, despite differing chart performances, all three remained familiar radio favourites and illustrate soft rock’s prominence at the time.
– “Tequila Sunrise”, from Eagles’ *Desperado*, was released shortly before summer and blended soft rock with country influences; it reached No. 26 on the Adult Contemporary chart and No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100. – Bread’s “Aubrey”, written by David Gates and said to have been inspired by *Breakfast at Tiffany’s*, peaked at No. 15 on the Hot 100 and No. 11 on Cash Box’s Top 100. – Seals and Crofts’ “Diamond Girl”, released in May as the title track of its album, was the strongest chart success of the three, reaching No. 6 on the Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Easy Listening chart.
In short
- Three soft rock tracks are presented as defining summer 1973.
- “Diamond Girl” achieved the highest US chart position.
- All three songs remained long-running radio favourites.
Explained simply
Soft rock was a popular music style in the 1970s defined by smooth singing, gentle instrumentation and romantic or personal themes. The summer of 1973 was a notable period for this genre in America, when several songs in this style became widely played on radio and familiar to millions of listeners.
Three songs from that summer are particularly remembered as examples of soft rock's appeal at the time. The Eagles' "Tequila Sunrise", Bread's "Aubrey" and Seals and Crofts' "Diamond Girl" all emerged around the same period and became regular radio fixtures. The three songs came from established American bands who specialised in this smooth, accessible style of rock music.
These tracks achieved different levels of commercial success but all became recognisable to audiences across America. Looking at what dominated popular music that summer reveals which artists and songs captured the public mood at the time, and helps explain why soft rock became such a defining sound of the era.