This is a list-style article celebrating four pop songs from 1972 that are said to transport baby boomers back in time whenever they hear them. It highlights the era-defining tracks that dominated the charts that year, spanning soul, reggae-influenced pop and teen idol hits, and reflects on their lasting cultural impact decades later.

The songs featured are Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," which topped charts in the US, Canada and Australia and won two Grammy Awards; Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now," a reggae-soul hit that reached No. 1 in the US and Canada; Michael Jackson's "Ben," his first solo No. 1 single, originally intended for Donny Osmond; and Osmond's own "Puppy Love," a Paul Anka cover that reached No. 3 in the US and No. 1 in Canada and the UK.