The article highlights four pop songs from 1970 that it argues remain especially familiar to baby boomers: The Partridge Family’s “I Think I Love You”, B.J. Thomas’s “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”, Three Dog Night’s “Mama Told Me Not to Come” and the Jackson 5’s “ABC”. It presents them as enduring examples of the era’s mainstream pop appeal, linking their memorability to chart success, television and film exposure.

“I Think I Love You” preceded The Partridge Family television series in October 1970, while “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”, written for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, spent four weeks at number one in January. “Mama Told Me Not to Come”, written by Randy Newman, reached number one in July and was the first chart-topper played on Casey Kasem’s American Top 40. The Jackson 5 had four Hot 100 number ones in 1970; “ABC” spent two weeks at the summit after replacing the Beatles’ “Let It Be”.