3 Classic Rock Songs From the 1970s That Use Banjo To Give Some Extra Twang

The classic rock checklist includes buzzy guitars, big booming bass, elaborate drums, twinkling keys, and a lead singer that can shock and compel. But banjo? Well, that’s a rarity. Nevertheless, some of the most famous bands of all time took advantage of the twangy instrument to bolster some of their most popular songs.

Here below, we wanted to explore three such examples. A trio of classic rock tunes that benefit from the historical instrument. Indeed, these are three classic rock songs from the 1970s that use banjo to get some extra twang.

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“Midnight Flyer” by the Eagles from On the Border (1974)

This song opens with swinging, kickin’ banjo. If there was any doubt the instrument could and would play a role in classic rock, then this song is evidence that it suits the genre and fits right in. The Los Angeles-born band the Eagles is one of the pillars of the classic rock genre and so if they can do it, anyone can. This song from the band’s 1974 LP On the Border is about traveling through the country via train and singing the world. On the tune, the band sings between finger-picked banjo played by Bernie Leadon,

Ooh, midnight flyer
Engineer, won’t you let your whistle moan?
Ooh, midnight flyer
I paid the dues and I feel like travelin’ on

A runaway team of horses ain’t enough to make me stay
So, throw your rope on another man and pull him down your way
Make him into someone to take the place of me
Make him every kind of fool you wanted me to be

“Old Man” by Neil Young from Harvest (1972)

One of Neil Young’s best known and most beloved songs, this tune is about youth, age, and the passing of time. But while things change, the more they stay the same, Young sings. And on the tune, James Taylor plays banjo and Linda Ronstadt sings backup vocals. Not a bad collection of artists! Between all that talent, Young sings,

Old man look at my life
I’m a lot like you were
Old man look at my life
I’m a lot like you were

Old man look at my life
Twenty four and there’s so much more
Live alone in a paradise
That makes me think of two

“Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver from Poems, Prayers & Promises (1971)

John Denver was a delightful songwriter whose tunes have subsisted throughout the decades. And this song is perhaps his most loved. On the track, Eric Weissberg plays banjo as Denver sings about the beauty of West Virginia and the value of the natural world. Indeed, on the song, Denver sings sweetly,

Almost Heaven, West Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, growin’ like a breeze

Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads

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