Every decade (or at least, a few) seem to have sort of defining years which either herald or bring about a major cultural/socio-political shift. For example, 1967 for the '60s (The emergence of the Psychedelic bands, Rock N' Roll gaining more and more momentum as a cultural force rather than just music, The Monterey Pop Festival, the year the youth began to majorly turn against Vietnam, etc), 1991 for the '90s (the year Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Grunge hit the mainstream, along with rap emerging more as a mainstream music genre), etc.

I think for the '70s, two years in particular can be looked at as years in which there was massive change, 1972 and 1976.

1972 I think really defined the '70s--It's the year the '70s as a cultural decade really split from the '60s IMO. In 1972, you had the Vietnam War winding down, the Hippie movement was pretty much dead or had been absorbed into the mainstream culture, movies had become even more edgy and groundbreaking than in the previous years (For example Deep Throat, which despite being a porn film became a cultural event; The Godfather; The disturbing nature of the films Deliverance and The Last House on the Left, etc).

It's the year bands like The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin really found their place into the larger context of the '70s pop culture; The emergence of Glam Rock as a mainstream music genre with bands like T. Rex and Mott the Hoople finding success, which would define the rest of the '70s through the early '90s; Pong was released, becoming the first commercially released video game; Shows like All in the Family were beginning to be very popular which would define a good part of the rest of the decade; The first underground stirrings of proto-Punk and Disco. Animation was beginning to establish itself as being more than a kid centered medium with the release and success of Fritz the Cat, Nixon went to China, went to Moscow, began Detente, won re-election in one of the biggest landslides in history (thus "proving the Hippies wrong"); meanwhile, Watergate had been undertaken in June 1972 and would continue to gnaw at the edge of the newspapers for the rest of the year and the unraveling of Nixon's presidency was about to begin just as he had accomplished his greatest triumphs. The Vietnam War was winding down with an ever increasing pace in 1972 and by January 1st 1973 it was (for our part at least) essentially over.

It just seems to me that 1972 was a very defining year for the '70s as a decade, does anyone else agree?

I think the bicentennial year of 1976 is a much better candidate for representing the '70s zeitgeist, I'd say 1984 for the '80s, 1993 for the '90s, and 2005 for the '00s.

IMO 1972 was indeed a pivotal year for the decade.  Up through 1972, things seemed more or less like a carryover from the late 60's.  But by the end of the year, the 1970's, for better or worse, was forming its own identity and shedding the late 60's vibe.  As a 12 year old then, I observed this shift in almost every arena, not just pop culture.    8) 

I also find 1974 quite pivotal and I could make a case for this, as it was when the Energy Crisis that began late in 1973 reached its full impact with its gas lines that people keep talking about, along with an economic recession and high inflation, known as "Stagflation". You also had the first disco hits that topped the charts that year, and with All in the Family in the middle of its #1 run. Elton John, the best selling artist of the '70s, also was in the middle of his peak. Finally, Richard Nixon's resignation was a buildup from his failures the previous few years and also Vietnam was pretty much becoming known as a failure. 8-track sales also hit their peak that year. The "Brady Bunch" campiness ended and "Happy Days", a reflection of nostalgia that was mostly absent in the '60s, began. To me that year defines the '70s the most. 1972 was distinct from the '60s, but still had some lingering Vietnam protesters and some songs were still quite '60s sounding, such as the Hollies' "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress".

There was a t.v. show in the '80s called "Our World: It is about time" and starred Linda Elerbee. It was a really good show but it had the bad luck of being opposite The Cosby Show so everyone forgot about it. There was one ep that basically says the same thing about 1972-specifically the summer of '72.  I LOVED that ep-and I was smart enough to record it when it aired again. However, I was looking for it on line but couldn't really find the video to post. But here is some info on the ep.

http://www.tv.com/shows/our-world-1987/between-the-lines-summer-1972-418701/

Basically, it said that the summer of '72 was when the '60s really ended.

If anyone can find a place where I can watch this video on-line, please let me know. 


Cat

The late seventies were too different from the early seventies to call 1972 the defining year...however, we are teetering on decadology here.

The late seventies were too different from the early seventies to call 1972 the defining year...however, we are teetering on decadology here.


Teetering?  ;)

Shouldn't be such sticklers. It's a good topic.

My birth year!!!