1974 Hit, More Than 12 Minutes Long, Was Just Named the Best Classic Rock Song of the '70s
Most music lovers will agree that the top classic rock hits were produced in the '70s. The publication Collider released a list of the "10 best classic rock songs of the 1970s" that highlighted hits like The Who's 1971 tune, "Baba O'Riley," Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" from 1975, 1975's "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, and "Heroes" by David Bowie, released in 1977.
According to Collider, King Crimson's 1974 hit "Starless," off the album Red, is the top 1970s classic rock song. The publication complimented the song for its uniqueness and ability to captivate listeners, despite being 12 minutes and 24 seconds long.
John Wetton Opened Up About Writing 'Starless'
The late John Wetton, who was the singer of King Crimson in the early '70s, discussed writing "Starless" in a 1979 interview on The Boffomundo Show. He said that he considered the song a "thorn in [his] side," as his then-bandmates Robert Fripp and Bill Bruford, of Yes fame, disliked the song. According to Wetton, who died at the age of 67 in 2017, Fripp and Bruford rejected the track when he first "presented the idea" of the song to them.
"I got a totally cold reaction. Nobody liked it. Hated it. Both Robert and Bill said, 'No, I'm not quite sure about that. Don't like it.' So I thought, 'Oh well. I think it's one of the best things I've written so I'll keep that.' So I pouted and stumped out of the room," recalled the musician.
He then said that about "eight months later, when [they] were recording Red," Fripp and Bruford shared they were interested in recording "Starless."
"Both Robert and Bill said, 'Hey, what about that song that you came up with last time?'" said the musician.
In addition, he said that by the time he and his bandmates were recording Red, he had "almost finished" "Starless."
"Robert added an intro, and Bill added that whole second section to the tune," continued Wetton during The Boffomundo Show interview.
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 12:48 PM.