It seems there were a lot of sad and depressing songs in the mid-1970's--like "Wildfire," "Seasons in the Sun," and "Emma." These seemed appropriate for the era of Cold War defeats, stagflation and malaise that preceded the Reagan presidency and Morning in America.
Maybe, I’m sure there are those of every era but I never found disco hokey or cheesey much less depressing so probably in the minority here. :)