Classic Tunes from 1975
- shellisue
- Jan 17
- 2 min read
I'm vintage now and so are these songs.
To mark my 50th birthday, I sifted through hundreds of popular songs released in 1975 to rediscover some gems. What an eclectic bunch!
You’ve got your tried-and-true genres from bygone eras that continued to influence 70s music, such as folk, bluegrass, country, rock, soul, pop, and rhythm & blues. These traditional genres kept their staying power while also evolving and branching out—inspiring whole new genres like reggae, disco, hard rock, and heavy metal.
(The exact provenance of these genres can get messy, so I’m going by their general rise in popularity in the U.S.) My point is, 1975 was centered in an exploratory time in music with no solid home and with more than one trend in the works.
Ladies and gents, I give you my top 20 favorite songs from the year 1975 in no particular order (although I'm partial to Queen and Heart). Scan my QR code at the end to see the extended playlist.
"Sweet Emotion" Aerosmith
"It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)" AC/DC
"Bohemian Rhapsody" Queen
"You're My Best Friend" Queen
"Crazy on You" Heart
"Magic Man" Heart
"Lyin’ Eyes" Eagles
"Get Down Tonight" KC and the Sunshine Band
"This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" Natalie Cole
"Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)" Fleetwood Mac
"Fame" David Bowie
"Kashmir" Led Zeppelin
"Shining Star" Earth, Wind & Fire
"Mamma Mia" ABBA
"Evil Woman" Electric Light Orchestra
"Thank God I'm a Country Boy" John Denver
(released 2 versions; in '74 and '75)
"The Hustle" Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony
"Low Rider" War
"Sister Golden Hair" America
"Mandy" Barry Manilow
This song was released on the day I was born!
Scan the QR code for my extended iTunes playlist "1975 Classics."
Set this baby on "shuffle" for your next road trip, and enjoy good vibes for miles!
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