Baby boomers with a serious love for hard rock were having the time of their lives in 1975. It was a peak year for the genre, and countless hard rock hits became virtually inescapable on the radio. Let’s take a look at just a few very nostalgic examples, shall we?
“Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith from ‘Toys In The Attic’
Aerosmith finally broke through to the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with this addicting and funky hard rock hit. “Sweet Emotion” kicked off a string of major hits for the band that wouldn’t wane until the end of the 1970s. And even if you’re not an Aerosmith fan, you definitely know this song well. It’s still a go-to on classic rock radio after all these years.
“Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith was a No. 36 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1975.
“Rock And Roll All Nite” by KISS from ‘Dressed To Kill’
KISS had an arena rock smash on their hands with “Rock And Roll All Nite”. To many fans of the era, it remains one of the best hair metal songs of all time. I’m inclined to agree.
This 1975 track was a hit from the start, but it started to do serious numbers in 1976 with a live version. “Rock And Roll All Nite” originally made it to No. 68 on the Hot 100, but the live version would make it all the way to No. 12.
“Feel Like Makin’ Love” by Bad Company from ‘Straight Shooter’
Bad Company’s hard rock hit “Feel Like Makin’ Love” is one of the best of the genre, and you just can’t beat Mick Ralphs’ killer guitar track.
“Feel Like Makin’ Love” by Bad Company peaked at No. 10 on the Hot 100 chart and No. 20 on the UK Singles chart.
“Bad Time” by Grand Funk from ‘All The Girls In The World Beware!!!’
Grand Funk dished out a few hard rock bangers in the 70s, but this 1975 gem is still loved by baby boomers after all these years. It also, in a way, marked the end of Grand Funk. This song would serve as a bookend to the band’s major hit tenure as Grand Funk, and they would change their name to Grand Funk Railroad shortly after.
“Bad Time” by Grand Funk made it to the Top 5 in the US and No. 3 in Canada.
Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images
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Author: Em Casalena