3 Hard Rock Anthems From the 1970s You Forgot You Loved

Hard rock, particularly from the 1970s, will probably never go out of style. The following three hard rock jams from the 1970s have aged particularly well through the years. And if you were a 70s kid, you might have forgotten how much you loved them. Let’s take a look, shall we?

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“Runnin’ With The Devil” by Van Halen (1978)

There was a time before Van Halen and a time after. And for diehard fans, everything changed when their self-titled debut album dropped in 1978. “Runnin’ With The Devil” is just one song from that legendary record, and it opens up the album beautifully. Listening to this song is like listening to history being made.

“Runnin’ With The Devil” was a modest hit for the band when it was first released. It hit No. 11 in Belgium and No. 2 in the Netherlands. It inched to No. 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US before the band really blew up stateside.

“The Boys Are Back In Town” by Thin Lizzy (1976)

Few hard rock songs from the 1970s became anthems for just about every gaggle of dudes out there quite like “The Boys Are Back In Town” by Thin Lizzy. It’s crazy to think this Irish hard rock outfit is technically a one-hit wonder in the US, because so much of their music was fantastic. “The Boys Are Back In Town” resonated with listeners globally, though, and most can’t help but sing along to that catchy chorus.

“The Boys Are Back In Town” by Thin Lizzy was a No. 12 hit on the Hot 100 in 1976, and also a hit in Ireland and the UK.

“Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent (1975)

A little bit hard rock and a little bit heavy metal, Ted Nugent’s “Stranglehold” definitely had a “stranglehold” on 1970s rock fans when it debuted. The first song from his first solo record, “Stranglehold” is over eight minutes of guitar solo goodness that has stood the test of time beautifully.

“Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent is considered a classic today, despite not charting when it was first released. It’s been named one of the finest hard rock songs of the century by several publications. And it’s even been used as the entrance song for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.

Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns