Hard rock, at its core, has always been a bit dangerous. When the genre formed later on in the 1960s, it was an intense evolution of rock music thus far. And the following hard rock songs from 1975 still have that taboo and dangerous vibe to them after all these years.
“Walk This Way” by Aerosmith from ‘Toys In The Attic’
Ah, sexual innuendo. Aerosmith basically made that their go-to. Not that anyone’s complaining. “Walk This Way” was one of many Aerosmith hits that had some suggestive lyrics, but the double meanings in this song are delightful enough to earn a spot on this list.
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Interestingly enough, the original release of “Walk This Way” wasn’t much of a charting hit. It took the world about a year to recognize the brilliance of the hard rock song. It was rereleased in 1976 and went all the way to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“Welcome To My Nightmare” by Alice Cooper from ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’
Alice Cooper was also a boundary-pusher, though in a different way from Aerosmith. He was the Godfather of Shock Rock, one who penned tunes about consistently taboo subject matter and was even more boundary-pushing on-stage with his dark and shocking theatrics. “Welcome To My Nightmare”, specifically, used horror imagery in a way that a lot of normies in 1975 were not ready for.
“Welcome To My Nightmare” did decently on the charts despite all the pearl-clutching. It peaked at No. 45 on the Hot 100 chart, though the album of the same name made it all the way to No. 5 on the Billboard 200.
“Symptom Of The Universe” by Black Sabbath from ‘Sabotage’
Black Sabbath was always known for being a little dangerous with their imagery and lyricism. “Symptom Of The Universe” was one of many hits from the band that utilized occult imagery and very spooky subject matter. Some might say this early metal jam might have contributed to the Satan Panic. Who knows? Either way, this entry on our list of hard rock songs from 1975 is incredible, and many believe that Tony Iommi’s riff in this song basically invented thrash metal.
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