3 Hard Rock Songs From 1978 That Changed FM Radio Forever

Back in 1978, FM radio was the main way most people consumed hot new songs. Some hard rock tracks released that year would end up changing radio forever, in a very good way. Let’s take a look at a few famous hard rock songs that made FM radio even better in 1978.

“Sultans Of Swing” by Dire Straits from ‘Dire Straits’

Guitar-driven songs weren’t exactly new in 1978. But Dire Straits kicked off a major radio trend that popularized clean-cut and complex guitar rock songs with “Sultans Of Swing”. This classic, written by Mark Knopfler, was a smash hit in the UK at No. 8. It became a major US hit at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, too. That solo, à la Knopfler himself? Absolutely iconic.

“Runnin’ With The Devil” by Van Halen from ‘Van Halen’

This track from Van Halen really defined the hard rock genre, which would continue to dominate radio for the rest of the 70s and a big chunk of the 80s, too. Van Halen didn’t invent the genre, of course. But they kept dropping hard rock bangers through the late 70s and early 80s that listeners couldn’t help but love.

“Runnin’ With The Devil” by Van Halen was only a minor hit in 1978, peaking at No. 84 on the Hot 100. However, it would become a standard song on classic rock radio in the decades that followed. And I bet you can flip between local stations for just a few minutes before you stumble upon this song in all its glory.

“Don’t Look Back” by Boston from ‘Don’t Look Back’

Boston wasn’t new to FM radio in 1978, but they kept their radio fodder momentum going with the title track of their second album (among other songs) that year. The layering of instruments, those high-powered vocals, and the big production of “Don’t Look Back”… All of these killer elements made the song an unsurprising FM radio hit in the late 1970s.

“Don’t Look Back” by Boston was a smash hit at No. 4 on the Hot 100 chart. The song also did well in Canada and Ireland and peaked at No. 7 on the Cash Box Top 100 chart in the US.

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