Classic rock took on all types of sounds during the mid-70s. Here are some hits that charted on Billboard at the beginning of 1974.
“The Locomotion” by Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad‘s version of this song was released in February of 1974 and eventually peaked at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May. The first time it went to No. 1 was with Little Eva in 1962.
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This song is about the “Locomotion” dance trend that is believed to have emerged around the early 60s. As Grand Funk’s Don Brewer told Songfacts, the song was a bit of a “tongue in cheek” thing for the group.
“…It just had this huge sound to it—it sounded like a big party.”
“Bennie And The Jets” by Elton John
This song went No. 1 for John after being released in February of 1974. It was John’s first No. 1 hit of that year. Although this song sounds like it was recorded live, that part of the song was actually crafted in the studio, as John’s producer Gus Dudgeon shared.
“For some weird reason, Elton happened to have hit the opening piano chord of the song exactly one bar before the song actually started,” he explained in 1993. “So I was doing the mix and this chord kept coming on which you normally wouldn’t expect to hear. I turned to engineer [David Hentschel] and I said, ‘What does that remind you of? … It’s the sort of thing that people do on stage just before they’re going to start a song.’ Just to kind of get everybody, ‘Okay, here we go, ready?’ For some reason that chord being there made me think, ‘Maybe we should fake-live this.’”
“Hooked On A Feeling” by Blue Swede & Björn Skifs
In 1973, Blue Swede & Björn Skifs released a cover of “Hooked On A Feeling”. The song was originally recorded in the late 60s by B.J. Thomas. This song went to No. 1 on Billboard in April of 1974. “Hooked On A Feeling” is about that uncanny high you get when you fall for someone, as the lyrics share:
I can’t stop this feeling
Deep inside of me
Girl, you just don’t realize
What you do to me
When you hold me
In your arms so tight
You let me know
Everything’s alright.
Photo by: Arthur Grimm/United Archives via Getty Images
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