In need of a few excellent rock songs from 1976 to add to your classic rock playlist? These three gems might already be on there, considering they each charted quite well in the mid-1970s. And yet, despite being so memorable, these famous hits never actually reached No. 1 on any Billboard chart. Personally, I don’t think that’s fair at all. Let’s take a look!
“Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac dished out a few singles from their hit 1977 album Rumours the year prior. Each of those songs did quite well on the charts, too. “Rhiannon” is one of them, released in early 1976 in the US and UK. This beautiful Stevie Nicks-penned rock tune peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100 and did even better in Canada. And yet, not one single chart placed this song at No. 1. While Fleetwood Mac (and Stevie Nicks) did get the recognition they deserved with other singles that year, I think “Rhiannon” deserved a No. 1 spot, at least on the Cash Box Top 100.
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“Take It To The Limit” by Eagles
“Take It To The Limit” by Eagles was released in November 1975, but considering this song started to really chart and become popular once the year turned to 1976, I’ll go ahead and include it on this list. This rock song from One Of These Nights made it all the way to No. 4 on the Hot 100 and No. 12 on the UK charts. That was a pretty big deal, as “Take It To The Limit” would end up being the band’s greatest success across the pond. It’s wild to me that this song didn’t make it to No. 1 in the US, considering how popular it was.
“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by Blue Öyster Cult
I can’t think of any other rock songs released in 1976 that are more memorable than Blue Öyster Cult’s hard rock jam, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”. This psychedelic soft rock jam is by far the most memorable song from the album Agents Of Fortune, and it’s likely the band’s most memorable song to date. Shockingly, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” didn’t hit No. 1 anywhere. Not on the Hot 100 or any other lesser mainstream chart. The song peaked at No. 12 on the Hot 100 and No. 7 in Canada. Crazy stuff!
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