Baby boomers who got to enjoy the hard rock stylings of 1979 likely can’t forget some of the year’s biggest songs. The following four hard rock bangers might still be stuck in your head after all these years, too.
“Since You Been Gone” by Rainbow from ‘Down To Earth’
Rainbow took a mid-60s pop-rock song from Russ Ballard and turned it into a pretty hefty hit in 1979. The band’s hard rock version of “Since You Been Gone” made it all the way to No. 6 on the UK Singles chart, though it was only a minor hit in the US at No. 57. That’s surprising, considering how legendary this 1979 hit still is to this day.
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“Just The Same Way” by Journey from ‘Evolution’
Journey dominated hard rock for a hot minute back in the day, and “Just The Same Way” was one of many hits from the group around the late 1970s. Penned by Neil Schon, Gregg Rolie, and Ross Valory, “Just The Same Way” made it to No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and I’m surprised it didn’t do bigger numbers. This song is as slick as hard rock can get.
“Train, Train” by Blackfoot from ‘Strikes’
Remember the Southern rock band Blackfoot? They had a noteworthy hit with the Southern-tinged hard rock classic “Train, Train” in 1979. Interestingly written by frontman Rickey Medlocke’s grandfather, “Train, Train” resonated with rock fans in a big way in 1979. The song went to No. 38 on the Hot 100. It would later get covered by the likes of metal band Warrant and country darling Dolly Parton.
“Highway To Hell” by AC/DC from ‘Highway To Hell’
Well, I couldn’t leave this one off our list of hard rock songs from 1979 that baby boomers love, could I? “Highway To Hell” is, without a doubt, AC/DC’s most famous song. Not only is this tune one of the best opening tracks of any hard rock album from the late 70s, but it has also become a legendary single among fans and non-fans of rock alike. “Highway To Hell” was only a minor hit in 1979, peaking at No. 47 on the Hot 100. But it has since become known as one of the greatest rock songs of its era.
Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images
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