5 Songs From 1975 That Give Me Instant Goosebumps Every Time

The 1970s were chock-full of music that sent shivers down the spine, goosebumps up and down the arms, and tingles in the stomach—right smack dab in the middle of the decade, in 1975, was certainly no exception. Indeed, the halfway point of this pioneering decade saw countless emotionally moving songs burst onto the mainstream.

Here are five of the best.

“Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin

From their 1975 release Physical Graffiti, “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin is the epitome of a rock song that is moving, theatrical, and dramatic. Jimmy Page’s go-to DADGAD tuning and the incredible string and brass accompaniment give this song an otherworldly feel. Unsurprisingly, every time I listen to it, I get goosebumps up and down my arms. This is also thanks in part to the trailer for the 2012 action-adventure movie, John Carter, which used “Kashmir” during a particularly striking scene with an alien. Very cool. Very fun.

“Tangled Up In Blue” by Bob Dylan

In typical Bob Dylan fashion, “Tangled Up In Blue”, the title track to his 15th studio album from 1975, is lengthy and rambling. While it makes for a long listen, the song’s balladeering quality also means there are plenty of opportunities to get goosebumps up and down your arms. For me, it happens at the end of the song. Dylan’s final verse summarizes the feeling of two lovers drifting apart not because of some grave misdoing but for the natural evolution of their separate lives. 

“Diamonds And Rust” by Joan Baez

Speaking of Bob Dylan, my first introduction to his serendipitous, influential, and ultimately doomed relationship with Joan Baez was through her 1975 song “Diamonds And Rust”. We tend to idolize Dylan to the point of superhumanness. Baez brings him squarely back to earth. She highlights crappy things he said as a young, careless boyfriend and describes her adoration and frustration with him in painstaking clarity. Dylan wasn’t a hero to Baez; he was human, for better and for worse. “Speaking strictly for me, we both could have died then and there.”

“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac

This entry is almost a cop-out, because frankly, who doesn’t get goosebumps when they listen to the iconic 1975 Fleetwood Mac song “Landslide”? Written by a 20-something-year-old Stevie Nicks with all the world-weary wisdom of a woman many, many decades her senior, “Landslide” captures the melancholy, bittersweet feelings of growing up. Things change. That doesn’t mean they turn bad. They’re just different, which can be sad in its own way, even if “different” could be qualified as “better.” The older I get, the more goosebump-inducing this song becomes.

“Magic Man” by Heart

Finally, wrapping up this list of songs from 1975 that give me instant goosebumps is my favorite song from Heart’s debut album, Dreamboat Annie: “Magic Man”. Written about vocalist Ann Wilson’s then-boyfriend and manager Michael Fisher, the song is romantic and moody and, of course, a bit supernatural, thanks to the “magic man” moniker. But it’s the various musical phases of this song that send chills up my spine: the brooding verses, the powerful choruses, and, of course, the conga section.

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