Some hit rock songs from the 1970s (particularly 1975) made it big before fizzling away from the collective memory of mainstream rock listeners. That seems to be the case for the following three songs, each of which definitely deserves more love today. Let’s revisit some classics, shall we?
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“I’m On Fire” by Dwight Twilley Band
Remember “I’m On Fire” by Dwight Twilley Band? Written by Dwight Twilley himself, this song was actually the rock and power pop band’s debut single. And what a way to hit the scene. This glam rock (and a little bit roots rock) hit from Dwight Twilley Band peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1975. It also did well in Canada at No. 57. And yet, nowadays, I rarely hear it on the radio. What gives?
“Third Rate Romance” by Amazing Rhythm Aces
How about a little bit of good ol’ country rock? “Third Rate Romance” by Amazing Rhythm Aces dropped in the summer of 1975 and was a fast hit for the outfit. The lyrics of this song explore a couple about to get a little cozy during a one-night stand. And despite being so successful at the time, I can’t remember I heard this song on rock or country radio.
“Third Rate Romance” by Amazing Rhythm Aces was a No. 14 hit on the Hot 100. The band’s debut single also did well on the US country charts at No. 11 and did extremely well on the Canadian country charts at No. 1.
“Symptom Of The Universe” by Black Sabbath
This thrash metal song doesn’t make it to our list of forgotten hit rock songs from 1975 in the traditional sense. It was never released as a single, and thus, it was technically never a charting “hit.” However, “Symptom Of The Universe” would go on to make it to plenty of lists as one of the band’s best (and most underrated) songs, so I’ll go ahead and include it here.
“Symptom Of The Universe” can be found on Black Sabbath’s 1975 album Sabotage. Many believe that the song’s main riff is one of the earliest examples of thrash metal, which wouldn’t really become a thing until the 1980s. That makes “Symptom Of The Universe” an important song in rock music history.
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