4 Outstanding Tracks That Just Barely Made It Into the Top 10 in 1975

What was happening on the pop tracks on the charts in 1975? It was a year when just about every genre you could imagine was making its mark, from disco to singer-songwriter, from country to funk, and many more.

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These four songs fit into a more traditional pop-rock lane. They each snuck into the Top 10 that year. And they’re still making an impact on listeners today.

“#9 Dream” by John Lennon

 The idea that the mid-70s were a “lost” period for John Lennon doesn’t quite hold water. At least not when you consider the excellent effort he put forth on the 1974 album Walls And Bridges. Lennon ran the sessions with a firm hand and didn’t let some of the crazier elements that had entered his life knock them off course. “#9 Dream” emerged as a single at the end of ’74. It made its biggest chart impact the next year when it topped out at No. 9. Lennon’s production certainly gives the song the feel of a fleeting reverie. His singing is relaxed and penetrating. This one stands out as one of his most ethereally affecting singles.

“Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” by ELO

ELO was steadily churning out hits in its native Great Britain right from the start with their unique mix of barreling rock and roll and dramatic string arrangements. In the US, however, it took them until their fourth album (Eldorado) in 1974 to score a big hit. That came with “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head”, which eventually peaked at No. 9. Jeff Lynne wrote it and plays the role of an everyman who gets caught up in a dream that’s far more exciting and, somehow, more real than his actual life. That theme played out over the entirety of the Eldorado album. This song would set the tone for many future slow-song hits from the band.

“Feel Like Makin’ Love” by Bad Company

Bad Company didn’t take long to establish themselves as a hard rock force. Their self-titled debut album immediately gained them mainstream exposure. It helped that they were a supergroup of sorts and that folks were already familiar with Paul Rodgers’ bluesy voice from his stint with Free. If anything, they solidified their gains on sophomore album Straight Shooter. “Feel Like Makin’ Love”, a No. 10 hit in the US, led the charge. Rodgers had written the bare bones of the song in his Free days. His bandmates turbocharged it, especially in the chorus, which is filled with Mick Ralphs’ crunching guitars and Simon Kirke’s battering drums.

“My Little Town” by Simon & Garfunkel

Paul Simon remained friendly with Art Garfunkel in the immediate aftermath of their professional breakup. And, as his friend, Simon felt compelled to offer advice to Garfunkel that the material Art was recording for his solo career wasn’t up to his talent level. While Simon’s theory was debatable (Garfunkel’s solo debut Angel Clare was actually quite fine), Paul nonetheless put his talent where his opinions were and wrote “My Little Town” for his old partner. The pair then decided to make it a duet, and it landed at No. 9. It’s a soaring song about the occasionally crushing monotony of a life that can’t escape narrow geographical boundaries.

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