The 10 Best Hit Songs of 1975

The year 1975 saw its fair share of major events. For example, it was the year in which North Vietnam reunified the country by conquering its southern counterpart. Similarly, it was the year in which Spain began transitioning towards democracy when the soon-to-be-dead dictator Francisco Franco yielded the position of acting head of state to Juan Carlos I. Of course, the 70s also saw its fair share of great songs, which are well worth a listen by interested individuals.

10. “One of These Nights” – The Eagles

The Eagles are still a famous band. For various reasons, their 1977 song “Hotel California” still sees extensive use, with an excellent example being its inclusion in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. However, the Eagles made their reputation long before its release, which makes sense because the band broke into the mainstream with their self-titled debut studio album in 1972. Between those two dates, the band released several singles that did quite well in their own right. “One of These Nights” was one of them.

9. “Laughter in the Rain” – Neil Sedaka

Neil Sedaka was a huge success in the 1960s. Then, his U.S. career declined during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The situation was so bad that Sedaka released “Laughter in the Rain” in the United Kingdom but not the United States. It wasn’t until Elton John approached him about working together that the song received a U.S. release. As it turned out, that was a good move because “Laughter in the Rain” restarted Sedaka’s U.S. career in the 1970s, thus paving the way for several other hits in that decade.

8. “Fame” – David Bowie

By 1975, David Bowie was a very well-known name in entertainment. With that said, “Fame” isn’t exactly a celebration of his status. In considerable part, that was because the song reflected the breakdown of the relationship between him and his then-manager Tony Defries, which was prompted by the colossal failure of the latter’s musical theatre project. Not coincidentally, said musical theatre project was also named Fame. Regardless, the song resonated with people in the United States and Canada, though it was more of a miss in Europe itself.

7. “Shining Star” – Earth, Wind & Fire

“Shining Star” is notable for being the sole Earth, Wind & Fire song to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It is an excellent show of both the band’s range and the band’s coordination, meaning it remains as remarkable as ever.

6. “Some Kind of Wonderful” – Grand Funk

Originally, “Some Kind of Wonderful” was a John Ellison song that reached the number 91 position on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967. However, people tend to remember the Grand Funk version, which makes sense because that reached the number three position on the same chart. Either way, it is a very nice, very uplifting love song.

5. “My Eyes Adored You” – Frankie Valli

“My Eyes Adored You” had a rather messy experience while on its way to its release. As the story goes, The Four Seasons recorded it. Unfortunately, the band wasn’t able to convince Motown to release it. As a result, The Four Seasons’ lead singer Frankie Valli bought the song before looking for a record label that would be more accommodating. Neither Capitol nor Atlantic Records was that record label. In the end, Valli got the song released through Private Stock Records, which worked out very well because the song went number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

4. “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” – Freddy Fender

Most songs get recorded and released once. Some get one or two covers, which already suggest a great deal of popularity. As such, “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” stands out because it has more than two dozen covers. Out of those, Freddy Fender’s version is by far the most famous. It is particularly notable because the man sang the song half in English and half in Spanish.

The result was very good, so much so that it restarted Fender’s career. At the time, it was more-or-less dead after he had spent almost three years in prison for possession of marijuana. The funny thing is that Fender didn’t think much about the song, as shown by how he got the recording done in a matter of minutes.

3. “Philadelphia Freedom” – Elton John

Unsurprisingly, “Philadelphia Freedom” is yet another song co-written by Elton John and his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin. It was something of a milestone for the duo because it was the first time they had ever consciously set out to write a song rather than let inspiration fall where it may. “Philadelphia Freedom” honored Billie Jean King, whose tennis team was the Philadelphia Freedom. Despite that, its lyrics were vague enough for people to interpret them as a show of support for American patriotism, which lined up very well with how people were getting ready to celebrate the country’s bicentennial in 1976.

2. “Rhinestone Cowboy” – Glen Campbell

Larry Weiss released “Rhinestone Cowboy” in 1974. It didn’t meet with much commercial success, but it saw some radio play anyway. Thanks to that, Glen Campbell became familiar with the song while he was touring Australia. Subsequently, he recorded and released his version when Capital Records approached him about the matter. It is well-known that the song’s sentiments resonated with Campbell, which presumably played a role in its crossover appeal for both pop and country listeners.

1. “Love Will Keep Us Together” – Captain & Tennille

“Love Will Keep Us Together” started as a Neil Sedaka song from 1973. As mentioned earlier, the man’s U.S. career was in very poor condition in the 1970s before “Laughter in the Rain” came out in 1975. Due to that, it shouldn’t be surprising to learn that the studio album containing that version of the song didn’t even get a U.S. release at the time. Later, Captain & Tennille did a cover that became the lead single on their debut studio album.

That took the music world by storm. Moreover, the two acknowledged Sedaka’s role by mentioning that “Sedaka is back” in the fadeout, which was a fitting acknowledgment of said individual’s comeback in that year. Of course, the success of “Love Will Keep Us Together” did a great deal to pave the way for Captain & Tennille’s further successes in the decades that followed.

You can also read:

• The 10 Best Hit Songs of 1989
• The 10 Best Hit Songs of 1982
• The 10 Best Hit Songs of 1994
• The 10 Best Hit Songs of 1994
• The 10 Best Hit Songs from 1986