1975 arrived just like any other year. But by the time the 12 months of the decade’s middle ended, popular music was moving toward a different place than where it had started.Along with the still-relevant big names found in the below list of the Top 40 Songs of 1975, which were chosen by the UCR staff, some new faces begin to surface, as do genres that would have monumental effects on music by the end of the ’70s.It was a thriving year for artists looking for new ways to express themselves, whether by introducing some new flourishes in their music (Eastern and world rhythms, synthesizers and dance beats) or fresh genres altogether (hello, disco!). In general, in form and practice, 1975 was the link between where the decade started and how it ended.40. Electric Light Orchestra, “Evil Woman” (From Face the Music)Electric Light Orchestra had completed work on their fifth album, Face the Music, when Jeff Lynne realized there wasn’t an obvious single. So he quickly wrote “Evil Woman” – combining pop, R&B and art-rock in one of the group’s catchiest songs – in less than 30 minutes and included it on the finished LP. “Evil Woman” shot up the charts, reaching the Top 10 in the U.S. and U.K., setting up bigger successes later in the decade.39. Eagles, “Take It to the Limit” (From One of These Nights)”Take It to the Limit” was a blessing and a curse for Eagles cofounder Randy Meisner. The bassist wrote the song with help from bandmates Don Henley and Glenn Frey; Meisner also sang lead on the track, his first to become a hit. Like the two preceding singles from the band’s fourth album, “Take It to the Limit” made the Top 5. But Meisner grew tired of singing the song and left the band after refusing to perform it onstage.38. War, “Low Rider” (From Why Can’t We Be Friends?)One of the most endearing cuts by the Long Beach, California, Latin pop rock band War, “Low Rider” has taken on renewed life since its release in 1975. Used in commercials, movies, TV shows and trailers, the song channels the laid-back cruising vibe of its subject. The track became War’s sixth Top 10 hit; the next, 1976’s “Summer,” continued with the relaxed, cool feelings of “Low Rider.”37. Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Saturday Night Special” (From Nuthin’ Fancy)The opening track on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s third LP, despite implications, is an anti-gun song about the consequences of owning cheap, readily available weapons. “Handguns are made for killin’ / They ain’t no good for nothin’ else,” Ronnie Van Zant sings over greasy Southern rock that hints at the danger underneath. The band hit the Top 30 only one more time before a 1977 plane crash claimed the lives of Van Zant and others.36. America, “Sister Golden Hair” (From Hearts)America songwriter Gerry Beckley said Jackson Browne’s style of empirical songwriting inspired him to try his hand at a song that sounded like it originated from the Los Angeles school. It succeeded: “Sister Golden Hair” was the band’s second and final No. 1 (after their debut, “Horse With No Name”). George Martin produced, giving him one of just a handful of hit records he made outside of the Beatles.35. Simon and Garfunkel, “My Little Town” (From Still Crazy After All These Years and Breakaway)After their 1970 split, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel pursued solo careers that took them in separate directions except for a brief reunion at a 1972 political benefit. While working on his 1975 album Still Crazy After All These Years, Simon wrote a song specifically with his old partner in mind. “My Little Town” became a new Simon & Garfunkel song, simultaneously released on Garfunkel’s second solo LP, Breakaway.READ MORE: Top 35 Hard Rock Albums of the ’70s34. The Band, “Acadian Driftwood” (From Northern Lights – Southern Cross)Fresh from a successful 1974 tour with their onetime conspirator Bob Dylan, the Band got to work on their sixth album, Northern Lights – Southern Cross, their first LP of original material since 1971’s Cahoots. The revitalized group delivered some of their finest ’70s performances, including Robbie Robertson’s nearly seven-minute dissertation on the displacement of Acadians in North America, “Acadian Driftwood.”33. Bob Dylan, “Idiot Wind” (From Blood on the Tracks)Bob Dylan was going through a lot, professionally and personally, when he started work on his 15th album. He had just wrapped his first tour in seven years with his old comrades-in-arms the Band, and at home, his nine-year marriage to Sara Lownds was getting bumpy. Blood on the Tracks takes stock of the 33-year-old singer-songwriter, with “Idiot Wind” landing like a vicious assessment of a crumbling relationship.32. Black Sabbath, “Symptom of the Universe” (From Sabotage)The best song on Black Sabbath’s Sabotage stemmed from a jam session among band members as they were working on their sixth album. The six-and-a-half-minute track has since been named an influence on the next decade’s thrash metal bands. Ozzy Osbourne was particularly fond of the song, carrying it over to his solo career and live performances after he was dismissed from Sabbath at the end of the ’70s.31. Led Zeppelin, “Ten Years Gone” (From Physical Graffiti)Conceived as an instrumental piece consisting of more than a dozen overdubbed Jimmy Page guitar parts, “Ten Years Gone” evolved into a band song once Robert Plant added lyrics about a girlfriend who issued an ultimatum to the singer a decade earlier. The seven-minute showcase grew even more onstage, where the song’s subtle power grew dramatically through its expansion. It’s a favorite among Led Zeppelin members.30. Bob Dylan, “Hurricane” (From Desire)Released in November 1975 as a single and on Dylan’s 1976 album Desire, “Hurricane” marked a return of the singer-songwriter’s lengthy narrative pieces based on real events (a la “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll”). The eight-and-a-half-minute song tells the story (with some poetic embellishment) of boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, who was charged with a triple murder in 1966. Carter’s conviction was overturned in 1985.29. Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers, “Roadrunner” (From The Modern Lovers)Not to be confused with Bo Diddley’s “Road Runner” (covered by many British bands in the ’60s) and Jr. Walker & the All Stars’ Motown hit “(I’m a) Road Runner,” Jonathan Richman’s radio-saluting “Roadrunner” was recorded in 1972 and included on the Modern Lovers’ 1976 debut. Inspired by the Velvet Underground, the song, in turn, was musically quoted in Elvis Costello’s tribute to the airwaves, “Radio Radio.”28. Neil Young & Crazy Horse, “Cortez the Killer” (From Zuma)For Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s epic song about the 16th-century Spanish explorer who helped colonize part of the Americas through often questionable practices, the singer-songwriter and his most trusted bandmates plugged in and got their hands dirty. The centerpiece of Zuma, and long a favorite of Young fans, “Cortez the Killer” hinges on extended guitar solos balanced between structured and improvised.27. Paul McCartney and Wings, “Listen to What the Man Said” (From Venus and Mars)By Wings’ fourth album, and fourth year as a band, leader Paul McCartney finally started distancing himself from his former group. Identity was formed in 1973’s Band on the Run, but follow-up Venus and Mars leaned into ’70s pop music with the same effortlessness the Beatles helped define the ’60s. “Listen to What the Man Said,” the album’s first single, became Wings’ third to hit No. 1. A new era was starting.26. Ted Nugent, “Stranglehold” (From Ted Nugent)Ted Nugent was best known as the guitarist for Detroit psych-rockers the Amboy Dukes before he launched a solo career that started with the release of his self-titled album in 1975. The eight-and-a-half-minute centerpiece of the LP, “Stranglehold,” features vocals by Derek St. Holmes, but Nugent’s wall-climbing solo grabs the spotlight. It’s an epic performance that hasn’t mellowed a bit over the decades.25. Foghat, “Slow Ride” (From Fool for the City)Foghat was testing their new bass player during a jam session for their fifth album Fool for the City when bassist Nick Jameson hit upon the riff that drives “Slow Ride.” They soon built an entire song around their studio improv. The eight-plus-minute track took the English band into the Top 40 for the first time; the LP was also a hit, becoming their highest-charter (No. 23) and their biggest seller (platinum in the U.S.).24. David Bowie, “Young Americans” (From Young Americans)Having said goodbye to Ziggy Stardust and glam, David Bowie remade himself (again) in 1975 as a blue-eyed soul singer. Recorded partly in Philadelphia to capture the Philly soul sound, Young Americans included artists as diverse as Luther Vandross (in one of his earliest record appearances) and John Lennon. Bowie’s self-described “plastic soul” is best heard in the album’s saxophone-propelled title track – the start of another era.23. Parliament, “Tear the Roof Off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk)” (From Mothership Connection)As 1975 arrived, George Clinton was busy managing both halves of his P-Funk empire. The more rock-sided Funkadelic released Let’s Take It to the Stage in the spring; Mothership Connection, Parliament’s annual offering, squeaked in at the end of December. “Tear the Roof Off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk),” a No. 15 hit, became one of Clinton’s best-known songs, heavily sampled as rap artists celebrated its pliant hook.22. Earth, Wind & Fire, “Shining Star” (From That’s the Way of the World)Six years after they formed in Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire scored their first No. 1 with “Shining Star,” the opening track on their sixth LP, That’s the Way of the World. The idea for the song came to bandleader Maurica White during a late-night walk while the group was working on the album. The song helped push That’s the Way of the World to the top of the charts, too. Its soulful funk has made the song a favorite among hip-hop acts.21. Steely Dan, “Black Friday” (From Katy Lied)Steely Dan’s fourth album is pivotal in the band’s career. It’s the first Donald Fagen and Walter Becker made after deciding not to tour anymore; it’s also their initial outing with Michael McDonald, the backing singer who’d soon lead the Doobie Brothers through their most commercially fertile years. Katy Lied continued their path of intellectually stimulating jazz-rock; “Black Friday” travels outside the usual Los Angeles settings.READ MORE: Top 40 Rock Albums of 197020. Paul McCartney and Wings, “Venus and Mars”/”Rock Show” (From Venus and Mars)The first two tracks on Wings’ fourth album stitch together an acoustic folk song – about the time waiting before a concert starts – and one of the band’s toughest tracks, an arena-filling stage rocker that name-drops Jimmy Page and several famous concert venues. The seven-minute medley offers the total Paul McCartney experience in 1975: a pleasant-sounding ballad tied to a muscular guitar song with a monstrous hook.19. Roxy Music, “Love Is the Drug” (From Siren)By 1975 Roxy Music had shed much of its avant-garde art-rock tendencies spearheaded by Brian Eno early on. Their fifth album, Siren, leaned more heavily on dance and soul music alongside period glam and proto-new wave. The streamlining helped push “Love Is the Drug” to No. 2 in their native U.K. and into the U.S. Top 30, their biggest hit in the States. Disco king Nile Rodgers took note of the supple bass line.18. Heart, “Crazy on You” (From Dreamboat Annie)Heart’s debut U.S. single deceptively begins with a solo acoustic guitar showcase by Nancy Wilson. But before long electric instruments join her, as does sister Ann Wilson, who slams into the formally pastoral scene like a XX-chromosome version of Robert Plant, working toward a manic, larynx-shredding chorus. “Crazy on You” helped Heart gain much-needed footing in the male-dominated world of classic rock.17. Bob Marley and the Wailers, “No Woman, No Cry” (From Live!)”No Woman, No Cry” first appeared on Bob Marley and the Wailers’ 1974 album Natty Dread, the record that helped break reggae in the U.S. and U.K. But the concert version recorded when supporting that album, at a historic show at London’s Lyceum Theatre in 1975, has become the definitive take. For seven minutes, Marley and the band bring one of the genre’s best-known and -loved songs from a simmer to a boil.16. ABBA, “S.O.S.” (From ABBA)Surprisingly, four singles preceded “S.O.S.” from the 1975 ABBA album. But with the worldwide hit – No. 1 in several countries, Top 15 in almost every other place – the Swedish quartet found its voice. Saturating the song in a production inspired by Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, and a melody ripped from Brian Wilson’s ’60s songbook, “S.O.S.” forever defined ABBA and set their place in pop music history.15. Fleetwood Mac, “Rhiannon” (From Fleetwood Mac)Fleetwood Mac was in much need of a career boost by 1975. Their lineup was in flux again, and they were in a creatively fallow period (again). Enter Americans Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, who sparked the stagnant British band. Fleetwood Mac, their 10th album, shot to No. 1 thanks to songs such as “Rhiannon,” which Nicks wrote about an “old Welsh witch.” A new superstar era was right around the corner.14. Bruce Springsteen, “Thunder Road” (From Born to Run)The opening scene of “Thunder Road” greets listeners into the world of Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run. Envisioned as a series of short stories based around a single character, the album began Springsteen’s climb to icon; the first song, “Thunder Road,” introduces the record’s hero while laying out a musical pattern for what followed. The song is one of music’s all-time best album openers, a prologue and raison d’etre.13. ZZ Top, “Tush” (From Fandango!)ZZ Top’s fourth album was released as a part live LP, part new studio recording two years after Tres Hombres broke the Texas trio. Fandango!’s first half is a rudimentary concert souvenir from the decade; it comes alive on Side 2, with six tracks recorded in early 1975. The best is saved for last: the 135-second closing song, “Tush.” A 12-bar blues sung by bassist Dusty Hill, the song was ZZ Top’s first Top 20 single.12. AC/DC, “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” (From T.N.T.)Few doubted that “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wann Rock ‘n’ Roll)” was the ideal track to lead AC/DC’s second Australian album, T.N.T., and their first international release, High Voltage, in 1976. Best known for the bagpipes played by Bon Scott, the song was retired from the band’s stage performances after the singer died in 1980 and was replaced by Brian Johnson. It’s an essential cut from the band’s earliest days.11. Fleetwood Mac, “Landslide” (From Fleetwood Mac)Stevie Nicks was only 26 when she wrote “Landslide,” her softly wistful, and enduring, ballad about “getting older.” Caught between continuing her struggling music career and returning to school, Nicks felt the crush of responsibility and big life decisions coming down on her. Everything changed within months of the release of Fleetwood Mac, her first album with the veteran group. No. 1 across the world followed.10. Aerosmith, “Walk This Way” (From Toys in the Attic)The second single from Aerosmith’s career-boosting Toys in the Attic album (following “Sweet Emotion”), “Walk This Way” may be the Boston band’s most identifiable song. With a strutting riff weaving in and out of a slinky Steven Tyler vocal, “Walk This Way”‘s legacy has grown beyond its mid-’70s classic rock origins. A 1986 cover by Run-D.M.C. featuring Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry led to Aerosmith’s storied comeback.READ MORE: Top 50 Hard Rock Songs of the ’70s9. Eagles, “One of These Nights” (From One of These Nights)George McCrae’s 1974 chart-topper “Rock Your Baby,” with its influential drum machine rhythm, quickly found its way into the music fabric of 1975. The simple but elegant disco beat is all over the Eagles’ No. 1 “One of These Nights,” which breaks from the band’s standard country rock. Recorded at Miami’s Criteria Studios, where Bee Gees were remaking themselves as disco royalty, “One of These Nights” absorbs the era’s sounds.8. David Bowie, “Fame” (From Young Americans)David Bowie’s 1975 exploration of American soul music, Young Americans, tested various shades of the music, from Philly to Stax. For “Fame,” guitarist Carlos Alomar supplied a funk guitar line to which Bowie and studio drop-in John Lennon added words and music. The result was Bowie’s first No. 1, a sly discussion of his misgivings over becoming a household name conflicting with his artistic aspirations.7. Bee Gees, “Jive Talkin'” (From Main Course)Bee Gees were in a career tailspin when they headed to Miami’s Criteria Studios to record their 13th album. It changed everything, from the group’s commercial fortunes to the way popular music sounded for the rest of the decade. Main Course fine-tuned disco’s playbook before its rise on the charts; “Jive Talkin’,” specifically, broke down barriers between race lines, leaving the field open for anyone to get up and dance.6. Pink Floyd, “Wish You Were Here” (From Wish You Were Here)Still flushed from the success of 1973’s The Dark Side of the Moon, the members of Pink Floyd returned to the studio to record their ninth album in 1975 with the shadow of cofounder Syd Barrett hanging over them. Their former leader, having retreated from the public eye, visited the studio during the making of Wish You Were Here, and his presence can be felt throughout the record. The title track is a lovely, moving tribute.5. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue” (From Blood on the Tracks)Much has been made about the personal nature of Dylan’s 1975 album Blood on the Tracks, including words from the songwriter, who’s claimed it isn’t as autobiographical as others say. Regardless, the opening track, “Tangled Up in Blue,” details a relationship in turmoil told from shifting points of view. The album marked a comeback for Dylan, who spent the first half of the ’70s downplaying his legend and image.4. Aerosmith, “Sweet Emotion” (From Toys in the Attic)Three albums in, Aerosmith had still not broken into the mainstream; they were even struggling to maintain some foothold on FM radio, where their type of brawny, riff-driven rock ‘n’ roll flourished. That changed with Toys in the Attic, which barely missed the Top 10. “Sweet Emotion,” the album’s first single – with talk box, vibraslap and a sugar packet – cracked the Top 40 for the first time, shifting the Boston band’s career trek.3. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (From Born to Run)Bruce Springsteen’s first two albums didn’t make him the big star his record label had hoped for. So when the New Jersey singer and songwriter started working on his third album, he went all-in with Spector-sized production, an album-length conceptual narrative and songs as big as his ambitions. Born to Run catapulted Springsteen to the big leagues; the title track remains his signature song, an all-or-nothing anthem of hope.2. Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody” (From A Night at the Opera)Still one of the oddest songs to ever make the Top 10, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” has lost little of its inventiveness over the decades since its release in 1975. The song contains five distinct parts in its nearly six-minute running time and is the bedrock of the band’s fourth album, A Night at the Opera. Its generations-spanning shelf life was bolstered when it reached No. 2 in 1992 thanks to the movie Wayne’s World.1. Led Zeppelin, “Kashmir” (From Physical Graffiti)Feeling the overwhelming pressures of fame smothering them, Led Zeppelin constructed their sixth album as a combination of leftovers from earlier album sessions and newly recorded tracks that took advantage of owning their just-launched label Swan Song. The two-LP result, Physical Graffiti, managed to tidy up an era of discovery and gargantuan success for the band. The album’s eight-and-a-half-minute centerpiece “Kashmir” began in 1973 but was finally completed after Robert Plant drove through a desert in Morocco; the song adapts its distinctive style from traditional Eastern music. A mix of six- and 12-string guitars, Mellotron and various strings and brass players find a shared ground between rock and world music in Zeppelin’s most epic track.Top 30 Albums of 1975Classic rock found its voice by the midpoint of the ’70s.Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci