In 2017, we began working on a list of our favorite songs from 1975. Some are singles; some are album cuts; and all are favorites. Then we moved on from the project for reasons unknown, and our notes sat in the drafts folder until we began working on it again in March 2025.
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There was a time in my life when music was not a priority. Fifty years ago, I owned one 45 and less than a handful of Peter Pan and Disney kiddie albums. I didn't listen to them that often because I did not have a turntable, and I hadn't yet discovered a radio station to call my own. I listened to whatever Dad was listening to – a combination of local radio stations in the greater DFW metro area, eight-track tapes, 45s, and his expanding vinyl album collection. Country, soul, pop, and rock were all in the mix. I spent the summer of '75 with my Texas Grandma, enjoying the legendary Cow Talk jukebox six days a week and whatever my Uncle Sam played (radio or eight-tracks) daily. As the decades have marched by, I've been exposed to songs from 1975 that missed my ears back in the day, adding new favorites to the jukebox in my head. As of last week, I've determined these are my one hundred favorite songs from half a century ago. Today, we proudly present songs 100-91 of the 1975 Hideaway 100.
Initially recorded by Diana Ross's Motown labelmate Thelma Houston, "Do You Know Where You're Going To" underwent a few changes to the song's lyrics to better suit the story of Mahogany before Ross recorded it. The film was Ross's second motion picture after the Billie Holiday biopic Lady Sings The Blues, as Barry Gordy was determined to make Ross a bankable film star. The film was a box-office and critical disappointment, but "Do You Know Where You're Going To" was one of a record-tying thirty-five Number One hits in 1975. This song passed through one ear and out the other until 1982, when I leveled up and unlocked the heretofore "hidden" meanings of ballads and love songs.
"You Are So Beautiful" was previously released by the song's co-writer, Billy Preston, in 1974 as a tribute to his mother. Joe Cocker recorded the song at a slower tempo and released it as a single later that year. In a fitting tribute, Cocker sang "their" song at Preston's funeral in 2006. I had no time for or interest in "You Are So Beautiful" in 1975; like many love ballads, its beauty and majesty were revealed to me once I fell in love for the first time.
According to some sources, "Rockin' Chair" was meant to be an answer song to George McCrae's "Rock Your Baby". That song was intended to be recorded by George's wife, Gwen, but she was late to the recording session. After labelmate Betty Wright passed on it, the McCraes seized their opportunity to record "Rockin' Chair", with George providing the high-voiced "ah-ahhhhhh" lines throughout the song behind Gwen's teasing lead. The playful sexuality of the song was over this nine-year-old's head in 1975, though once I hit puberty, "Rockin' Chair" revealed its smooth and seductive groove.
"No Woman, No Cry" is one of a select few songs where the live version is considered superior to the studio version. The performance sets a groove and conveys a vibe missing from the studio recording. "No Woman, No Cry" is credited to Marley's friend, Vincent Ford, who ran a soup kitchen in Trenchtown, where Marley grew up. According to legend, the royalties from this song and three others Marley composed but credited to Ford allowed him to continue his humanitarian efforts until his passing in 2008. Had no idea that "No Woman, No Cry" existed in 1975 but these days, I'll take the full-length album version all day, every day.
Unlike most of James Taylor's introspective output up to 1975, "Mexico" is a blast of sun-soaked, south-of-the-border escapism. Instead of his usual fingerpicking guitar sound, this song is led by breezy percussion, the perfect soundtrack for an escapist daydream set south of the border which lies a little over an hour from my backdoor.
(I wrote a brief summary of "What Am I Gonna Do With You" and then asked Google's Gemini AI to rewrite it in the style of Shakespeare. Below is the result which is lacking nearly everything I wrote.)
Hark! A missive penned, a lover's deep lament,
By Barry White, whose voice, a firmament
Of bass and velvet, doth unfold a tale,
Where passion's tempest doth the heart assail.
"What Am I Gonna Do With You," he cries,
A question born of love, 'neath soulful skies.
A woman's beauty, like a summer's bloom,
Hath captured him, and sealed his heart's dark tomb.
Her presence, like a siren's sweet embrace,
Hath stolen reason, left no empty space.
He sings of wonder, and of deep desire,
A burning flame, that sets his soul afire.
The strings do weep, the horns in sorrow sigh,
As if the very heavens sympathize.
His voice, a rumbling thunder, deep and low,
Doth paint a picture, where affections flow.
"What am I gonna do?" he doth implore,
A plea to fate, and love's mysterious lore.
He's caught, ensnared, within her magic's hold,
A story ancient, yet forever bold.
The rhythm's sway, a gentle, languid dance,
Doth mirror love's entrancing, sweet expanse.
And though the question hangs, a heavy weight,
The listener's heart, doth understand his state.
For who amongst us, hath not felt the sting,
Of love's sweet arrow, where the angels sing?
So let the music play, and let him plead,
For in his sorrow, love's true truth we read.
Dan Fogelberg's "Part of the Plan" has an undeniably upbeat vibe, with a touch of spiritual reflection in the lyrics. The acoustic guitar, the festive percussion, and Fogelberg's smooth vocals create an uplifting ambiance. Joe Walsh's surprisingly gorgeous production, his rocking guitar solo, and the harmony vocals of Graham Nash also contribute to the song's winning sound. Think beautiful sunsets, quiet contemplation, and wistful nostalgia. The song is perfect for unwinding after a difficult day or chilling with a glass of your favorite beverage out by the water.
The first of seven straight Lionel Richie-penned ballads that landed the Commodores in the Top 10 on the Pop charts, "Sweet Love" features soaring harmonies and Rev. Richie's mini-sermon on love. Now that I understand the lyrics, the song is even more fun to sing along with.
John Lennon's reverent cover of "Stand By Me" maintains the song's buoyant optimism with a pleading vocal from Lennon, who sounds a little rough around the edges, though that might just be a production choice. Dad loved each of the songs on Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll album in their original versions, yet the only track I recall him frequently playing from the album was "Stand By Me." Perhaps he was seeking emotional nostalgia or comfort in the familiar, which are two of the things listening to the song provides me.
"Old Days" is a rosy, nostalgic review of songwriter James Pankow's childhood, with comic books, baseball cards, streetcars, drive-in movies, and Howdy Doody. He writes about the good times he remembers and says they were the days he'll always treasure. Folks with fond memories of their younger days enjoy reminiscing with others about their shared experiences and mutual passions.
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