Who doesn’t love a good tear-jerker ballad? The following four classic rock ballads debuted in 1974, and I bet there isn’t a baby boomer out there who didn’t get at least a little bit emotional while listening to them for the first time. Let’s take a look!
“Goin’ Blind” by KISS from ‘Hotter Than Hell’
Why not start with the song widely considered to be KISS’ very first ballad? “Goin’ Blind” can be found on the group’s second album, Hotter Than Hell. A Gene Simmons-led song, this ballad has pretty uncomfortable subject matter, considering it’s about an elderly man desperately trying to communicate with a teenage girl. In later performances, though, it seems as though this song is actually about a sea captain on the verge of death who is trying to communicate with a mermaid.
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“Run Of The Mill” by Judas Priest from ‘Rocka Rolla’
Judas Priest had their moments with blues rock. That much can be heard in the ballad “Run Of The Mill”. This song is quite proggy, and it displays the freshly joined Rob Halford’s fantastic vocal range front and center. It’s a shame that Judas Priest stopped performing this one live after the mid-1970s, because it’s become a bit of a well-loved deep cut among fans.
“Longfellow Serenade” by Neil Diamond from ‘Serenade’
Neil Diamond knew his way around a ballad. And “Longfellow Serenade” is just one of many rock-leaning ballads that he dished out in the 70s. This song, written by Diamond himself, was a pretty hefty hit in 1974, too. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became the singer’s second No. 1 hit on the Easy Listening chart.
“My Eyes Adored You” by Frankie Valli from ‘Closeup’
Remember this Frankie Valli solo hit? “My Eyes Adored You” was actually Valli’s first No. 1 smash hit as a solo artist outside of The Four Seasons. The soft rock song was actually originally recorded by the band earlier in 1974. But it was Valli’s solo effort that became a hit. “My Eyes Adored You” is a standout entry on our list of ballads from 1974 that baby boomer rock fans remember that peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart. It also made it to No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
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