Originally Posted by
Ky Fried Redleg
97. This song was written over 50 years ago by two members of a pioneering British glam rock band . It was inspired by a 1972 live gig, when the songwriter felt the energy of the crowd pounding in his chest as he performed. Designed as a rowdy anthem to capture the energy of the crowd at live concerts, the song debuted at #1 in the UK, a feat that was virtually unheard of. That hadn't been accomplished since the Beatles did it.
Fast forward exactly ten years. An American band reluctantly covered the song. You see, their producer demanded the band record the cover in order to secure a record deal. The band hated the idea, and decided to sabotage the recording. They refused to rehearse the song and tried to record a really bad version on purpose so the producer couldn't use it. Their attempts at sabotage failed miserably. They recorded a high energy version of the song in one take, and the song became the first heavy metal song to ever crack the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. So much for trying to fail!!!
The song propelled the band's album to #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, replacing the Police's Synchronicity at the top of the album chart , and becoming the first heavy metal album to ever hit #1 on the Billboard album chart.
Can you name the song and the band who made it a top 5 hit in America? For bonus points, what was the name of the band who originally wrote and recorded it back in 1973 ?