People are divided on Grease to this day, on the one hand there's people who think it's a timeless classic complete with catchy as hell music and a compelling narrative (such as me) and on the other there's people who think it's an overrated mess filled with cliche storylines and awful characters. One thing audiences of the day could agree on is that this duet between its two leads was a masterpiece as it was a huge success for them worldwide.
This might be a bit of an anomaly for my American readers as this was never released as a single over there for some reason, for everyone else this remains the biggest hit from Wings which seems fitting as it's a song that honours Paul's Scottish heritage more than anything else he's ever released.
This was the peak of Boney M's popularity throughout the world, a song that in my opinion lacks a lot of the charm that can be found throughout the rest of their discography. I'm guessing this was done in order for them to appeal to the American market as this was a minor success on the Billboard charts, however when you think of these guys, chances are you're thinking of "Rasputin" or "Ma baker" over this.
This was Rod Stewart's foray into disco music, a foray which paid off big time for him as this is his second biggest hit behind "Maggie may" from earlier in the decade likely due to him expanding past his core audience of those who like him for his sentimental ballads. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder so I can understand if you're not a fan of this song due to thinking he's a narcissist for presenting himself as a sex god.
Although the Brothers Gibb were already among the most popular artists of the decade, this second single from the Saturday night fever soundtrack made them the kings of disco thanks to how it managed to stick around the upper echelons of the charts throughout the world. It's easy to see why this made them a household name, the falsettos on the track remain iconic to this day and it's catchy as hell.
So, have you ever watched Don Blueth's Anastasia and wanted to know what really happened with the historical figure portrayed by the film's villain? Well Boney M has you covered with this track that serves as a (admittedly brief) historical lesson as to what the man was really like during the Russian revolution which brought an end to the Russian tsars, all set to a catchy disco beat to boot.
This was the breakthrough single for one of the most prominent disco artists to emerge from this decade, although unlike many of their contemporaries, these guys would be eventually revealed to be a queer band as people noticed how intentionally campy their antics were compared to other disco acts of the day. This has helped them retain a loyal fanbase to this day as opposed to their contemporaries.
This was originally a hit single for the Spanish group Los bravos back in the mid 60's, although over a decade later, this French trio turned the garage rock track into a disco track which allowed it to become twice as success worldwide as the original. This took its sweet time crossing over to Australia, presumably because we Aussies needed a bit of convincing to allow these girls to disco fy an older track.
Well, this is a queer anthem if I've ever heard one, heck I feel this was more obvious at the time considering how many queer folks found themselves needing to us a YMCA for one reason or another. Here the Village people promote the homeless shelter chain which resulted in it becoming their signature track in a discography filled with tracks to resonate with the LGBT community.
This was the biggest hit to come from Marcia Hines throughout the decade, although you may have noticed the absence of Diana Ross on these lists as many feel that the American born Australian singer stole the success the former Supremes vocalist would've had down under for herself. Indeed, once Diana started having hits again in the 80's, Marcia's time in the spotlight had fallen by the wayside.
This was the lead single to what is often considered to be one of the greatest albums of all time Bat out of hell (no arguments here) so it may surprise you to learn that it was a massive flop in Meat Loaf's native America and only became a success here in Australia due to it being promoted by Countdown. The album did eventually take off on Billboard when the third single became a hit for him there.
Want to know something strange about this track? It was written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, two names you'll be very familiar with if you're a fan of the glam rock from earlier in the decade. Here they allow American band Exile to have a massive hit with this soft rock track that now that I think about it, has lyrics that are begging to be performed with bombast but aren't on here.
Well, this took its sweet time in finding success here in Australia, I'd like to tell you that it's because we Aussies knew better than to make Lionel Richie a household name back in the day but sadly the more likely reason is that we just weren't into RNB back in the day like the rest of the world was. Even so, this is a taste of what was to come from Lionel's solo career the following decade for better or worse.
So, we've all seen Star Wars, right? Apparently Meco had seen it over forty times back in the day and loved it so much that he decided to make a disco rendition of the opening title sequence. Here he didn't just remix the original track, instead he got an orchestra to rearrange the melody to fit in with the disco trends that were emerging this decade which resulted in it being a huge success for him.
While this wasn't the first hit single Bonnie Tyler had in her career (that honour goes to "Lost in France") this was the first hit song of hers to use her iconic raspy vocals as previously she had sounded more like your typical lovestruck pop diva that obviously didn't connect well with her audience. Here she makes such as splash on the international market that it even manages to crossover to Billboard for her.
This was the last major hit that Smokie had in most parts of the world, likely due to Chris Norman branching out after this to pursue a solo career that only got as far as duetting with Suzi Quatro on "Stumbling in." It appears we Aussies in particular found that to be in poor taste as though that was a hit here, he and his band never had any success after the fact.
This was the solo breakthrough for Gerry Rafferty who had minor success earlier in the decade as the lead singer of Stealer's wheel (of "Stuck in the middle with you" fame.) Let's face it, the main reason why this song is so popular to this day is for those sax solos that play at the end of every chorus, sure his vocals are nice too, but they would've have been enough to help this stand out from the crowd on their own.
Although these guys had received plenty of buzz prior to this becoming a huge runaway hit for them, it was this track that helped them achieved their goal of scoring massive success in Australia to then take back home to their native NZ. This has been a surprisingly common phenomenon over the years with NZ artists temporarily migrating to Australia and returning home once they achieved their success.
Last year there was Shaun Cassidy making it big in the mainstream, this year he seemed to be replaced with Leif Garrett in the realms of good-looking teenage boys looking to cash in on the female demographic of the day despite having vocals that aren't on par with some of their less conventionally attractive counterparts. Here we have him covering a Beach boys track which was already mired in controversy for stealing its melody from a Chuck Berry track.
This was the only notable hit from Belgian pop star Plastic Bertrand, although admittedly the fact that this is in French should tell you why he wasn't able to find more success in an English-speaking market. I'm guessing this had crossover appeal due to how happy he clearly is throughout the track, granted many people (me included) find his energy to be rather annoying, but it clearly isn't the case for everyone.
This wasn't Samantha Sang's first song to chart in Australia, she had attempted to have a pop career a decade prior under her real name Cheryl Gray to no avail likely due to her being a child singer during a time where we Aussies were into psychedelia and protest music. She was given a second chance at a career with this ballad written by the Brothers Gibb which took off for her not just locally but internationally as well.
This was the lead single to the Saturday night fever soundtrack, an album/soundtrack that showcases the Bee gees at their finest through their vocal harmonies as well as how catchy their disco production is. I never quite understood why there have been so many covers of this track in particular over the years, I would've thought that "Staying alive" or "Night fever" would be the song to be revisited over and over again from this album.
This was the debut single for Kate Bush, it's incredible to think that someone as young as she was managed to craft a song that's resonated with so many people over the years but there you go. Kate's popularity grew well into the 80's likely due to her fitting in really well with the MTV era, after all the visuals in her videos while bizarre at time, still strike a chord with visual media to this day.
This was one of the last songs Dragon released before they broke up in order to allow lead singer Marc Hunter to embark on a solo career that sadly failed to produce any success for him, I guess this served as a lesson to him and most lead vocalists from successful bands that not everyone can have a successful solo career. The band reunited in the early 80's and picked up where they left off from here.
Both of these artists were on top of the world when they released this duet, so naturally it was going to be a huge success for them given how it appears on both of their most recent albums from when it came out. This would be Neil's last hit single in Australia as his popularity dwindled going into the new decade, Barbra would hang around for a little while longer thanks to her feminist anthem with Donna Summer.
I always felt that Eruption was just Boney M under a different name given how similar the British band sounded to their German counterparts, as it turns out both of their biggest hits were produced by Frank Farian, so my assumption wasn't far off from the truth after all. This was the bigger hit that the group had thanks to vocalist Precious Wilson giving a well, precious performance of the Ann Peebles number.
There were three different occasions when John Waite saw massive success in Australia, this band was by far the most successful of these occasions as it not only gave him his biggest hit in the form of this classic but also allowed him to score a second hit the following year. Like many successful British bands who made it big in America, these guys weren't so lucky in their homeland.
Following the success he had the previous year with his Bob Dylan cover, Graham Bonnet returned to the mainstream again with the help of the Bee gees who allowed him to cover this song they originally had for an obscure band Rare earth that went nowhere for them. It's another disco classic and one that fits into a sub-genre I've dubbed as the late-night rock; this is rock music I imagine hearing whenever I'm driving home late at night.
This was the lead single from Rod Stewart's album Foot loose and fancy free, and like his other songs and albums this decade, it was a massive success for him worldwide.
This was the only notable hit that Dan Hill had outside his native Canada, although it's worth noting that this was a huge hit in his homeland which generally isn't the case for many Canadian artists who make it big internationally. My Aussie readers will perhaps be more familiar with the dance version of this ballad from the 90's as that proved to be more successful here than this ballad, however this was a huge deal back in the day as well.
As far as I can tell, this was a duo who scored a massive hit with this disco number before going their separate ways when they failed to score another hit, they weren't even a couple so I can't even say it was due to a rocky personal relationship which drove them apart. At least they managed to score a big hit before they both forever faded into obscurity.
Before Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac, this guy was the original lead vocalist for the band during the first half of the decade (fun fact, Fleetwood Mac started off as an instrumental band.) He left the group due to not finding any success with them, and while I'm sure he was kicking himself when he saw them take off soon after his departure, he at least got a consolation prize by having this be a success for him in Australia and his native America.
This might be my favourite vocal performance from Frankie Valli throughout his entire catalogue, although I might just be saying that due to how much I love the film in question more than anything. This was his final hit single (not counting a remix of "December 1963") although he was in his forties by this stage so it's understandable that he didn't find any further success after this.
This had a very rocky road to success in Australia as it tried to find an audience and failed before finally succeeding after its third attempt. I'm not even sure why this song had such a hard time crossing over here as it was an instant success over in NZ and the rockabilly update that Ram jam gives to the ragtime original from the 30's was in line with what Ol'55 was serving up at the time.
This was a collaboration between two fairly unknown singers Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley who were back up by some school choir which somehow managed to make this song a massive worldwide success. If this concoction of people involved with the track isn't confusing enough, the song is a combination of reggae with what appears to be the earliest forms of new wave making it a unique sounding song.
This was the only notable success that Anne Murray had in Australia, I'm guessing because she was considered to be the Canadian equivalent of Olivia Newton John when the two women first broke through at the start of the decade. Given how Livie has since moved on from her country roots, I guess Anne was able to have little issues with filling in her role as the country singer of choice.
Thought that David Soul was a one hit wonder with "Don't give up on us?" Well, he might have been in his native America, however he scored two more big hits internationally with this being the third and final hit he achieved in his career. I'm guessing he returned to his day job of acting once the hits dried up for him.
This was the biggest hit that Barry Manilow managed to score in Australia, although it's worth noting that aside from "Copacabana" (which we'll get to on this list) none of his biggest hits were original compositions form him despite him being a renowned songwriter. I guess he still had plenty of success during a decade that was known to be kind to music that has been categorised as for soccer mums.
This was the song that made John Paul Young into an international superstar given that it became a huge hit for him not just throughout Europe but also in America upon its initial release. What's strange is that it isn't among his more popular tracks in his catalogue, unless of course you include the more popular Ballroom mix from 1992 where it was chosen as the theme to the Baz Lurhman classic Strictly ballroom.
Well, this might be the gimmickiest song to come from 10cc as it not only has a cod reggae beat to it, but also tells a bizarre story about how the narrator was mugged while on holidays. This allowed the song to become a massive success for the British band and even had that success translate to their album Bloody tourist, however this was also the last hit they had before they faded into obscurity.
Well, here's a song that's become more popular than the film it was written for, this is mainly because this was the biggest hit of the decade over in America which should give you an idea of what type of music was making it big on Billboard in lieu of all the Australian artists I've featured on these lists so far. If you didn't already know, Debby is indeed the daughter of Pat Boone, a man who the less said about on this site the better.
Given how successful his debut album was in Australia, it only makes sense that Leif Garret would continue to have success with his second album given how it was a huge success in his native America. For whatever reason, his popularity came to a screeching half once the album cycle was complete, which no doubt led to his drug addiction which preventing him from launching a comeback.
It looks like the Abba phenomenon was beginning to die down with their latest album err.... the Album. With that said, these guys continued to have success here for the remainder of the decade and even into the 80's as their dip in popularity was more due to overexposure from their previous two albums, although it could also be this lead single not being the best choice to lead an album cycle.
This is often considered to be the showstopper of Grease, mainly because it's the moment where Sandy realises that even though she's aware that Danny might be bad for her, she can't help but be in love with him which many people have related to over the years. It remains her biggest solo hit from the soundtrack and no doubt served as a reminder of her innocent years before she shook up her image.
This remains Linda Ronstadt's second biggest hit in Australia, second only to "Don't know much" which is a song about how getting older kind of sucks which is a far cry from this track which is a cover of a love ballad from Roy Orbison. This song's popularity has since been overshadowed by "It's so easy" from the album they both come from Simple dreams, mainly because that song still gets airplay on oldies stations.
This was the double A-side that cemented Queen as one of the most endearing bands to ever make it big in the mainstream, after all you begin with the stomping beat of "We will rock you" before immediately preceding to the soaring victory lap of "We are the champions" which helped this become a massive hit worldwide for them. They would have a bit of a quiet period for the remainder of the decade before they scored a massive hit with "Crazy little thing called love."
Although he would see massive success in his native America throughout the 80's, it likely wouldn't have happened had this breakthrough hit for him here in Australia not become as such this year. I'm guessing the lyrics didn't jive well with American audiences as it is essentially Johnny looking for the perfect one-night stand, however it certainly did jive with us largely thanks to a memorable performance of it on Countdown.
It's hard to believe that these guys were considered to be rock dinosaurs when this became a hit for them, after all they had only been active in the music industry for fifteen years by this point. I'm guessing that's how the youth of the day referred to them when they scored a massive hit with this disco track, after all they hadn't had a hit in five years, and this was the perfect comeback for them.
This was one of two hits that Raydio were able to achieve in Australia, the other being "You can't change that" from the following year which seems to explain the popularity of their front man Ray Parker Jr throughout the following decade. Here he tells the story of Jack and Jill in a modern setting which tugged at the heartstrings of audiences thus enabling it to be a huge worldwide success.
Even though he saw sleeper success earlier in the decade with Piano man and its title track, this was the first hit single that Billy Joel was able to achieve in Australia and in most parts of the world due to him reassuring audiences that they were perfect the way they were and that they didn't need to change for anyone. I feel like if this were released in modern times it would be one of the biggest hits of all time.
It had been a good twenty years since Johnny Mathis last troubled the charts with one of his ballads, so it was a bit of a surprise to see him score a number one hit in his native America with this ballad that introduced the world to Deniece Williams who would go on to have massive success in the 80's. As an extra fun fact, Johnny is one of the first musicians of colour to come out as gay in the music industry.
This was a massive hit due to it being the Bond theme for the Spy who loved me, one of the more popular films during the Roger Moore era of the franchise. Of course, Carly Simon was a good choice for submitting a Bond theme given that she was one of the more popular artists of the decade, even though this was her first hit in Australia since her cover of "Mockingbird" four years prior.
Smokie were certainly on a roll throughout the 70's as they managed to score yet another hit in Australia during the second half of the decade, I get the feeling these guys replaced Bay city rollers as the British pop rock band of choice once the Scottish lads began to saw a dip in their popularity.
This was the only notable success for the Spanish duo Baccara, mainly due to their unique vocals as well as the groovy disco beat which helped it stand out from many of their contemporaries this decade. There was little surprise this would be a hit in Australia given how inescapable it was in the UK, although I get the feeling this still would've been a hit here regardless because of how bit it was throughout Europe.
This was the second and final hit that Flash and the Pan were able to score in Australia, although they would score a surprise hit with "Waiting for the train" in the UK in 1983 which compelled this and their other hit "Hey St Peter" to be released throughout Europe in the 80's to capitalise off that song's success. I'm not sure why these guys didn't have success here in the 80's, their music seemed tailor made for the MTV era.
These guys were on a roll as they managed to score a hit with this cover of a Jackie Deshannon track that was made popular by the Searchers in the early 60's. Indeed, this would be another successful year for the band as they would score more success with their earlier entries, although their time in the spotlight wouldn't extend to the 80's.
This was the debut single for a band who would go on to dominate the 80's with some of the greatest and bestselling albums of all time worldwide, although here we have a more subdue performance from the band which likely helped it stand out from all of the disco that was becoming popular around this time. They wouldn't have another hit here until "Twisting by the pool" in 1983.
We have another successful soft rock track from Dr Hook to become a hit during the second half of the decade, although admittedly this was one of the last hit singles that they were able to have in Australia despite their growing popularity internationally, likely because they were already a huge deal with their earlier ballads.
This was originally a hit for Richard Harris (Albus Dumbledore for Harry Potter fans) ten years prior where it became a massive hit for the Irish actor despite often being hailed as one of the worst songs of all time. Donna Summer decided to resurrect this song about a cake melting in the park (that's literally what the song is about) and make it a disco hit where it became a success all over again.
This was the only hit that Yellow dog managed to achieve in Australia and their native UK, I'm guessing because their brand of pop rock was invigorating for one hit during a time where more complex music was dominating the charts worldwide. Even so, it did better than many other pop rock tracks from the time, meaning that it did have a sizeable audience back in the day for the British band.
This was the first duet from Grease to be played in the film, although technically it's more of an ensemble piece as both characters recall how they came across each other over the summer which would set up the basis for their relationship throughout the rest of the film. It's one of the less conventional songs to become a hit over the years, but it's catchy and well performed.
This was the only hit from Canadian singer Patsy Gallant, although considering she's the only Canadian artist to have a disco hit outside her homeland, I feel that this having any international success should speak volumes to how well loved it was back in the day. It starts of as a typical love ballad before transitioning into a more upbeat track, a common troupe that many of her contemporaries failed to capitalise on.
I'm a bit surprised that Jon English didn't see more success with his music career back in the day in Australia, especially considering how he did have minor international success thanks to his role as Judas in the Australian production of Jesus Christ superstar this decade. I guess this became a hit for him following his role in the miniseries Against the wind which was a massive success for him.
You're probably wondering who Todd Rundgren even is, let alone how he managed to score a massive hit with this ballad across the world given how there was no shortage of ballads like this that were flopping at the time. It turns out that he was the one who produced Meat Loaf's Bat out of hell album, meaning that this guy is responsible for one of the best albums of all time which more than justifies this songs success.
This was the final hit that Alice Cooper was able to achieve for an entire decade given how he wouldn't bother the charts again until his 1989 comeback album Trash, that also served as a return to form as this era saw him being a soft rocker as opposed to the rest of this catalogue which had him in glam rock.
Well, it was the fourth single from the Grammy award winning soundtrack, oh yeah, I should mention that the Saturday night fever soundtrack won album of the year at the Grammys this year. In any case, we have this third hit that the Brothers Gibb were able to score this year, once again due to the vocal harmonies of the brothers as well as the irresistibly catchy disco beat they were synonymous with.
Pablo Cruise sounds like the name of a lounge singer who would perform Barry Manilow covers as your local lounge bar, well they're actually a band which wrote their own music that is admittedly similar to what Barry was releasing throughout the 70's. This was their only hit worldwide which does indeed fit the theme of being on a cruise, perhaps it was big because of it being featured in a commercial for one.
This was the second hit that Yvonne Elliman was able to achieve worldwide following the success of her first single "Love me" from the previous year, although Kim Wilde would have a much bigger hit in Australia with her version fifteen years later. People like to rag on the lyrics of this track due to how depressing they are once you read them; however, I feel it matches the tone of the film very well.
This was the biggest hit of Andy's career over in America, although in Australia that goes to his earlier hit "I just want to be your everything" given how that's catchier than this track. Even so it was an obvious hit for the younger brother of the Bee gees given how it was written by his older brothers with international success in mind, although his popularity would come to an end later this year.
You'd think that a song about complimenting a woman's dancing would be set to a catchy disco beat, instead we have a soft rock track from American band Wha Koo (what is with these band names?) which became a hit here in Australia any nowhere else in the world. The lack of success these guys had led to them breaking up the following year, so much for having success down under meaning anything.
This was the last hit that the Sweet were able to achieve anywhere in the world, I feel like these guys got ripped off in the mainstream throughout the decade given how they were one of the most popular bands worldwide thanks to how big glam rock was during the midpoint of the 70's. At least they got in one final hit before the decade was out with a song about how love is like the air that we breathe.
This was the only hit from Warren Zevon throughout the world, although it remains one of the most popular songs on oldies stations to this day likely due to someone mashing this up with "Sweet home Alabama" in the late 00's and scoring a massive hit with this mashup (I forget who that might be.) Indeed, this songs melody has been used in several different ways over the years to varying degrees of success.
This was the only hit that City Boy were able to achieve in their career, I'm guessing it was due to this not being that big of a hit in their native UK despite it being a surprise hit over in America this year. I guess this was one of the more memorable pop rock tracks to come out from the decade.
This was the final hit that Skyhooks managed to achieve in Australia this decade, although it wouldn't be the final time they trouble the charts as they would return twelve years later with "Jukebox in Siberia" for their brief reunion tour in 1990. This is a song about the band's love for women in uniform, making this a female empowerment anthem given how more women were finding jobs in the workplace.
Well neither the original version from Nina Simone nor the popular version from the Animals was a success in Australia back in the day, however this disco rendition from the French band Santa Esmeralda was a success so at least there's one version of this soul classic that managed to make it big here. Naturally the band failed to capitalise off their surprise hit worldwide as they were never heard from again.
Well, here we are with the second hit that Leif Garrett achieved from his debut album in Australia, this time it's a cover of the doo wop singer Dion's big hit of the same name which became as such fifteen years prior for the American singer. These covers would lead to him finally releasing an original track of his from earlier on the list which also helped him find an audience in his native America.
This was the only hit that Player had worldwide, although it was one of two hits in Australia from an act named Player as "Space invaders" was from a local band called Player 1 in 1980. This has remained a favourite on oldies stations to this day due to this being an apology ballad about how awful the narrator is, it also shares its name with a reggae track from ten years prior by the British band Equals.
Well, here we are with the one and only hit that Barry Manilow managed to score with a song he wrote, at least it's his signature tune as this lounge track has managed to endure over the years thanks to its inherent camp value. This was also one of many songs to make it big over the years to be dedicated to Rio, Copacabana being a district in the capital city of Brazil.
Well, this is a participation trophy in song form if I've ever heard one, although I absolutely understand why this has endured over the years given how Errol and company reassure their audience that it's not about winning or losing but how much fun you have playing the game. It was an easy hit for the band, although it would be one of their last hits outside of their native UK.
Wow was Suzi seeing diminishing returns in the mainstream worldwide as the decade went on, to think this woman was briefly the most successful in the rock scene with her first two albums both here and throughout Europe. Here she scores a hit with a song that's much softer than the glam rock that made her a household name earlier in the decade, although it did lead to her having a revival period.
This song feels a little low on this list, this is because it had some of its success stolen here in Australia by a local band known as Peaches who also covered this ballad from the Righteous brothers. Clout was an all-girl group from South Africa who saw massive international success with this ballad, presumably due to their interpretation of the lyrics which are about them being a substitute for the listener's current partner.
This was one of only three hits that Dolly Parton had in Australia, although she did appear on Countdown back in the day so it's not like we weren't aware of her country classics here. This was her big breakthrough in her native America which is perhaps why she was able to find success with this ballad here, her other two hits came when she began her acting career and with her BFF Kenny Rogers.
Apparently when it came time to promote John Paul Young to an international audience, his label went with an album track from his second album rather than one of the big hits he had earlier in the decade here. This was that song they went with which became a hit for him two years after it appeared on the album, it led to the success of his earlier entry on this list worldwide, so I guess that's something.
This was the final hit that Sherbet was able to score during their time together, I guess their overexposure had finally caught up with them much like Abba and Bay city rollers around this time. Unlike Abba and much like Bay city rollers, they would never recover after this, although lead singer Daryl Braithwaite would which makes him in the middle of those two bands.
This was the second hit that Supercharge had here in Australia, and just like their biggest hit from the previous year, this was also a flop everywhere in the world except for Australia likely due to a possible performance these guys gave on Countdown back in the day. This would be their final hit as they would break up due to the lack of success they had in their homeland not long after this.
Well at least David Bowie was able to have some success in Australia during the second half of the decade, although you'd think a man who's such a force of creativity in the music scene would've thrived during the Countdown era. Indeed, the last time he troubled the charts here was with "Sorrow" back in 1974, and yet he was able to score a string of hits throughout the rest of the world with his work.
This was sandwiched between Andy's two biggest hits worldwide, although it was a massive hit in its own right as all of his entries on this site were Billboard chart toppers for him. It's unfortunate that his popularity would die out by the end of the decade, although nowhere near as much as him passing away in 1988 due to his drug problems.
This was originally released four years prior to deafening silence, I'm guessing because no one wanted to hear a song from the bassist of Deep Purple sound like he was a part of the hippy culture of the late 60's. At some point throughout the decade, it was given an animated music video which allowed it to become a surprise hit in Australia this year, the animation is of course terrible even by 70's standards.
For my American readers, this was the big hit that Wings had this year in lieu of their earlier entry not being released as a single over there, this is more in line with their usual material as opposed to "Mull of Kintyre" being a song showcasing how proud Paul McCartney was of his Scottish heritage.
This was the only hit single that Bob Marley was able to achieve in his lifetime in Australia, hey at least it's one more hit he had here than over in America where he never even charted even posthumously. He had much better success in NZ and the UK over the years, likely because they were able to get on board with his reggae beats regardless of if they were attached to lovestruck ballads such as this or politically charged protests.
You'd think that "Spend the night" would be the big hit that Cheetah had in their career considering how well loved that track remains to this day, alas this was their big hit here which admittedly is in the same ballpark as their signature tune so it's not like they were unfairly ignored back in the day. I don't know why these two women didn't have another hit, but it led to them calling it quits in 1982.
For fifteen years, this was the only hit that Meat loaf had in his native America, mainly because it was the most contemporary track on Bat out of hell given that it was a ballad about how he could never be with the woman he's singing to. It's a heartbreaking situation as he does admit that he's attracted to this woman but ultimately the attraction is shallow as there's no love he has for her.
This was the only hit that country legend Crystal Gayle was able to achieve in Australia, although it was more of a sleeper hit here so perhaps it was less a hit and more something that just stuck around long enough to qualify for this list.
This was another big hit for Ol'55 this decade due to the rockabilly craze, I'm not the biggest fan of rockabilly but even I have to admit that these guys knew what they were doing when it came to making music for the 50's for a 70's audience.
Well, this was certainly a surprise hit for the Carpenters, who'd thought they would even attempt to cash in on the science fiction craze of the 70's? They did which resulted in them scoring one more hit in Australia as well as in the UK several years after their popularity died out in both countries.
Although their earlier entries were the first international success these guys had (particularly in their native America) it was this song that first broke them through here in Australia likely due to their campy onstage persona. Even though homosexuality was illegal in Australia as recently as the early 90's, it was clear that it was only enforced by a select few people given how popular queer music was.
Abba's popularity might not have been at its peak anymore; however, they were still able to find success with a throwaway single such as this track which served to tie fans over from their self-titled album to Voulez vous. It remains one of their more popular tracks due to the theme of the lyrics, although it wasn't among their bigger hits likely due to it not being part of an album at the time.
This was the only hit that the Patti Smith group ever achieved here in Australia, I feel that they only had a hit here due to it being written by Bruce Springsteen during the height of his creative output. The band would call it quits the following year due to their lack of success, however Patti has soldiered on over the years trying to recapture the success she had with this hit of hers.
This was the last major hit that Status quo had here in Australia, although they would continue to have massive success in their native UK as recently as the early 90's so perhaps their lack of success after this was due to them changing their sound from being a throwback band to a more contemporary one. This was a cover of a John Fogerty track from his first solo album from earlier in the decade that still receives airplay to this day.
This was the breakthrough single for Genesis, it seems fitting that they would finally see success in the mainstream following the departure of Peter Gabriel and being replaced by their drummer Phil Collins. They would achieve more success in the 80's as Phil would become a household name worldwide.
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