I'm sorry but I always found this song to be rather annoying, in fact it's part of the sub-genre from around this time I've dubbed as nursey pop. Basically, it's a song so childish and precocious that it can easily be mistaken for a nursey rhyme, which I'm sure was what made this type of track a success back in the day. Surprisingly, this was so huge that it managed to crossover to Europe and even top the UK charts.
I have no idea why this signature track from the Rocky horror picture show became a hit five years after the success of the theatrical adaptation, I'm guessing it was due to the scene in Fame where the characters referenced the scene that this song takes place in the film which reminded us Aussies about how awesome the song was. It became one of the biggest hits of the decade as a result, and to be fair it's not the only time and older album found success much later here than it did internationally.
This was already becoming a huge success during the final months of John Lennon's lifetime, although it's hard to deny that this song's true success came from the aftermath of his senseless assassination performed by someone who quite frankly doesn't deserve to be named on this site. Regardless of how you feel about him in retrospect, there's no denying that how he died was a tragedy and that no one deserves to go the way he did.
These guys were already among the more popular bands of the 70's in Australia and their native NZ going into the 80's, however it was this single to their magnum opus True colours that made them a household name and even sparked international interest in them which resulted in this being one of the first songs to be played on MTV the following year. Not bad for a band whose gimmick centred around clowns.
Well, here's a song that had novelty written all over it and yet it managed to endure the test of time regardless, here's the breakthrough single for Mi-sex who were a NZ band looking to make it big in Australia so that they could take said success back home to their homeland. They struck big with this track given how the videogame industry had taken the world by storm by the time they released this as a single.
This was the first solo hit that MJ had as an adult anywhere in the world (his first solo hit overall was with "Rocking robin" from earlier in the decade) it's also the first hit of his to feature Quincy Jones as his executive producer which resulted in some of his finest work both solo and with his family. Despite it clearly being a disco track, it still remains one of his more fondly remembered songs to this day.
Many people believe (me included) that this is a song about masturbation, mainly because it's the best explanation as to what Dave Fenton means when he claims that he's "turning Japanese" throughout the song. The song became a huge success here in Australia likely due to this urban legend despite only doing decently well in their native UK, although the band called it quits likely due to their novelty status not long after.
It's strange to think that Barbra Streisand's biggest hit in her career is neither a duet nor from one of her films, that's basically describes the rest of her catalogue, most of it being a combination of these two factors. That said I guess you can make the argument this is a collaboration with the Bee gees given how the Brothers Gibb do provide backup vocals on this track and the album it came from.
While this was indeed an 80's hit for the Buggles over in America, this was released just as the 70's was winding down throughout the rest of the world making these two future members of Yes score their big breakthrough two years prior to when MTV launched by playing this music video as the first thing to appear on the channel when it launched.
Behold the one and only hit that Pink Floyd were able to achieve during their time together (OK so "Learning to fly" also charted in Australia but still) there was little doubt this was going to become a huge hit for the band given how instantly relatable the lyrics have been to every generation of children since its initial release. Even the video is amazing as it brings these lyrics to life through stylised animation that was later used in the album's theatrical adaptation.
It looked like Queen's fortunes had run out as the 70's was coming to an end given how they had failed to score any noticeable hit singles since the release of "We are the champions/We will rock you," however their popularity was revived with this lead single from their album the Game. One thing I'll point out about this track is how different Freddie sounds on here, almost like he was going for an Elvis impersonation.
This was the debut single for one of the more prominent bands this decade, I would say bands that emerged this decade except this came out just as the 70's came to an end in their native UK. Nowadays this song is best known for its usage in TV commercials, specifically that for the breakfast cereal Special K due to how the word special is used throughout its runtime.
This was the last hit that the Village people managed to achieve anywhere in the world, presumably due to it being the title track of their autobiographical film about how they came to be in the first place. OK so calling it a biography is a bit of a stretch as their actual story of how they came to be wasn't nearly as chaotic as what happens in the film but still.
It looked like that Leo Sayer had become yesterday's news by the time the 70's became the 80's, however the English crooner had other ideas as he decided to record an old Buddy Holly track after seeing an advertisement for a greatest hits package of his and his band the Crickets. This resulted in this ballad being his biggest hit in most parts of the world and kept his career going for a little while longer.
It looked like that the Game would only produce one hit single for Queen, that changed when the band released this as the albums fourth single which thanks to its funky bassline, was able to become their second consecutive chart topper on Billboard as well as a massive hit throughout the rest of the world.
If you didn't know, Rocky Burnette is the son of the late Johnny Burnette who had a string of hits in the early 60's until his untimely death in 1964. Fast forward nearly thirty years and we have his son scoring a massive hit with the type of rockabilly that made him a household name during the height of his career, making this a huge success as well as a touching tribute to Rocky's late father.
It's strange to think that the biggest hit these guys had outside their native America would be the rare non disco track in their catalogue, I guess mainstream audiences always preferred sentimentality over dance floor bangers and admittedly these guys certainly had earned the right to make a breakup ballad at this point in their career.
We had "Computer games" from Mi-sex, now it's time for the music scene to get specific with this song written about the Space invaders phenomenon from the Australian novelty act Player 1 (not to be confused with the soft rock band Player.) Before "Pac man fever" and around the time that arcade classic was launched, this song was making it big down under with a specific arcade unit.
One of the catchiest songs to ever be recorded, we have this late disco hit from Lipps inc which managed to become a chart topper even in their native America. I feel this important to bring up as this is the best proof I have that disco wasn't as dead as what people make it out to be, sure it had seen a sharp decline in popularity, but it soldiered on throughout the decade regardless of what people say.
Kiss were on a roll when they released their second single from Dynasty, this is despite the backlash they received from their original fans claiming that they sold out for a more mainstream audience. True the lyrics and compositions aren't as complex as their earlier material, however they still had plenty of energy to their tracks which is why they were able to find massive success with this material.
This isn't among my favourite tracks from Fleetwood Mac, granted it's certainly a departure from their previous sound as this feels more in line with a prog track as opposed to their usual folk rock but something about the marching beat just doesn't sit right with me. I'm obviously in the minority as this remains their biggest hit in their catalogue outside of America (where "Dreams" has that honour) and is still well loved to this day.
Colleen Hewett already achieved massive success nearly a decade prior to this ballad with her hit single "Day by day," it may have taken her eight years, but she finally got herself out of the dreaded one hit wonder bin here with this country ballad even if its popularity seemed to come right out of nowhere for her.
This was the second big hit that Christie Allen achieved in Australia, and much like her earlier hit "Goosebumps," this was a disco track that became a success during what was meant to be the dark age for disco which is further proof to me that the disco backlash was only a phenomenon in America and nowhere else in the world. Sadly, this would be the last we hear from Christie as her subsequent follow ups flopped.
Although Stevie Wonder did have moderate success with "You are the sunshine of my life" in Australia back in 1973, this was the first hit single of his to see massive success here likely due to how lush the track remains to this day. Indeed, this led to his final decent album (according to his diehard fans that is) to be a huge success for him here given how inescapable this was.
Boy howdy has this song being used in every ad you can think of over the years, it's impossible to think that once upon a time it was a genuine hit single for this new wave band back in the day. I'm not sure why this was only a hit in Australia given how frequently I've seen it used in international media; I'm guessing audiences back then didn't want to hear a song from a band who's lead singer was also the drummer.
I've never particularly cared for this track from Blondie, mainly because I feel that Debbie is high while on this track which I'm guessing was the point given the nature of the lyrics. Naturally I'm in the minority as this was not only a massive success for the band back in the day but it's also persisted on oldies stations to this day thanks to the reggae beat and for Debbie's vocals.
This was the song where people began to question Sting's capabilities as a songwriter, after all he references Nabokov and feels the need to mispronounce his name in order to fit the rhyme scheme he had. Fortunately, most people don't pay much attention to the lyrics when listening to the trio's music as the core appeal of the band is Sting's vocals as well as the strong instrumentation from the other two.
This was the first hit single that Mondo Rock managed to achieve in Australia, this is noteworthy because the last time lead singer Ross Wilson had any success here was as the lead vocalist for his previous group Daddy Cool from the first half of the 70's. Here he trades the pub rock from his old band for new wave for this band which helped him find massive success down under with this band.
Given how Wings were no more once the 80's began, it appears that Paul McCartney finally felt comfortable to release his second solo album which spawned easily the biggest hit of his career he had without the assistance of anybody else. Whether it be with the Beatles, Wings or a musician of colour, Paul has had a ton of success with other people, however very few of it came from a solo performance.
Given how Marcia Hines was beginning to see a decline in her popularity in Australia, it seemed like the perfect moment for Diana Ross to reclaim her throne as the woman of colour we Aussies gravitate towards outside the disco scene. Here she is with her first big hit in seven years since "Touch me in the morning" was a success, proving that no comeback is out of the question here.
You may think that this songs appearance on this list was due to how much we Aussies love it during the 1979 Eurovision, until you realise that this wasn't the song they performed on there (that being "Dschinghis Khan" for the record.) No this was a number one hit in Australia due to it being chosen as the unofficial theme to the Moscow Olympics this year here in Australia during our coverage of the controversial sporting games, and the less said about them on this blog the better.
This was originally a hit for the Righteous brothers in 1965, so of course there was bound to be some nostalgic love for the ballad around the time Long John Baldry and an obscure vocalist Kathi McDonald decided to take their stab at the ballad by turning it into a breakup ballad where both parties are accusing the other of losing the love in the relationship rather than just the original narrator.
This was Styx's only international hit; I'm guessing because international audiences couldn't stomach the cheese that went into a lot of their songs like their fellow Americans did throughout the 70's and 80's. Indeed, this is one of their more normal songs as at least it isn't as sentimental as "Lady" or a complete novelty like "Mr. Roboto," and admittedly they did find plenty of success in their homeland.
Following the success of MJ's earlier entry, this track from two years prior became a surprise success for his family band likely due to him being a welcome presence on our charts that he apparently wasn't upon this track's initial release. I don't even know why this song flopped in Australia initially as MJ didn't seem to have any problems with finding success with his album Off the wall when it came out.
After a bit of a stumble with her second album, Kate Bush was able to retain her popularity going into the 80's with this lead single to her third album which has to have one of the most horrifying music videos I've ever seen. The song is a classic and one of her most recognisable in her catalogue, however I can't get over the terrifying facial expressions she gives during the video's runtime.
Although they had success with their first album in NZ and their native UK, this was the big breakthrough that Sting and company had in Australia likely due to how they repeat the phrase "sending out and SOS" ad nauseum during the outro. Fortunately, the rest of the track is fairly complex thanks to the tight reggae inspired instrumentation as well as the lyrics about finding help for this doomed relationship.
Now that Cliff Richard's comeback was well and truly established, it appears that he had little issues with retaining his fanbase despite being in his forties throughout the decade. Although I will say that his popularity in America didn't survive past the launch of MTV like it did throughout the rest of the world.
This was written for the Richard Gere flick American gigolo, a film which basically exploits the (then) attractive actor for those who appreciates the male body back when that was a socially acceptable thing to do in pop culture. Of course, the song has become more well known over the years due to it being Blondie's biggest hit in their native America, and indeed it was also a huge hit for them internationally.
It looks like Kiss were doubling down on their mainstream appeal as this lead single to Unmasked proved, after all they had yet to dedicate one of their ballads to a specifically named girl like they did here (as uncommon as the name Shandi is.) This was the band's final hit single in most parts of the world, which is probably for the best as their later material would see them shed their makeup.
And who says that feminist anthems are only a recent phenomenon? Here we have two of the most powerful women in the music industry to ever exist combining forces with this song about how they've had enough with being mistreated in this world. This comes after Donna realised that she was sending a dangerous message with her earlier material as well as Barbra wanting to appeal to Helen Reddy's audience.
This was the breakthrough single for Cheap trick here in Australia, largely thanks to a very memorable performance they gave on Countdown with this song which helped them find an audience here which had ignored them despite how big they were in their native America. They would have further success in the 80's here, although not without a huge dry spell throughout the middle of the decade.
Kelly Marie was a Scottish pop star who scored her one and only hit throughout Europe with this disco track that was originally meant for the king of rock and roll himself Elvis Presley, that should explain why she's singing like him on the track. Here in Australia, this was her second big hit as she previously saw success with "Make love to me" just as the 70's was beginning to wind down.
One of the biggest bands of the 70's was the Captain and Tennille, and considering this was released just as it was coming to an end, it makes sense that this would be their final hit in their career as it became a success for them during the first year of the 80's. It's one of the few hit singles to have a pan flute as one of its instruments, I'm guessing the pair were going for a throwback to the first half of the century.
This was the first of two big hits that Livie managed to score from her film Xanadu, a film that's gone down in infamy as one of the worst to be ever made due to its bizarre plot and wooden acting from its star Michael Beck. This song plays in a scene where the two formerly meet for the first time, namely that Livie is skating around in an abandoned roller rink to the song itself.
This was the first top ten hit that David Bowie had here in Australia since "Sorrow" from 1974, that's a six-year gap from when he managed to have a huge hit down under which should tell you how done dirty he was back in the day. He returns with one of his stranger songs which remains a fan favourite in his catalogue, likely due to it being a love letter to the Tinman from the Wizard of Oz.
By far their most successful song in their catalogue, this was the lead single for AC/DC who scored a massive comeback this year following the tragic death of their original front man Bon Scott earlier in the year. They replaced him with British singer Brian Johnston who was able to successfully match the energy that Bon brought to these tracks and also make the band an international household name.
This was the first of two Oscar winning tracks from Irene Cara, although Australia was one of the few places in the world where this was a hit upon its initial release as this wouldn't be a hit in NZ and throughout Europe until two years later when the TV show began to air. The film remains a classic thanks to the relatable characters as well as the dance sequences which hold up to modern viewing.
If you couldn't tell from their two biggest hits this year, Mi-sex were a strange but enjoyable band who thought outside the box when it came to incorporating the science fiction craze in their music. Here we have the lead single to their second album which was based on aliens as evidence by the lyrics as well as the cover art. Indeed, the NZ band have been described as otherworldly by those who aren't into them.
It was a new decade, so it only makes sense that Kenny Rogers would begin it with one of his more memorable songs becoming a massive success throughout the world. He did surprisingly well going into the MTV era outside his native America considering that MTV seemed to have an allergic reaction to country music, although he would end up being more popular on Billboard as the decade went on.
This was the first hit that Bette Midler had in Australia since her 1973 cover of the Andrew sister's classic "Boogie woogie bugle boy," it happens to come from her theatrical debut The rose which is loosely based on the tragic life of Janis Joplin that was well received by critics. While the film isn't historically accurate by any means, it remains a good film due to Bette's performance which she was Oscar nominated for, unlike this song which missed out on a nomination.
This was the only hit for Rupert Holmes, a British musician who was based in America who wrote a cheating anthem about how a couple was looking to mutually cheat on each other only to end up getting together when the narrator answers an add placed in the paper by his spouse. The story proved to be amusing enough for it to be a huge success for him but also trapped him in the one hit wonder bin.
This was the second Billboard chart topper in a row for MJ, even though it was technically released the previous year over in America, it didn't peak until this year which once again makes me question whether the disco backlash was as severe as modern historians make it out to be. Indeed, he would see more success this year with his album which is by all accounts a disco record than the previous year.
This was the first big hit that the Angels were able to score in their career, mainly due to how Doc Neeson describes the woman in question as someone who usually keeps her guard up except for the person he's talking to. It's a compelling performance he gives and a large reason as to why it remains one of their biggest hits in their catalogue, although there would be a huge quiet period for them after this.
This guy scored a massive success eight years prior with "Baby don't get hooked on me," it was by far one of the cheesiest songs of the 70's that seemed destined to trap him in the one hit wonder bin. He was able to escape from that bin with this track due to a performance that had Kenny Rogers on stage with him.
This was originally released two years prior in this LGBT band's native America to deafening silence, I'm guessing because it was considered to be too wacky for audiences of the late 70's as well as them not appreciating the surf rock influences on the track. It was able to find an audience here in Australia due to them performing it on Countdown which went over really well for the band.
This was never a hit in the northern hemisphere, that should tell you how influential Countdown was for Australia and arguably in NZ as this debut single from Martha Davis and company was a huge hit in both countries thanks to it being promoted on the TV series. The band did eventually see success in their native America with their second album, success that didn't translate back here where it all began.
Yeah, I'm still not convinced that the disco backlash was a thing outside of America given how this managed to be a huge success for the Jackson 5, heck this was even a hit in their native America which really makes me wonder how much impact that fiasco had back in the day. This would be the family's penultimate hit in Australia as they would score one more hit later in the decade with Mick Jagger.
This was the other big hit that Livie managed to achieve worldwide from the Xanadu soundtrack, although this time she has the assistance of Electric light orchestra who were also present on the soundtrack as this play's during the final dance sequence of the film. As a bit of a trivia, her earlier entry was her big chart topper in Billboard this year whereas this was her big chart topper in the UK.
Many credit this one and only hit from Gary Numan as the beginning of the new wave craze, technically that honour should go to "Are friends electric" as that also had him on vocals and was a new wave classic, although I guess that was a flop over in America whereas this was a top ten hit on Billboard. Between these two songs, this was the full extent of Gary Numan's popularity worldwide.
This sounds like it was recorded forty years prior, I can assure you it wasn't as Fiddler's dram were a British band from the 70's who scored their one and only hit just as they were calling it quits but this really does sound like something made for a vintage Gene Kelly flick. I have no idea how this became a hit during the height of the disco era, but it somehow did.
This was the second hit that Rocky Burnette was able to score in Australia this year, likely because he appeared on Countdown to perform his two big hits on this list as this didn't chart anywhere else in the world from what I can gather. The rockabilly revival was huge throughout the 70's and early 80's, so much so that I'm sure it would've continued had MTV not launched the following year.
Fans of Madonna's Confessions on a dance floor will recognise the beat to this song on her hit single "Hung up," however here it was used for a song that's about wanting to hook up with a man for a one-night stand in the middle of the night as opposed to Madonna being fed up with her partner wasting her time. The success of this track proved that Abba's popularity was still going strong entering the 80's.
This was the only hit from NZ singer Kim Hart, likely due to it being a disco record which means she was perhaps a little bit late to the party given how disco was supposedly beginning to lose its popularity this year. Admittedly it could also have been that she was only barely in her twenties when she broke through, after all there weren't that many younger female pop stars during the days of Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett.
This was the only hit single that Janis Ian managed to score in most parts of the world, it appears audiences weren't interested in her coming-of-age track "At seventeen" but were interested in this jazz track she released five years later. I think this was a hit here due to her performing it on Countdown, either that or we really enjoyed the groove on here more so than her fellow Americans.
Although he remains a one hit wonder internationally with "Undercover angel," Alan O'day was able to score a second hit here in Australia with this track about how much he likes skinny girls. I guess everyone is entitled to their preferences and to be fair, this is meant to be tongue in cheek about how thin girls were becoming from around this time.
It appears that Donna Summer hadn't completely transitioned into being a feminist with this track as while it's more in line with new wave than disco, it's still a sexually charged track largely thanks to her performance. Her feminist tracks would come later in the decade and would culminate with her next hit "She works hard for the money" which seems to be her finally disowning her previous album Bad girls.
This was the only hit that Martha and the Muffins managed to achieve in their career, it's a well-remembered track about how Martha Johnson reminisces about a time where she had the love of her life on the titular echo beach and how she longs to return to the location to meet up with her partner. I guess she wasn't able to find much success going into the decade down under, not unlike another Martha on this list.
This was the title track to the Rolling Stone's first album of the 80's, so of course it was going to be a success regardless of the fact that the band was still trying to make disco hits despite the genre supposedly dying out this year. Yeah, I'm here to tell everyone that disco didn't die out when the 70's ended, sure it wasn't as popular in the 80's as it was in the 70's but there were plenty of disco hits still to come.
This was the second version of the Little Eva track to become a hit in Australia, although considering that the original was a flop here back in the 60's, I feel that these covers being a success was our way of atoning for sleeping on the original. Here we have a disco cover of the song which proved to be a huge hit for Ritz this year, although it was an even bigger hit over in NZ where it was the biggest hit of the year according to RIANZ.
This was the only hit that Matchbox had throughout the world, although here in Australia they were known as Major Matchbox due to there being a local band with that name and us needing to tell these two bands apart. Naturally we have another rockabilly throwback to become a hit this year, it was a very good year for rockabilly throwback tracks as we've seen throughout this list.
This was the debut single from a band who would eventually become known as Icehouse, yeah, these guys went by Flowers originally but had to change it when they sparked international interest in them due to another band with that name also looking to make it big worldwide (wonder whatever happened to them.) The album went on to be one of the most successful here and in NZ funnily enough.
I've heard this be described as having the feel of a Doobie brothers track, ever since all I hear whenever I hear this is the Pointer sisters covering "What a fool believes" which is admittedly a good thing in my book. Of course, the lyrics are completely different as it's about how the girls are smitten by a shy guy as opposed to the Doobie brothers being felt like a fool for being in a relationship with someone.
This was the third time this ballad became a hit in Australia, the previous two were from the original singer Dusty Springfield and Bay City roller's version from 1976. This time we have Annie Lennox taking a stab at the track with her first band the Tourists, although technically this was the Eurythmics as David Stewart was part of the group as well. They would become the Eurythmics while the band were on tour here in Australia.
Suzi Quatro had been seeing diminishing returns in her popularity since her second album in Australia, mainly because she quickly drifted away from glam rock and into a more contemporary sound as the 70's went on. Here she returned to her glam roots which got her one final hit here in Australia before she was once again seen as yesterday's news as she failed to adapt to the MTV era of music.
This likely wouldn't have been a hit here in Australia were it not for a memorable performance that Judie Tzuke gave on Countdown with this song, it was a huge hit in her native UK but there were plenty of hits from British artists over there that failed to see crossover success over the years. Sadly, this was her only hit anywhere in the world, likely due to it being another ballad from a female singer.
This was one of the last hit singles that Abba achieved before their inevitable demise later in the decade, in fact you can make the argument that this was the song which broke them apart as the two couples were going through a highly publicised divorce when this song was released. Let's just say that Frida and Agnetha sound like they've been defeated by their husbands on this track given how the men wrote the lyrics they're singing.
This was the only hit that Blondie managed to score from their album Eat to the beat in Australia, I'm guessing we Aussies weren't as thrilled about that album as the rest of the world was given how this was a British chart topper for the band this year. Fortunately, they came back with "Call me" which restored their popularity in time for their penultimate album Autoamerican and its huge hits.
Well, he may have lost the magic he had with Bernie Taupin from earlier in his career (don't worry he'll get it back later in the decade) however that didn't mean that Elton John wasn't able to achieve success as indeed this was a huge hit for him worldwide as was the album it serves as the lead single to. He would go on to have many highs and lows throughout the 80's, making it a very unpredictable decade for him.
This is often considered as the signature tune from Air supply, mainly because it's the song that best represents their discography of passionate love songs performed in a melodramatic way. The duo scored more success in America than they did in Australia this decade, although they did have a few hits down under before we Aussies gave up on them entirely.
Well, we needed to have another version of the Village people eventually, enter the Skatt bros who managed to copy the formula of the LGBT band and score a massive hit here in Australia around the time they released their film Can't stop the music. This was an excellent year for queer disco in Australia it seems.
This is a cover of a song that was made in the late 50's, even so I wasn't expecting to see this on one of these lists considering I was dead certain this was always meant as a commercial jingle and not a critically acclaimed art pop track from the start of the 80's. Even though this remains well loved in the music community to this day, the band couldn't shake off their novelty status which led to them breaking up in 1984.
Darryl Cotton was the lead singer of Zoot from a decade prior, so he seems to be a little late to the party when it comes to 60's rockers finding it big on their own given how the likes of Glenn Shorrock and bandmate Rick Springfield already had massive success by this point in time. Even so, he got there eventually with this one and only hit about how a girl he used to date hasn't changed over the years.
This was the big hit off of Cold Chisel's breakthrough album East, a song about how Jimmy Barnes gets day drunk to help him cope with the loss of his girlfriend (who may or may not be the mother of his son David Campbell.) The song remains a classic to this day as does the majority of the tracks from East, it makes you wonder why it wasn't a bigger hit until you remember it coming from a highly successful album.
These guys had been active in the music industry since the mid 50's, and while they saw a ton of success in their native America over the years, this was their only hit here in Australia due to it becoming a surprise hit for them in the UK. For some reason, the Brits labelled them as Detroit Spinners, I'm guessing due to there being an up-and-coming band named the Spinners at the time.
This was the second UK chart topper in a row for the Police, although I get the feeling this was a hit here more due to them performing it on Countdown rather than us wanting to hear about how Sting desires to be an astronaut. Regardless it was a huge success for the band and confirmed them as a household name here, heck their debut album even managed to become a success because of this.
This was the only hit that John Farnham had for almost ten years as his last hit was from 1973 and his next one wouldn't come until he joined the Little river band later in the decade. This is a cover of the Beatles classic, although aside from replacing the voices of Paul and John with his own, he admittedly doesn't add much to this track which is perhaps why it's been lost to the sands of time.
As with every fad in the music industry, it was only a matter of time before there would be a parody song about the rockabilly revival that would be a success. That came in the form of this track from the Belgian group the Veterans who made a joke song about how the rockabilly revival was flooding the mainstream over newer and more exciting music.
This was the first of three Billboard chart toppers Billy Joel had this decade, it was the second single from his Glass house album which was less a throwback to the music of the 50's and more him wondering why we should glamourise newer music when the older stuff holds up. It's a rather poignant track that seems to be more relevant now that it was back then.
This was the lead single to Cold Chisel's biggest album East; it was also the final song they released in the 70's as it found its success during the first months of the 80's thanks to the sentiment of the lyrics and Jimmy's performance. Their earlier entry on this list was the bit hit from the album, although both of these songs do remain popular in their discography regardless of which one was bigger.
One of the funniest films to ever be released is Monty Python's the Life of Brian, a film that admittedly caused controversy back in the day due to it mocking Christianity which got it banned by many Christian groups in several countries (then ban has since been lifted.) The film ends with this novelty track that was so popular here in Australia that it became a genuine hit eleven years prior to doing so in the UK.
I'm not exactly sure what took this song from British group Sniff n the tears to make it big given how it was originally released two years prior, although it did eventually find an audience just as the decade had started despite it never being a hit in their native UK. I guess the rest of the world were able to appreciate the slow ballad more than their fellow Brits.
Before he became the lead singer for the Models, James Freud was a solo artist who had a backing band by the name of the Modern Day Poets who scored a huge hit this year with this new wave track about how he fell in love with a modern girl. I'm guessing this was meant to be the antidote to all of the rockabilly tracks that were coming out around this time which was all about living in the past.
This was a good indication of the type of music making it big in America this year given how disco and other more interesting genres seemed to be excluded on Billboard around this time for some reason, I guess we Aussies found this one and only hit from Steve Forbert interesting enough for it to also be a hit here even though we didn't extend this love for the likes of Robbie Dupree and Billy Preston.
Bet you didn't know the Muppets were able to have hits in the mainstream, did you? Yes, this opening ballad from the first Muppet movie became a success here in Australia likely due to our love of the show and the film being a box office success at the time. Evidently the theme song to the show was a huge success worldwide in the mid 70's, although that song wasn't a success here in Australia.
Following the success of their earlier entry on this list, Fleetwood Mac were able to score a second hit from Tusk here in Australia which naturally set them up for great success as the decade unfolded. Indeed, they would have at least one massive hit from their next two albums even as the times rapidly changed against their favour as well as their individual members releasing their solo material.
This is the only hit that British band the Korgis had anywhere in the world including their native UK, I feel this is a bit ahead of its time given how this is in line with what Spandau ballet or ABC would release later in the decade. This is perhaps why it wasn't that big in their homeland, although it was big enough for us Aussies to notice its presence.
If this vocalist sounds familiar to you, you likely recognise her for her performance throughout Meat loaf's Bat out of hell album where she is most prominently featured on the title track of the album. Here she scores a hit of her own due to her involvement with the album as well as performing it on Countdown during the start of the decade, although this would sadly be the last we hear from her.
George Benson is best known for being a jazz artist in the music industry, so to see him score his one and only hit here in Australia with a disco track is a bit of a surprise especially given how it was released during the supposed dark ages of disco. He had better luck in NZ with his singles given how this wasn't his only hit over there, although this seemed to come at the expense of how well his albums did.
This was the second hit that Flowers had from their debut album as well as the final hit they had with that name before they named themselves after said album due to international interest forcing them to change their name. They would release their debut album internationally as Icehouse which would make it their self-titled album, and indeed they did chart in the lower half of the European charts with the album.
This was the final hit single that Ol'55 managed to achieve in Australia, it makes sense as they were one of the biggest rockabilly throwback bands of the 70's down under scoring a string of hits with their rockabilly tracks throughout the decade. They would breakup not long after this became their final hit.
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