NZ hits of 1976

This year was where certain artists dominated the mainstream, in Australia they were Abba, Sherbet and the Bay city rollers.

This was the biggest hit of the 70's in NZ, it's curious because it wasn't even his big international hit (which we'll look at in a moment) proving that even from its inception, the RIANZ charts were able to display the kiwis as contrarians when it came to the music industry.

Here's that big international hit that Freddy Fender had in NZ, both of these songs charted as if they were from the album charts which perhaps gives you an idea of how unreliable the RIANZ charts were during the first few years of its existence in determining what was popular in NZ.

Well, it may not have lasted fourteen weeks at number one like it did here in Australia (still nine weeks isn't bad) however this still remains as the biggest hit from Abba over in NZ proving that the band were as inescapable over there as they were over here with how much audiences loved their music.

This was another inescapable hit that Abba had back in the day in NZ, no doubt because it was their one and only Billboard chart topper proving that even America couldn't resist the infectious melody of this track despite their obvious best efforts to do otherwise given their overall lack of success over there.

This remains as Elton John's biggest hit in his career here in Australia and in NZ, mainly due to how much chemistry he has with Kiki Dee on the track as well as the track being about how the two are in love with each other whilst acknowledging how that that was becoming at the time for people to experience.

Unlike in Australia where this country esque ballad took forever to find an audience, in NZ this was an instant success for the Dutch trio which likely allowed them to have multiple hit singles over there during the second half of the decade and even a successful album the following year.

From what I gathered going through the Listener charts, Glen Campbell wasn't as successful in NZ as he was in Australia which means that much like in his native America, he was more popular with his post sellout material over there than with his more authentic country work.

The kiwis certainly weren't going to make an argument for why this song wasn't a masterpiece back in the day, as such it was a massive success for Queen who already had a hit on the Listener charts over there with "Killer queen" from the year prior.

Well at least these guys were able to score more than one hit in NZ back in the day, and hey their one and only Australian hit was twice as successful over there due to the kiwis having more love for RNB at the time of its release.

You better believe that Rod Stewart was one of the biggest artists of the 70's in NZ just like he was everywhere else in the world, in fact he was arguably even bigger over there than he was in Australia due to the lack of competition he had from their local music scene.

This proved to be an even bigger hit in NZ than it was in Australia, I'm guessing because the charts were still in their infancy at the time and also the kiwis didn't have as much variety to make a hit as we Aussies did given how they lacked a Countdown equivalent that we had to help them discover new music.

This was another RNB ballad that managed to become a huge success in NZ that was a massive flop here in Australia, this time it's from Johnny Nash who scored a massive worldwide hit with the final hit from his career following the success he had earlier in the decade with "I can see clearly now."

This was Sherbet's only hit outside of Australia, at least it's their most iconic work given how it's a song about how Daryl has figured out his partner cheated on him and how he uses cricket metaphors to alert the person to his awareness. This was a big hit throughout Europe due it arguably being a bigger hit in NZ than it was here.

This was a massive success for Sha na na singer Henry gross, a rockabilly throwback artist who scored his one and only hit with this song he wrote about a dog dying. I guess the kiwis were really chocked up about this song compared to us Aussies as this wasn't even a success here and yet it was huge over there.

This was the second single to come from Abba's self-titled album, given how "Mamma Mia" wasn't released until the following year, it allowed this song to be a massive success over there without having to compete with their other single which proved to be much more popular here in Australia.

This was also a hit twice in NZ just like it was in Australia, although it was far more successful the first time given how it didn't have much competition on the NZ charts like it did on our charts back in the day. This was Frankie Valli's attempt at going disco, making him one of the earliest rock legends to try the formula to massive success which he would continue to do for the remainder of the decade.

Given how much more popular RNB was in NZ throughout the 70's, it was only inevitable that this signature track from Hot Chocolate would be among the bigger hits of the decade over there due to how joyous and happy it remains to this day. This of course led to a string of hits for them throughout the second half of the decade over there like it did worldwide.

This may very well have been the first time the kiwis had heard from Chicago, after all the Listener charts suggest that they didn't have any success over there during the first half of the decade whereas they at least had a hit here in Australia with "25 of 6 to 4" from the start of the 70's.

This was more of an immediate success in NZ than it was in Australia, likely because the kiwis were more accepting of disco music initially than us Aussies but likely because they were instantly heartfelt by the tale of perseverance in the song. They would score a second minor hit with "Hot to trot" before they faded into obscurity just like everywhere else in the world.

This was the third single to come out of Abba's self-titled album in NZ, as such it wasn't quite as successful over there due to it being released much later than even "S.O.S" was over here and thus allowing the kiwis to buy the album at its expense. That said, the song was still a massive hit over there which proves how much they loved the Swedish foursome.

This was another successful ballad to come out of Rod Stewart this decade, one that I'm pretty sure led to a rather nasty rumour about him concerning sailors that I won't bother repeating on this entry.

This guy had a massive success worldwide thanks to country music still being one of the biggest genres in the music scene at this point in time, it was a huge hit over in NZ for him despite it being only a minor hit at best here in Australia. Like many country artists to make it big over the years, Elvin Bishop remains a legend in the country scene to this day.

This was the only hit that Bill and Boyd were able to achieve in their native NZ throughout their lengthy career, it only became as such a year after they nearly topped the Australian charts with their touching tribute to the victims of Cyclone Tracy from the Christmas of 1974 in Darwin.

They may have been a one hit wonder even in their native America back in the day, however that didn't mean these guys weren't able to have a lasting legacy with their one and only hit worldwide given how it's endured on oldies stations to this day. I'm willing to be many people believing that this was a Jackson 5 track given how well this would fit into their discography.

Like in most parts of the world, these guys remain a one hit wonder in NZ with this bouncy country ballad which was likely a hit due to it being their one and only Billboard chart topper from around this time.

I guess the song that became a success in NZ for KC and the sunshine band was different compared to the one that made it big here in Australia, well that and the song in question being twice as successful over there is the only other difference between their careers in both countries as the band was big in the southern hemisphere just not as big as they were in their homeland.

Well at least Dorothy Moore had even more success in NZ with her one and only hit worldwide, then again given how even we Aussies couldn't resist the RNB ballad back in the day, her being a one hit wonder over there only proves how unfairly ignored the rest of her catalogue was back in the day.

This was another massive hit for Pussycat in NZ back in the day, it's staggering to think these guys were so successful over in NZ despite them being one hit wonders here in Australia, but this is the reality we live in.

Whereas at least these guys had a huge hit in Australia with their album from the start of the decade, it's uncertain if that was the case in NZ given how the kiwis didn't have an album chart from prior to 1975 and that they didn't have any success with their singles prior to this ballad. I'm guessing they were ready to give up when this became a hit as they only lasted one more year before breaking up.

Well, this was bound to be a success in NZ this year considering this was the song that finally gave Cliff Richard a hit in America as well as it being his big comeback single here in Australia. His popularity was slightly bigger down under compared to NZ, however it was roughly the same all things considered at least if we're going by the last quarter of the twentieth century.

This was the last country single hit Olivia Newton John managed to achieve anywhere in the world, although she did release a cover of "Jolene" right before starring in Grease that did gain some traction here in Australia later in the decade. This is a country version of a Bee Gees track from their (then) most recent album, meaning she took a disco track and made it into a country ballad.

This was one of the slower disco tracks to make it big back in the day, I've heard it once described as a song about a disco lady you can't necessarily disco to which I feel best sums up this track. It was the only hit to come from Johnnie Taylor even in his native America, although it also had the distinction of being the first song to be certified platinum on the Billboard charts.

Well, the kiwis might not have been as impressed with this track about a disco duck (I mean comparatively speaking as this had a lower peak and shorter chart run over there despite having less competition than here in Australia) but at least the idea was amusing enough for them to make it a huge hit around this time for the future radio DJ Rick Dees.

Hey, does anyone want to hear a disco rendition of Beethoven's "Symphony no 5?" Well Walter Murphy did just that as he got his orchestra the Big apple band to rearrange the classical piece to make it fit with the disco craze which resulted in it becoming a massive worldwide hit for him. This was a modest hit here in Australia, but nowhere near as popular as it was internationally.

Well at least these guys were simply known as Jigsaw in NZ, likely because the Australian Jigsaw never had any success over there thus negating any incentive for the kiwis to change the name of these guys. This was a bit late to the party over there for some reason, I'm guessing they needed to have a hit here as British Jigsaw before they could conquer the NZ charts as Jigsaw.

This was also a two for one deal in NZ like it was in Australia, although given how both songs were heavily marketed over there back in the day, they became much bigger hits and could even be considered two separate entries as they bounced in and out of the top twenty over there for several months.

This was the biggest hit from the Bay city rollers in NZ, it happens to be a cover of a song that I'm not even sure was a hit over there given how the Listener charts only go back to 1966 and the Dusty Springfield original was released in 1965.

Well, every band and artist seem to have at least one problematic song in their catalogue, for Elton John it was this Billboard chart topper about him wanting to save this "island girl" from what appears to be life as a sex worker while cosplaying as an "island boy." I guess if you were to ignore the lyrical content, the song has a nice rock reggae groove that still holds up to this day.

Well, this was an inescapable hit for Abba in NZ just like it was here in Australia, it must be due to the group's criticism of capitalism which seemed to resonate with audiences back in the day.

This was Skyhook's only hit in NZ, you'd think they'd crossover with something like "Horror movie" or something from their second album, but instead it's with this track which was far from their biggest hit here in Australia. At least they had some success over in NZ, nowhere near as much as their main rivals Sherbet but it was better than nothing.

It appears the kiwis were also into the trucker crazy of the 70's as this novelty track from ad executive turn country singer CW McCall managed to become a huge success over there because of the craze. He remains a one hit wonder to this day even in his native America due to how hard it was to take his music seriously.

At least there was only one version of the Everly brothers track to make it big in NZ from around this time, indeed Nazareth managed to beat out Jim Capaldi over there with their rendition of the classic due to them having a massive hit over in America with their rendition. This didn't do their careers any favours as they remain a one hit wonder worldwide with this cover to this day.

These guys were massively successful when it came to their albums during the first half of the decade in their native UK, however as far as I can tell, this was their only hit single anywhere in the world which became as such in NZ this year likely due to them combining disco with African influences.

OK I don't normally do this on this site; however, I'd be remiss not to share the Japanese cover art of this track on here. This was what was advertised to Japanese audiences back in the day to sell the track people.

This was yet another big hit that the Eagles had in NZ this decade, it was the second single from their breakthrough album One of these nights (at least in the southern hemisphere it was) where it became a massive hit over there despite it flopping here in Australia. As I said, all of these songs I've featured on this site from the band remain staples on oldies stations to this day.

This was the biggest hit to come from Tina Charles in NZ, I'm guessing because the kiwis could only handle so much of her voice as I'll admit it does become overbearing after several tracks which is perhaps why none of her albums managed to find success anywhere in the world. That said, at least all of her songs were a success upon their initial release over there unlike here in Australia.

This was the one big hit from 10cc that didn't appear on the Australian side of my site, I'm guessing because we Aussies were that into How dare you like the kiwis were as that album was one of the most successful of the decade over there. If you couldn't tell from the name of the song, this is an art rock track which the kiwis ate up in lieu of their more conventional song "The things we do for love" the following year.

Well, this was a genuine hit back in the day around the world, meaning that there's a good chance that this song still has its fans to this day even if it's mainly through nostalgia at this point. If you're one of those people, I won't say anything in this entry that will prevent you liking this song.

This was another hit that Mark Williams managed to achieve in his homeland back in the day, I guess he was the most successful NZ artist of the decade over there even taking into accounts those that found success here in Australia first before taking it back home.

This was originally released as the debut single for Bay City rollers three years prior, it was a flop for the band even in their native UK for reasons I can't seem to fathom. It was given a second chance this year when it was released as a single in America more to see if it would break the band through than anything else, it turns out it did as it became their biggest hit on Billboard despite the failure of their other songs.

Well at least Natalie Cole was able to achieve a genuine hit in NZ this decade with this number, although I would've thought the kiwis would've gone with "This will be" given how that seems to be the song from this era that's survived the test of time for her over the years.

This wasn't nearly as successful for Harpo in NZ as it was here in Australia for the Swedish pop star, I guess the kiwis only had enough love for one Swedish act and Abba was already filling in that void for them this year. Still, they managed to squeeze this guy in for just enough time for him to make a second appearance on this site.

I think this is the first love song to use chart positions as a metaphor for finding the love of the narrator's life, it's certainly the only song I can think of that became a massive success by using this metaphor at any point in time (although I'm sure this will be a common phenomenon going forward in music.) As for the artist who made it, from what I can gather, Pete Wingfield was a British producer to got lucky with this ballad.

Unlike here in Australia where Eric Carmen got himself out of the one hit wonder bin twelve years later with two additional hits to his name, in NZ he still remains in the one hit wonder bin to this day with this track I'm sure people nowadays think is a Celine Dion track given how much more ubiquitous her cover has become over the years.

It looks like the kiwis were a bit resistant towards this ballad at first given how it took its sweet time in finding an audience in NZ back in the day, alas it appears they were eventually won over by this one and only hit from Morris Albert in the early months of the year as it was nominated for a Grammy around the time it rose up their charts.

The hits kept on coming for the Carpenters in NZ during the second half of the decade, I get the feeling that these two would've been equally as successful here in Australia if Countdown hadn't of deemed them to be uncool to help promote our local music scene.

This is the only song from Dr Hook from this decade that was a hit here in Australia to reappear on this side of my site, even then it was more of a sleeper hit in NZ which suggested that the kiwis were very sceptical of these guys reinventing themselves as a soft rock band from their comedic roots from earlier in the decade.

For whatever reason, this song always reminds me of "Band on the run" whenever I hear it on the radio (likely due to Paul's similar vocal melody in different parts of both songs) which is perhaps why it was a bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia as we Aussies would've passed this up back in the day in favour of the many fresh offerings from our local music scene which the kiwis didn't have access to.

From what I can gather, this is a novelty track from novelty country singer Fred Dagg which managed to become a success in his homeland due to how silly country music had become from Nashville. Admittedly none of the sillier tracks managed to crossover outside of America save for perhaps "Convoy" from earlier on this list.

From what I can gather, this was the earliest success that Leo Sayer had in NZ given how none of his songs prior to the release of the first RIANZ charts were successful on the Listener charts, I guess it makes sense that one of his more upbeat tracks would be the kiwis introduction to him as opposed to his single "The show must go on" which was the case here in Australia and his native UK.

This was the second hit that the Brothers Gibb were able to score from their comeback album Main course following the success of its lead single "Jive talking" from the previous year, it was on more familiar territory when it came to their original sound as to not alienate their older fans too much when transitioning into the disco we all know and love these days.

It's a bit of a shock to me to see how unpopular this classic was back in the day from the brothers Gibb considering how much of a staple it's become on oldies stations nowadays; it certainly didn't do their album any favours given how that didn't become a success until the following year for the trio. At least it achieved moderate success over in NZ as opposed to here where it was a massive flop for them.

I guess the kiwis weren't as titillated with this breakthrough single from Donna Summer as we Aussies were given how much lower it appears on this side of my site compared to the Australian side, at least it was a decent success for the queen of disco even if it was a sign that she wouldn't reach the dizzying heights of success over there she achieved over here.

This will be the only appearance from Donny and Marie Osmond on this site of mine, although I could've featured several of their own hits had I gone further back in the decade given how popular they were (well he was at least) during the first half of the 70's. This is their take on a ballad from the 30's that they updated for a (then) modern audience which would explain its success in NZ and not in Australia.

This was another hit that Neil Diamond was able to achieve in NZ during the second half of the decade, again this was only a flop here in Australia due to it being pushed aside in favour of the album becoming a success as well as us Aussies wanting to support our local music scene thanks to Countdown promoting what it had to offer.

Believe me, I was shocked when I realised this was a flop here in Australia back in the day, however it appears the kiwis were able to get their hands on this breakthrough single from ELO which is how it was able to appear on this list even if the rest of their catalogue saw much less success over there than it did over here.

You know that this guy was inescapable in NZ when he managed to score a third hit in a row on their charts with this entry, this comes from his second successful album Are you ready for Freddy (insert FNAF reference here) which sadly didn't translate to him having further success even in NZ throughout the decade.

OK to everyone who thought the Teletubbies were bizarre, allow me to present to you the 70's equivalent known as the Wombles who were massively popular in the UK and also in NZ if the success of their theme song is anything to go by. Then again, this was an excellent time for TV themes over there given how many we've looked at on this side of my site already.

Well, we looked at the remix of this track on my 1986 list on this side of my site, so why not look at the original version which I did say was a hit upon its initial release this year. I'm not sure why this didn't crossover here in Australia given how many of the other disco tracks from musicians of colour were able to back in the day.

This managed to sneak onto the list due to a lack of competition from when it came out, after all, I can't see why the kiwis would still be supporting the Hollies even at this level given how their popularity died out throughout the rest of the world.