NZ hits of 1979

This was when disco was at its peak, despite there being an apparent backlash in America due to its oversaturation.

For whatever reason, we Aussies were a bit slow when it came to allowing MJ and the Jackson five back into the spotlight as adults as they were able to achieve massive success in NZ months prior to when they crossed over here. In any case, this solo disco track from MJ was a massive success in both countries and ushered him into the 80's where he would go on to take the world by storm.

Before he was the lead singer of Noiseworks, Jon Stevens was a teen pop idol in his native NZ who managed to score two massive hits over there with his earlier work. This was the bigger of the two hits which he scored during the transition of the 70's to the 80's.

There were no signs of the Brothers Gibb slowing down as the 70's was coming to an end in NZ, indeed this lead single to their album Spirits having flow was a massive success for them over there much more so than it was over here despite it not even being a disco hit from them. Like the rest of the world, their transition into the 80's was a disaster as their next album was a huge failure for them over there.

It looks like the kiwis were all for the rockabilly revival from the late 70's as this debut single from Racey managed to also be a massive success over there like it was over here for the British band. Indeed, the band would achieve almost the same amount of success over there this year as they did over here save for only scoring two big hits this year as opposed to three.

This was the debut single for Blondie over in NZ given how their first two albums weren't even released over there prior to this (their second album did come out shortly after this became a hit for them though.) I guess this is the best proof I have for NZ not following the Australian charts that well given how if they did then this disco classic wouldn't have been the first they heard from the band.

I guess I'm a huge sucker for disco if I feel this is an improvement for Kiss over their previous work, it appears the general public of the late 70's worldwide agrees as this remains their biggest hit in their catalogue and even a staple on oldies stations to this day. I did notice that their popularity in NZ is much less so than what it was over here.

It looks like the kiwis were just as into the idea of Rod Stewart becoming a disco icon as the rest of the world was, although it was curiously the least successful of his big hits over there which means they ultimately wanted him as a pop crooner rather than him flaunting his sexuality.

Well at least this song managed to become a success on schedule over in NZ, I still can't believe this sat on shelves ignored here in Australia for a year given how this was the Jackson five's first song released when they were adults. I think this was the song which convinced people to give MJ's solo career a second chance which led to the success of his entry from earlier on this list.

Given how there wasn't a local band in NZ to steal the success of this cover of an obscure Righteous brothers track from the African all girl group Clout, this managed to become a massive success for them over there and is a more accurate representation as to how well it did back in the day in the southern hemisphere.

At least I can comfortably say that this guy had plenty of success during his time with Simon and Garfunkel on the Listener charts, otherwise this ballad from the cult classic Watership down would be his only success in NZ which is a bit of a far cry from the music he's most well-known for in his catalogue.

This was an even bigger hit for the Promises over in NZ, again I have to assume it was due to that infamous wardrobe malfunction in the video which I'm sure gave the lyrics a whole new meaning that the trio never intended for back in the day. I stand by that this would've easily been able to crossover to America had MTV existed around the time the band were still a unit.

These guys had a bit more success over in NZ (although they won't be making any more appearances on this site, I'm afraid) meaning that the kiwis were more interested in what they had to offer than we Aussies were. Other songs to make it big from their catalogue include "Dance dance dance," I want your love" and "Good times."

Well, this was 10cc's foray into reggae, so naturally it would be their biggest hit in NZ given how the kiwis have always had a soft spot for reggae over the years. Granted this was also their biggest hit here in Australia, however that was more due to their other songs coming from highly successful albums as well as possibly due to the story being told in the lyrics about the lead singer getting mugged.

This was a little late to the party in NZ, although that didn't seem to matter considering it was just as successful over there as it was here for the (then) closeted LGBT band. It's more or less become a queer anthem as well as an advertisement for the homeless shelters across America over the years.

For whatever reason, this breakup song from Rose Royce was slightly delayed with its release here in Australia, that wasn't the case in NZ where it was released on time for the band that gave us "Car wash" two years prior. As such, it became an even bigger success over there likely because the kiwis had already made them a huge success earlier in the decade with more than one hit.

These guys were able to score two back-to-back chart toppers in NZ just like they did here in Australia, that's impressive considering they never hit number one in their native UK despite both of these songs being massive hits on their charts. This would be the last the kiwis would hear from the band as neither their album nor third single managed to become a success over there.

While I'm sure fans of both Smokie and Suzi Quatro in Australia will likely be disappointed that this was among the duo's biggest hits in their respective careers, at least they can take comfort in the fact that they both had a string of other hits here including some which was way bigger from earlier in the decade. This was the best either of them could do in NZ which I'm sure NZ fans of these guys will be upset about.

This wasn't quite as big in NZ as it was here in Australia, likely due to how much of an obvious novelty it was given that it was a song about playing computer games was the hot new thing to do going into the 80's. Then again, the gaming industry has only grown since this song was released as a single, meaning that it's arguably more popular now than it was back in the day.

This was the only hit from Jimmy "BO" Horne (man what a weird stage name) it became as such due to it being written by KC and the Sunshine Band despite those guys not having a hit in a while over in NZ. For some reason, this wasn't a hit here in Australia for the musician of colour, I don't know why as George McCrae had a massive hit earlier in the decade with "Rock your baby" under similar circumstances.

We Aussies were a little late to the party when it came to making this ballad from KC and the Sunshine band a success, likely because it was the rare ballad in their catalogue of otherwise upbeat disco jams. The kiwis were more punctual in making this a success over there proving they were on board with whatever these guys had to offer from the get-go.

Much like in Australia, this was a bit of a mini comeback for Abba as they were beginning to see diminishing returns following the success of their fourth album Arrival. Indeed, this was able to restore their popularity to their mid 70's status given how it was a huge number one hit for them over there

Well at least this song was a success much sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, that would probably explain how it was such a huge hit over there given how Robert John was able to connect with audiences with his sad breakup song.

This was more of a success due to Neil Diamond's presence in NZ given how Barbra Streisand had only had one hit over there by this point, still it was a massive success for the duo which enabled it and the album of the same name to be a success over there.

Much like here in Australia, this was the first big hit that the Pointer sisters had in NZ again likely due to the track being written by Bruce Springsteen despite the heartland rocker being unable to score any success of his own over there by this point in time. The girls went on to have massive success over there in the 80's much like they did in Australia.

This didn't quite make it to number one in NZ like it did here in Australia, meaning it doesn't have the distinction of either being the last chart topper over there of the 70's or the first of the 80's like it does here in Australia. Still, it was a mammoth hit from the duo who correctly predicted the deaths of many of a rock stars career thanks to the rise of MTV two years prior to its launch.

This is a bit weird considering how this was a huge number one hit in Australia despite it being the second single from a highly successful album and yet it was only a top ten (albeit still huge) hit in NZ where successful albums generally didn't impact the success of a single (at least back in the day.) The song was still huge likely due to it being another history lesson set to a catchy disco beat from Boney M.

This wasn't quite as big a hit for Amii Stewart in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm not even sure why as you'd think if anything this disco rendition of an RNB classic from the 60's would've been even more inescapable over there given the circumstances of how it came to be. Much like Australia, she would remain a one hit wonder in NZ with this disco classic.

This was a massive success for Patrick Hernandez in NZ likely due to it being a goofy disco track at a time where disco was all over the place worldwide, although it still blows my mind that a random backup singer would go on to have more success than the main artist as Patrick would remain a one hit wonder worldwide with this.

This was also a mega hit for Donna Summer in NZ this year, I doubt it was due to this being her first Billboard chart topper as she already had two big hits internationally by the time her disco rendition of the Richard Harris classic became her first American number one around this time.

Well at least they were able to sign off from the 70's with one of their more iconic hits in their catalogue worldwide, although whereas at least these guys had a surprise hit in Australia with "You win again" from 1987, it wouldn't be until 1997 where these guys would return to their mainstream with their album Still waters.

This was the first big international hit that Dr Hook had that wasn't a hit here in Australia, I guess we Aussies only wanted to hear soft rock from these guys if you weren't able to dance to it as this wasn't able to become a hit here despite its massive international popularity. This would be the case for the rest of their catalogue save for "Girls can get it" which was that one bouncy track of theirs to make it big here.

Much like in the rest of the world, this was the only hit that Leif Garrett had in NZ likely due to how inescapably popular he was here in Australia with his first album. At least his one and only hit internationally was with an original track of his as opposed to the two covers he had here in Australia.

At least this song was popular in NZ on time as opposed to here in Australia where it had a slight delay to its success, although it was more successful down under than it was over there so perhaps the delay was worth it in the end. Either way, this was the only hit that the Boomtown rats had in the southern hemisphere despite how inescapably popular they were in their native UK.

This wasn't quite as inescapable in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm guessing Robin Scott performed this on Countdown on one of those lost episodes which boosted its popularity here back in the day (it would explain the success of many tracks on the Australian side of my site.) Even so, this was too catchy to be ignored back in the day given how it was still a massive hit over there at the time.

This is one of those disco tracks that most 70's afficionados like to pretend never existed, mainly because of the bizarre chanting that goes "ooh ooh ooh" throughout the verses as well as it being a sex song that many people (me included) don't find the least bit sexy (side note, I didn't get my online tag from this band either.) It was their only hit in NZ and their native America likely due to how much of a novelty it is.

As it turns out, the part where it sounds like there's someone playing two saxophones at once was exactly what happened during the recording of this song, so much so that even in live shows the saxophonists repeats this feat which is usually the highlight of one of their concerts. While it wasn't as big in NZ as it was here in Australia, the kiwis were still clearly amused by this track enough to make it a hit.

Given the success of his theme to the miniseries against the wind, Jon English managed to have massive popularity in NZ this year which resulted in this bonus track from his greatest hits album English history to become a huge success over there. The funny thing is that this was a flop for him here in Australia, meaning he was more popular over there this year than he was here.

This was an even bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia for Billy Joel, again mainly due to the lack of competition as the 70's had less to offer the kiwis than us Aussies given how weak their local music scene was back in the day. Still, this was a huge success worldwide for Billy Joel due to it being a self-empowerment anthem that can easily apply to anyone despite how personal this feels from the piano man.

This was an even bigger hit for Jon English in NZ, likely due to the success of the miniseries it was written for which also happens to star him in the lead role. I'm guessing the show was that much of a success in both countries that it was broadcasted throughout Europe where the song also became a hit for him.

Well at least these guys were a two-hit wonder over in NZ even if neither of their hits was with their signature track "Shake your groove thang" over there (although it did briefly crack their top ten this year.) This was by far the most successful rendition of the duet given how Herb Fame has gone through enough Peaches over the years to fill an entire auditioning studio.

Well, it appears that the kiwis didn't completely buy into the hype that went into the Knack like the rest of the world did, either that or there were only so many times they could listen to this (admittedly fairly repetitive) song before they grew tired of the band. Still, this was a huge success for them over there this year, although just not to the same degree that it was here or in their native America.

Much like here in Australia, this title track to the third album from the band to have Stevie and Lindsey among their lineup was the biggest hit that the band were able to achieve in NZ. The band would score one more hit later in the 80's over there as opposed to the two that they scored over here.

I guess the kiwis really didn't like the Streets of fire theme that Dan Hartman had a hit within Australia five years after he first broke through with this disco classic, although it doesn't escape my notice that this was a much bigger hit for him over there than it was over here which should tell you what the kiwis were looking for from the closeted LGBT singer.

Even though Collette did find success with her version of this track a decade later in her homeland, the kiwis can breathe a sigh of relief at the fact that the original from Anita Ward was the bigger hit over there as opposed to here where they were neck and neck with each other. Anita was another woman of colour to find massive success in the disco scene back in the day like Gloria Gaynor and Donna Summer.

Donna Summer didn't have as much success in NZ as she did in Australia throughout the decade, I bring this up because you're going to see much more women of colour appear on these lists the further back we go in the 70's compared to the Australian side of my site. This huge chart topper she had in Australia and her native America was only a mere big top ten hit for here over there for some reason.

This was also a success for Frankie Millier in NZ like it was here in Australia and his native UK, I guess there was still plenty of room for singer/songwriters in the mainstream in NZ even with all the additional disco and RNB that was making it big over there that failed to do so over here.

Well, I did mention that this was Air supply's first big hit internationally on the Australian side of my site, I don't think anyone could've predicted how much bigger this was over in NZ compared to here in Australia as this managed to not only crack our top ten (failing to do so on our charts) but also be a huge success in the final months of the 70's over there.

Well at least this managed to be an even bigger success in NZ than it was here in Australia, that and it came from a highly successful album over there that was only barely a hit down under back in the day. Of course, all of this was inevitable over there given how both groups on the track already had sound success up until this point, actually the Emotions had a very big hit the previous year over there.

The last time Herb Alpert troubled the charts anywhere in the world was with his hit single "This guy's in love with you" back in the late 60's, here he is with a disco instrumental that managed to become a hit in NZ and his native America right as the decade was coming to an end. This is further proof I have that the disco backlash wasn't as immediate even in America as people would otherwise have you believe.

I guess the kiwis were a little bit more resistant to allowing Cliff Richard a second go in the mainstream going into the 80's, granted this was still a massive success for the crooner given that it appears on this site for a second time, however going through the 80's, you can tell that the kiwis love for his music was noticeably lower than our love for his catalogue.

We have another successful ballad from Lionel Richie and company to appear on this site of mine, in fact there'll be a few more entries from these guys as we go further back in the 70's including a song that showcases their funky side of their catalogue. This was the lead single from their seventh album which spawned them a second Billboard chart topper with its second single "Still" which underperformed in NZ.

OK so I may have a theory for why Donna's earlier entry on this list wasn't as big as it was here in Australia, it turns out her label issued the title track of her final disco album as a single so soon after "Hot stuff" that her previous entry hadn't even reached number one on Billboard when it entered the charts. Naturally we Aussies ignored the title track (hence why it didn't appear on the Australian side of this list) whereas the kiwis made both of them a hit at the same time.

This was an even bigger hit in NZ for Elton John this year, there's two possible theories I have for why this is. The first is that the kiwis preferred this borderline instrumental track to his lead single from his first album without Bernie Taupin (at least on full songwriting duties as this was donated to Elton by him) the second is that the kiwis were touched by his performance of this track on Countdown which was introduced by Dame Edna more than us Aussies were.

Well Kate Bush was inexplicably popular here and in her native UK, so it only seems fitting that Lene Lovich would also find success in NZ albeit to a much smaller scale as the kiwis likely realised even at the time that she was little more than a copycat of the much younger artist. It could also be that their love for Kate was fleeting as she didn't find as much success in the 80's over there.

This guy is perhaps best known for his big worldwide smash "The most beautiful girl" from earlier in the decade, from what I can gather it wasn't a hit over in NZ during the days of the Listener charts, meaning this duet with unknown singer Janie Fricke was the only success he had over there. At least it was a massive success as despite its lower placement on this list, it lingered for quite some time on the NZ charts.

This appears higher on the NZ side of my site mainly because it charted higher over there than it did over here, otherwise this instrumental track from the Canadian pianist Frank Mills was equally successful in both countries back in the day.

This was another repeat entry on this list to be more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, again it's because it came from a highly successful album which as you'll quickly discover as we go further back in the 70's, wasn't a factor for a song's popularity over there as far as the kiwis were concerned.

As this was a song that was discovered by the presenters of Countdown, it was naturally a hit here in Australia much sooner than it was in NZ where it had to wait until it became one of the biggest hits of the decade down under before it could find success over there. It turns out this was a minor hit in the UK for the Belgian singer, although I guess we Aussies and kiwis needed a better incentive to make it a hit than that.

Those of you who felt the absence of the Eagles from the Australian side of my site will be pleased to know that the band managed to achieve far more success in NZ with their singles than they did down under back in the day. This was their final hit over there which served as the lead single to their final album before they went their separate ways due to that infamous concert they gave the following year.

Well, this song's absence on the Australian side of my site was certainly felt by yours truly, so let's rectify that by having by far the signature track from one of the more popular disco girl groups from the 70's. As the girls were indeed a family, this feels more like an anthem for the band rather than a cheap disco track preaching about the importance of family, which is perhaps why it's endured over the years.

This proved to be equally as successful for Livie in NZ as it was here in Australia this year, I guess her performance as Sandy from Grease really revive her career which had been on the decline since the midpoint of the decade. Naturally this was her first pop song she had that lacked any country elements or wasn't from a soundtrack, although it has sadly fallen by the wayside when discussing her discography.

This was another big hit that ELO had in NZ that wasn't as big as it was here in Australia, although at least they managed to have a disco hit over there given how their collaboration with Olivia Newton John on the Xanadu soundtrack failed to impress the kiwis the following year. Only "Telephone line" managed to be a bigger hit over there back in the day for the band, mainly because album sales ate up its success here.

Well at least Blondie were able to achieve success with their fourth album Eat to the beat in NZ given how that album didn't see much success here in Australia back in the day, it came instantly as well as the lead single was a massive hit over there as opposed to here where it didn't even break into our top fifty.

Whereas these guys remain a one hit wonder in most parts of the world including in their native America, they were able to score a second hit over in NZ with this ballad proving that they were able to find an audience with their music even if that audience was largely with the kiwis back in the day.

If you're wondering just who Peter Tosh is, he was a member of the Wailers which was Bob Marley's backing band who of course saw a massive mainstream breakthrough the previous year with "Is this love." Here he recruits Mick Jagger of all people to duet with him on a cover of a Temptations track that comes complete with a bizarre music video showcasing Mick's strange dance moves.

Given how their earlier entry on this list was a massive success on time in NZ, it only makes sense that the kiwis would also allow the second single from their comeback album Destiny to also be a success for them this year which sadly wasn't the case here in Australia when this finally saw the light of day the following year. That's a shame because it's since become a disco classic even on our oldie's stations.

Well either the kiwis really didn't like Barbra Streisand throughout the 70's or they weren't willing to have Donna Summer be a feminist icon so quickly after she released her final disco album which depicted her as a sex worker in the marketing. I'm guessing it was the latter as Barbra did find success over there with her duet with Neil Diamond and she would have more success going into the 80's.

This was the first hit that Roxy music had following their reformation the previous year, it's interesting to note that this was a massive hit over in NZ and not here in Australia given how lead singer Bryan Ferry was one of the biggest artists of the decade over here and was virtually a nobody over there with his solo material. Admittedly this was the only hit of theirs that was more popular in NZ than it was down under.

This was a big hit in NZ for the Dutch group Luv this year, I'd say they were trying to be the next generation of Pussycat given how inescapable those women were except as far as I can tell, they didn't have a backing band of male musicians like their predecessors did. In this case, they're probably the Dutch equivalent of Silver convention who also saw massive success worldwide earlier in the decade.

It seems odd that this would be more of a hit over in NZ than it was here in Australia given how much of a failure Gary Numan's solo career was over there, I guess the kiwis were only interested in his music when it came to his work with his project Tubeway army even if this was once again the only hit he managed to achieve over there with the group.

This was the only hit that Ricki Lee Jones was able to achieve throughout her career anywhere in the world, although she was always more of an album artist as evidence by her appearances on my albums lists throughout my site. Still, it appears the kiwis were intrigued by her debut single as it was a genuine hit for her over there while it was a minor success at best over here.

This was the second of two hits that Phoebe Snow was able to achieve in NZ back in the day, this being a cover of a Paul McCartney track from the start of the decade which no doubt connected with the kiwis in a way that many covers of a Beatles member did back in the day. We Aussies passed this up in favour of the album it came from, although I don't hear this much on oldies stations so perhaps it was never that popular here.

I don't know what's worse about this track, the fact that it was Gloria Gaynor's only hit in NZ or the fact that it was so much less successful over there than it was here in Australia despite being a quintessential disco classic that's survived the test of time. I would say the semi failure of this track was due to the kiwis preferring Donna Summer over her, except Donna didn't exactly take their charts by storm either.

They may have had more success in Australia overall than they did in NZ, however at least the kiwis were instantly able to recognise the brilliance of the Police upon their initial breakthrough given how this lead single to their debut album was a hit over there were it wasn't over here. This is often considered their best song due to how timeless it is compared to everything else coming out at the time.

Yannis Markopoulous was a Greek composer who scored a massive worldwide hit this year with this instrumental track that seems to have been composed for a TV series from the UK that time has seemed to have thoroughly erased over the years.

This was less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, I guess because the kiwis didn't find much chemistry between the two vocalists on here like we Aussies did but also due to adult contemporary being less popular this year over there than it was compared to the rest of the world.

Much like here in Australia and throughout the rest of the world, this was the final hit that Wings achieved over in NZ given how the band would call it quits by the end of the decade so that Paul could finally pursue his solo career throughout the 80's.

While Earth wind and fire are well known for being a disco band at heart, they also had their fair share of slow jams such as this second single from their commercial breakthrough in the southern hemisphere I am. I guess we Aussies weren't feeling it here as this was a massive flop for the band over here, however it was more of a success in NZ where the band were on a roll thanks to their earlier entry.

Although these guys didn't see the massive success in NZ that they achieved here in Australia, I will say that they were able to have all of their big hits down under successfully reappear on this side of my site as they each managed to connect with the kiwis back in the day, suggesting that they too were into queer music during a time of systemic homophobia.

Given how they saw massive success this year in NZ with their live album that captured their performance at Budokan, it makes sense that Cheap trick was able to find success over there even though their breakthrough with this track came here in Australia when they performed it on Countdown. Even so, it was likely because of said performance that it was far more popular here than it was over there.

In a strange twist of events, "Right back where we started from" was only a minor success in NZ and thus won't be reappearing on this side of my site. I bring this up because Maxine Nightingale did manage to have a hit over there with this gem three years later likely due to it being a massive hit in America even though it flopped here in Australia and throughout Europe.

This was less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, I would say it was due to strong album sales except A: that doesn't explain the success of songs from highly successful albums over there this decade and B: the album was a huge failure over there despite its massive success over here.