This was the theme to the popular British animated film Watership down, a film that's become infamous over the years for its depiction of gore in what's otherwise meant to be a children's film about rabbits escaping from captivity. The ballad touched the hearts of audiences worldwide, so much so that Art Garfunkel decided to include it on his album Fate for breakfast which proved to be a massive success for him.
#27 for 1979
This was one of the last songs Dragon released before they broke up in order to allow lead singer Marc Hunter to embark on a solo career that sadly failed to produce any success for him, I guess this served as a lesson to him and most lead vocalists from successful bands that not everyone can have a successful solo career. The band reunited in the early 80's and picked up where they left off from here.
#24 for 1978
Following the success of their novelty track from earlier on this list, Ted Murly gang released this follow up which is a rock version of a Shelton Brooks track from the 20's with additional lyrics from Ted Murly himself to help it stand out from all the other covers that has since been lost to the sands of time.
#23 for 1976
Both of these artists were on top of the world when they released this duet, so naturally it was going to be a huge success for them given how it appears on both of their most recent albums from when it came out. This would be Neil's last hit single in Australia as his popularity dwindled going into the new decade, Barbra would hang around for a little while longer thanks to her feminist anthem with Donna Summer.
#25 for 1978
#28 for 1979
This was the title track from Skyhook's second album, and one that reassured listeners that having an ego in of itself wasn't the problem with toxic people but rather how these people carried themselves with said ego. It was a surprisingly poignant message that very few songs from this time had, hence why it connected with audiences.
#26 for 1975
I always felt that Eruption was just Boney M under a different name given how similar the British band sounded to their German counterparts, as it turns out both of their biggest hits were produced by Frank Farian, so my assumption wasn't far off from the truth after all. This was the bigger hit that the group had thanks to vocalist Precious Wilson giving a well, precious performance of the Ann Peebles number.
#26 for 1978
Well, if you wanted to hear Diana Ross cover this Burt Bacharach classic, then this is your best option as Marcia Hines has been regularly described as the Australian equivalent of Diana Ross (despite Marcia herself being from America originally.) This proved to be a massive success for her, and no doubt led to the success of her second album which this served as the lead single for.
#24 for 1976
This was the second single from Abba's fourth album Arrival, and one that seems oddly appropriate in this day and age given how frequently they proclaim this to be a "rich man's world" throughout the lyrics. It was an easy chart topper for the Swedish foursome and ensured that their popularity wasn't a fluke during the midpoint of the decade.
#25 for 1976
#25 for 1977
Before he became one of the biggest RNB stars of the 80's, Billy Ocean was a decently successful disco star of the 70's with this being his first major hit throughout the world. Even though he saw massive success in his native UK throughout the rest of the decade, this was his only hit here in Australia until he reinvented himself as an RNB singer for his 1984 album Suddenly.
#26 for 1976
This is often considered to be Leo's signature tune given how it incorporates disco into his sound despite him not really being a disco artist throughout his career. His next single would be even bigger and a major draw into his fourth album after the mediocre reception of his last album, however this is the song that many will tell you is the highlight of his career.
#27 for 1976
#26 for 1977
I always felt these guys were German for some reason, I'm guessing it's due to how aggressive their vocals are which are typical for German tracks from around this time. It turns out they are from the UK and that this became a hit here despite it flopping throughout Europe, I'm guessing because it fitted in with the disco trends that were making it big down under.
#27 for 1977
Oh, wow you couldn't release this song nowadays, heck I think even back then this was a controversial song as it implies that Joe Tex has had such bad luck with heavier women on the dance floor that this feels more like a protest anthem against him dancing with them than anything else. I don't think he cares about what people think of this track considering he's been dead since the early 80's.
#28 for 1977
There were three different occasions when John Waite saw massive success in Australia, this band was by far the most successful of these occasions as it not only gave him his biggest hit in the form of this classic but also allowed him to score a second hit the following year. Like many successful British bands who made it big in America, these guys weren't so lucky in their homeland.
#27 for 1978
Following the success he had the previous year with his Bob Dylan cover, Graham Bonnet returned to the mainstream again with the help of the Bee gees who allowed him to cover this song they originally had for an obscure band Rare earth that went nowhere for them. It's another disco classic and one that fits into a sub-genre I've dubbed as the late-night rock; this is rock music I imagine hearing whenever I'm driving home late at night.
#28 for 1978
This was the lead single to Donna Summer's final disco album Bad boys, and one which ramped up the sexiness of her earlier material to eleven as she really does seem like she wants to have the night of her life throughout the track. This unfortunately led to some backlash where she was promoting the wrong message for women in the world, something she unfortunately agreed with as she stopped making music like this.
#29 for 1979
Well, I don't think there's much analysis needed in what John Paul Young is trying to convey in this song, I do find it ironic that he scored three of the bigger hits of the decade with songs that were critical of the music scene and yet would go on to have massive success later in the decade with a song that embodies all that he stood against on these tracks.
#28 for 1976
Following the success of their earlier entry on this list, we have this track which was originally released as a standalone single before being included on their live album a few years later due to how explosive of a performance they gave during live shows. This no doubt led to them having massive success in their native UK for the next fifteen years and even success here in Australia for the rest of the decade.
#27 for 1975
This was initially a flop for Tina Charles in Australia, that's a bit strange because she already had success with "I love to love" and with her band 5000 volts prior to this being released as a single. It was fortunately given a second chance here following the international success of its follow up "Dr love" which also needed a second chance in order to find an audience here due to this being promoted when that was released.
#29 for 1977
This was the lead single from Rod Stewart's album Foot loose and fancy free, and like his other songs and albums this decade, it was a massive success for him worldwide.
#30 for 1977
#29 for 1978
This was the only notable hit that Dan Hill had outside his native Canada, although it's worth noting that this was a huge hit in his homeland which generally isn't the case for many Canadian artists who make it big internationally. My Aussie readers will perhaps be more familiar with the dance version of this ballad from the 90's as that proved to be more successful here than this ballad, however this was a huge deal back in the day as well.
#30 for 1978
As far as I can tell, this was a duo who scored a massive hit with this disco number before going their separate ways when they failed to score another hit, they weren't even a couple so I can't even say it was due to a rocky personal relationship which drove them apart. At least they managed to score a big hit before they both forever faded into obscurity.
#31 for 1978
Before Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac, this guy was the original lead vocalist for the band during the first half of the decade (fun fact, Fleetwood Mac started off as an instrumental band.) He left the group due to not finding any success with them, and while I'm sure he was kicking himself when he saw them take off soon after his departure, he at least got a consolation prize by having this be a success for him in Australia and his native America.
#32 for 1978
This might be my favourite vocal performance from Frankie Valli throughout his entire catalogue, although I might just be saying that due to how much I love the film in question more than anything. This was his final hit single (not counting a remix of "December 1963") although he was in his forties by this stage so it's understandable that he didn't find any further success after this.
#33 for 1978
This had a very rocky road to success in Australia as it tried to find an audience and failed before finally succeeding after its third attempt. I'm not even sure why this song had such a hard time crossing over here as it was an instant success over in NZ and the rockabilly update that Ram jam gives to the ragtime original from the 30's was in line with what Ol'55 was serving up at the time.
#31 for 1977
#34 for 1978
This was the biggest hit from Little river band in Australia, and it comes after a long dry spell that many of its members had from their previous bands as this feels more like a supergroup considering we have members from Axiom, Mississippi, the Twilights and Drummond in this lineup. Suffice to say, this is the most successful band that all of these men were a part of due to how well they did internationally.
#32 for 1977
This was a collaboration between two fairly unknown singers Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley who were back up by some school choir which somehow managed to make this song a massive worldwide success. If this concoction of people involved with the track isn't confusing enough, the song is a combination of reggae with what appears to be the earliest forms of new wave making it a unique sounding song.
#35 for 1978
This was the first of only two hits that British singer Peter Shelley had throughout the world (no relation to the Buzzcock's Pete Shelley) his other hit was a sleeper hit this year in Australia and thus won't be making an appearance on here. This likely would've been even bigger if Countdown had not taken over the music scene here as it was a hit the previous year before the show's introduction.
#28 for 1975
Oh, wow does Muhammad Ali deserve so much more than to have this song be affiliated with him. This was an obvious cash in from Johnny Wakelin who released this track months after the boxer scored a massive victory against the formerly undefeated George Foreman which incidentally had him compared to the comic book hero due to how much of an inspiration he was worldwide. If you can believe it, this guy scored a second hit in his home country with "In Zaire."
#29 for 1975
Sweet's popularity seemed to be bigger than ever when they released this track from their album Strung up, so to see them see diminishing returns as the decade went on was a bit of a surprise given how inescapable they were this year. I'm guessing this was due to glam rock being at the peak of its popularity and that they were among the most popular bands to come from the genre.
#30 for 1975
The last time Gloria Gaynor had any success anywhere in the world was with her cover of a Jackson 5 track from the midpoint of the decade, so it must have been surprising for audiences to see her back in the spotlight with the second big disco hit from her during the height of Donna Summer's popularity. Most people will likely be more familiar with the remix of this track from the 90's as the original version isn't as bombastic as that version.
#30 for 1979
It's hard to say if this would've been as big a hit here in Australia had it been released well into the Countdown era as it seems to fit in nicely with all of the country ballads that permeated the first half of the 70's. In any case, we have the one and only hit from Billy Swan who made a huge splash worldwide with this ballad, although I guess even in his native America, he remains a one hit wonder with this song.
#31 for 1975
One of the more quintessential disco tracks to come out of the decade, we have this trio (who weren't an actual family funnily enough) scoring their one and only hit worldwide with a disco track which led to their album being a huge commercial success for them. I'm not sure why these women didn't have more success with their subsequent material other than perhaps due to them not being huge in their native America.
#29 for 1976
#33 for 1977
Although this would eventually be a bigger hit for the English duo the communards a full decade after its initial release, this was originally a hit for Thelma Houston (no relation to Whitney) who scored a massive hit with this disco classic before forever fading into obscurity. I'm guessing the rest of her catalogue wasn't nearly as much fun as this track, or at the very least wasn't as catchy.
#34 for 1977
Before Orange is the new black became the definitive program about a women's prison, there was Prisoner which aired in Australia from 1979 to 1986 and was a huge critical and commercial success due to the themes explored in each episode (again similar to how they're explored in the Netflix series.) As such the theme song became a huge success whenever the show premiered around the world, originally this year in Australia, in 1981 in NZ and 1989 in the UK.
#31 for 1979
These two songs were bundled together likely due to Sherbet's label wanting to give the former a second chance in the spotlight following its commercial failure from earlier in the decade. Indeed, the former became a massive success largely thanks to it being attached to the much more popular track which incidentally remains one of the more fondly remembered tracks from Sherbet's discography.
#30 for 1976
#35 for 1977
Given the sudden rise in popularity of Kate Bush, it was only inevitable that there would be knockoffs in her wake. One of the more notable examples comes from Lene Lovich who copied the quirky nature of Kate on her big breakthrough single despite being nearly a decade older than the young singer/songwriter. This became almost as big as Kate's debut single from the previous year for the record.
#32 for 1979
This was the first major hit that Blondie had anywhere in the world, although legend has it that "X offender" was meant to be the huge hit from their debut album in Australia only for it to be this ballad instead due to it being played instead of that track on Countdown. It became a hit regardless proving that we Aussies were willing to allow any song from the album to be a huge success here.
#36 for 1977
This was the only notable success that Anne Murray had in Australia, I'm guessing because she was considered to be the Canadian equivalent of Olivia Newton John when the two women first broke through at the start of the decade. Given how Livie has since moved on from her country roots, I guess Anne was able to have little issues with filling in her role as the country singer of choice.
#36 for 1978
#33 for 1979
It seemed like Suzi Quatro would be here to stay in the Australian music scene given how her second single from her sophomore album became a huge success for her, alas it wasn't meant to be as her third album was a huge flop later in the year and she would only occasionally see success throughout the rest of the decade with her songs. I'm not sure why the Australian public turned on her the way we did.
#32 for 1975
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.
#34 for 1979
These guys were all about giving us history lessons set to catchy music, weren't they? Here we have their history lesson on Ma Barker, one of the most notorious women in the American crime syndicate during the first half of the century (they misspelt her name for some reason.) This became an instant success for them throughout the world and no doubt led to their even better track about Rasputin.
#37 for 1977
So, Gene Pitney was able to score a massive hit single this year huh? I guess if Perry Como and Telly Savalas were able to find success during the midpoint of the decade throughout the world, I don't see the harm in this guy doing so only a mere decade after his last hit single "I'm gonna be strong."
#33 for 1975
This was a hit twice over the years throughout the world, of course we'll be looking at the original success of this track which proved to be a massive comeback for the Four seasons following the surprise hit that Frankie Valli had the previous year with "My eyes adored you." This was a hit likely due to it being close enough to disco for it to be played on the dance floors with other bangers from this year.
#31 for 1976
Thought that David Soul was a one hit wonder with "Don't give up on us?" Well, he might have been in his native America, however he scored two more big hits internationally with this being the third and final hit he achieved in his career. I'm guessing he returned to his day job of acting once the hits dried up for him.
#38 for 1977
#37 for 1978
While their second album named after their previous entry on this list wasn't as successful overall as their debut, it made up for that by spawning two of the bigger hits of the decade for Skyhooks as this second single about how Shirley feels left out for being single while everyone in his social circle is settling down with their significant others struck a chord with the single people of the decade.
#34 for 1975
Here we have another song that was inescapable from the Bay city rollers this decade in Australia, there's only so much I can say about these tracks without coming off as repetitive and redundant.
#35 for 1975
#32 for 1976
This may have been their only hit in Australia, however it's obvious that we were touched by the band's inspiring tale that the best was yet to come for them that we granted their wishes in making them a household name with the song and the album it came from. Indeed, these guys have a lot to be proud of as this remains a staple on oldies stations to this day.
#36 for 1975
The last time Cliff Richard had any success here in Australia was with his Eurovision track "Congratulations" from eight years prior, so to see him back in the spotlight with this track was a bit of a surprise to say the least. The real surprise came when this became a surprise hit in America, making this his first hit single on the Billboard charts.
#33 for 1976
This was the biggest hit that Barry Manilow managed to score in Australia, although it's worth noting that aside from "Copacabana" (which we'll get to on this list) none of his biggest hits were original compositions form him despite him being a renowned songwriter. I guess he still had plenty of success during a decade that was known to be kind to music that has been categorised as for soccer mums.
#38 for 1978
Well at least I can honestly say that the Happy days theme was a success here in Australia, even if I'd be lying if I said it was the version that played during the intro and outro of each episode. This was a cover from the Australian duo Silver Studs which became such a success here that it sparked international interest in them which sadly didn't come to be as with most Australian artists this decade.
#34 for 1976
This was the first big hit that ELO had here in Australia, although they did score a hit in NZ and America with "Evil woman" the previous year which makes me wonder why that didn't also crossover here. This was the lead single from their magnum opus A new world record, so of course this was going to be huge given how it's the type of lush and opulent rock opera music that audiences gravitated towards this year.
#39 for 1977
Well, this is a song that's impossible to take seriously, I don't think I've been able to get through this track once without cracking myself laughing which I feel is the point given how badly Ian wants you to hit him with your "rhythm stick" (look up what that means kids.) This song was a massive success worldwide and put the punk band on the map right when the punk scene had begun to lose its momentum.
#35 for 1979
This was the song that made John Paul Young into an international superstar given that it became a huge hit for him not just throughout Europe but also in America upon its initial release. What's strange is that it isn't among his more popular tracks in his catalogue, unless of course you include the more popular Ballroom mix from 1992 where it was chosen as the theme to the Baz Lurhman classic Strictly ballroom.
#39 for 1978
There didn't seem to be any signs of the Brothers Gibb slowing down in the mainstream as this lead single from their album Spirits having flown proved to be a huge success for them mere months after the album cycle for Saturday night fever came to an end. They would have another hit from the album (which we'll get to in a bit) although this would sadly be the last we would hear from them as lead vocalists for a while.
#36 for 1979
This was originally a hit for the Jackson five earlier in the decade, that would explain why Gloria has a more noticeable falsetto on this track compared to her other big hit from later in the decade. It seems odd that there was a battle for who the queen of disco was this decade as I think we can all agree that Donna Summer took that prize as the decade came to an end, however Gloria was in consideration for that prize as well.
#37 for 1975
This was the breakthrough single for Marty Rhone, a pop star who was all set to break through earlier in the decade before he was drafted into the Vietnam war much like fellow pop star Normie Rowe from the previous decade. When he was discharged from the army, Marty resumed his music career which was given a second wind thanks to Countdown promoting his music.
#38 for 1975
Given how the original version of this track was never released as a single, this leaves the Elton John version the only successful version of this track supposedly about LSD given that's the initials of the song. Paul has of course denied this and reckons it's actually about a girl named Lucy who was dreaming to become a huge international superstar, and indeed it appears that's the direction Elton takes this song in.
#39 for 1975
One of the more popular Australian bands to make it in the UK were these guys, specifically during the 80's where they managed to score a couple of hits over there despite their popularity dwindling out this decade. This was one of two big hits they had here, and indeed it was a hit that helped them gain international interest given how infectiously catchy it is and how it would fit into the UK music scene.
#40 for 1977
While this wasn't the first big hit that Kenny Rogers had here in Australia, this was the song which seemed to convince us and most of Europe that he was the real deal in country music which is odd because this wasn't among his bigger hits in his native America. In any case, he was able to make a huge splash with this ballad that cause his career to explode going into the new decade.
#41 for 1977
These guys were known as British Jigsaw in Australia due to there being a more popular band by that name during the first half of the decade, this was a common trend when it came to international artists finding success after a local act with the same name made it big here. In any case, we have another song that was made more popular in the 90's thanks to there being a dance track that covered it.
#40 for 1975
Well, this might be the gimmickiest song to come from 10cc as it not only has a cod reggae beat to it, but also tells a bizarre story about how the narrator was mugged while on holidays. This allowed the song to become a massive success for the British band and even had that success translate to their album Bloody tourist, however this was also the last hit they had before they faded into obscurity.
#40 for 1978
It appears that Cliff Richard was here for the long haul as this ballad managed to become a hit for him worldwide including in America where this got him out of the one hit wonder bin over there that "Devil woman" threatened to trap him in. Indeed, he would go on to have massive success throughout the 80's proving he was far from yesterday's news.
#37 for 1979
This was a ballad that originally went by the name "Brandy" and was a hit for Scott English earlier in the decade, I'm guessing Barry Manilow changed the name of the song to avoid confusion with that ballad even though that's the only lyrical change he made to the song. It was the first of several hit singles he scored this decade that was a cover despite him being a well-known songwriter.
#41 for 1975
One of the happiest songs to come out of the decade, we have this half disco half RNB jam from Errol Brown and company which managed to be so joyous that it even crossed over to America for them. They often get compared to their American counterparts Kool and the gang since both groups have a predominantly black sound that still resonates with audiences to this day.
#35 for 1976
This was meant as a commentary of how older artists were able to find success many years after their initial popularity died out in the music industry, yes you can also interpret the lyrics to be literal which is about a person who is coasting off on their laurels from their past achievements. Yeah, there's no other way to interpret this track, John is clearly annoyed by how older artists were making it big over younger talent.
#42 for 1975
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.
#38 for 1979
Harpo was a Swedish pop star who scored a massive hit with this track about how the love of his life happens to be a movie star, it was cheesy and allowed him to find an audience who would appreciate something that sounds like it could be from Abba's catalogue without actually being from the quartet. This was the only hit that he had which goes to show how much we loved Abba but not their contemporaries.
#36 for 1976
While this is more in line with new wave, the fact that punk band Squeeze (or UK Squeeze as they were known as here for some reason) were able to find success with this track proves that we Aussies were at least somewhat intrigued by the UK punk scene from around this time. I'm not sure why this scene wasn't widely accepted here as it caused us to miss out on a lot of important tracks of the day.
#39 for 1979
This was another double release from Sherbet, this time we have two songs that they couldn't decide to promote from their album Life is for living and as such went for both. This proved to be a massive success for the band as it helped them retain their popularity over their main rivals Skyhooks, although it also proved that they had a specific target audience in mind for their music.
#43 for 1975
#37 for 1976
This was where it all began for one of the more critically divided bands of the twentieth century, although you'll notice that these guys didn't have much success outside of Australia until the start of the 80's where they randomly began scoring massive hits on Billboard with their soft rock ballads. Indeed, their biggest hit down under was their first song which didn't find a lot of success internationally.
#38 for 1976
#42 for 1977
This was the final hit that Ray Stevens managed to achieve anywhere in the world, at the very least it's neither one of his comedy tracks or a song about racial harmony to try and make up for his blatantly racist humour. Instead, we have this country ballad which no doubt connected with audiences due to it being released during the height of John Denver's popularity worldwide.
#44 for 1975
It seems odd that David Essex would score massive success with his pop ballads during the midpoint of the decade when his first hit "Rock on" is more in line with the art pop that would be a huge success for the likes of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush in their respective careers. This was his biggest hit down under likely due to how sickly sweet he comes off on this track, again a far cry from his debut single.
#39 for 1976
This is another entry from the sub-genre I've dubbed as late-night rock, this is the type of rock music I picture myself listening to whenever I'm at a cocktail bar at two in the morning drowning my sorrows away. I guess this is my way of saying this is something you'd expect at a jazz bar, which I feel was what the band was going for with their one and only hit about a hot summer night.
#40 for 1979
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.
#41 for 1979
You may think that Maxine Nightingale was an American artist considering she saw massive success on Billboard with her disco classics, however she's actually from the UK and likely only saw international success due to how women of colour seemed to have been synonymous with the genre regardless of where they were from originally. Here we have her biggest hit which set the stage for other women to fight over the crown for the queen of disco.
#40 for 1976
This was the only hit for Minnie Riperton during her short life on this planet, yes, she would go on to tragically pass away by the end of the decade from cancer which makes this one of the more bittersweet hits to become a success on my site. This song has gained infamy for Minnie's high note at the end of each chorus as well as the lyrics admittedly making no sense, I think the song is cute for what it is.
#45 for 1975
Well, here's a song that's become more popular than the film it was written for, this is mainly because this was the biggest hit of the decade over in America which should give you an idea of what type of music was making it big on Billboard in lieu of all the Australian artists I've featured on these lists so far. If you didn't already know, Debby is indeed the daughter of Pat Boone, a man who the less said about on this site the better.
#41 for 1978
Frankie Valli certainly seemed to have a resurgence in popularity this decade which all began with this ballad about how he reminisces about a crush he had when he was a schoolboy. This managed to tug at the heartstrings of audiences worldwide and have it be a huge success for him, which in turn led to him having two more hits later in the decade both solo and with the Four seasons with disco tracks.
#46 for 1975
This was originally released the previous year to deafening silence here in Australia, I'm not even sure why it flopped if I'm being honest as Livie was already one of the biggest stars here in Australia and she was acquiring a massive international audience with her country ballads. This was given a second chance following the success of her greatest hits album First impressions.
#47 for 1975
This was another successful song to come from the Bay city rollers this year, in fact it's worth noting that these guys managed to spawn a hit single from each of their albums during the midpoint of the decade to give you an idea of how inescapable they were here in Australia.
#48 for 1975
I always thought that the lyrics to this classic were "play that f**king music," I guess it goes to show you show closely I'm paying attention to lyrics whenever I hear songs on the radio casually. Named after a box of cough drops, these guys score a massive hit with their autobiographical song about how they came to record music predominantly made by musicians of colour only to score massive success with the tale.
#41 for 1976
#43 for 1977
This wasn't the only version of the Everly Brothers track to make it big in Australia this year as Scottish band Nazareth also managed to score a hit with their version from two years prior (stay tuned for it.) I guess this was the only hit that Jim Capaldi managed to achieve even in his native UK.
#42 for 1976
Bryan Ferry was on a roll with this lead single to his third album In your mind, it helped the album become a huge hit in Australia which confirmed him to be one of the hottest new artists of the decade despite the lack of success he had with Roxy music earlier in the decade. Indeed, this did him no favours when he reunited with the band later in the decade until they made a tribute to John Lennon.
#44 for 1977
This was that other sports track that made it big this year in Australia, and again we have the cricket to thank for promoting this and its sequel track into the mega hits that they were. Oh yeah, this song has a sequel to it, and it also cracked the top ten here just as the decade was coming to an end.
#42 for 1979
Given how successful his debut album was in Australia, it only makes sense that Leif Garret would continue to have success with his second album given how it was a huge success in his native America. For whatever reason, his popularity came to a screeching half once the album cycle was complete, which no doubt led to his drug addiction which preventing him from launching a comeback.
#42 for 1978
This was the lead single of the 60's band the Kingston trio, a band that never saw much success here in Australia back in the day as did a lot of bands and artists who you otherwise would've thought were inescapable here. Here he recruits Stevie Nicks on backing vocals for his one and only solo hit anywhere in the world, I'm guessing her presence was what finally made him a success down under.
#43 for 1979
Well, it appears that Keith Potger learned his lesson and finally put the New seekers out of their misery this year, he even reformed his original band albeit with the notable absence of Judith Durham who wouldn't rejoin the band until the early 90's. Instead, the band went with Louisa Wisseling as the lead vocalist who managed to help them score a massive hit with this ballad for the band.
#49 for 1975
Even though the big hit from Welcome to my nightmare in Alice's native America was "Only women," this was the big hit he had here in Australia proving that we Aussies were more interested in him being a rebel for the youth of the day rather than him speaking on behalf of women around the world about domestic violence. That said, Alice's softer side would eventually lead to him having his biggest hit here.
#50 for 1975
This was the only notable hit that the Manhattans were able to score in Australia, I'm guessing because musicians of colour were finding it easier around this time to find international success given how inescapable Stevie Wonder was with his music. They did score a second hit over in NZ with "Shining star" in 1980, proving that there was some further crossover potential here that was squandered.
#43 for 1976
This was the only noticeable hit that Rita Coolidge was able to achieve in her career, at least in Australia it was as she found further success in the UK and her native America with her subsequent follow ups. Many have complained that this is her watering down a Jackie Wilson track from the 60's for a more mainstream audience, I feel she does the original enough justice to warrant this covers existence.
#45 for 1977
Dr Hook were previously known for their comedy tracks from the first half of the decade, so to see them come back with a ballad about being in love with a minor only for the twist to be that the narrator was also a minor during this relationship is a bit jarring to say the least. I'm guessing they played this song straight to avoid being accused of being paedophiles as there is a lot of comedic potential in the lyrics.
#44 for 1976
This was originally a Bob Dylan track from over ten years prior, so to see Graham Bonnet score a massive hit with this cover albeit only in Australia and NZ was a bit of a surprise for audiences back in the day. Speaking of Graham, you're likely wondering how he was able to score two big hits in the southern hemisphere and not anywhere else in the world. It turns out he was based in Australia for a little while before joining Rainbow later in the decade.
#46 for 1977
You may recognise this woman as one third of the popular German trio the Silver convention who were scoring massive worldwide success from around this time, although in Australia this was the biggest hit any of the members were able to achieve likely due to how she screams throughout the track. I'll be honest, I crack myself laughing whenever I find myself listening to this track due to how random her screeching is.
#45 for 1976
It looks like the Abba phenomenon was beginning to die down with their latest album err.... the Album. With that said, these guys continued to have success here for the remainder of the decade and even into the 80's as their dip in popularity was more due to overexposure from their previous two albums, although it could also be this lead single not being the best choice to lead an album cycle.
#47 for 1977
#43 for 1978
This was originally written for a much younger performer to sing these lyrics, that makes sense as the lyrics are written in a way that suggests that the narrator is more than a little naive to the concept of sex. Confident though she may be on this track, Anita Ward was nonetheless able to take the world by storm with her one and only hit likely because of how titillating she comes off on the track which I'm sure turned audiences on.
#44 for 1979
You'd be forgiven into thinking this was the lead single to ELO's disco album Discography, you'd be wrong as that honour goes to "Shine a little love" which was only a modest success here likely due to us Aussies needing some convincing to allow these guys to have success in the disco genre. That convincing was met when they released the second single from the album with this favourite on oldies stations.
#45 for 1979
This was the only success that the British band Sailor were able to achieve outside their native UK, I'm guessing this was a success due to glam still being popular this year despite it being more in line with what would eventually become new wave in the 80's. True to their band name, these guys did in fact have a gimmick of being a band of sailors who played for their ships captain.
#46 for 1976
This is often considered to be the showstopper of Grease, mainly because it's the moment where Sandy realises that even though she's aware that Danny might be bad for her, she can't help but be in love with him which many people have related to over the years. It remains her biggest solo hit from the soundtrack and no doubt served as a reminder of her innocent years before she shook up her image.
#44 for 1978
I guess the decade was known for its cheesy ballads, and hey the fact that there was a noticeable increase in artists whose first language wasn't English was admirable considering how most artists who were popular prior to the 70's were either American or British worldwide. With that out of the way, I've exhausted any positive comments I have for this ballad from the Brazilian crooner Morris Albert.
#51 for 1975
#47 for 1976
This remains Linda Ronstadt's second biggest hit in Australia, second only to "Don't know much" which is a song about how getting older kind of sucks which is a far cry from this track which is a cover of a love ballad from Roy Orbison. This song's popularity has since been overshadowed by "It's so easy" from the album they both come from Simple dreams, mainly because that song still gets airplay on oldies stations.
#45 for 1978
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