This had an impeccable run on the Australian charts back in the day, an impressive fourteen weeks at number one which has only recently been topped by less fondly remembered songs. To think this was originally released as a bonus track from a greatest hits package during the height of the Swedish foursome's popularity.
#1 for 1976
People are divided on Grease to this day, on the one hand there's people who think it's a timeless classic complete with catchy as hell music and a compelling narrative (such as me) and on the other there's people who think it's an overrated mess filled with cliche storylines and awful characters. One thing audiences of the day could agree on is that this duet between its two leads was a masterpiece as it was a huge success for them worldwide.
#1 for 1978
This was the second single to be released on Abba's self-titled album, a song that initially flopped internationally but was such a surprise success in Australia that it unofficially became their signature track here. The rest of the world followed suit eventually as the popular Broadway musical based around their catalogue was named after this track.
#1 for 1975
#2 for 1976
This might be a bit of an anomaly for my American readers as this was never released as a single over there for some reason, for everyone else this remains the biggest hit from Wings which seems fitting as it's a song that honours Paul's Scottish heritage more than anything else he's ever released.
#1 for 1977
#2 for 1978
This is a song that works fine upon its initial release, but I feel becomes tiresome after repeated listens, I think it's because the yelping at the end of the second chorus feels unnecessary although that could just be a me problem. This was one of the biggest hits of the decade in Australia despite Bryan's band Roxy music failing to find any major success with one of their singles prior to him temporarily disbanding them to pursue his solo career.
#3 for 1976
#2 for 1977
I really don't like it whenever I have to call out a sellout a band is doing for the worse, however this really applies to this track as Chicago went from one of the more progressive bands of the decade to what many will say is one of the worst bands of the 70's and 80's with this ballad. Simply put, this song is a bore and a half for most people to listen to (me included) due to how the melody is structured.
#4 for 1976
#3 for 1977
Often considered to be one of the greatest songs of all time (rightfully so in my opinion) this nearly six-minute rock opera initially struggled to find an audience due to its crushing length on the radio as well as record executives finding it too silly to be pushed as a single. Needless to say, the general public disagreed with those assessments.
#5 for 1976
Sweet were on a roll when they released their biggest hit in Australia this year, although it's worth noting that around the time this became a massive success here and in their native UK, their earlier hit "Ballroom blitz" had only just crossed over to America where it became a huge success on Billboard. This is another song that was huge back in the day to be fondly remembered today by oldies stations.
#2 for 1975
Now this is a sellout track I feel is an improvement over the previous catalogue from the band in question, then again, I'm a huge sucker for disco so perhaps there's a bit of bias with this assessment from me. Audiences from this year seemed to agree with me as it remains their biggest hit to date as well as it being one of the biggest hits of the decade for any artist.
#1 for 1979
Although this was a huge success in the band's native UK, it would up becoming even bigger here in Australia likely due to us Aussies loving the 50's throwback rock that was popular this decade more so than the Brits. Sadly, this was the lead single to their one and only album which despite being a huge success, didn't prompt the band to make a second album in their career.
#2 for 1979
For everyone who thought that David Hasselhoff was the original performer of this comedy track, allow me to present to you the original version from Ted Mulry gang who managed to achieve one of the biggest hits of the decade with a song that I'm sure many people found funny back in the day.
#3 for 1975
#6 for 1976
Most people will likely be more familiar with Madonna's rendition from the theatrical version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita; however, it was originally a hit for Julie Covington when the story was little more than a concept album where it became one of the biggest hits of the decade for her. She made the strange decision to not appear on the stage version of the album, being replaced with Elaine Paige instead.
#4 for 1977
This is widely considered to be Sherbet's signature tune and rightfully so, it's by far their most mature work as they incorporate cricket metaphors in order to describe the infidelity of their partner in this song. Sadly, the rest of their catalogue wasn't nearly this ambitious as it was mainly used to appeal to teenage girls.
#7 for 1976
This was for the longest time the signature track from Abba as this was their only Billboard chart topper during their run throughout the 70's and 80's. It's easy to see why this was their biggest hit in America as it perfectly demonstrates the joyous and upbeat nature of their discography that continues to captivate audiences to this day.
#8 for 1976
This is one of the less well remembered songs to become a massive success in Australia back in the day, even so it's easy to see how this was a big hit here given how joyous and happy the song is. Pilot did score a second hit with "Magic" which became a surprise hit for them in America of all places.
#4 for 1975
This was a massive success for the Dutch group who began the decade with their hit single "Little green bag," I have to admit that I'm not too surprised that this hasn't stood the test of time like many of the other entries we'll come to say as this list goes on.
#5 for 1975
#9 for 1976
This was the peak of Boney M's popularity throughout the world, a song that in my opinion lacks a lot of the charm that can be found throughout the rest of their discography. I'm guessing this was done in order for them to appeal to the American market as this was a minor success on the Billboard charts, however when you think of these guys, chances are you're thinking of "Rasputin" or "Ma baker" over this.
#3 for 1978
This was Rod Stewart's foray into disco music, a foray which paid off big time for him as this is his second biggest hit behind "Maggie may" from earlier in the decade likely due to him expanding past his core audience of those who like him for his sentimental ballads. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder so I can understand if you're not a fan of this song due to thinking he's a narcissist for presenting himself as a sex god.
#4 for 1978
#3 for 1979
Well, this is a song that many of my readers will likely have no recollection of ever existing, this is mainly due to it being banned in Pussyfoot's native UK for its highly suggestive lyrics which resulted in it flopping on the British charts. We Aussies didn't have such censorship towards this song which resulted in it becoming a huge success for the band before faded into obscurity.
#5 for 1977
Several years after David Cassidy's popularity dwindled out in the music scene, his younger brother Shaun Cassidy stepped in and was able to achieve massive success along the likes of other conventionally attractive young men who didn't necessarily have the best vocals of their generation. Shaun's popularity peaked here with his rendition of an Eric Carmen staple.
#6 for 1977
Although the Brothers Gibb were already among the most popular artists of the decade, this second single from the Saturday night fever soundtrack made them the kings of disco thanks to how it managed to stick around the upper echelons of the charts throughout the world. It's easy to see why this made them a household name, the falsettos on the track remain iconic to this day and it's catchy as hell.
#5 for 1978
This was one of only three hit singles that Andy Gibb was able to score in Australia throughout his lifetime, it's a shame because while he wasn't as much of a musical genius as his older brothers, he did have the same energy and charisma as the Bee gees to sustain a long and prosperous career had the trends not turned against them all.
#7 for 1977
Often considered to be one of the greatest duets of all time, this collaboration between Elton John and Kiki Dee (who despite being described as an unknown singer did have a minor hit two years prior with "Amoureuse") managed to give the former his first chart topper in his native UK, which is impressive to think about considering how much success he already had over in America by this point.
#10 for 1976
If you're not a fan of this track then fear not, neither were the presenters of Countdown back in the day as they hilariously referred to this song as "glad to be dead" whenever they found themselves talking about it. As much as I'd like to talk about Patrick Hernandez, the real story to be found here is that this song has backing vocals from the future queen of pop herself Madonna, technically making this her first chart topper in several countries.
#4 for 1979
For the second single in a row, Racey were able to top the Australian and NZ charts proving that there was still plenty of love for the rockabilly revival craze that people often forget is affiliated with the 70's. Their third single from their album was also a huge hit in Australia, however this would prove to be the end for the band as they haven't released any new material since.
#5 for 1979
Although "You make me feel like dancing" is often regarded as the big hit from Leo Sayer's third album, it was actually this ballad that proved to be his biggest hit this decade and would've been his biggest hit overall were it not for his cover of "More than I can say" from the start of the following decade. Indeed, Leo's biggest hits are his ballads and not his more upbeat tracks.
#8 for 1977
So, have you ever watched Don Blueth's Anastasia and wanted to know what really happened with the historical figure portrayed by the film's villain? Well Boney M has you covered with this track that serves as a (admittedly brief) historical lesson as to what the man was really like during the Russian revolution which brought an end to the Russian tsars, all set to a catchy disco beat to boot.
#6 for 1978
#6 for 1979
This was the first of several Billboard chart toppers for Deborah Harry and company, however it was far from their first big hit throughout the rest of the world as we Aussies allowed "In the flesh" to nearly top our charts two years prior whilst the Brits gave them a massive hit with "Denis" from the previous year. Still, it's good to know their experimentation with disco was what made them huge in their homeland.
#7 for 1979
Well, here's a song that had novelty written all over it and yet it managed to endure the test of time regardless, here's the breakthrough single for Mi-sex who were a NZ band looking to make it big in Australia so that they could take said success back home to their homeland. They struck big with this track given how the videogame industry had taken the world by storm by the time they released this as a single.
#8 for 1979
This was the only notable hit single that Bob Geldof had with his band the Boomtown rats in Australia, granted they were close to inescapable in their native UK but here this track about a real-life school shooting was the best they could do. Nowadays Geldof is more well known for A: his performance in the theatrical adaptation of Pink Floyd's the wall and B: being the instigator of Live aid.
#9 for 1979
This was the first solo hit that MJ had as an adult anywhere in the world (his first solo hit overall was with "Rocking robin" from earlier in the decade) it's also the first hit of his to feature Quincy Jones as his executive producer which resulted in some of his finest work both solo and with his family. Despite it clearly being a disco track, it still remains one of his more fondly remembered songs to this day.
#10 for 1979
OK so this is a song that is problematic even at the time of its release, anyone who's ever found themselves in the situation that goes on in the lyrics will tell you that it's not a situation that should be glamourised the way it is on this track. Admittedly Mary quickly became aware of this as she has since distanced herself from this track even if it came at the expense of scoring another hit.
#9 for 1977
Although it's become a staple for the decade in Australian music, you may be surprised to learn that "Living in the 70's" was a flop for Skyhooks despite it being one of the first songs to be promoted on Countdown on the show's inception. Fortunately, the second single from the album of the same name was a massive hit for the band, likely due to them referring to the 6:30 news as a horror movie.
#6 for 1975
Before "Howzat," this was considered the signature track from Sherbet given that it was easily their biggest hit at this point in their career. I guess this is also a decent entry from the band for anyone outside their demographic as this does serve as a nice summer anthem compared to the rest of their discography which is mainly targeted towards the teenage demographic of the 70's.
#7 for 1975
Even though she made a huge splash with this disco rendition of an old Eddie Floyd track, Amii has gone on record saying that she was never a fan of disco and would've preferred it if she had made easy listening ballads during the height of her popularity. Naturally the world disagrees with that sentiment as she makes for a great vocalist for the dance floor and even had this rechart in the UK during the height of Live aid.
#11 for 1979
This was the breakthrough single for one of the most prominent disco artists to emerge from this decade, although unlike many of their contemporaries, these guys would be eventually revealed to be a queer band as people noticed how intentionally campy their antics were compared to other disco acts of the day. This has helped them retain a loyal fanbase to this day as opposed to their contemporaries.
#7 for 1978
While this was indeed an 80's hit for the Buggles over in America, this was released just as the 70's was winding down throughout the rest of the world making these two future members of Yes score their big breakthrough two years prior to when MTV launched by playing this music video as the first thing to appear on the channel when it launched.
#12 for 1979
This was the first Billboard chart topper for Olivia Newton John, although she had massive success in Australia and her native UK throughout the first half of the decade as a country star when female country singers were dominating the mainstream. This was written by Peter Allen around the time he came out as gay, meaning it's possible this was about how he fell in love with a guy who was in a straight relationship that he gave to Livie to straightwash the scenario.
#8 for 1975
This was another song whose popularity was a bit late in Australia, mainly because by the time it was released as a single here, it was already one of the biggest hits of the decade over in NZ for the Dutch trio Pussycat. This resulted in them being one of the more popular acts over there whilst the remained a one hit wonder here.
#11 for 1976
This was originally a hit single for the Spanish group Los bravos back in the mid 60's, although over a decade later, this French trio turned the garage rock track into a disco track which allowed it to become twice as success worldwide as the original. This took its sweet time crossing over to Australia, presumably because we Aussies needed a bit of convincing to allow these girls to disco fy an older track.
#8 for 1978
This was the third hit single to come out of Abba's self-titled album, although technically this was the second song released from the album as "Mamma Mia" was released very early in Australia likely due to how much we Aussies loved that track. This likely resulted in the Swedish quartet's complete monopoly on our charts during the midpoint of the decade, although thankfully for their nonfans, this monopoly didn't last that long.
#9 for 1975
#12 for 1976
If you can believe it, there was indeed a time where this song didn't contain the lyrics "who the f**k is Alice," that goes to show you that there was a time where this song was taken seriously by the masses. In Australia, this was the song that put them on the map as their earlier hits from their native UK failed to crossover here like this mammoth track did.
#10 for 1977
Ever felt that the Carpenters were too wholesome for you? If so, may I present you the Captain and Tennille who do away with the wholesomeness from the brother and sister duo in favour of this husband-and-wife duo who seem to be aiming for a more middle of the road crowd with their breakthrough single. I always found Toni Tennille to be the equivalent of Karen Carpenter if Karen let herself loose in the studio.
#10 for 1975
Well, if you wanted to hear what Disney's Snow white would sound like if she were played by an Australian woman who was popular in the 70's, then you've come to the right place as lead singer Noosha Fox channelled the Disney princess in her performance for her biggest hit in Australia and her band's native UK and even managed to achieve moderate success throughout Europe with this formula.
#13 for 1976
Well, this is a queer anthem if I've ever heard one, heck I feel this was more obvious at the time considering how many queer folks found themselves needing to us a YMCA for one reason or another. Here the Village people promote the homeless shelter chain which resulted in it becoming their signature track in a discography filled with tracks to resonate with the LGBT community.
#9 for 1978
#13 for 1979
Sweet were on a roll when they released this cover of a rockabilly track from the early 60's, after all glam rock was at the height of its popularity this year no thanks to Countdown promoting the genre on TV over the likes of all the easy listening that these guys had to compete with during the first half of the decade.
#11 for 1975
You'd think that a man who was married to Liza Minelli (only to divorce her when he found out he was gay of course) would've had more success as a lead artist in the music scene, alas all of Peter Allen's accomplishments came as a songwriter save for this chart topper he had at home in Australia. I guess the fact that he had such a huge hit with a lounge track like this was impressive given when it came out.
#11 for 1977
This was sadly the second to last single that the Carpenters were able to achieve in Australia, their final hit being "Calling occupants" which only became as such due to how bizarre it was upon its initial release. It's certainly a far cry from this cover of the Marvelettes track which is more in line with what they had to offer throughout their career, although I get the feeling the Captain and Tennille stole their thunder with their earlier entry on this list.
#12 for 1975
This was the first solo hit from Daryl Braithwaite in his career, suffice to say it's quite different from the more mature tracks that he would become known for during the late 80's and early 90's. What's interesting is that this was his first number one hit both solo and with Sherbet, meaning that he didn't have any chart toppers prior to Countdown promoting his music.
#13 for 1975
These guys were already a household name by the time Countdown launched the previous year, although they saw their popularity grow even further from their debut album when this cover of an obscure 50's track became a huge success for them likely due to the glam rock phase still being as strong as ever this year. Sadly, their popularity would dwindle once their next single "Glad all over" dropped off the charts.
#14 for 1975
This was the biggest hit to come from Marcia Hines throughout the decade, although you may have noticed the absence of Diana Ross on these lists as many feel that the American born Australian singer stole the success the former Supremes vocalist would've had down under for herself. Indeed, once Diana started having hits again in the 80's, Marcia's time in the spotlight had fallen by the wayside.
#12 for 1977
#10 for 1978
This is the biggest hit that Rod Stewart had over in America, although it's worth noting that regardless of what his biggest hit was in each country that he was one of the biggest names in music throughout the decade worldwide. To give you context, he released at least one mega hit every year for four consecutive years.
#14 for 1976
This was a cover of a novelty song from the 60's from a duo by the name of Paul and Paula, I'm guessing this was done as a joke given how this cover is from TV host Ernie Sigley and comedian Denise "Ding dong" Drysdale only a decade after the original track. It proved to be an even bigger his than the original here in Australia likely due to the star power on display.
#15 for 1975
This is a cover of one of the bigger hits from the 60's by the Rooftop singers, I'm guessing these guys did this to further cement their change in music direction from the first half of the decade where they were a novelty act making joke songs written by Shel Silverstein. If they wanted to be taken seriously in the easy listening crowd, then they succeeded with flying colours as they achieved a ton of success with these ballads.
#13 for 1977
This was the lead single to what is often considered to be one of the greatest albums of all time Bat out of hell (no arguments here) so it may surprise you to learn that it was a massive flop in Meat Loaf's native America and only became a success here in Australia due to it being promoted by Countdown. The album did eventually take off on Billboard when the third single became a hit for him there.
#11 for 1978
The kung fu craze of the 70's was inexplicably popular, as such we have this tribute from Carl Douglas which is surprisingly not racist in the slightest as this was back in the early days of political correctness preventing people from making caricatures of non-western culture such as the kung fu craze. The song has been covered and remixed several times of the years, which is why you still hear the original to this day.
#16 for 1975
Want to know something strange about this track? It was written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, two names you'll be very familiar with if you're a fan of the glam rock from earlier in the decade. Here they allow American band Exile to have a massive hit with this soft rock track that now that I think about it, has lyrics that are begging to be performed with bombast but aren't on here.
#12 for 1978
#14 for 1979
OK before people lose their minds at the thought of the English playwright managing to score a hit single centuries after his death, I should point out that this was simply the stage name of John Cave who scored two huge hits during the height of glam rock with this being the second of the two. Had glam rock persisted during the second half of the decade, I'm sure he would've had more success after this.
#17 for 1975
If you think that ironic tracks meant to criticise the pop music of any given period is a recent phenomenon, allow me to introduce you to this one and only hit from Robin Scott AKA M who managed to take the world by storm with his critiques of the state of pop music in the late 70's. It was a huge chart topper for him in Australia and Billboard of all places despite it not getting to number one in his native UK.
#15 for 1979
I know that there's only so much of a career you can get out of making rebellious anthems for the youth of any given time period, however I doubt many people want to accept the truth that barring his comeback single from 1989 "Poison," this is the biggest hit of Alice Cooper's career in certain parts of the world. For the remainder of the decade, he would stick to the adult contemporary scene much to the disdain of many of his fans both before and after this period.
#14 for 1977
Well, this took its sweet time in finding success here in Australia, I'd like to tell you that it's because we Aussies knew better than to make Lionel Richie a household name back in the day but sadly the more likely reason is that we just weren't into RNB back in the day like the rest of the world was. Even so, this is a taste of what was to come from Lionel's solo career the following decade for better or worse.
#13 for 1978
#16 for 1979
This is a two-way entry for Boz Scaggs as "Lido shuffle" was always the lead single to his magnum opus Silk degrees, for reasons I can never understood, it only became a hit here in Australia when it was bundled with the second single from the album "What can I say" which allowed both songs to be a huge success together as well as the album itself finally getting off the ground here.
#15 for 1977
If you thought that actors trying for a singing career has only been a recent phenomenon, allow me to present to you David Soul who managed to score a massive hit worldwide with this track following the success he had with his TV series Starsky and Hutch. Even though this was his only hit in his native America, he would score two more hits throughout the rest of the world thanks to the show.
#16 for 1977
Although these guys had massive success in their native America throughout the second half of the decade, it does pain me to report that this was their only success here in Australia as even the Brits and kiwis gave them more success with their other singles than we Aussies did. At least this disco classic was a huge success for them, and hey lead singer Nile Rodgers did become an in-demand producer after this.
#17 for 1979
This was the only noticeable success that David Dundas (sorry Lord David Dundas as he does have an official title) achieved in his music career, although he did score a minor hit here in Australia with "Another funny honeymoon" which means there was some appeal to this guy's music outside of this ad jungle for a jean commercial. Oh yeah, this was written specifically as an ad jingle, hence why it sounds like one.
#15 for 1976
#17 for 1977
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.
#18 for 1975
#16 for 1976
Does this song remind anyone else of John Lennon's "Woman?" Something about the chord structure and vocal melodies on this one and only hit from husband-and-wife duo R&J Stone heavily reminds me of that track for some reason. If you want to know what happened to these two lovebirds, Joanne Stone tragically died of a brain tumour later in the decade which Robert never got over.
#17 for 1976
So, we've all seen Star Wars, right? Apparently Meco had seen it over forty times back in the day and loved it so much that he decided to make a disco rendition of the opening title sequence. Here he didn't just remix the original track, instead he got an orchestra to rearrange the melody to fit in with the disco trends that were emerging this decade which resulted in it being a huge success for him.
#18 for 1977
#14 for 1978
This guy had been active in the music industry for almost two decades before he finally saw massive success with this ballad, I'm guessing this was due to him singing the second verse in Spanish to help appeal to those who find the language to be the embodiment of sexy. I have to say that this is another vocalist whose voice I never really cared for, I just find it too pitchy on his biggest hits.
#19 for 1975
While this wasn't the first hit single Bonnie Tyler had in her career (that honour goes to "Lost in France") this was the first hit song of hers to use her iconic raspy vocals as previously she had sounded more like your typical lovestruck pop diva that obviously didn't connect well with her audience. Here she makes such as splash on the international market that it even manages to crossover to Billboard for her.
#15 for 1978
This was the last major hit that Smokie had in most parts of the world, likely due to Chris Norman branching out after this to pursue a solo career that only got as far as duetting with Suzi Quatro on "Stumbling in." It appears we Aussies in particular found that to be in poor taste as though that was a hit here, he and his band never had any success after the fact.
#16 for 1978
There was so much hype going into this band that they were even dubbed as the new Beatles (given that there were four of them who played rock and roll music like the fab four ten years prior.) Despite this being a massive success worldwide for the band, said success sadly didn't translate to a second hit for them, although the album this was pulled from was indeed a huge success here in Australia.
#18 for 1979
This was one of two hit singles this year to be directly related to Australian sports, while this was the bigger of the two hits, it came at the expense of there being any other tracks released from these guys.
#19 for 1979
One of the most popular bands of the decade has to be the Bay city rollers, although admittedly their popularity here in Australia was even briefer than that of Abba and Sherbet who at least stuck around for most of the decade. Here we have the first big hit from the Scottish band which remains popular to this day due to the lyrics being a good way of ending a bad relationship with someone.
#20 for 1975
I'm a bit surprised that these guys weren't more successful back in the day, mainly because of how well remembered their catalogue is as well as them being persistent on oldies stations. This was their first major hit in Australia due to it being a throwback track to the glory days of surf rock, and indeed this led to them having huge success here throughout the second half of the decade.
#21 for 1975
While most people will be familiar with Kelly Marie for her disco hit "Feels like I'm in love," this was her biggest hit in Australia a year prior which I feel is a much better song as I feel she has better vocals on here. It appears the general public of Australia agreed as this was twice as successful as her big international hit here.
#20 for 1979
This was the solo breakthrough for Gerry Rafferty who had minor success earlier in the decade as the lead singer of Stealer's wheel (of "Stuck in the middle with you" fame.) Let's face it, the main reason why this song is so popular to this day is for those sax solos that play at the end of every chorus, sure his vocals are nice too, but they would've have been enough to help this stand out from the crowd on their own.
#17 for 1978
Although these guys had received plenty of buzz prior to this becoming a huge runaway hit for them, it was this track that helped them achieved their goal of scoring massive success in Australia to then take back home to their native NZ. This has been a surprisingly common phenomenon over the years with NZ artists temporarily migrating to Australia and returning home once they achieved their success.
#19 for 1977
#18 for 1978
So, does any of my readers know what a bogan is? If you don't, it's basically what we Australian refer to as a redneck which in turn is someone who lives in a rural area that's highly out of touch with mainstream society (to put it mildly.) Comedian Bob Hudson decided to make a song about this type of person which he included on his comedy album which became a surprise hit for him in Australia and NZ.
#22 for 1975
This was the lead single to Abba's third album, admittedly it's one of my least favourite songs from the group as I feel the energy drops whenever they sing the song's title in the chorus. It's still far ahead of the competition in my books, however I can see this being a lightning for their haters to justify their dislike for them.
#23 for 1975
One of the less successful bands to make it big by appearing on Countdown was the Ferrets, mainly because despite them having a huge hit with this track that even sparked interest in them in the UK, they remain a one hit wonder due to their inability to capitalise off this song's success here. I guess they got lost in the shuffle from all the other emerging bands to appear on the show.
#20 for 1977
Well, here's a song that I'm sure would've been a huge chart topper on Billboard had MTV existed in the late 70's, this is due to the video where female vocalist Leslie Maria wears an outfit that doesn't exactly leave much to the imagination around her chest area. Fortunately, the song itself is a classic thanks to those dreamy keys used throughout its runtime as well as Leslie's powerful vocals.
#21 for 1979
Last year there was Shaun Cassidy making it big in the mainstream, this year he seemed to be replaced with Leif Garrett in the realms of good-looking teenage boys looking to cash in on the female demographic of the day despite having vocals that aren't on par with some of their less conventionally attractive counterparts. Here we have him covering a Beach boys track which was already mired in controversy for stealing its melody from a Chuck Berry track.
#19 for 1978
This was originally released as the B-side to "I do I do I do I do I do" the previous year, however it became such a fan favourite from the album that it was given its own release here in Australia and eventually in NZ where it became one of the biggest hits of the year down under. This should give you an idea as to how inescapable Abba was back in the day if a B-side could be one of the biggest hits of a year.
#18 for 1976
This is a song that by all accounts should be seen as one of the laziest ever recorded and yet works so well despite its brutal minimalism, it's sort of like a trance track from the 90's with how well it works with how little it has and it appears the general public of this year agrees with that assessment as this became a huge success for Donna Summer worldwide.
#21 for 1977
This was the only notable hit from Belgian pop star Plastic Bertrand, although admittedly the fact that this is in French should tell you why he wasn't able to find more success in an English-speaking market. I'm guessing this had crossover appeal due to how happy he clearly is throughout the track, granted many people (me included) find his energy to be rather annoying, but it clearly isn't the case for everyone.
#20 for 1978
#22 for 1979
So, there was this trucker's craze during the 70's which apparently was so popular that this novelty track from country singer C.W McCall became a huge worldwide hit to cash in on it. Oh, I'm sorry did I call this guy a country singer? Technically he is but it's more accurate to say he's a marketing director who became C.W McCall after a bread commercial he originally created the character for failed to sell its product.
#19 for 1976
I know these were two of the biggest names in music this decade, however I don't think many people were expecting them to make a duet together and not only that, have it become a huge worldwide success like this wound up being for them. This somewhat killed Chris Norman's career as Smokie never had another hit after this, Suzi fared a bit better as she did score one more hit with "Rock hard" in 1980.
#23 for 1979
This wasn't Samantha Sang's first song to chart in Australia, she had attempted to have a pop career a decade prior under her real name Cheryl Gray to no avail likely due to her being a child singer during a time where we Aussies were into psychedelia and protest music. She was given a second chance at a career with this ballad written by the Brothers Gibb which took off for her not just locally but internationally as well.
#21 for 1978
Following the success of their Billboard chart topper "TSOP" with MFSB, this RNB girl group managed to score a massive hit worldwide with this ballad which seemed to confirm them as the hottest new act of the moment. Heck this was a huge hit when Countdown launched, so it's obvious even we Aussies were interested in what these girls had to offer for a while. Alas their popularity died out even in their native America after this.
#24 for 1975
This was the only noticeable hit for Max Merritt and the Meteors both in Australia and their native NZ, although it's worth noting that they did make a splash here at the start of the decade with their self-titled album. I'm not sure why this managed to be a success other than maybe the band performing it on Countdown and getting a huge reaction out of it.
#20 for 1976
One of the few Australian disco artists to find success back in the day, we have British born Christie Allen scoring the first of two big hits from her debut album due to her unique vocals as well as how irresistibly catchy the disco beat was on her songs. This was a hit during the final months of the 70's, proving that the disco backlash had little to no impact on the Australian music scene.
#24 for 1979
I know the 70's were a bizarre time in pop culture, however I'm finding it very hard to believe that one of the biggest hits of the decade was this novelty track about a duck (presumably Donald Duck based on the impersonation) wants to go out to the disco to dance. I guess this was funny the first time I heard it, although for me at least this quickly wears off its charm after repeated listens.
#21 for 1976
#22 for 1977
You may be familiar with the name Carole Bayer Sager if you're a Burt Bacharach fan, after all she was a frequent writing collaborator with the songwriting legend and co-wrote some of his more well-known songs such as "That's what friends are for" and the theme to Arthur starring Dudley Moore. Here she is with her one and only hit as a lead artist, I'm guessing this was a success more for the lyrics than her vocal performance which isn't great.
#23 for 1977
This was originally released three years prior to deafening silence for Roger Whittaker, likely due to audiences not being interested in having yet another singer/songwriter to join the ranks of Don McLean and Cat Stevens in our mainstream. The song was given a second chance during the midpoint of the decade due to it becoming a surprise hit for him in his native UK for reasons I can't seem to ascertain.
#25 for 1975
Kiss were on a roll when they released their second single from Dynasty, this is despite the backlash they received from their original fans claiming that they sold out for a more mainstream audience. True the lyrics and compositions aren't as complex as their earlier material, however they still had plenty of energy to their tracks which is why they were able to find massive success with this material.
#25 for 1979
This isn't among my favourite tracks from Fleetwood Mac, granted it's certainly a departure from their previous sound as this feels more in line with a prog track as opposed to their usual folk rock but something about the marching beat just doesn't sit right with me. I'm obviously in the minority as this remains their biggest hit in their catalogue outside of America (where "Dreams" has that honour) and is still well loved to this day.
#26 for 1979
This was the lead single to the Saturday night fever soundtrack, an album/soundtrack that showcases the Bee gees at their finest through their vocal harmonies as well as how catchy their disco production is. I never quite understood why there have been so many covers of this track in particular over the years, I would've thought that "Staying alive" or "Night fever" would be the song to be revisited over and over again from this album.
#22 for 1978
This was the debut single for Kate Bush, it's incredible to think that someone as young as she was managed to craft a song that's resonated with so many people over the years but there you go. Kate's popularity grew well into the 80's likely due to her fitting in really well with the MTV era, after all the visuals in her videos while bizarre at time, still strike a chord with visual media to this day.
#23 for 1978
Skyhooks were indeed one of the most popular bands of the decade thanks to their promotion on Countdown, so it only makes sense that lead singer Shirley Strachan would see massive success with a solo hit much like the lead singer of their rival band Sherbet did a few years prior. This did prove to be a death nail for the band's commercial appeal as they didn't reach the dizzying heights of their earlier material after this became a hit.
#22 for 1976
#24 for 1977
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