Well I guess I should look at what was big throughout the 70's in NZ considering how I did the same for Australia on this site, this list will be even shorter given how the RIANZ charts only began in mid 1975, meaning I won't have carry over hits from 1974 like I did on the Australian equivlent due to those songs only charting on the Listener charts which conveniently ceased once RIANZ was launched.
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.
#51 for 1979 (#48 website)
For the most part Donna Summer had more success in Australia than she did in NZ, this was the rare exception to that rule as this Oscar winning theme from Thank God it's Friday wasn't a hit at all here and yet was one of her biggest hits over in NZ this year. I guess she did manage to score two new entries on this side of my site even if all of her returning entries are much lower on their respective lists.
#59 for 1978 (#24 website)
This wasn't nearly as successful for Harpo in NZ as it was here in Australia for the Swedish pop star, I guess the kiwis only had enough love for one Swedish act and Abba was already filling in that void for them this year. Still, they managed to squeeze this guy in for just enough time for him to make a second appearance on this site.
#52 for 1976 (#39 website)
I think this is the first love song to use chart positions as a metaphor for finding the love of the narrator's life, it's certainly the only song I can think of that became a massive success by using this metaphor at any point in time (although I'm sure this will be a common phenomenon going forward in music.) As for the artist who made it, from what I can gather, Pete Wingfield was a British producer to got lucky with this ballad.
#53 for 1976
It appears the kiwis weren't as invested with this showstopping ballad from Grease as we Aussies were, perhaps they wanted to hear the bangers on the soundtrack and only made this a success due to the passionate performance that Livie gives on the song. Admittedly it does feel in line with her earlier material from both the sound and especially the lyrical content.
#60 for 1978 (#33 website)
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.
#52 for 1979 (#35 website)
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.
#53 for 1979 (#44 website)
Well at least these guys were able to go out on a bigger bang in NZ given how this was at least twice as successful over there as it was over here for Sweet, I think this was because it was among their bigger hits on Billboard which was something considering it was released on time in America. There'll only be one more entry from the band as we go further back in the decade on this side of my site.
#61 for 1978 (#29 website)
One of the bigger groups from the first half of the 70's was the Stylistics, they for whatever reason had their popularity die out by the midpoint of the decade save for this ballad which became a surprise hit for them in NZ this year. This would be the last anyone would hear from the band in the mainstream as their subsequent follow ups all flopped throughout the world.
#33 for 1975
#54 for 1976
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.
#54 for 1979 (#38 website)
Around this time, the Muppets show premiered on TV which was such an instant success that the theme song (which was originally written for another project Jim Hensen was a part of) became a huge success albeit only in NZ for some reason. I guess this did chart here in Australia which likely led to Kermit the frog's solo hit from the end of the decade from the Muppet movie here.
#58 for 1977 (#31 website)
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.
#55 for 1979 (#34 website)
This is the only hit that Spanish born German singer Luisa Fernandez achieved anywhere in the world, I'm guessing she made it big in NZ due to the high number of European artists making it big throughout the 70's and her being part of the shuffle over there and not over here.
#62 for 1978
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.
#56 for 1979 (#29 website)
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.
#57 for 1979 (#37 website)
Stargard were another rival to the Emotions back in the day who managed to score a massive hit in NZ during the second half of the decade, I'm guessing the success of all of these disco girl groups of colour back in the day were meant to be a way of them becoming the (then) new equivalent of the Supremes which is odd because Diana Ross didn't have any success over there around this time. At least we Aussies had Marcia Hines as the big successful woman of colour in our music scene.
#63 for 1978 (#27 website)
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.
#58 for 1979
Unlike here in Australia where Eric Carmen got himself out of the one hit wonder bin twelve years later with two additional hits to his name, in NZ he still remains in the one hit wonder bin to this day with this track I'm sure people nowadays think is a Celine Dion track given how much more ubiquitous her cover has become over the years.
#55 for 1976
It looks like the kiwis were a bit resistant towards this ballad at first given how it took its sweet time in finding an audience in NZ back in the day, alas it appears they were eventually won over by this one and only hit from Morris Albert in the early months of the year as it was nominated for a Grammy around the time it rose up their charts.
#56 for 1976
The hits kept on coming for the Carpenters in NZ during the second half of the decade, I get the feeling that these two would've been equally as successful here in Australia if Countdown hadn't of deemed them to be uncool to help promote our local music scene.
#57 for 1976 (#46 website)
Here we are once again with the biggest hit that Graham Bonnet managed to score here in Australia, although it was considerably less successful over in NZ likely due to the kiwis not jiving as well with the prospect of him working with the brothers Gibb as we Aussies did this year. Still, it was enough of a success to convince him to return to his native UK where he found success in his homeland in the 80's.
#64 for 1978 (#32 website)
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.
#59 for 1979
Unlike in Australia where this needed two attempts to be a success, this was a success upon its initial release in NZ for Tina Charles just like it was in her homeland, the issue of course is that it peaked during the summer of 1976/1977 where it was climbing up the charts alongside the multiple Abba entries from that time period on this list, meaning we'll never know how high up the charts it got during this period.
#58 for 1976
#59 for 1977
This is the only song from Dr Hook from this decade that was a hit here in Australia to reappear on this side of my site, even then it was more of a sleeper hit in NZ which suggested that the kiwis were very sceptical of these guys reinventing themselves as a soft rock band from their comedic roots from earlier in the decade.
#59 for 1976 (#32 website)
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.
#60 for 1979 (#41 website)
I'm guessing the film Car wash was a massive success over in NZ given how the soundtrack managed to give Rose Royce a second hit over there this year with this number. This sees the band's male vocalists take centre stage as opposed to their other two big hits which had their female vocalists in the lead, making them a hybrid of Earth wind and fire and the Emotions with these releases.
#60 for 1977 (#44 website)
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.
#61 for 1979
If you thought the Abba phenomenon fell off a cliff here in Australia from their third to fourth albums, then it looks like it fell off the face of the earth over in NZ given how much less popular this lead single to said fourth album was over there compared to over here. That said, the Swedish foursome did bounce back over there with their next album given how big "Chiquitita" was compared to how well it did here.
#61 for 1977
#65 for 1978
With all of the shout outs that these guys have gotten over the years, you'd think that the O'jays would've had more success back in the day than this one and only hit they had in NZ. Granted they did have a string of other hits in their native American throughout the decade, however this was the only hit that managed to crossover there which is still one more hit they ever had here in Australia.
#66 for 1978 (#30 website)
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.
#62 for 1979 (#50 website)
This is one of only two hits that country star Toni Williams had in his homeland, the other came just before this was released which technically did better than this track given how much longer it lasted on the NZ charts. That said, it's worth noting this peaked during the infamous summer break of 1976/1977, meaning that I actually don't definitely know how well this song did back in the day.
#60 for 1976
#62 for 1977
It was inevitable that this soft rock ballad would be a success over in NZ given how it was also a success here in Australia, although as we go further back in the decade, you'll notice that the country band had far less success over there than they did over here throughout the 70's.
#67 for 1978
For whatever reason, this song always reminds me of "Band on the run" whenever I hear it on the radio (likely due to Paul's similar vocal melody in different parts of both songs) which is perhaps why it was a bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia as we Aussies would've passed this up back in the day in favour of the many fresh offerings from our local music scene which the kiwis didn't have access to.
#61 for 1976 (#35 website)
This was also a hit for Elvis Presley in NZ just before he died, although it wasn't quite as big a hit over there as it was here likely because his earlier entry on this list was the big hit from his final album over there even before he passed away.
#63 for 1977 (#39 website)
From what I can gather, this is a novelty track from novelty country singer Fred Dagg which managed to become a success in his homeland due to how silly country music had become from Nashville. Admittedly none of the sillier tracks managed to crossover outside of America save for perhaps "Convoy" from earlier on this list.
#62 for 1976 (#36 website)
From what I can gather, this was the earliest success that Leo Sayer had in NZ given how none of his songs prior to the release of the first RIANZ charts were successful on the Listener charts, I guess it makes sense that one of his more upbeat tracks would be the kiwis introduction to him as opposed to his single "The show must go on" which was the case here in Australia and his native UK.
#34 for 1975
#63 for 1976
It looks like this was the least successful hit to come from the Saturday night fever soundtrack, although I guess this was more due to it being sung by someone who wasn't a member of the Bee gees as Yvonne Elliman did have success in NZ earlier in the decade with "Love me." Like most parts of the world, she remains a two-hit wonder with these two songs over there.
#68 for 1978
This was the second hit that the Brothers Gibb were able to score from their comeback album Main course following the success of its lead single "Jive talking" from the previous year, it was on more familiar territory when it came to their original sound as to not alienate their older fans too much when transitioning into the disco we all know and love these days.
#64 for 1976
This was the only other hit that Dragon managed to achieve in their homeland, indeed this was released much later over there than it was over here mainly because they had temporarily migrated to Australia due to the failure of their earlier material in their homeland throughout the decade. They join the ranks of Split enz and Mi-sex as NZ bands who needed to leave their homeland in order to find success in their careers.
#69 for 1978
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.
#63 for 1979
It's hard to definitively say, however it's possible that this lead single from A new world record should be even higher on this list given that this also peaked during the summer period of 1976/1977 here in Australia. As is, it was only a moderate success over in NZ as opposed to their earlier entry on this list.
#64 for 1977
This was a song that would've been higher on this list had the RIANZ charts launched sooner in the year given how well it did on the Listener charts and that it retained its popularity on the newer charts once it launched. It was Helen Reddy's final hit anywhere in the world given how it was a surprise hit for her over there following the success of "Angie baby" in Australia and America.
#35 for 1975 (#18 website)
Well, here's the other big hit that Yvonne Elliman had in NZ, she also had a hit over here in Australia with this disco classic, but it was too much of a sleeper hit to appear on that side of my site unfortunately. I feel like this song's placement is too low on this list, mainly because it peaked here in Australia during our summer period which the RIANZ charts were on hiatus during that time.
#65 for 1977
I guess the kiwis weren't as invested in this former Fleetwood Mac frontman's solo material given how this song was far less successful over there than it was over here, heck his album didn't even chart over there despite it being a huge success down under for him. I would say it was due to an appearance on Countdown which led to this being so successful, he did perform it on the show albeit the following year.
#70 for 1978 (#49 website)
I guess the kiwis needed a bit of convincing to allow these guys to be inescapable like they were here in Australia back in the day, however they were eventually won over with the band's breakthrough single as it refused to drop out of their charts suggesting this was a success as a guilty pleasure for them.
#71 for 1978 (#40 website)
This is another victim on this list of the infamous summer of 1976/1977 in NZ, again it charted for quite some time into the latter year which made it eligible for this list even if we'll never truly know just how well it did during this time period. For what it's worth, RIANZ only took seven weeks off which is only a month and a half to give you an idea of how many weeks can determine a song's success in my rankings.
#65 for 1976
#66 for 1977
This was originally meant to be John Lennon's final hit single as he would announce his retirement after he released it from his album Rock n roll, it's a cover of the Ben E King classic which I'm guessing was meant to be reassurance to his audience that he was simply stepping out of the spotlight rather than becoming blacklisted from fame.
#36 for 1975 (#29 website)
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.
#64 for 1979
This is another song from Abba that was released exclusively here in Australia and NZ given how inescapably popular the quartet was in both countries, this time it's a song that was originally a B-side to "So long" which it turns out was the true lead single to their third album and not "I do I do I do I do I do" like I and many others had thought.
#67 for 1977
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.
#65 for 1979
It's a bit of a shock to me to see how unpopular this classic was back in the day from the brothers Gibb considering how much of a staple it's become on oldies stations nowadays; it certainly didn't do their album any favours given how that didn't become a success until the following year for the trio. At least it achieved moderate success over in NZ as opposed to here where it was a massive flop for them.
#66 for 1976 (#40 website)
This managed to chart higher in NZ than it did here in Australia for Crystal Gayle back in the day, although it still saw stiff competition during the Christmas period of 1977/1978 hence why it appears around the same place on this side of my site that it does on the Australian side.
#68 for 1977
#72 for 1978
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.
#66 for 1979 (#40 website)
This was the first big hit that 10CC achieved in NZ given how "Rubber bullets" flopped on the Listener charts two years prior, this means that the band only achieved three hits over there with only two of them also being hits here in Australia. Even so, I can see how this managed to be a success over there for the band given how well it fitted in with the trends of the day.
#37 for 1975 (#30 website)
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.
#67 for 1979
As this was on the very first RIANZ chart ever released, you can imagine that it would've been higher on this list had the charts begun slightly sooner than they actually did. In fact, it's worth noting that on the Listener charts, this actually made it to number one just before they went defunct, proving this was even bigger in NZ than its placement on this list would suggest.
#38 for 1975
We looked at Burton Cummings big international hit on the Australian side of my site, however I bet you didn't realise he had more than one hit in his catalogue than "Stand tall" given how this managed to become a hit in NZ and his native Canada a year after that songs release. I'm not sure how the kiwis came across this track given how "Stand tall" bombed over there and this bombed here in Australia.
#73 for 1978
Although Livie didn't ultimately see more success in NZ than she did here in Australia, she did seem to be more popular with the kiwis than us Aussies during the midpoint of the decade given how she now has two entries on this side of my site that will never appear on the Australian side given how much of a failure they both were down under.
#39 for 1975
This was one of only two hits that Phoebe Snow had in NZ throughout her career, although at least it's one more hit she had over there than she did in her native America even though "Poetry man" failed to become a hit over there like it did on Billboard earlier in the decade. I guess the trade-off for her singles flopping here in Australia was that her third album was a genuine success by the end of the decade.
#69 for 1977 (#49 website)
From what I can gather, Suzanne Lynch was a NZ singer who was based in the UK at the time of recording her cover of the Smokey Robinson classic which explains why this had international buzz despite it being far from the biggest hit on this list and it coming from a local artist.
#74 for 1978
I guess the kiwis weren't as titillated with this breakthrough single from Donna Summer as we Aussies were given how much lower it appears on this side of my site compared to the Australian side, at least it was a decent success for the queen of disco even if it was a sign that she wouldn't reach the dizzying heights of success over there she achieved over here.
#67 for 1976
This is the other big hit that Toni Williams had in NZ during his brief time in the spotlight, it managed to become his signature track (at least as far as I'm aware) due to it peaking in popularity during the midpoint of the year as opposed to the summer holidays like his earlier entry did.
#70 for 1977 (#40 website)
This is one of those songs that became big back in the day that doesn't seem to have much of a legacy anymore, I guess this was a hit due to it sounding like a Fleetwood Mac track which is odd because Fleetwood Mac weren't able to score a hit of their own in NZ with one of their songs, but this guy did.
#75 for 1978 (#46 website)
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.
#68 for 1979 (#49 website)
I think this is the only native American band that ever saw success throughout the world over the years, sure we've had native American artists such as Cher find success, however I can't think of another band apart from these guys to reach international fame. With that said, we have the one and only appearance from Redbone on this site who is best known for their single "Witch queen of New Orleans."
#40 for 1975 (#31 website)
This was only a minor hit at best here in Australia for Randy Vanwarmer, if I ever decide to make a sleeper hit list, it would definitely be a shoe in for that list on that side of my side. It was more of a mainstream success in NZ which allows it to be a shoe in for this list given how it was also a big success for him in his native America.
#69 for 1979
Given how well their earlier entry on this list did in NZ as well as the rest of the world, it would be a given that this would also be a hit for Dr Hook over in NZ just like it was here in Australia. Again, I can't imagine how much of a sellout this must have felt for their early fanbase given how perfectly it fitted in with the likes of John Denver and Freddy Fender.
#68 for 1976 (#43 website)
This was slightly more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, likely because soft rock in general had more of a presence on the NZ charts back in the 70's than it did here in Australia due to how strong our local music scene was. It could also be that it shared its name with the Equals track from ten years prior even though neither song sound like each other.
#76 for 1978
This will be the only appearance from Donny and Marie Osmond on this site of mine, although I could've featured several of their own hits had I gone further back in the decade given how popular they were (well he was at least) during the first half of the 70's. This is their take on a ballad from the 30's that they updated for a (then) modern audience which would explain its success in NZ and not in Australia.
#69 for 1976
This was Smokie's only hit single in NZ given how the kiwis clearly weren't impressed with the band's output, heck this likely was only a success due to how inescapably popular it was over here given how it was one of the biggest hits of the decade down under thanks to them appearing on Countdown to perform this on the show.
#71 for 1977
This was also a big hit in NZ this year for the Eagles, although it was also a minor hit here in Australia which perhaps suggests that if their earlier entry on this list was the lead single to their album Hotel California, then perhaps it would've been a massive hit for them over here back in the day.
#72 for 1977
This was only slightly more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia for Meat loaf, I'm guessing it was due to the success it had over in America given how this trapped him in the one hit wonder bin in his homeland for fifteen years on Billboard. Indeed, he was a two-hit wonder everywhere else in the world with his two entries on this list due to the failure of his work from the 80's.
#77 for 1978 (#38 website)
From what I can gather, Ray Stevens didn't have as much success in NZ as he did in Australia as this saw considerably less success over there than it did over here this year. That said, his two big comedy tracks "Gitarzan" and "The streak" were very big on the Listener charts, so perhaps the kiwis were simply more interested in his brand of comedy rather than his more serious ballads.
#41 for 1975 (#28 website)
This was also a hit in NZ much like the other repeat entries on this list, I can't say if the original from Nina Simone or the Animals cover from the mid 60's were hits over there as there aren't any charts that exist to confirm of deny this, however it's clear that this version was a winner during the height of the disco era in both countries regardless.
#78 for 1978
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.
#70 for 1979 (#42 website)
We already looked at the remix of this song from the early 90's on this side of my site, it's time to revisit the original version of this track from JPY one last time as it was indeed a huge hit in NZ back in the day likely due to its huge international appeal which led it to becoming a huge hit worldwide. You'd think he'd score at least one other charting single over there but alas he didn't.
#79 for 1978 (#35 website)
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.
#71 for 1979
This was the first of three big hits that the Emotions were able to achieve in NZ, although we've already looked at their other two hits assuming you're following these lists in the order I've posted them. This was their biggest hit over on Billboard likely due to it being the perfect disco jam for the dance floors in their native America, this makes you wonder why it underperformed in Australia around this time.
#73 for 1977 (#43 website)
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.
#72 for 1979 (#39 website)
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.
#73 for 1979 (#45 website)
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.
#74 for 1979
We have another reappearance of Hot chocolate on this side of my site, this time it's this RNB classic which the kiwis appeared to love just as much as we Aussies did back in the day even though it had far fewer competition over there than it did over here. Indeed, this was the only track from the band to have equal amounts of success in both countries despite it being among their less catchy numbers.
#74 for 1977 (#33 website)
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.
#75 for 1979 (#43 website)
Oh boy was this a pain to do research on, here we have a country cover of a ballad from the 50's that was only a hit in NZ this year likely due to country still reigning supreme over there as opposed to everywhere else in the world which had moved on to the likes of glam and early disco.
#42 for 1975 (#32 website)
Well, this wasn't quite as big in NZ as it was here in Australia, let alone the massive chart topper it was in her native America. Still, this did quite well over there likely due to it winning an academy award which helped it tread water over there months after it peak outside their top ten for the Christian singer.
#75 for 1977
#80 for 1978
I'm actually surprised that we haven't seen many anti-drug songs throughout this site, mainly because we Aussies and kiwis are certainly no strangers to protest music as you've likely noticed if you've been following it so far. Here we are with this anti-drug song from Ringo Starr which coincidentally was the final hit he had anywhere in the world as his popularity faded after this.
#43 for 1975
From what I can gather, this was a British country singer similar to that of Olivia Newton John (if she never migrated to Australia) who managed to score her one and only hit with this ballad worldwide. The kiwis were somewhat impressed with it back in the day, hence why it managed to make an appearance on this list.
#76 for 1977 (#45 website)
Unlike here in Australia where the hits dried up for the Carpenters once Countdown launched this year, they kept on coming for them over in NZ likely due to the lack of competition the duo had over there with up-and-coming artists from the southern hemisphere. For what it's worth, they dominated both our charts during the first half of the decade with their ballads.
#44 for 1975 (#33 website)
This was an RNB ballad that managed to last for quite some time on the NZ charts back in the day, granted it was on the lower half of their charts, however it was quite lengthy which is how it managed to qualify on this list of mine. As far as I can tell, this was the only hit from the American soul singer anywhere in the world.
#70 for 1976 (#45 website)
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.
#76 for 1979
We looked at a hit from Supertramp on the Australian side of this site, time to feature them on this side of my site with what is by far their most iconic song even if the lyrics are a bit on the sillier side. This did chart here in Australia, however we Aussies always prioritised album sales over singles which meant this missed out from taking off as a single like it has as a radio staple.
#77 for 1979
This was another hit that Neil Diamond was able to achieve in NZ during the second half of the decade, again this was only a flop here in Australia due to it being pushed aside in favour of the album becoming a success as well as us Aussies wanting to support our local music scene thanks to Countdown promoting what it had to offer.
#71 for 1976
It looks like the kiwis weren't as impressed with this opening number to Grease as we Aussies were, I guess they found that the backing vocals from the high schoolers were a bit annoying which is a common complaint I've seen levied at this duet over the years. At least it was a decent success over there which is more than I can say for "Sandy" which was a flop in the southern hemisphere.
#81 for 1978 (#47 website)
Believe me, I was shocked when I realised this was a flop here in Australia back in the day, however it appears the kiwis were able to get their hands on this breakthrough single from ELO which is how it was able to appear on this list even if the rest of their catalogue saw much less success over there than it did over here.
#72 for 1976
This was the third hit to come from Leo Sayer's magnum opus Endless flight in NZ, I guess this is further proof that the kiwis didn't allow strong album sales to affect the success of said albums singles back in the day given how this was a minor hit at best here in Australia despite how much more well-loved the English crooner was over here back in the day.
#77 for 1977 (#48 website)
This list honestly would’ve felt incomplete without the presence of this breakthrough single from Earth wind and fire from their greatest hits album, sure their two earlier entries on this list proved to be more popular, however there's little denying that this was the song that put the RNB group on the map outside of their native America.
#78 for 1979
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.
#79 for 1979
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.
#80 for 1979
You know that this guy was inescapable in NZ when he managed to score a third hit in a row on their charts with this entry, this comes from his second successful album Are you ready for Freddy (insert FNAF reference here) which sadly didn't translate to him having further success even in NZ throughout the decade.
#73 for 1976
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.
#81 for 1979
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