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.
#76 for 1978 (#35 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.
#36 for 1975 (#30 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.
#51 for 1976 (#39 website)
This failed to appear on the Australian side of my site mostly because it was only a minor success here in Australia, I guess if Countdown hadn't of taken off when it did it would've at least been as successful here as it was in NZ for Wings.
#31 for 1975 (#25 website)
Well, this is a surprise, we have a funk track from the Commodores about them wanting the perfect woman which they describe as a "brick house" (I guess this song was ahead of its time when it came to body positivity.) This and "Lady" from 1981 were the only upbeat tracks to become a success for the band, mainly because they didn't have Lionel Richie on lead vocals, it's another connection both songs have.
#43 for 1977 (#35 website)
#40 for 1978
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.
#58 for 1976 (#36 website)
Even though Collette did find success with her version of this track a decade later in her homeland, the kiwis can breathe a sigh of relief at the fact that the original from Anita Ward was the bigger hit over there as opposed to here where they were neck and neck with each other. Anita was another woman of colour to find massive success in the disco scene back in the day like Gloria Gaynor and Donna Summer.
#44 for 1979 (#27 website)
This was released in NZ around the same time that "Mississippi" began to catch on here in Australia, meaning that these guys already had two hits over there by the time they scored their one and only hit over here back in the day. While it remains the weakest of their four hits they had, it still managed to be a massive success for the Dutch band regardless.
Hit in 1976 (#49 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.
#57 for 1977 (#31 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)
Well at least they were able to sign off from the 70's with one of their more iconic hits in their catalogue worldwide, although whereas at least these guys had a surprise hit in Australia with "You win again" from 1987, it wouldn't be until 1997 where these guys would return to their mainstream with their album Still waters.
#30 for 1979 (#15 website)
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.
#74 for 1978 (#38 website)
I was confused at first as to what took this song so long to crossover to NZ, however I then discovered that Graham Bonnet was living in Australia at the time of his two big hits meaning it was likely marketed over there due to its success here much like his other big hit "Warm ride" (which we'll be revisiting later down this list.)
#29 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.
#60 for 1976
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)
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.
#74 for 1979 (#43 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.
#70 for 1979
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 more of a success due to Neil Diamond's presence in NZ given how Barbra Streisand had only had one hit over there by this point, still it was a massive success for the duo which enabled it and the album of the same name to be a success over there.
#33 for 1978
#23 for 1979
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.
#71 for 1979 (#39 website)
Well, the kiwis might not have been as impressed with this track about a disco duck (I mean comparatively speaking as this had a lower peak and shorter chart run over there despite having less competition than here in Australia) but at least the idea was amusing enough for them to make it a huge hit around this time for the future radio DJ Rick Dees.
#33 for 1976 (#27 website)
#31 for 1977
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)
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)
This was more of an immediate hit for Nick Gilder in NZ this year due to the kiwis being as enamoured by his sexual antics as the Americans were, not so much that it was a number one hit over there like it was on Billboard but enough for it to be a genuine hit for him. It didn't do him any favours in escaping the one hit wonder bin, but at least there's a good chance there's a legacy the song has over there.
#37 for 1978 (#36 website)
This was another early disco hit that became a hit in NZ but not in Australia this year, although it did chart for a while down under so there was potential for this to become a hit here. Sadly, this was the only hit from Shirley and company as their subsequent follow ups failed to make an impact during a time where disco had exploded into the mainstream.
#27 for 1975 (#26 website)
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.
#68 for 1978
It looks like the kiwis were a bit torn on whether they wanted to keep these guys around given how it only makes this list due to its refusal to die on their charts back in the day, I would say this was the final hit the band had except both "Undercover of the night" and "Harlem shuffle" became huge hits over there throughout the 80's, proving these supposed rock dinosaurs still had staying power.
Hit in 1978 (#42 website)
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.
#65 for 1977
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 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
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.
#59 for 1977 (#39 website)
Well at least the kiwis were likely more familiar with how problematic this ballad is as it wasn't nearly as successful over there as it was throughout the rest of the world, I guess if you ignored the lyrics, it's a sweet enough ballad that easily fits in with the other adult contemporary from around this time.
#54 for 1977 (#46 website)
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.
#63 for 1977 (#49 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.
#65 for 1976
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)
Given the success of his theme to the miniseries against the wind, Jon English managed to have massive popularity in NZ this year which resulted in this bonus track from his greatest hits album English history to become a huge success over there. The funny thing is that this was a flop for him here in Australia, meaning he was more popular over there this year than he was here.
#37 for 1979
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
This was originally released as the debut single for Bay City rollers three years prior, it was a flop for the band even in their native UK for reasons I can't seem to fathom. It was given a second chance this year when it was released as a single in America more to see if it would break the band through than anything else, it turns out it did as it became their biggest hit on Billboard despite the failure of their other songs.
#49 for 1976
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.
Hit in 1977 (#45 website)
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.
#66 for 1977 (#43 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.
#72 for 1979 (#45 website)
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)
This was the biggest hit from the Bay city rollers in NZ, it happens to be a cover of a song that I'm not even sure was a hit over there given how the Listener charts only go back to 1966 and the Dusty Springfield original was released in 1965.
#37 for 1976 (#38 website)
#34 for 1977
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.
#71 for 1978
This is a bit weird considering how this was a huge number one hit in Australia despite it being the second single from a highly successful album and yet it was only a top ten (albeit still huge) hit in NZ where successful albums generally didn't impact the success of a single (at least back in the day.) The song was still huge likely due to it being another history lesson set to a catchy disco beat from Boney M.
#36 for 1978
#26 for 1979
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
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)
This is one of those ballads that made it big due to the influx of adult contemporary that made it big during the 70's, although it's worth noting that this guy began his career in the disco genre given how his previous claim to fame was as a part of Disco Tex and his Sexolettes who you may know for their Billboard hit single "Get dancing" from two years prior.
#70 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.
#34 for 1975 (#18 website)
Well, every band and artist seem to have at least one problematic song in their catalogue, for Elton John it was this Billboard chart topper about him wanting to save this "island girl" from what appears to be life as a sex worker while cosplaying as an "island boy." I guess if you were to ignore the lyrical content, the song has a nice rock reggae groove that still holds up to this day.
#20 for 1975
#38 for 1976
These guys were massively successful when it came to their albums during the first half of the decade in their native UK, however as far as I can tell, this was their only hit single anywhere in the world which became as such in NZ this year likely due to them combining disco with African influences.
#43 for 1976
#44 for 1977
I'm not entirely sure how to categorise this track from French composer Jean Michel Jarre, I guess it's a hybrid of rock opera and actual opera which I'm sure was why this managed to become such a massive success in NZ but not here in Australia as it would've been too abstract for us Aussies to comprehend it whilst dealing with our ever-changing local music scene.
#46 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.
#69 for 1979 (#42 website)
This is the only new entry from Bay city rollers on this side of my site, it was technically their first hit over there even though it only took off due to "Saturday night" becoming a surprise hit in America for the Scottish band. This would eventually lead to their biggest hit from earlier on this list before the kiwis became fed up with them.
Hit in 1976
This was one of only charting songs that NZ country singer Toni Williams had back in the day, the other was "Rose" which would've made the cut had it not peaked during the Christmas period of 1976/1977. It's possible that was the bigger hit for him over there, however I'm not comfortable saying which of these two definitively were.
Hit in 1977 (#40 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.
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
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.
#61 for 1976 (#40 website)
Now here's a disco classic I'm sure everyone who's listened to oldies stations would be well familiar with, indeed it was a decent hit in NZ (albeit as a sleeper hit) as well as it being a minor success here in Australia as this did crack our top twenty back in the day. I guess we Aussies and kiwis passed this up for the duo's earlier entry on this list due to the oversaturation of disco when it came out.
Hit in 1979
Although this did miss the cut for my official list of 1977 for this side of my site, it's possible it would've been more of a genuine success in NZ back in the day were it not for that extended break the charts took given how bizarre the charts during the first three months of the year were over there. Even so, you can rest assured this breakup ballad from the band was indeed a success over there back in the day.
Hit in 1977
This was an even bigger hit for Jon English in NZ, likely due to the success of the miniseries it was written for which also happens to star him in the lead role. I'm guessing the show was that much of a success in both countries that it was broadcasted throughout Europe where the song also became a hit for him.
#39 for 1979
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 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.
#75 for 1978
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.
#54 for 1976
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.
#53 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.
#68 for 1977 (#48 website)
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.
#60 for 1977
This is Jackson Browne's only solo success he had in the southern hemisphere when it came to his singles, even then it was only a sleeper success in NZ given how Running on empty (then album it came from) wasn't that big of a success for him over there like it was here in Australia. It could also be the kiwis were torn on whether they appreciated his take on the Maurice Williams classic or not.
Hit in 1978 (#50 website)
Unlike here in Australia where this was released on time, this had a bit of a delay to its release in NZ which makes this one of the rare songs on this site to find less success in the country that delayed its release than the one where it wasn't as such. At least the kiwis did somewhat take to this debut single from Dire straits, although they were more of an albums band over there throughout the 80's.
Hit in 1979
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)
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