Biggest hits of the 70's NZ III (alternative list)

I've also decided to cover the 70's with a list I made for the 80's, mainly because a lot of the entries on there had been boosted by the holiday seasons which didn't have actual charts back in the day, meaning this ranking will be more favourable to songs that didn't chart during these seasons rather than those that did.

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 released the exact same time as Linda Ronstadt's earlier entry on this list in NZ, naturally the two had to compete with each other with "Blue bayou" obviously coming out on top over there. That said, I'm surprised this bombed here in Australia even if it was obviously due to how well the album did here.

Hit in 1978

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 appear on this special list of mine. As far as I can tell, this was the only hit from the American soul singer anywhere in the world.

Hit in 1976 (#45 website)

There was no escaping this disco jam throughout the world upon its initial release, so much so that's it being a success in NZ like it was here in Australia was inevitable back in the day despite the fact that the official soundtrack from the film it was paying homage to was a massive flop over there.

#37 for 1977

#34 for 1978

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.

#58 for 1977 (#44 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.

#61 for 1977

While I'm not sure if this was the first hit single that had synthesisers on the track (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong for thinking it is) it was the song which popularised the usage of synths which would eventually explode in the 80's as more bands and artists got on board with the technology as the decade went on. Indeed, this one and only hit from Kraftwerk (at least in NZ) was a pioneer for everything great about 80's music.

#24 for 1975 (#16 website)

OK to everyone who thought the Teletubbies were bizarre, allow me to present to you the 70's equivalent known as the Wombles who were massively popular in the UK and also in NZ if the success of their theme song is anything to go by. Then again, this was an excellent time for TV themes over there given how many we've looked at on this side of my site already.

#67 for 1976 (#42 website)

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.

#67 for 1978

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 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 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)

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 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

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 one of several disco hits to be a success in the UK despite being a massive flop in the band's native America, although Tavares didn't have much success on Billboard this decade as all of their success came from how popular they were with the Brits back in the day. This was their only hit over in NZ, so perhaps this was the case of the Brits being over the moon for what they world considered an unremarkable band.

#53 for 1977 (#25 website)

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.

#65 for 1978 (#30 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)

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

#40 for 1979 (#18 website)

I did mention these guys being able to score a second hit in NZ, didn't I? Well, here we are with that hit which was a huge flop in their native America which means this was only a success in NZ due to the good will that their earlier entry managed to give them with the kiwis back in the day.

Hit in 1977 (#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

Well, we looked at the remix of this track on my 1986 list on this side of my site, so why not look at the original version which I did say was a hit upon its initial release this year. I'm not sure why this didn't crossover here in Australia given how many of the other disco tracks from musicians of colour were able to back in the day.

#68 for 1976 (#44 website)

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

#49 for 1979

It's about time I featured a song from Santana that had Carlos Santana on lead vocals, here he covers the Zombies classic from over a decade prior which allowed it to become a success in NZ in lieu of the album it came from. I guess we Aussies passed this up in favour of said album, although this remains a favourite on our oldie's stations to this day.

#80 for 1978

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 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.

Hit in 1977

Dazz was one of the less popular disco bands to have a hit in their native America this decade, this was the hit they had on Billboard which was groovy enough for it to crossover to NZ this year in the early months of the year, making this another entry that could potential place higher were it not for the long summer gap the charts had at the time.

#69 for 1977

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

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)

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)

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 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)

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

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

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

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.

#64 for 1977

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)

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

For whatever reason, the kiwis were less kind towards Dragon than we Aussies were back in the day, although at least they were able to achieve success over there with their two biggest hits they had over here even if both were half as big there as they were here. This was naturally the bigger of the two hits they had in their homeland despite them breaking up a few months after it became a success.

#57 for 1978 (#45 website)

You would think that these guys would've been inescapable in NZ throughout the decade given how disco has run even more rampant on this list compared to its Australian counterpart, alas this was initially they best that KC and company could do until their earlier entry on this list officially put them on the map. In fact, said entry was the only song in their catalogue that did better over there than it did over here.

Hit in 1976

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)

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

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 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)

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)

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 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)

We have a second appearance from Suzi Quatro on this list, you'd think that she would've dominated the first half of the decade in NZ just like she did here in Australia and the UK given how much the kiwis loved glam rock throughout the decade. Alas this wasn't the case as it appears they were as ignorant towards her earlier catalogue has her fellow Americans were.

Hit in 1978

There were a ton of hits on Billboard throughout the decade that failed to see international success for whatever reason, this is one of the lucky few that saw success worldwide even if it was a mere sleeper hit in NZ for Earrth wind and fire back in the day. Hey at least it did better over there than the Black box cover from 1990 which wasn't the case here in Australia.

Hit in 1978

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)

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 is the only notable hit from Lou Rawls from anywhere in the world, he did have a minor hit here in Australia with "You'll never find a love like mine," however that was a sleeper hit here given how he didn't find much success even in his native America. I think NZ is the only place in the world where he even managed to score a top ten hit and even then, it was only sleeper hit for him over there.

Hit in 1978

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

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.

Hit in 1975

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)

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 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.

#72 for 1978 (#46 website)

This was sandwiched between Boney M's first two hits in Australia as this came out after "Daddy cool" and before "Ma baker" from earlier on this list. For whatever reason, we Aussies passed up on this track as opposed to the kiwis who made it a sleeper hit for the German band over there in lieu of "Daddy cool" taking off.

Hit in 1977

We Aussies had the Moir sisters during the midpoint of the 70's, so I guess the kiwis felt they needed their own family group which they found with the Yandall sisters. Like the Moir sisters, the Yandall sisters were also a one hit wonder in their homeland as both family groups failed to follow up their debut success as the decade went on.

Hit in 1975

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

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

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 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 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)

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)

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

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)

Although the Hollies were past their prime by this point in their catalogue, it appears the kiwis still had enough love for them to give them one more hit during the summer of 1976/1977 which of course makes it impossible for me to determine just how well it did over there back in the day. I have to assume it was a success given how long it lasted in the latter year.

Hit in 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

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.

Hit in 1979

Given how his album was way more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, I guess the trade-off was that Al Stewart only had a sleeper hit with his one and only worldwide hit over there as opposed to it making it on one of my lists on the Australian side of my site. Again, I need to reiterate, there's no such thing as the year of the cat on the Chinese calendar, that's the joke behind this song.

Hit in 1977

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)

Although it was far more common during the first half of the decade, it appears the kiwis had a bunch of exclusive releases during the second half of the 70's including this entry from Neil Sedaka which became a sleeper hit for him over there despite him failing to score any hits with the international success he had this decade.

Hit in 1976

It seems odd that the rest of the world had turn their backs on Glen Campbell right when he was at the peak of his popularity in his native America, this was his second Billboard chart topper and yet the best it could do internationally was as a sleeper hit in NZ likely due to the lack of competition it had over there compared to our local music scene in Australia.

Hit in 1977

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)

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)

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.

#62 for 1977

This list would’ve felt incomplete if I didn't acknowledge that the breakthrough single for Earth wind and fire here in Australia was also a decent sleeper hit for them in NZ, again it's bizarre that they didn't do as well in NZ initially given how much more popular they were in the long run over there compared to over here.

Hit in 1977

This came so close to appearing on my 1979 list; however, it got sidelined with many entries on that list that became a success over there as a last hurrah as is tradition for the final year of any given decade. The fact that it comfortably makes it onto this list should tell you how much of a success it was for Randy Vanwarmer with the kiwis even if it was a mainstream success like so many entries on this list.

Hit in 1979

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 list that will never appears on the Australian side of this site given how much of a failure they both were down under.

Hit in 1975

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.

#73 for 1978

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

You may have noticed that there's far more representation from 1979 than any other year on this list, that's because RIANZ had a chart shakeup which involved expanding it from a top 40 to a top 50 which somehow affected the music landscape of NZ that year. With that out of the way, it's hard to say if this would've been a shoe in on my main list or not were it not for this chart shakeup due to how well their earlier entry did.

Hit in 1979

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)

Given how many musicians of colour made it big in their native America throughout the decade, it's interesting to see how the members of Odyssey wouldn't be among them as they were one of the first of their kind to find success in the UK and not on Billboard. As for their appearance on this list, it's due to them sticking around on the NZ charts for quite some time back in the day due to the kiwis love for disco.

Hit in 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.

#62 for 1976

It looks like Billy Ocean had a hit in the 70's in NZ after all as this managed to make the cut for this bonus list of mine, it was his second single given how well "Love really hurts without you" did internationally for the British soul singer of colour back in the day. I still can't believe how much less popular he was in NZ overall compared to here in Australia even if this wasn't a hit with us Aussies.

Hit in 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)

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)