Well, seeing as though I've created alternate lists for every other point in time on this site for the Australian charts, might as well cover the second half of the 70's which is more or less uses the same guidelines for the 1980-1992 list I made a few days ago. As such, there'll be some new entries on here which are effectively songs that failed to appear on this side of my site due to Countdown failing to promote them to the mainstream but not enough for them to be a flop overall. I've also decided to include songs that peaked in early 1980 mainly to round out the list for the 70's aficionados out there.
44 weeks
First entry in and we already have a new appearance on this list, this is the only hit that Joe Dolan managed to achieve here which only became as such due to its refusal to die on our charts which is a sign that fans of this type of crooner music from the first half of the decade weren't ready to leave it behind upon its initial release.
43 weeks
Even though she was based in America when she released this country ballad, Diana Trask was nonetheless able to find success back home with this ballad despite it bombing on the Billboard charts. It became a huge sleeper hit down under this year likely due to older audiences being still being in love with female country ballads buying this despite what the younger audiences wanted to hear.
#1 for 1975
42 weeks
This was another song whose popularity was a bit late in Australia, mainly because by the time it was released as a single here, it was already one of the biggest hits of the decade over in NZ for the Dutch trio Pussycat. This resulted in them being one of the more popular acts over there whilst the remained a one hit wonder here.
#1 for 1976
41 weeks
While most people will be familiar with Kelly Marie for her disco hit "Feels like I'm in love," this was her biggest hit in Australia a year prior which I feel is a much better song as I feel she has better vocals on here. It appears the general public of Australia agreed as this was twice as successful as her big international hit here.
#1 for 1979
This was a moderate hit in Gary and Dave's native Canada from the previous year, indeed it took quite a while for it to crossover here in Australia as it was released at the start of the year to deafening silence only for it to gain popularity towards the end of the year. As it turns out, the two men were also aviators which would explain why they didn't have another hit in their career.
#1 for 1974
40 weeks
This had an impeccable run on the Australian charts back in the day, an impressive fourteen weeks at number one which has only recently been topped by less fondly remembered songs. To think this was originally released as a bonus track from a greatest hits package during the height of the Swedish foursome's popularity.
#2 for 1976
This was the second single to be released on Abba's self-titled album, a song that initially flopped internationally but was such a surprise success in Australia that it unofficially became their signature track here. The rest of the world followed suit eventually as the popular Broadway musical based around their catalogue was named after this track.
#2 for 1975
#3 for 1976
We have another new entry on this list this early on, this time it's the one and only hit that the Hawking brothers were able to achieve with their rendition of a country staple from the decade. I featured a version of this song from Cristy Lane on the NZ side of my site to give context as to why that version flopped here.
38 weeks
Dr Hook were previously known for their comedy tracks from the first half of the decade, so to see them come back with a ballad about being in love with a minor only for the twist to be that the narrator was also a minor during this relationship is a bit jarring to say the least. I'm guessing they played this song straight to avoid being accused of being paedophiles as there is a lot of comedic potential in the lyrics.
#4 for 1976
I'm guessing this was meant to be a runaway success for Tony Christie given how long it stuck around for on our charts, however it only ended up being a sleeper hit for him likely due to this being pushed away from the mainstream in favour of what Countdown wanted to promote instead.
#3 for 1975
This was the first pop hit that David Essex was able to score in his career, I bring this up because he scored massive success earlier in the decade with "Rock on," which is more in line with glam rock than any of his other hits. This is also his cheesiest song as he claims that associating with him will make the person in question a star.
#4 for 1975
37 weeks
Now this is a sellout track I feel is an improvement over the previous catalogue from the band in question, then again, I'm a huge sucker for disco so perhaps there's a bit of bias with this assessment from me. Audiences from this year seemed to agree with me as it remains their biggest hit to date as well as it being one of the biggest hits of the decade for any artist.
#2 for 1979
36 weeks
Even as late as the end of the decade, we still had novelty songs like this charting here in Australia even if this one and only hit that Paul Evans had only appeared on the lower half of our charts. I guess there was still enough love for those comedic tracks that dominated the first half of the decade as it was coming to an end for this to be a success with us Aussies.
35 weeks
If you're not a fan of this track then fear not, neither were the presenters of Countdown back in the day as they hilariously referred to this song as "glad to be dead" whenever they found themselves talking about it. As much as I'd like to talk about Patrick Hernandez, the real story to be found here is that this song has backing vocals from the future queen of pop herself Madonna, technically making this her first chart topper in several countries.
#3 for 1979
This was the breakthrough single for Marty Rhone, a pop star who was all set to break through earlier in the decade before he was drafted into the Vietnam war much like fellow pop star Normie Rowe from the previous decade. When he was discharged from the army, Marty resumed his music career which was given a second wind thanks to Countdown promoting his music.
#5 for 1975
Well, here's a song that's become more popular than the film it was written for, this is mainly because this was the biggest hit of the decade over in America which should give you an idea of what type of music was making it big on Billboard in lieu of all the Australian artists I've featured on these lists so far. If you didn't already know, Debby is indeed the daughter of Pat Boone, a man who the less said about on this site the better.
#1 for 1978
You may recognise this woman as one third of the popular German trio the Silver convention who were scoring massive worldwide success from around this time, although in Australia this was the biggest hit any of the members were able to achieve likely due to how she screams throughout the track. I'll be honest, I crack myself laughing whenever I find myself listening to this track due to how random her screeching is.
#5 for 1976
Well, I hope you're ready for the influx of new entries from country artists on this list as they were the biggest casualties of Countdown when it comes to the show promoting local talent back in the day. At least this was a more mainstream success over in NZ for Billie Jo Spears given how this appeared on that side of my site.
This was one of several bands that Tony Burrows was a part of this decade, two others of note were Edison Lighthouse (of "Love grows" fame) and Brotherhood of man on their big hit "United we stand" from earlier in the decade. Here he is with his final hit worldwide which is a surf rock track that's clearly meant to be an homage to the Beach boys less than a decade after their last hit "Cottonfields."
#6 for 1975
It feels weird that this well-loved band on the internet had a shot at finding mainstream success here in Australia with this track back in the day considering how out of step it feels with the rest of the entries on this list. The Tubes did have one of their albums appear on the NZ side of my site, suggesting there was mainstream appeal for these guys in the southern hemisphere that sadly didn't come to be.
This was the last hit that the Brothers Gibb had before they had transitioned to disco, it's a good representation of their sound while they were a trio but before they were having us jam to their music on the dance floor.
#2 for 1974
34 weeks
For everyone who thought that David Hasselhoff was the original performer of this comedy track, allow me to present to you the original version from Ted Mulry gang who managed to achieve one of the biggest hits of the decade with a song that I'm sure many people found funny back in the day.
#7 for 1975
#6 for 1976
This was a massive success for the Dutch group who began the decade with their hit single "Little green bag," I have to admit that I'm not too surprised that this hasn't stood the test of time like many of the other entries we'll come to say as this list goes on.
#8 for 1975
#7 for 1976
This was originally a hit single for the Spanish group Los bravos back in the mid 60's, although over a decade later, this French trio turned the garage rock track into a disco track which allowed it to become twice as success worldwide as the original. This took its sweet time crossing over to Australia, presumably because we Aussies needed a bit of convincing to allow these girls to disco fy an older track.
#2 for 1978
This was the lead single to Abba's third album, admittedly it's one of my least favourite songs from the group as I feel the energy drops whenever they sing the song's title in the chorus. It's still far ahead of the competition in my books, however I can see this being a lightning for their haters to justify their dislike for them.
#9 for 1975
One of the more popular Australian bands to make it in the UK were these guys, specifically during the 80's where they managed to score a couple of hits over there despite their popularity dwindling out this decade. This was one of two big hits they had here, and indeed it was a hit that helped them gain international interest given how infectiously catchy it is and how it would fit into the UK music scene.
#1 for 1977
Harpo was a Swedish pop star who scored a massive hit with this track about how the love of his life happens to be a movie star, it was cheesy and allowed him to find an audience who would appreciate something that sounds like it could be from Abba's catalogue without actually being from the quartet. This was the only hit that he had which goes to show how much we loved Abba but not their contemporaries.
#8 for 1976
In a way, this song did see mainstream success here in Australia when Laura Branigan sung an English version of it five years after its initial release. I guess this song's major sleeper success here explains why Laura's version was so big down under and nowhere else in the world given how we Aussies almost allowed this Italian track to reach the upper echelons of our charts back in the day.
33 weeks
This is a song that works fine upon its initial release, but I feel becomes tiresome after repeated listens, I think it's because the yelping at the end of the second chorus feels unnecessary although that could just be a me problem. This was one of the biggest hits of the decade in Australia despite Bryan's band Roxy music failing to find any major success with one of their singles prior to him temporarily disbanding them to pursue his solo career.
#9 for 1976
#2 for 1977
For the second single in a row, Racey were able to top the Australian and NZ charts proving that there was still plenty of love for the rockabilly revival craze that people often forget is affiliated with the 70's. Their third single from their album was also a huge hit in Australia, however this would prove to be the end for the band as they haven't released any new material since.
#4 for 1979
This was the only noticeable hit that Rita Coolidge was able to achieve in her career, at least in Australia it was as she found further success in the UK and her native America with her subsequent follow ups. Many have complained that this is her watering down a Jackie Wilson track from the 60's for a more mainstream audience, I feel she does the original enough justice to warrant this covers existence.
#3 for 1977
Even though the big hit from Welcome to my nightmare in Alice's native America was "Only women," this was the big hit he had here in Australia proving that we Aussies were more interested in him being a rebel for the youth of the day rather than him speaking on behalf of women around the world about domestic violence. That said, Alice's softer side would eventually lead to him having his biggest hit here.
#10 for 1975
Ever wanted to hear what Mike Oldfield would sound like if he combined glam rock with disco in one of his instrumentals? Well, someone named Richard Hewson did just that as under the pseudonym the Rah band, he managed to marry the two genres together with to make a song bizarre enough to become a huge hit in his native UK as well as a sleeper success here in Australia.
We have a returning entry from my Countdown list, naturally this lead single from Foreigner's debut album was bound to make the cut here given how well received their performance of the track was on the show back in the day. Admittedly the album sales are why this failed to reach the upper echelons of our charts; however, it's remained a staple on oldies stations to this day for good reason.
You all thought that Kiki Dee was a one hit wonder with her duet with Elton John, didn't you? Well, what if I told you that not only did she have a second hit, but that second hit came out two years prior to her supposed big break with one of the biggest names in music of all time? This is that hit which is a pop ballad that took its sweet time in finding an audience here but was a modest success once it did.
#3 for 1974
32 weeks
People are divided on Grease to this day, on the one hand there's people who think it's a timeless classic complete with catchy as hell music and a compelling narrative (such as me) and on the other there's people who think it's an overrated mess filled with cliche storylines and awful characters. One thing audiences of the day could agree on is that this duet between its two leads was a masterpiece as it was a huge success for them worldwide.
#3 for 1978
Sweet were on a roll when they released their biggest hit in Australia this year, although it's worth noting that around the time this became a massive success here and in their native UK, their earlier hit "Ballroom blitz" had only just crossed over to America where it became a huge success on Billboard. This is another song that was huge back in the day to be fondly remembered today by oldies stations.
#11 for 1975
I really don't like it whenever I have to call out a sellout a band is doing for the worse, however this really applies to this track as Chicago went from one of the more progressive bands of the decade to what many will say is one of the worst bands of the 70's and 80's with this ballad. Simply put, this song is a bore and a half for most people to listen to (me included) due to how the melody is structured.
#10 for 1976
#4 for 1977
Well, this took its sweet time in finding success here in Australia, I'd like to tell you that it's because we Aussies knew better than to make Lionel Richie a household name back in the day but sadly the more likely reason is that we just weren't into RNB back in the day like the rest of the world was. Even so, this is a taste of what was to come from Lionel's solo career the following decade for better or worse.
#4 for 1978
#5 for 1979
Billy Shake AKA William Shakespeare was one of the few Australian singers to score a hit here during the first half of the decade, I guess his brand of glam rock couldn't be ignored here even without a popular TV program to promote his music. I guess if you wanted to hear something akin to Gary Glitter but find the man to be too problematic, this guy is your best bet as he never had any such controversies to his name.
#4 for 1974
Does this song remind anyone else of John Lennon's "Woman?" Something about the chord structure and vocal melodies on this one and only hit from husband-and-wife duo R&J Stone heavily reminds me of that track for some reason. If you want to know what happened to these two lovebirds, Joanne Stone tragically died of a brain tumour later in the decade which Robert never got over.
#11 for 1976
Oh, wow does Muhammad Ali deserve so much more than to have this song be affiliated with him. This was an obvious cash in from Johnny Wakelin who released this track months after the boxer scored a massive victory against the formerly undefeated George Foreman which incidentally had him compared to the comic book hero due to how much of an inspiration he was worldwide. If you can believe it, this guy scored a second hit in his home country with "In Zaire."
#12 for 1975
This was originally released three years prior to deafening silence for the husband-and-wife duo, in fact from what I can gather, this song only ever became a success here in Australia once we learned about Tina leaving Ike and making this a success in order to show our support for her getting away from her abusive husband. Since this became a surprise success for her this year, it's been adapted as a popular line dance here.
#12 for 1976
This was the only hit from Canadian singer Patsy Gallant, although considering she's the only Canadian artist to have a disco hit outside her homeland, I feel that this having any international success should speak volumes to how well loved it was back in the day. It starts of as a typical love ballad before transitioning into a more upbeat track, a common troupe that many of her contemporaries failed to capitalise on.
#5 for 1978
This was a different side to Rose Royce as they went from the happy go lucky "Car wash" to a more downbeat breakup ballad about how the love is gone and that this person should move on from them. It was a bit of a sleeper hit here in Australia likely due to the contrast of what had come before from the band, although nowadays people are likely more familiar with Madonna's version from 1996.
#6 for 1979
It's strange that I'm featuring a song from Shalamar on this side of my site that wasn't a hit over in NZ, although calling this a Shalamar track is misleading given how none of the three members who appeared on the single's cover or in promotional material had any involvement with the song's creation even if they went on to become what we know as the trio Shalamar.
Even in the early days of disco, there were plenty of British artists willing to cash in on the new trend including Polly Brown who had beaten the likes of Tina Charles and Kelly Marie to the punch with this jam of hers. It received some minor traction back in the day, although I get the feeling it was a bit too ahead of its time for audiences to truly appreciate.
31 weeks
Although this was a huge success in the band's native UK, it would up becoming even bigger here in Australia likely due to us Aussies loving the 50's throwback rock that was popular this decade more so than the Brits. Sadly, this was the lead single to their one and only album which despite being a huge success, didn't prompt the band to make a second album in their career.
#7 for 1979
This was the first solo hit that MJ had as an adult anywhere in the world (his first solo hit overall was with "Rocking robin" from earlier in the decade) it's also the first hit of his to feature Quincy Jones as his executive producer which resulted in some of his finest work both solo and with his family. Despite it clearly being a disco track, it still remains one of his more fondly remembered songs to this day.
#8 for 1979
#1 for 1980
It's strange to think that the biggest hit these guys had outside their native America would be the rare non disco track in their catalogue, I guess mainstream audiences always preferred sentimentality over dance floor bangers and admittedly these guys certainly had earned the right to make a breakup ballad at this point in their career.
#2 for 1980
This was the lead single to the Saturday night fever soundtrack, an album/soundtrack that showcases the Bee gees at their finest through their vocal harmonies as well as how catchy their disco production is. I never quite understood why there have been so many covers of this track in particular over the years, I would've thought that "Staying alive" or "Night fever" would be the song to be revisited over and over again from this album.
#6 for 1978
This wasn't Samantha Sang's first song to chart in Australia, she had attempted to have a pop career a decade prior under her real name Cheryl Gray to no avail likely due to her being a child singer during a time where we Aussies were into psychedelia and protest music. She was given a second chance at a career with this ballad written by the Brothers Gibb which took off for her not just locally but internationally as well.
#7 for 1978
This was the only notable success for the Spanish duo Baccara, mainly due to their unique vocals as well as the groovy disco beat which helped it stand out from many of their contemporaries this decade. There was little surprise this would be a hit in Australia given how inescapable it was in the UK, although I get the feeling this still would've been a hit here regardless because of how bit it was throughout Europe.
#8 for 1978
You'd think these guys would be a French band given how their biggest hit was a song from the French genre chanson, you'd be wrong as these guys were based in America and only saw success throughout Europe due to how catchy this update of a 50's chanson track was throughout this decade. They did eventually score a hit on Billboard with "Boy from New York," I'm guessing to pander to American culture.
#5 for 1977
Well, I finally managed to feature a song from Kiss that's more in line with what their fanbase wants rather than their supposed sellout period from the turn of the 70's/80's, although this only took off here in Australia due to their live album which helped the song skyrocket up our charts after months of being trapped in obscurity from its initial release.
It only seems fitting that I finally include the big hit that Uriah heep had in NZ on this side of my site as it did stick around for quite some time in the lower half of our charts back in the day. I guess we Aussies didn't have as much love for this track as fellow rock opera tracks from the likes of Meat Loaf and ELO but appreciated it enough to not completely ignore it either.
30 weeks
This might be a bit of an anomaly for my American readers as this was never released as a single over there for some reason, for everyone else this remains the biggest hit from Wings which seems fitting as it's a song that honours Paul's Scottish heritage more than anything else he's ever released.
#6 for 1977
#9 for 1978
Often considered to be one of the greatest songs of all time (rightfully so in my opinion) this nearly six-minute rock opera initially struggled to find an audience due to its crushing length on the radio as well as record executives finding it too silly to be pushed as a single. Needless to say, the general public disagreed with those assessments.
#13 for 1976
So, does any of my readers know what a bogan is? If you don't, it's basically what we Australian refer to as a redneck which in turn is someone who lives in a rural area that's highly out of touch with mainstream society (to put it mildly.) Comedian Bob Hudson decided to make a song about this type of person which he included on his comedy album which became a surprise hit for him in Australia and NZ.
#13 for 1975
This is the biggest hit that Rod Stewart had over in America, although it's worth noting that regardless of what his biggest hit was in each country that he was one of the biggest names in music throughout the decade worldwide. To give you context, he released at least one mega hit every year for four consecutive years.
#14 for 1976
This was the lead single to what is often considered to be one of the greatest albums of all time Bat out of hell (no arguments here) so it may surprise you to learn that it was a massive flop in Meat Loaf's native America and only became a success here in Australia due to it being promoted by Countdown. The album did eventually take off on Billboard when the third single became a hit for him there.
#10 for 1978
This was initially a flop for Tina Charles in Australia, that's a bit strange because she already had success with "I love to love" and with her band 5000 volts prior to this being released as a single. It was fortunately given a second chance here following the international success of its follow up "Dr love" which also needed a second chance in order to find an audience here due to this being promoted when that was released.
#7 for 1977
The second half of the decade was a massive success for Hot chocolate who saw tons of worldwide success with their blend of RNB and disco, in fact they even became the multicultural band of choice in America over Kool and the gang who didn't score another hit on Billboard until the early 80's. Indeed, these guys also continued to see success well into the 80's, albeit mainly in their native UK.
#8 for 1977
It appears that Mike Oldfield managed to achieve a third hit throughout his career here in Australia with this instrumental, although it appears we Aussies were a bit turned off by his medieval influences on the track as opposed to his fellow Brits who allowed this to be a mainstream success in his homeland.
This is the closest we'll get to having the Dolly Parton classic on my site as her version unfortunately never charted here in Australia like it did in her native America, I guess we Aussies caught wind of Livie's cover she initially released exclusively in Japan as it became a huge sleeper hit for her two years after its release over there. After this, she would appear in Grease which would overhaul the direction her music career from here on out.
I guess we Aussies were familiar with this breakthrough single from Queen after all given how long it lingered in our charts back in the day, indeed you can make the argument these guys were among the first to be negatively affected by Countdown considering how successful this was internationally for the iconic band.
29 weeks
This is widely considered to be Sherbet's signature tune and rightfully so, it's by far their most mature work as they incorporate cricket metaphors in order to describe the infidelity of their partner in this song. Sadly, the rest of their catalogue wasn't nearly this ambitious as it was mainly used to appeal to teenage girls.
#15 for 1976
This was the third hit single to come out of Abba's self-titled album, although technically this was the second song released from the album as "Mamma Mia" was released very early in Australia likely due to how much we Aussies loved that track. This likely resulted in the Swedish quartet's complete monopoly on our charts during the midpoint of the decade, although thankfully for their nonfans, this monopoly didn't last that long.
#14 for 1975
#16 for 1976
Several years after David Cassidy's popularity dwindled out in the music scene, his younger brother Shaun Cassidy stepped in and was able to achieve massive success along the likes of other conventionally attractive young men who didn't necessarily have the best vocals of their generation. Shaun's popularity peaked here with his rendition of an Eric Carmen staple.
#9 for 1977
This was the only noticeable hit for Max Merritt and the Meteors both in Australia and their native NZ, although it's worth noting that they did make a splash here at the start of the decade with their self-titled album. I'm not sure why this managed to be a success other than maybe the band performing it on Countdown and getting a huge reaction out of it.
#17 for 1976
There weren't a lot of RNB groups to make it big in Australia back in the day, one of the lucky few who did was the Stylistics who scored a massive hit with this RNB ballad due to how inescapable it was throughout the rest of the world. Like many RNB groups of the day, they had more success over in NZ even during the second half of the decade, giving you an idea of how much they loved RNB.
#5 for 1974
Following the success of their Billboard chart topper "TSOP" with MFSB, this RNB girl group managed to score a massive hit worldwide with this ballad which seemed to confirm them as the hottest new act of the moment. Heck this was a huge hit when Countdown launched, so it's obvious even we Aussies were interested in what these girls had to offer for a while. Alas their popularity died out even in their native America after this.
#15 for 1975
I always thought that the lyrics to this classic were "play that f**king music," I guess it goes to show you show closely I'm paying attention to lyrics whenever I hear songs on the radio casually. Named after a box of cough drops, these guys score a massive hit with their autobiographical song about how they came to record music predominantly made by musicians of colour only to score massive success with the tale.
#18 for 1976
#10 for 1977
This was one of the more popular disco tracks to emerge from this decade, it comes to us courtesy of this family group who obviously wanted to become the new Jackson 5 (or I guess Jackson nine in this case) with this upbeat song about shaking your groove thing. Unfortunately, this was their only hit even in their native America as other disco acts came in to replace them on the dance floors.
#19 for 1976
This was the only notable success for Scottish singer/songwriter Frankie Miller, although I'm not sure how he made it big with this ballad considering it wasn't a huge hit for him in his native UK. I guess this was a hit here due to the ballad striking a chord with audiences who were beginning to grow tired of Rod Stewart's usual fare, although this didn't lead to Frankie having any more success of his own.
#9 for 1979
I did mention on the NZ side of this site that this was a modest success here in Australia back in the day, again we have an instrumental track on this list that was largely pushed aside in favour of all the music that Countdown was promoting which makes this song's absence on this side of my site rather noteworthy. At least you can still hear this on oldies stations to this day, that and Robin Thicke's sample of it was a success here.
This was the big hit from Australian glam rock band Supernaut who managed to take the Countdown scene by storm with their brand of glam rock right when the genre was beginning to die down in the mainstream. Indeed, had they had broken through just a little bit earlier in the decade, they likely would've been on the same level as some of the big international stars from the genre such as Sweet and Suzi Quatro.
#20 for 1976
It's hard to say if we Aussies considered this a guilty pleasure back in the day or if it was largely pushed aside due to what was popular on Countdown given how long it charted for, both evaluations of this song's sleeper success here are valid as it's almost identical to their other big hit this decade "That's the way I like it" even though that didn't prevent this from being a mainstream success worldwide.
Well, this was certainly a surprise hit for the Carpenters, who'd thought they would even attempt to cash in on the science fiction craze of the 70's? They did which resulted in them scoring one more hit in Australia as well as in the UK several years after their popularity died out in both countries.
#11 for 1978
We're really ploughing through these entries from the midpoint of the decade that appeared on the NZ side of my site, aren't we? Here we have the second and final hit that Bill and Boyd had which was indeed a sleeper success here in Australia following the success of their charity single from the year prior. I guess their fellow kiwis were more interested in this novelty ballad over their tribute to the victims of cyclone Tracy.
This guy was one of the biggest names in music throughout the 60's, so I guess he was able to achieve a huge comeback hit this decade along the likes of Perry Como and Bobby Vinton.
#16 for 1975
Even though this was a massive success in NZ, I'm willing to bet its sleeper success here in Australia was due to Rod Stewart performing it on Countdown given how (as far as I can tell) it was the only song of his that he performed on the show throughout its thirteen-year run.
We have another country legend who likely would've seen more success here in Australia had he not had the misfortune to break through when Countdown was launched, this time it's Cal Smith who was riding off the success that John Denver had with this ballad that connected with us Aussies albeit without the endorsement of Countdown given its failure to appear in the upper echelons of our charts.
28 weeks
Although it's become a staple for the decade in Australian music, you may be surprised to learn that "Living in the 70's" was a flop for Skyhooks despite it being one of the first songs to be promoted on Countdown on the show's inception. Fortunately, the second single from the album of the same name was a massive hit for the band, likely due to them referring to the 6:30 news as a horror movie.
#17 for 1975
This was the breakthrough single for one of the most prominent disco artists to emerge from this decade, although unlike many of their contemporaries, these guys would be eventually revealed to be a queer band as people noticed how intentionally campy their antics were compared to other disco acts of the day. This has helped them retain a loyal fanbase to this day as opposed to their contemporaries.
#12 for 1978
I'm a bit surprised that these guys weren't more successful back in the day, mainly because of how well remembered their catalogue is as well as them being persistent on oldies stations. This was their first major hit in Australia due to it being a throwback track to the glory days of surf rock, and indeed this led to them having huge success here throughout the second half of the decade.
#18 for 1975
This was where it all began for one of the more critically divided bands of the twentieth century, although you'll notice that these guys didn't have much success outside of Australia until the start of the 80's where they randomly began scoring massive hits on Billboard with their soft rock ballads. Indeed, their biggest hit down under was their first song which didn't find a lot of success internationally.
#21 for 1976
#11 for 1977
This was the only success that the British band Sailor were able to achieve outside their native UK, I'm guessing this was a success due to glam still being popular this year despite it being more in line with what would eventually become new wave in the 80's. True to their band name, these guys did in fact have a gimmick of being a band of sailors who played for their ships captain.
#22 for 1976
One of the more critically acclaimed Australian films of all time is Picnic at hanging rock, it's a film about the disappearance of a group of teenage girls set in the early 1900's that's based on a book written in the late 60's. The film is known for its score which was so popular that it became a huge hit for its composer Nolan Buddle.
#23 for 1976
#12 for 1977
This likely wouldn't have been a hit here in Australia were it not for a memorable performance that Judie Tzuke gave on Countdown with this song, it was a huge hit in her native UK but there were plenty of hits from British artists over there that failed to see crossover success over the years. Sadly, this was her only hit anywhere in the world, likely due to it being another ballad from a female singer.
#13 for 1980
Well, here's a man that seemed to embody the essence of sex drugs rock and roll, we have his only hit in his career which became as due to how sexually provocative he comes off during its runtime. This was a sleeper hit here in Australia, I'm guessing because this was around the time where Rod Stewart was being sexually provocative with his earlier entry on this list.
#10 for 1979
Apparently, there was a film called Car wash released around the time this became a massive success for Rose Royce worldwide, evidently no one saw the film which is perhaps why this failed to score an Oscar nomination for best original song at the academy awards around this time. Nowadays it's seen as the perfect song to play whenever you're visiting a Car wash, making it more legendary than before.
#13 for 1977
I feel that this instrumental belongs in a horror movie, either that or people really wanted to hear ice cream music on the radio back in the day. This was Frank Mills only hit even in his native Canada, although from what I can gather it was originally recorded five years prior to when it became a hit.
#11 for 1979
This was the only hit that Gladys Knight and the Pips scored in Australia, although Gladys did appear on Dionne Warwick's charity single "That's what friends are for" from nearly a decade later so she's technically a two-hit wonder here. Even so, this is a far cry from her success she had on Billboard with her rich vocals and smooth RNB melodies provided by her band the Pips.
#14 for 1977
This was originally released four years prior to deafening silence, I'm guessing because no one wanted to hear a song from the bassist of Deep Purple sound like he was a part of the hippy culture of the late 60's. At some point throughout the decade, it was given an animated music video which allowed it to become a surprise hit in Australia this year, the animation is of course terrible even by 70's standards.
#13 for 1978
Evidently this was a charity single meant for World children's day (remember when that was a thing?) we have this song from a bunch of British studio musicians becoming a sleeper hit here due to people wanting to do something for the children of the day.
#12 for 1979
Following the success of "Magic man," Heart released their second album and its lead single here in Australia which may not have had the instant success of that song, but regardless stuck around for quite a bit proving how much love we Aussies had for the Canadian/American band upon their initial breakthrough. Naturally the best wouldn't come for them for another decade, but they had a strong start regardless.
Well, I guess Kermit's solo success here in Australia had to come from somewhere, although it is interesting that the theme song to the Muppet show was only a sleeper success here in Australia given how it was released at a time where TV themes usually did quite well (even if sometimes it was through an inferior cover from a local artist.)
Even though Doug Ashdown is an Australian folk singer, this curiously found international success before it began to chart two years after its initial release here, suggesting that Countdown had a huge hand in preventing him from dominating our charts like so many of his peers did from the first half of the decade.
This was the first hit that the Glitter band managed to achieve once they had established themselves as the hottest new name in their native UK due to of course being the backing band for Gary Glitter, it's a glam rock track much likes the rest of their and their troubled frontman's catalogue which of course was guaranteed success here in Australia this year as well.
#6 for 1974
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