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.
27 weeks
This was one of only three hit singles that Andy Gibb was able to score in Australia throughout his lifetime, it's a shame because while he wasn't as much of a musical genius as his older brothers, he did have the same energy and charisma as the Bee gees to sustain a long and prosperous career had the trends not turned against them all.
#15 for 1977
There was so much hype going into this band that they were even dubbed as the new Beatles (given that there were four of them who played rock and roll music like the fab four ten years prior.) Despite this being a massive success worldwide for the band, said success sadly didn't translate to a second hit for them, although the album this was pulled from was indeed a huge success here in Australia.
#13 for 1979
Ever felt that the Carpenters were too wholesome for you? If so, may I present you the Captain and Tennille who do away with the wholesomeness from the brother and sister duo in favour of this husband-and-wife duo who seem to be aiming for a more middle of the road crowd with their breakthrough single. I always found Toni Tennille to be the equivalent of Karen Carpenter if Karen let herself loose in the studio.
#19 for 1975
Even though she made a huge splash with this disco rendition of an old Eddie Floyd track, Amii has gone on record saying that she was never a fan of disco and would've preferred it if she had made easy listening ballads during the height of her popularity. Naturally the world disagrees with that sentiment as she makes for a great vocalist for the dance floor and even had this rechart in the UK during the height of Live aid.
#14 for 1979
This was another successful ballad to come out of Rod Stewart this decade, one that I'm pretty sure led to a rather nasty rumour about him concerning sailors that I won't bother repeating on this entry.
#20 for 1975
#24 for 1976
One of the biggest names in country music to never achieve much commercial success is Tanya Tucker, around this time, she was the Leann Rimes of her generation as she was looking to break into the country market in her native America with ballads such as this one that became a success for Australian singer Judy Stone who had a career of covering songs from international artists for Australian audiences.
#7 for 1974
This was the only noticeable success that David Dundas (sorry Lord David Dundas as he does have an official title) achieved in his music career, although he did score a minor hit here in Australia with "Another funny honeymoon" which means there was some appeal to this guy's music outside of this ad jungle for a jean commercial. Oh yeah, this was written specifically as an ad jingle, hence why it sounds like one.
#25 for 1976
#16 for 1977
So, Gene Pitney was able to score a massive hit single this year huh? I guess if Perry Como and Telly Savalas were able to find success during the midpoint of the decade throughout the world, I don't see the harm in this guy doing so only a mere decade after his last hit single "I'm gonna be strong."
#21 for 1975
These guys were already a household name by the time Countdown launched the previous year, although they saw their popularity grow even further from their debut album when this cover of an obscure 50's track became a huge success for them likely due to the glam rock phase still being as strong as ever this year. Sadly, their popularity would dwindle once their next single "Glad all over" dropped off the charts.
#22 for 1975
This isn't among my favourite tracks from Fleetwood Mac, granted it's certainly a departure from their previous sound as this feels more in line with a prog track as opposed to their usual folk rock but something about the marching beat just doesn't sit right with me. I'm obviously in the minority as this remains their biggest hit in their catalogue outside of America (where "Dreams" has that honour) and is still well loved to this day.
#15 for 1979
#14 for 1980
This was the last major hit that Smokie had in most parts of the world, likely due to Chris Norman branching out after this to pursue a solo career that only got as far as duetting with Suzi Quatro on "Stumbling in." It appears we Aussies in particular found that to be in poor taste as though that was a hit here, he and his band never had any success after the fact.
#14 for 1978
Although "You make me feel like dancing" is often regarded as the big hit from Leo Sayer's third album, it was actually this ballad that proved to be his biggest hit this decade and would've been his biggest hit overall were it not for his cover of "More than I can say" from the start of the following decade. Indeed, Leo's biggest hits are his ballads and not his more upbeat tracks.
#17 for 1977
There was no shortage of underage performers who made it big in the 70's, our latest entry comes from the Moir sisters who were a family trio of young women who scored their one and only hit with a song they wrote. I guess the fact they wrote this did put them on a higher league than the likes of the Osmonds and the teen idols from the second half of the decade, although they sadly remain a one hit wonder regardless.
#8 for 1974
Following the success of MJ's earlier entry, this track from two years prior became a surprise success for his family band likely due to him being a welcome presence on our charts that he apparently wasn't upon this track's initial release. I don't even know why this song flopped in Australia initially as MJ didn't seem to have any problems with finding success with his album Off the wall when it came out.
#16 for 1980
While this wasn't the first big hit that Kenny Rogers had here in Australia, this was the song which seemed to convince us and most of Europe that he was the real deal in country music which is odd because this wasn't among his bigger hits in his native America. In any case, he was able to make a huge splash with this ballad that cause his career to explode going into the new decade.
#18 for 1977
Sweet were on a roll when they released this cover of a rockabilly track from the early 60's, after all glam rock was at the height of its popularity this year no thanks to Countdown promoting the genre on TV over the likes of all the easy listening that these guys had to compete with during the first half of the decade.
#9 for 1974
#23 for 1975
This was meant as a commentary of how older artists were able to find success many years after their initial popularity died out in the music industry, yes you can also interpret the lyrics to be literal which is about a person who is coasting off on their laurels from their past achievements. Yeah, there's no other way to interpret this track, John is clearly annoyed by how older artists were making it big over younger talent.
#24 for 1975
This is another entry from the sub-genre I've dubbed as late-night rock, this is the type of rock music I picture myself listening to whenever I'm at a cocktail bar at two in the morning drowning my sorrows away. I guess this is my way of saying this is something you'd expect at a jazz bar, which I feel was what the band was going for with their one and only hit about a hot summer night.
#16 for 1979
Well, it appears that Keith Potger learned his lesson and finally put the New seekers out of their misery this year, he even reformed his original band albeit with the notable absence of Judith Durham who wouldn't rejoin the band until the early 90's. Instead, the band went with Louisa Wisseling as the lead vocalist who managed to help them score a massive hit with this ballad for the band.
#25 for 1975
Much like her earlier entry on this list, this was initially a bomb in Australia for Tina Charles, likely due to the sudden rise in popularity of "Dance little lady dance" which prevented this from becoming a success upon its initial release here. This proved to be her final hit worldwide likely due to audiences finding her voice to be overbearing for a genre that was defined by stripped back vocals.
#19 for 1977
Wow was Suzi seeing diminishing returns in the mainstream worldwide as the decade went on, to think this woman was briefly the most successful in the rock scene with her first two albums both here and throughout Europe. Here she scores a hit with a song that's much softer than the glam rock that made her a household name earlier in the decade, although it did lead to her having a revival period.
#15 for 1978
This was the only hit that country legend Crystal Gayle was able to achieve in Australia, although it was more of a sleeper hit here so perhaps it was less a hit and more something that just stuck around long enough to qualify for this list.
#16 for 1978
This was the second hit that Supercharge had here in Australia, and just like their biggest hit from the previous year, this was also a flop everywhere in the world except for Australia likely due to a possible performance these guys gave on Countdown back in the day. This would be their final hit as they would break up due to the lack of success they had in their homeland not long after this.
#17 for 1978
Apparently when it came time to promote John Paul Young to an international audience, his label went with an album track from his second album rather than one of the big hits he had earlier in the decade here. This was that song they went with which became a hit for him two years after it appeared on the album, it led to the success of his earlier entry on this list worldwide, so I guess that's something.
#18 for 1978
You'd think that "Spend the night" would be the big hit that Cheetah had in their career considering how well loved that track remains to this day, alas this was their big hit here which admittedly is in the same ballpark as their signature tune so it's not like they were unfairly ignored back in the day. I don't know why these two women didn't have another hit, but it led to them calling it quits in 1982.
#19 for 1978
I guess Roxy music was able to achieve some success here in Australia after all as their final single they released before they went on hiatus for Bryan Ferry's solo career managed to be a massive sleeper hit for them here in Australia, although I get the feeling this was merely a warm up to what Bryan had to offer over the next two years given how this feels more like a solo project from him.
We looked at "Whodunit" on the NZ side of this site, time to look at the big hit that Tavares achieved internationally back in the day which the kiwis for some reason ignored even though they were clearly aware of what these guys had to offer. We Aussies also ignored these guys for the most part, however we had the excuse of this not fitting in with what Bay city rollers, Sherbet and Abba had to offer.
26 weeks
This was the second and final hit that Paper lace managed to achieve in most parts of the world, it's a biographical song about Al Capone which is full of historical inaccuracies which obviously didn't prevent the song from becoming a huge success upon its initial release. They did achieve a third hit in certain parts of the world with "Black eyed boy," however that would be the last anyone would hear from them.
#10 for 1974
Most people will likely be more familiar with Madonna's rendition from the theatrical version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita; however, it was originally a hit for Julie Covington when the story was little more than a concept album where it became one of the biggest hits of the decade for her. She made the strange decision to not appear on the stage version of the album, being replaced with Elaine Paige instead.
#20 for 1977
This was one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia, it's the first of only two hits that Easybeats frontman Stevie Wright had several years after the demise of said band and a song that promised him a long and prosperous solo career that didn't end up happening once Countdown launched later in the year. At least the song's legacy remains as strong as ever due to a cover from 2005 made for charity.
#11 for 1974
Although these guys had massive success in their native America throughout the second half of the decade, it does pain me to report that this was their only success here in Australia as even the Brits and kiwis gave them more success with their other singles than we Aussies did. At least this disco classic was a huge success for them, and hey lead singer Nile Rodgers did become an in-demand producer after this.
#17 for 1979
This guy had been active in the music industry for almost two decades before he finally saw massive success with this ballad, I'm guessing this was due to him singing the second verse in Spanish to help appeal to those who find the language to be the embodiment of sexy. I have to say that this is another vocalist whose voice I never really cared for, I just find it too pitchy on his biggest hits.
#26 for 1975
So, we've all seen Star Wars, right? Apparently Meco had seen it over forty times back in the day and loved it so much that he decided to make a disco rendition of the opening title sequence. Here he didn't just remix the original track, instead he got an orchestra to rearrange the melody to fit in with the disco trends that were emerging this decade which resulted in it being a huge success for him.
#21 for 1977
#20 for 1978
If this sounds like a KC and the Sunshine band song to you, you're not far off as it was written by Harry Casey who was the lead singer of the disco band. This was George McCrae's only hit worldwide likely due to it arriving a little too early to the disco bandwagon to be seen as anything more than a novelty at the time, if it had of come out even a year later then he probably would've had a ton more success.
#12 for 1974
This was the only notable hit from Belgian pop star Plastic Bertrand, although admittedly the fact that this is in French should tell you why he wasn't able to find more success in an English-speaking market. I'm guessing this had crossover appeal due to how happy he clearly is throughout the track, granted many people (me included) find his energy to be rather annoying, but it clearly isn't the case for everyone.
#21 for 1978
#18 for 1979
This was originally released three years prior to deafening silence for Roger Whittaker, likely due to audiences not being interested in having yet another singer/songwriter to join the ranks of Don McLean and Cat Stevens in our mainstream. The song was given a second chance during the midpoint of the decade due to it becoming a surprise hit for him in his native UK for reasons I can't seem to ascertain.
#27 for 1975
Well, if you wanted to hear Diana Ross cover this Burt Bacharach classic, then this is your best option as Marcia Hines has been regularly described as the Australian equivalent of Diana Ross (despite Marcia herself being from America originally.) This proved to be a massive success for her, and no doubt led to the success of her second album which this served as the lead single for.
#26 for 1976
This was originally released as the B-side to "I do I do I do I do I do" the previous year, however it became such a fan favourite from the album that it was given its own release here in Australia and eventually in NZ where it became one of the biggest hits of the year down under. This should give you an idea as to how inescapable Abba was back in the day if a B-side could be one of the biggest hits of a year.
#27 for 1976
I guess if Countdown hadn't of taken over the Australian scene, then this country legend would've had more success here throughout the 70's, as is it was his only hit here likely due to it being a huge hit on the Billboard country charts at the time. He continued charting on the Billboard country charts well into the 80's, proving he was a household name in the Nashville music scene.
#13 for 1974
Although this would eventually be a bigger hit for the English duo the communards a full decade after its initial release, this was originally a hit for Thelma Houston (no relation to Whitney) who scored a massive hit with this disco classic before forever fading into obscurity. I'm guessing the rest of her catalogue wasn't nearly as much fun as this track, or at the very least wasn't as catchy.
#22 for 1977
The last time Cliff Richard had any success here in Australia was with his Eurovision track "Congratulations" from eight years prior, so to see him back in the spotlight with this track was a bit of a surprise to say the least. The real surprise came when this became a surprise hit in America, making this his first hit single on the Billboard charts.
#28 for 1976
This wasn't the only version of the Everly Brothers track to make it big in Australia this year as Scottish band Nazareth also managed to score a hit with their version from two years prior (stay tuned for it.) I guess this was the only hit that Jim Capaldi managed to achieve even in his native UK.
#29 for 1976
Shortly before she became one of the more popular female artists of the decade worldwide, Tina Charles began her career as one third of the British disco trio 5000 volts who scored a massive hit with this track about burning up for the love of their lives. Nowadays there's a more popular track with this title from Bruce Springsteen which has a very different premise to this track from the disco trio.
#30 for 1976
We looked at the Jim Capaldi version of this Everly brothers track earlier on this list, now let's look at the version that is trying to copy which was originally released two years prior to deafening silence for the Scottish band Nazareth. I'm guessing this was given a second wind due to it becoming a surprise hit for them over on Billboard, either that or there was a competition to see which one of these songs were better.
#31 for 1976
Unlike in NZ where this was a genuine hit for Elvis Presley upon its initial release only to then extend its popularity after he died, this was only a minor hit for the king of rock and roll here in Australia and only became a massive success for him once he tragically passed away six months after its initial release. For the sake of his legacy, I only ranked this based on its initial run to showcase how well it did during his lifetime.
This song feels a little low on this list, this is because it had some of its success stolen here in Australia by a local band known as Peaches who also covered this ballad from the Righteous brothers. Clout was an all-girl group from South Africa who saw massive international success with this ballad, presumably due to their interpretation of the lyrics which are about them being a substitute for the listener's current partner.
#22 for 1978
Well, here's that surprise hit in America I mentioned at the start of this list; indeed, my American readers will think these guys are a one hit wonder due to this being their only appearance on the Billboard charts back in the day despite their earlier entry being their big hit internationally. Again, we have a song that's the embodiment of happiness which is how it was able to stand out back in the day.
#28 for 1975
This was the first of two hits that the Silver convention were able to score worldwide this year, although we won't be looking at their other hit as "Get up and boogie" wasn't that big of a success here in Australia. Both songs had a combine total of twelve words to them, meaning that these ladies weren't known for their complex songwriting and were just meant to be listened to on the dance floors.
#32 for 1976
This was the debut single for Mental as anything, it's a pub rock track that I'm surprised wasn't an even bigger hit upon its initial release considering how often you can still hear it on the oldie's stations to this day. They would have massive success throughout the 80's as they became quirkier both with their sound and their onstage antics, however this was a good introduction to the band.
#19 for 1979
This is another song that was a huge success in NZ that was also a sleeper hit here in Australia, this time it's the breakthrough hit from Yvonne Elliman who was unable to have us Aussies shaking our groove things the way that Tina Charles and Donna Summer could when this first came out. Still, it did linger on our charts for quite some time, hence why it managed to appear on this list.
Although their earlier entries were the first international success these guys had (particularly in their native America) it was this song that first broke them through here in Australia likely due to their campy onstage persona. Even though homosexuality was illegal in Australia as recently as the early 90's, it was clear that it was only enforced by a select few people given how popular queer music was.
#23 for 1978
There was a popular trend during the first half of the decade where there would be English translations of popular foreign language songs, such was the case for this breakthrough single from Gilbert Becaud who saw massive success throughout Europe with the original French version and scored a huge sleeper hit here in Australia two years after he conquered the European charts with the original.
This was another big hit that appeared on the NZ side of my site that was only a sleeper success here in Australia, again we Aussies passed this up for the most part in favour of whatever Countdown had determined to be the in thing of the moment despite its massive international appeal at the time. Admittedly it could also be the fact it was yet another soft rock ballad during the height of that genre's popularity.
It took us a while, but we Aussies eventually allowed this ballad about a dead dog to become a success here in Australia following its massive popularity over in NZ and Henry's native America. I'd be remiss not to include the infamous rant that Casey Kasem made about this song which likely boosted this song's popularity with us Aussies (which I'll include here.)
This was the final taste of success that Status quo had here in Australia throughout their career, it's interesting their popularity ended right as the decade was coming to an end given how their popularity in their native UK would last for well over a decade after this fell off the charts here. Admittedly this is another entry on this list that I'm surprised wasn't a mainstream success here given its rotation on oldies stations.
This was a short-lived covers band from Australia who scored two hits during the first half of the decade with cover songs, this one being of the Merry Clayton track that's best known nowadays for Cher's rendition for her film Mermaids. These guys likely would've had more success here had they stuck around once Countdown launched, alas they called it quits mere months after the show premiered.
#14 for 1974
25 weeks
These guys were a two-hit wonder everywhere in the world except for America where this failed to become a hit for them, this was due to a cover from Bo Donaldson and the Heywood's charting over there instead of this version likely due to the American band being a better fit for these lyrics about a foolish young soldier who loses his life in a war despite being warned against it.
#15 for 1974
This was for the longest time the signature track from Abba as this was their only Billboard chart topper during their run throughout the 70's and 80's. It's easy to see why this was their biggest hit in America as it perfectly demonstrates the joyous and upbeat nature of their discography that continues to captivate audiences to this day.
#33 for 1976
This is one of the less well remembered songs to become a massive success in Australia back in the day, even so it's easy to see how this was a big hit here given how joyous and happy the song is. Pilot did score a second hit with "Magic" which became a surprise hit for them in America of all places.
#29 for 1975
Well, this is a queer anthem if I've ever heard one, heck I feel this was more obvious at the time considering how many queer folks found themselves needing to us a YMCA for one reason or another. Here the Village people promote the homeless shelter chain which resulted in it becoming their signature track in a discography filled with tracks to resonate with the LGBT community.
#24 for 1978
#20 for 1979
Well, here's a song that had novelty written all over it and yet it managed to endure the test of time regardless, here's the breakthrough single for Mi-sex who were a NZ band looking to make it big in Australia so that they could take said success back home to their homeland. They struck big with this track given how the videogame industry had taken the world by storm by the time they released this as a single.
#21 for 1979
#24 for 1980
Want to know something strange about this track? It was written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, two names you'll be very familiar with if you're a fan of the glam rock from earlier in the decade. Here they allow American band Exile to have a massive hit with this soft rock track that now that I think about it, has lyrics that are begging to be performed with bombast but aren't on here.
#25 for 1978
#22 for 1979
One of the most popular bands of the decade has to be the Bay city rollers, although admittedly their popularity here in Australia was even briefer than that of Abba and Sherbet who at least stuck around for most of the decade. Here we have the first big hit from the Scottish band which remains popular to this day due to the lyrics being a good way of ending a bad relationship with someone.
#30 for 1975
This was a cover of a novelty song from the 60's from a duo by the name of Paul and Paula, I'm guessing this was done as a joke given how this cover is from TV host Ernie Sigley and comedian Denise "Ding dong" Drysdale only a decade after the original track. It proved to be an even bigger his than the original here in Australia likely due to the star power on display.
#16 for 1974
#31 for 1975
Well, this is a song that's gone down in infamy, mainly for the lyrics which suggests that Paul Anka's girlfriend (played by Odia Coates in this song) is having his baby purely for his benefit and not for hers. I get that this song was supposed to be a celebration of starting a family, but I can absolutely see how it's gone down in infamy as being one of the worst songs of all time.
#17 for 1974
This is a two-way entry for Boz Scaggs as "Lido shuffle" was always the lead single to his magnum opus Silk degrees, for reasons I can never understood, it only became a hit here in Australia when it was bundled with the second single from the album "What can I say" which allowed both songs to be a huge success together as well as the album itself finally getting off the ground here.
#23 for 1977
Glen Campbell had an impressive run on the Australian charts during the first half of the decade, indeed this was his biggest hit here despite this not being a hit in his native America. His popularity would die out here the following year when he sold out to become as he puts it "a rhinestone cowboy" which ironically is where his popularity skyrocketed in his homeland.
#18 for 1974
This was the second and final hit that Lieutenant pigeon scored in Australia, it was one more hit they had here compared to the rest of the world where they remain a one hit wonder with "Mouldy old dough" from two years prior. They were an instrumental band whose key member was a woman who was in her fifties due to her being the mother of the lead instrumentalist.
#19 for 1974
Sweet's popularity seemed to be bigger than ever when they released this track from their album Strung up, so to see them see diminishing returns as the decade went on was a bit of a surprise given how inescapable they were this year. I'm guessing this was due to glam rock being at the peak of its popularity and that they were among the most popular bands to come from the genre.
#32 for 1975
One of the more quintessential disco tracks to come out of the decade, we have this trio (who weren't an actual family funnily enough) scoring their one and only hit worldwide with a disco track which led to their album being a huge commercial success for them. I'm not sure why these women didn't have more success with their subsequent material other than perhaps due to them not being huge in their native America.
#34 for 1976
#24 for 1977
Thought that David Soul was a one hit wonder with "Don't give up on us?" Well, he might have been in his native America, however he scored two more big hits internationally with this being the third and final hit he achieved in his career. I'm guessing he returned to his day job of acting once the hits dried up for him.
#25 for 1977
#26 for 1978
This was the only notable hit that Dan Hill had outside his native Canada, although it's worth noting that this was a huge hit in his homeland which generally isn't the case for many Canadian artists who make it big internationally. My Aussie readers will perhaps be more familiar with the dance version of this ballad from the 90's as that proved to be more successful here than this ballad, however this was a huge deal back in the day as well.
#27 for 1978
This was originally a Bob Dylan track from over ten years prior, so to see Graham Bonnet score a massive hit with this cover albeit only in Australia and NZ was a bit of a surprise for audiences back in the day. Speaking of Graham, you're likely wondering how he was able to score two big hits in the southern hemisphere and not anywhere else in the world. It turns out he was based in Australia for a little while before joining Rainbow later in the decade.
#26 for 1977
We have another successful soft rock track from Dr Hook to become a hit during the second half of the decade, although admittedly this was one of the last hit singles that they were able to have in Australia despite their growing popularity internationally, likely because they were already a huge deal with their earlier ballads.
#28 for 1978
#23 for 1979
You'd be forgiven into thinking this was the lead single to ELO's disco album Discography, you'd be wrong as that honour goes to "Shine a little love" which was only a modest success here likely due to us Aussies needing some convincing to allow these guys to have success in the disco genre. That convincing was met when they released the second single from the album with this favourite on oldies stations.
#24 for 1979
This was the one and only hit for the Dutch band Golden earring, a song that was a massive success throughout Europe the previous year and only crossed over to Australia this year due to it being a surprise hit on Billboard. It remains a popular rock and roll track from the 70's to this day, so at least they have a strong legacy with this one hit of theirs.
#20 for 1974
We have another British band making it big in Australia this year, although this is about as pop as you can get while still being from a band as this is obviously meant for all the Julie Anne's in the audience and how much these guys love them. It's innocent fun and easy to see why it was a huge success around this time.
#35 for 1976
Here's another favourite on oldies stations that made it big back in the day, although the Cars had to wait until their second album to find any success here due to how their debut album flopped here despite being one of the biggest albums of the decade in NZ. Indeed, they seemed to be more popular over there which is odd because normally new wave bands did better here in Australia.
#25 for 1979
This was the only noticeable hit that Richard Clapton was able to score throughout his career, although at least it remains a staple on oldies stations so he can take comfort in the fact that he wrote a song that would stand the test of time in Australia. I feel that this was the type of music that Daryl Braithwaite wanted to make during his time with Sherbet but got stuck making teen pop for his female audience.
#33 for 1975
This was a massive hit due to it being the Bond theme for the Spy who loved me, one of the more popular films during the Roger Moore era of the franchise. Of course, Carly Simon was a good choice for submitting a Bond theme given that she was one of the more popular artists of the decade, even though this was her first hit in Australia since her cover of "Mockingbird" four years prior.
#29 for 1978
This was the only hit that Yellow dog managed to achieve in Australia and their native UK, I'm guessing because their brand of pop rock was invigorating for one hit during a time where more complex music was dominating the charts worldwide. Even so, it did better than many other pop rock tracks from the time, meaning that it did have a sizeable audience back in the day for the British band.
#30 for 1978
This was the only hit that Charlie Daniels and company managed to score in Australia, although considering that A: it was a country track (and one that goes hard at that) and B: the lyrics were about an outlaw causing trouble, it's a miracle that it was even as big as it was outside of the band's native America. This is a song I first heard from Coyote ugly, so I was a bit surprised to learn it was a hit back in the day.
#26 for 1979
This was another big hit for Ol'55 this decade due to the rockabilly craze, I'm not the biggest fan of rockabilly but even I have to admit that these guys knew what they were doing when it came to making music for the 50's for a 70's audience.
#31 for 1978
Following his run as Judas on the Australian production of Jesus Christ superstar, Jon English was able to have a moderately successful singing career here that somehow grew to him having international success likely due to how well received the show was for international audiences. This was hit first hit here in Australia, although he found success over in NZ the previous year with "Turn the page."
#36 for 1976
This was released in 1973 to deafening silence not just here in Australia but throughout the world, I'm not sure why it was given a second chance here three years later, however it was which resulted in this and the album it named after to become a massive sleeper success for Billy Joel two years prior to his breakthrough in his native America. Needless to say, this remains Billy's most iconic song in his catalogue.
This is one of those songs that I'm dumbstruck wasn't more of a mainstream success here in Australia given how much oldies stations love to put it in their rotation these days, indeed this is another early victim of the Countdown curse given how well it did throughout Europe and in Steve Harley's native UK upon its initial release. At least we Aussies did notice this back in the day unlike other staples on those stations.
It turns out this debut single from Australian crawl was a huge sleeper hit here in Australia, proving that there was plenty of hype going into their debut album which they released shortly after the 80's began to massive success. In a way, 1979 was an excellent year for introducing many big names who would go on to dominate the 80's in our music scene.
I did mention a few days earlier that this would've been a shoe in for this list, so here we are with the first of two hits that were massive in NZ for the Brothers Johnson but was only a sleeper success here in Australia for the duo. They're yet another victim of the Countdown curse given their international appeal and how that clearly didn't translate very well here.
I think this was the earliest song to be a victim of the dreaded Countdown curse here in Australia as it seemed like this was all set to become a massive hit here like it was in John's native America, alas it was only a sleeper success for the country star likely due to it being the title track of his magnum opus of an album which broke him through to a mainstream audience worldwide.
John Denver had been active in the music industry for the better part of a decade at this point, sure he had success in his native America, but it was when this lead single to his album Back home again became a surprise success in the UK that he finally saw massive international success. The song has become a bit of a meme over the years due to how overdramatic the ballad has remained since its initial release.
#21 for 1974
24 weeks
Well, this is a song that many of my readers will likely have no recollection of ever existing, this is mainly due to it being banned in Pussyfoot's native UK for its highly suggestive lyrics which resulted in it flopping on the British charts. We Aussies didn't have such censorship towards this song which resulted in it becoming a huge success for the band before faded into obscurity.
#27 for 1977
Although the Brothers Gibb were already among the most popular artists of the decade, this second single from the Saturday night fever soundtrack made them the kings of disco thanks to how it managed to stick around the upper echelons of the charts throughout the world. It's easy to see why this made them a household name, the falsettos on the track remain iconic to this day and it's catchy as hell.
#32 for 1978
This was the peak of Boney M's popularity throughout the world, a song that in my opinion lacks a lot of the charm that can be found throughout the rest of their discography. I'm guessing this was done in order for them to appeal to the American market as this was a minor success on the Billboard charts, however when you think of these guys, chances are you're thinking of "Rasputin" or "Ma baker" over this.
#33 for 1978
This was the first of several Billboard chart toppers for Deborah Harry and company, however it was far from their first big hit throughout the rest of the world as we Aussies allowed "In the flesh" to nearly top our charts two years prior whilst the Brits gave them a massive hit with "Denis" from the previous year. Still, it's good to know their experimentation with disco was what made them huge in their homeland.
#27 for 1979
This was Rod Stewart's foray into disco music, a foray which paid off big time for him as this is his second biggest hit behind "Maggie may" from earlier in the decade likely due to him expanding past his core audience of those who like him for his sentimental ballads. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder so I can understand if you're not a fan of this song due to thinking he's a narcissist for presenting himself as a sex god.
#34 for 1978
#28 for 1979
Well, if you wanted to hear what Disney's Snow white would sound like if she were played by an Australian woman who was popular in the 70's, then you've come to the right place as lead singer Noosha Fox channelled the Disney princess in her performance for her biggest hit in Australia and her band's native UK and even managed to achieve moderate success throughout Europe with this formula.
#37 for 1976
You may be familiar with the name Carole Bayer Sager if you're a Burt Bacharach fan, after all she was a frequent writing collaborator with the songwriting legend and co-wrote some of his more well-known songs such as "That's what friends are for" and the theme to Arthur starring Dudley Moore. Here she is with her one and only hit as a lead artist, I'm guessing this was a success more for the lyrics than her vocal performance which isn't great.
#28 for 1977
This was the only hit that the British glam rock band the Rubettes were able to achieve here in Australia, although like most glam rock bands from the UK, they did considerably better in their homeland and throughout Europe as glam rock continued to thrive during the second half of the decade in the northern hemisphere whilst it was pushed aside here in favour of local artists promoted by Countdown.
#22 for 1974
I know that there's only so much of a career you can get out of making rebellious anthems for the youth of any given time period, however I doubt many people want to accept the truth that barring his comeback single from 1989 "Poison," this is the biggest hit of Alice Cooper's career in certain parts of the world. For the remainder of the decade, he would stick to the adult contemporary scene much to the disdain of many of his fans both before and after this period.
#29 for 1977
I know these were two of the biggest names in music this decade, however I don't think many people were expecting them to make a duet together and not only that, have it become a huge worldwide success like this wound up being for them. This somewhat killed Chris Norman's career as Smokie never had another hit after this, Suzi fared a bit better as she did score one more hit with "Rock hard" in 1980.
#29 for 1979
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