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.
Last year there was Shaun Cassidy making it big in the mainstream, this year he seemed to be replaced with Leif Garrett in the realms of good-looking teenage boys looking to cash in on the female demographic of the day despite having vocals that aren't on par with some of their less conventionally attractive counterparts. Here we have him covering a Beach boys track which was already mired in controversy for stealing its melody from a Chuck Berry track.
#35 for 1978
Well, here's a song that I'm sure would've been a huge chart topper on Billboard had MTV existed in the late 70's, this is due to the video where female vocalist Leslie Maria wears an outfit that doesn't exactly leave much to the imagination around her chest area. Fortunately, the song itself is a classic thanks to those dreamy keys used throughout its runtime as well as Leslie's powerful vocals.
#30 for 1979
This was a hit twice over the years throughout the world, of course we'll be looking at the original success of this track which proved to be a massive comeback for the Four seasons following the surprise hit that Frankie Valli had the previous year with "My eyes adored you." This was a hit likely due to it being close enough to disco for it to be played on the dance floors with other bangers from this year.
#38 for 1976
Kiss were on a roll when they released their second single from Dynasty, this is despite the backlash they received from their original fans claiming that they sold out for a more mainstream audience. True the lyrics and compositions aren't as complex as their earlier material, however they still had plenty of energy to their tracks which is why they were able to find massive success with this material.
#31 for 1979
#31 for 1980
One of the few Australian disco artists to find success back in the day, we have British born Christie Allen scoring the first of two big hits from her debut album due to her unique vocals as well as how irresistibly catchy the disco beat was on her songs. This was a hit during the final months of the 70's, proving that the disco backlash had little to no impact on the Australian music scene.
#32 for 1979
Before Orange is the new black became the definitive program about a women's prison, there was Prisoner which aired in Australia from 1979 to 1986 and was a huge critical and commercial success due to the themes explored in each episode (again similar to how they're explored in the Netflix series.) As such the theme song became a huge success whenever the show premiered around the world, originally this year in Australia, in 1981 in NZ and 1989 in the UK.
#33 for 1979
This was the only hit that Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot had here in Australia, although I'm a bit surprised this was the case considering how well folk music did throughout the decade down under even after Countdown launched this year. This is a fine upbeat number which perhaps explains its success in a year that's filled with midtempo ballads with some bounce to their instrumentation.
#23 for 1974
This was the first major hit that Blondie had anywhere in the world, although legend has it that "X offender" was meant to be the huge hit from their debut album in Australia only for it to be this ballad instead due to it being played instead of that track on Countdown. It became a hit regardless proving that we Aussies were willing to allow any song from the album to be a huge success here.
#30 for 1977
This was the first solo hit from Daryl Braithwaite in his career, suffice to say it's quite different from the more mature tracks that he would become known for during the late 80's and early 90's. What's interesting is that this was his first number one hit both solo and with Sherbet, meaning that he didn't have any chart toppers prior to Countdown promoting his music.
#24 for 1974
#34 for 1975
I always felt that Eruption was just Boney M under a different name given how similar the British band sounded to their German counterparts, as it turns out both of their biggest hits were produced by Frank Farian, so my assumption wasn't far off from the truth after all. This was the bigger hit that the group had thanks to vocalist Precious Wilson giving a well, precious performance of the Ann Peebles number.
#36 for 1978
As far as I can tell, this was a duo who scored a massive hit with this disco number before going their separate ways when they failed to score another hit, they weren't even a couple so I can't even say it was due to a rocky personal relationship which drove them apart. At least they managed to score a big hit before they both forever faded into obscurity.
#37 for 1978
This was the theme to the popular British animated film Watership down, a film that's become infamous over the years for its depiction of gore in what's otherwise meant to be a children's film about rabbits escaping from captivity. The ballad touched the hearts of audiences worldwide, so much so that Art Garfunkel decided to include it on his album Fate for breakfast which proved to be a massive success for him.
#34 for 1979
It seems odd that David Essex would score massive success with his pop ballads during the midpoint of the decade when his first hit "Rock on" is more in line with the art pop that would be a huge success for the likes of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush in their respective careers. This was his biggest hit down under likely due to how sickly sweet he comes off on this track, again a far cry from his debut single.
#39 for 1976
Following the success of their earlier entry on this list, we have this track which was originally released as a standalone single before being included on their live album a few years later due to how explosive of a performance they gave during live shows. This no doubt led to them having massive success in their native UK for the next fifteen years and even success here in Australia for the rest of the decade.
#35 for 1975
There were three different occasions when John Waite saw massive success in Australia, this band was by far the most successful of these occasions as it not only gave him his biggest hit in the form of this classic but also allowed him to score a second hit the following year. Like many successful British bands who made it big in America, these guys weren't so lucky in their homeland.
#38 for 1978
Oh, wow you couldn't release this song nowadays, heck I think even back then this was a controversial song as it implies that Joe Tex has had such bad luck with heavier women on the dance floor that this feels more like a protest anthem against him dancing with them than anything else. I don't think he cares about what people think of this track considering he's been dead since the early 80's.
#31 for 1977
It seemed like Suzi Quatro would be here to stay in the Australian music scene given how her second single from her sophomore album became a huge success for her, alas it wasn't meant to be as her third album was a huge flop later in the year and she would only occasionally see success throughout the rest of the decade with her songs. I'm not sure why the Australian public turned on her the way we did.
#36 for 1975
This was the biggest hit that Barry Manilow managed to score in Australia, although it's worth noting that aside from "Copacabana" (which we'll get to on this list) none of his biggest hits were original compositions form him despite him being a renowned songwriter. I guess he still had plenty of success during a decade that was known to be kind to music that has been categorised as for soccer mums.
#39 for 1978
It had been almost a full decade since Manfred Mann saw any success on the charts, so here he is with his second band, Manfred Mann's earth band (wow, creative name) scoring massive success worldwide with this staple on oldies stations. This was able to give him a comeback as it helped the album it came from become a moderate success as well as this topping the Billboard charts.
#40 for 1976
#32 for 1977
This was originally written for a much younger performer to sing these lyrics, that makes sense as the lyrics are written in a way that suggests that the narrator is more than a little naive to the concept of sex. Confident though she may be on this track, Anita Ward was nonetheless able to take the world by storm with her one and only hit likely because of how titillating she comes off on the track which I'm sure turned audiences on.
#35 for 1979
Even though he saw sleeper success earlier in the decade with Piano man and its title track, this was the first hit single that Billy Joel was able to achieve in Australia and in most parts of the world due to him reassuring audiences that they were perfect the way they were and that they didn't need to change for anyone. I feel like if this were released in modern times it would be one of the biggest hits of all time.
#40 for 1978
This was the love theme for the third iteration of the A star is born franchise, a theme that was so popular that it won the Oscar for best original song at the academy awards despite the film being a critical disaster upon its initial release. I'm guessing it was this Oscar that made it a success worldwide as Barbra hadn't had a hit since her previous Oscar win with "The way we were" from earlier in the decade.
#33 for 1977
This was the second of two hits that this British disco group managed to achieve worldwide, although I wouldn't blame you for thinking that this was Boney M considering how similar this is to the German bands catalogue. This is a cover of a Neil Sedaka track form the late 50's, which would explain how simplistic the lyrics are even compared to some of the other disco tracks on this list.
#36 for 1979
Dave Edmunds already saw massive success from the start of the decade here in Australia before he joined the popular UK group Rockpile, although it was during his time with Rockpile that he was able to score a comeback hit with this pop rock track just as the decade was coming to an end. Incidentally this became a success around the same time his band mate Nick Lowe was also scoring a hit with "Cruel to be kind."
#37 for 1979
Of the four hits that these guys had in Australia back in the day, this was by far the most normal as it wasn't a cod reggae track like "Dreadlock holiday," a glam rock track like "Rubber bullets" or even a sophistopop track (or whatever the 70's equivalent of that was) like "I'm not in love." Instead, we have a fairly straight forward pop rock track from the band which came from their biggest album Deceptive bends.
#34 for 1977
This was a hit for Alicia Bridges twice in Australia, of course we'll be looking at its original success where it rode the disco bandwagon for a song that seems more in line with RNB than anything. It wasn't among the most inescapable tracks of its day; however, its legacy got a massive push fifteen years later when it was remixed for the soundtrack of Priscilla queen of the desert.
#38 for 1979
It's one of the greatest ironies in music that Barry Manilow didn't write this song about how he writes all the songs of the world, admittedly this needs the arrogance of its actual songwriter Bruce Johnston (of the Beach boys) in order to be the way it is. Apparently, it was originally given to the Captain and Tennille but was eventually given to Barry when the husband-and-wife duo felt it wouldn't make for a good single.
#41 for 1976
This was the only other hit that Marty Rhone had in his career in Australia, although it was a big enough success for him that it sparked international interest in him which sadly never came to be as with most Australian artists during the height of the Countdown era. He did try to retain his popularity after this, obviously to no avail.
#35 for 1977
This was apparently recorded back in the late 50's when Freddy was just starting out in the music industry, apparently his label had faith in this ballad as they released it this year following the success of his earlier entry on this list. It became a huge success for him, although it was nowhere near as popular here or his native America as it was in NZ where no joke, it was the biggest hit of the decade.
#37 for 1975
This was the only hit that Yvonne Fair was able to achieve in her career, it's a passionate cry for her claiming that she should be the one who ends up with the man of her dreams on this track which has made it a staple for scenarios people find themselves in with this situation. This is also a rare Motown track to make it big in Australia, perhaps this was our way of atoning for ignoring all the labels classics in the 60's.
#42 for 1976
It looked like there was no stopping Sweet given how this was released from their album Give us a wink just after they scored a massive hit with "Action" from their previous album Strung up, however aside from having one more hit later in the decade with "Love is like oxygen," this would be the last we heard from the band proving how quickly the glam rock scene had died out in the second half of the 70's.
#43 for 1976
This was the last hit that the Sweet were able to achieve anywhere in the world, I feel like these guys got ripped off in the mainstream throughout the decade given how they were one of the most popular bands worldwide thanks to how big glam rock was during the midpoint of the 70's. At least they got in one final hit before the decade was out with a song about how love is like the air that we breathe.
#41 for 1978
This was the first of only two hits that Joe Camilleri managed to have with his band Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons, the other being "Taxi Mary" from the early 80's which was his final hit before they broke up and he formed his new band Black sorrows. Naturally he found more success with those guys in the 80's and 90's, however he originally found success here thanks to how catchy this track was during the Countdown era.
#39 for 1979
It appears we Aussies were amused enough with this bizarre track from the Floaters for it to be a huge sleeper hit for the band during the height of the Countdown era, this is impressive given how little RNB there was throughout the decade on our charts and yet this novelty track managed to beat out the likes of Earth wind and fire and the Manhattans as one of the bigger hits of the decade from that genre.
This is another song that required several attempts to become a success here in Australia as it finally saw the upper echelons of our charts after its third rerelease, although considering how unpopular RNB disco was on our charts (at least compared to the rest of the world) the fact it eventually clicked with us Aussies was an impressive feat for the aging Lou Rawls.
It looks like the Bellamy brothers were able to escape the one hit wonder bin here in Australia with what has to be one of the corniest songs to ever be a hit anywhere in the world, I mean the title alone should tell you what you're in for here and yet this managed to be a sleeper success right when the decade was coming to an end here and in the UK of all places.
While this wasn't the first hit that Split Enz had here in Australia (stay tuned for that in a bit) this was the song that convinced them to permanently migrate here to Australia given how much more popular it was here than it was in their native NZ. The best would come at the start of the 80's where they began with one of the biggest hits of that decade with "I got you."
This was one of the less successful songs that David Essex had here in Australia, although it's worth noting that this was the lead single to a highly successful album of his which did produce his biggest hit in the form of "Hold me close," so perhaps this was a case of us Aussies passing up what we felt was more of the same from him in favour of that pop track.
I'm not sure how this track landed on the radar of us Aussies given how it was a huge flop in Voyager's native UK (I'm guessing Countdown had something to do with its popularity) however it proved to be one of the bigger sleeper hits as the decade was coming to an end on our charts.
If you ever wanted to hear Diana Ross's take on a James Taylor classic, well this is the closest you'll find get to that as we have Marcia Hines launching her singing career with this cover which was a massive sleeper hit for the American born singer following her successful run as Mary Magdalene in the Australian production of Jesus Christ superstar.
If you can believe it, Countdown wasn't particularly successful in stamping out all of the 50's crooners with their comebacks of the day. Here we have the first Billboard chart topper that Neil Sedaka had during its midpoint which admittedly wasn't as inescapable internationally as it was in his native America but was regardless a huge success for the aging crooner here.
23 weeks
This was the only notable hit single that Bob Geldof had with his band the Boomtown rats in Australia, granted they were close to inescapable in their native UK but here this track about a real-life school shooting was the best they could do. Nowadays Geldof is more well known for A: his performance in the theatrical adaptation of Pink Floyd's the wall and B: being the instigator of Live aid.
#40 for 1979
This was the first Billboard chart topper for Olivia Newton John, although she had massive success in Australia and her native UK throughout the first half of the decade as a country star when female country singers were dominating the mainstream. This was written by Peter Allen around the time he came out as gay, meaning it's possible this was about how he fell in love with a guy who was in a straight relationship that he gave to Livie to straightwash the scenario.
#25 for 1974
#38 for 1975
So, have you ever watched Don Blueth's Anastasia and wanted to know what really happened with the historical figure portrayed by the film's villain? Well Boney M has you covered with this track that serves as a (admittedly brief) historical lesson as to what the man was really like during the Russian revolution which brought an end to the Russian tsars, all set to a catchy disco beat to boot.
#42 for 1978
#41 for 1979
You'd think that a man who was married to Liza Minelli (only to divorce her when he found out he was gay of course) would've had more success as a lead artist in the music scene, alas all of Peter Allen's accomplishments came as a songwriter save for this chart topper he had at home in Australia. I guess the fact that he had such a huge hit with a lounge track like this was impressive given when it came out.
#36 for 1977
Often considered to be one of the greatest duets of all time, this collaboration between Elton John and Kiki Dee (who despite being described as an unknown singer did have a minor hit two years prior with "Amoureuse") managed to give the former his first chart topper in his native UK, which is impressive to think about considering how much success he already had over in America by this point.
#44 for 1976
This was the biggest hit to come from Marcia Hines throughout the decade, although you may have noticed the absence of Diana Ross on these lists as many feel that the American born Australian singer stole the success the former Supremes vocalist would've had down under for herself. Indeed, once Diana started having hits again in the 80's, Marcia's time in the spotlight had fallen by the wayside.
#37 for 1977
#43 for 1978
Before "Howzat," this was considered the signature track from Sherbet given that it was easily their biggest hit at this point in their career. I guess this is also a decent entry from the band for anyone outside their demographic as this does serve as a nice summer anthem compared to the rest of their discography which is mainly targeted towards the teenage demographic of the 70's.
#39 for 1975
This was sadly the second to last single that the Carpenters were able to achieve in Australia, their final hit being "Calling occupants" which only became as such due to how bizarre it was upon its initial release. It's certainly a far cry from this cover of the Marvelettes track which is more in line with what they had to offer throughout their career, although I get the feeling the Captain and Tennille stole their thunder with their earlier entry on this list.
#40 for 1975
If you can believe it, there was indeed a time where this song didn't contain the lyrics "who the f**k is Alice," that goes to show you that there was a time where this song was taken seriously by the masses. In Australia, this was the song that put them on the map as their earlier hits from their native UK failed to crossover here like this mammoth track did.
#38 for 1977
If you thought that actors trying for a singing career has only been a recent phenomenon, allow me to present to you David Soul who managed to score a massive hit worldwide with this track following the success he had with his TV series Starsky and Hutch. Even though this was his only hit in his native America, he would score two more hits throughout the rest of the world thanks to the show.
#39 for 1977
The kung fu craze of the 70's was inexplicably popular, as such we have this tribute from Carl Douglas which is surprisingly not racist in the slightest as this was back in the early days of political correctness preventing people from making caricatures of non-western culture such as the kung fu craze. The song has been covered and remixed several times of the years, which is why you still hear the original to this day.
#26 for 1974
#41 for 1975
So, there was this trucker's craze during the 70's which apparently was so popular that this novelty track from country singer C.W McCall became a huge worldwide hit to cash in on it. Oh, I'm sorry did I call this guy a country singer? Technically he is but it's more accurate to say he's a marketing director who became C.W McCall after a bread commercial he originally created the character for failed to sell its product.
#45 for 1976
This was one of the last songs Dragon released before they broke up in order to allow lead singer Marc Hunter to embark on a solo career that sadly failed to produce any success for him, I guess this served as a lesson to him and most lead vocalists from successful bands that not everyone can have a successful solo career. The band reunited in the early 80's and picked up where they left off from here.
#44 for 1978
This is a song that by all accounts should be seen as one of the laziest ever recorded and yet works so well despite its brutal minimalism, it's sort of like a trance track from the 90's with how well it works with how little it has and it appears the general public of this year agrees with that assessment as this became a huge success for Donna Summer worldwide.
#40 for 1977
This was the lead single from Rod Stewart's album Foot loose and fancy free, and like his other songs and albums this decade, it was a massive success for him worldwide.
#41 for 1977
#45 for 1978
In most parts of the world, this was the final hit that Ray Stevens had as "Misty" from the following year didn't do very well due to it being one of his rare country ballads that was devoid of any humour or irony that connected with audiences in the places where it did become a success. Here we have him writing a comedy track about a streaker harassing a married couple that I'm sure audiences found hilarious at the time.
#27 for 1974
OK before people lose their minds at the thought of the English playwright managing to score a hit single centuries after his death, I should point out that this was simply the stage name of John Cave who scored two huge hits during the height of glam rock with this being the second of the two. Had glam rock persisted during the second half of the decade, I'm sure he would've had more success after this.
#42 for 1975
One of the less successful bands to make it big by appearing on Countdown was the Ferrets, mainly because despite them having a huge hit with this track that even sparked interest in them in the UK, they remain a one hit wonder due to their inability to capitalise off this song's success here. I guess they got lost in the shuffle from all the other emerging bands to appear on the show.
#42 for 1977
Following the success of their novelty track from earlier on this list, Ted Murly gang released this follow up which is a rock version of a Shelton Brooks track from the 20's with additional lyrics from Ted Murly himself to help it stand out from all the other covers that has since been lost to the sands of time.
#46 for 1976
This was the song that made Hot chocolate a household name outside their native UK as they had struggled to translate the success they had earlier in the decade internationally prior to its release, it's one of their low tempo ballads dedicated to an Emma in Errol Brown's life that naturally connected with audiences at a time where RNB struggled to find success here in Australia.
#28 for 1974
This was the only notable success that Anne Murray had in Australia, I'm guessing because she was considered to be the Canadian equivalent of Olivia Newton John when the two women first broke through at the start of the decade. Given how Livie has since moved on from her country roots, I guess Anne was able to have little issues with filling in her role as the country singer of choice.
#46 for 1978
#42 for 1979
Even without the assistance of Countdown, Sherbet were already one of the biggest Australian bands of the 70's when they released their third album Slipstream. The title track was a huge hit earlier in the year for the band, however it was this second single from the album that made them a huge success due to it being one of the first songs to be performed on the show when it launched late this year.
#29 for 1974
Although they had success with their first album in NZ and their native UK, this was the big breakthrough that Sting and company had in Australia likely due to how they repeat the phrase "sending out and SOS" ad nauseum during the outro. Fortunately, the rest of the track is fairly complex thanks to the tight reggae inspired instrumentation as well as the lyrics about finding help for this doomed relationship.
#36 for 1980
These guys were known as British Jigsaw in Australia due to there being a more popular band by that name during the first half of the decade, this was a common trend when it came to international artists finding success after a local act with the same name made it big here. In any case, we have another song that was made more popular in the 90's thanks to there being a dance track that covered it.
#43 for 1975
Before he became one of the biggest RNB stars of the 80's, Billy Ocean was a decently successful disco star of the 70's with this being his first major hit throughout the world. Even though he saw massive success in his native UK throughout the rest of the decade, this was his only hit here in Australia until he reinvented himself as an RNB singer for his 1984 album Suddenly.
#47 for 1976
This was originally a hit for the Jackson five earlier in the decade, that would explain why Gloria has a more noticeable falsetto on this track compared to her other big hit from later in the decade. It seems odd that there was a battle for who the queen of disco was this decade as I think we can all agree that Donna Summer took that prize as the decade came to an end, however Gloria was in consideration for that prize as well.
#44 for 1975
This was a collaboration between two fairly unknown singers Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley who were back up by some school choir which somehow managed to make this song a massive worldwide success. If this concoction of people involved with the track isn't confusing enough, the song is a combination of reggae with what appears to be the earliest forms of new wave making it a unique sounding song.
#47 for 1978
Well at least I can honestly say that the Happy days theme was a success here in Australia, even if I'd be lying if I said it was the version that played during the intro and outro of each episode. This was a cover from the Australian duo Silver Studs which became such a success here that it sparked international interest in them which sadly didn't come to be as with most Australian artists this decade.
#48 for 1976
This was the only notable hit that the Manhattans were able to score in Australia, I'm guessing because musicians of colour were finding it easier around this time to find international success given how inescapable Stevie Wonder was with his music. They did score a second hit over in NZ with "Shining star" in 1980, proving that there was some further crossover potential here that was squandered.
#49 for 1976
It seems odd that Glen Campbell would score so much success here in Australia and have his sellout track about well...... selling out be his final hit single here. Indeed, this song about how Glen was going to be as he puts it, a rhinestone cowboy to the masses was his final hit here in Australia despite it being the first of two Billboard chart toppers for the country legend.
#45 for 1975
This was the lead single to an E.P that Bryan Ferry released from around this time, although the E.P itself flopped in favour of the song likely due to it appearing on his second album which was a massive success due to his earlier entry on this list. This really does beg the question of how we Aussies loved this guy so much but only as a solo artist given how little love his band Roxy music received here back in the day.
#50 for 1976
This was originally Abba's debut single which was released to deafening silence here in Australia likely due to it being a little ahead of its time back in 1973, indeed it was given a second chance once the band had conquered the world where this became yet another hit they had in a year where they had a ton of hits.
#51 for 1976
This is another musician of colour that had to wait for quite some time before they finally found any success in their career, in this case we have Dorothy Moore who scored a massive hit this year with this cover of an obscure track from around the time she began said career. This led to her album of the same name being a massive worldwide success before she was sadly relegated to yesterday's news.
#52 for 1976
This was the first major hit that Boney M achieved here in Australia, it's a Eurodance classic that fits in perfectly with the disco scene which made its worldwide success inevitable for the German band. Although their subsequent songs would become even bigger here as the decade went on, this still remains one of their most popular tracks on oldies stations due to how incessantly catchy it is.
#43 for 1977
This was one of the cheesier songs to become a hit this decade, although I feel there was enough room for this type of ballad considering how much disco and rock opera there was as an alternative for audiences looking for cooler music. Alan remains a one hit wonder in most parts of the world with this ballad including in his native America, however he did score a second hit here in Australia with "Skinny girls."
#44 for 1977
Following the success she had with 5000 volts from earlier on this list, we have the first of three solo hits that Tina Charles managed to score throughout the world which all seem to have the same premise as each other. The premise is that she loves two things, her partner and dancing which naturally captivated audiences enough to make all of her hits as big as they were back in the day.
#53 for 1976
This was the only hit for the two singers in question, both Dean Friedman and Denise Marsa managed to win over an audience with their ballad about how they felt lucky to have found each other the way they did and attributed their good fortunes to the lucky stars in the universe. Naturally this ballad didn't lead to any further success for them.
#43 for 1979
This was originally the lead single to Peter Allen's third album; however, it was a massive flop for him the previous year and only became a success this year due to his earlier entry being a massive chart topper here. These were the only two hits that the Australian performer was able to score during his career, although he found plenty of success as a songwriter for other people so there's that at least.
#45 for 1977
While this wasn't Leo Sayer's first hit in Australia (that honour goes to "The show must go on" from the previous year) it was the song that made him a household name despite it being a far cry from the soft rock ballads or even pseudo disco bangers that he would become synonymous with later in the decade.
#46 for 1975
I guess this was a return to form for David Essex given how this feels more in line with his debut single "Rock on" than his previous two hits he had throughout the decade. I guess this did please his original fans as this became a huge hit for him this year, however his popularity would die out as the decade went on in Australia.
#54 for 1976
So, if you wanted to know why the Clout version of the Righteous brother’s track wasn't as big a hit here in Australia as it was internationally, that's because there's this version from the short-lived Australian girl group Peaches who released their version of the ballad the exact same time the South African band gained waves with their version internationally.
This is the song from Janis Ian that my American readers will be more familiar with given how it remains her only hit on Billboard as of this writing, it was the breakthrough single from her which even at the time, connected with young women thanks to how personal the lyrics are in the song. It was another example of a song that could've made an official list of mine had it not being pushed aside by Countdown back in the day.
Another victim of Countdown's purge during the midpoint of the decade, this time it's the one and only hit from the British duo Splinter who could've easily cracked our top ten like they did in NZ and their native UK but failed to do so due to the show pushing this aside in favour of what our local music scene had to offer. It's a mixed blessing as despite its lack of popularity, it was a success here regardless.
This was the only hit that the Patti Smith group ever achieved here in Australia, I feel that they only had a hit here due to it being written by Bruce Springsteen during the height of his creative output. The band would call it quits the following year due to their lack of success, however Patti has soldiered on over the years trying to recapture the success she had with this hit of hers.
#48 for 1978
I'm surprised this managed to find any sort of success here given how it was a flop even in the Fatback band's native America back in the day, I guess we Aussies weren't too averse to the idea of having a novelty disco track be a success here given how "Disco duck" proved to be one of the bigger hits of the decade down under.
You'd think that one of the most iconic songs of the decade would've been a bigger hit here in Australia, admittedly it was a huge hit for Boston in their native America as it was a Billboard chart topper for them, but it was only a modest success here for some reason. Naturally the oldies stations have added this driving anthem to their playlists so there's a good chance that you've heard this if you've ever tuned into their stations.
#46 for 1977
I guess following their win on Eurovision, Brotherhood of man decided to become the British equivalent of Abba which admittedly worked out for them given how this was a huge chart topper in their native UK upon its initial release. We Aussies somewhat allowed this change in direction they took, however Bucks fizz proved to be more appealing to us with this experiment in the 80's.
It looks like Cat Stevens managed to score one final hit here in Australia years after his popularity had faded with his album Buddha and the chocolate box, although this is something completely different from his usual brand of folk rock as this is more in line with pop rock which is perhaps why A: it remains a staple on oldies stations to this day and B: his diehard fans like to cry sellout over its existence.
Linda George is best known for her role as the acid queen in the theatrical adaptation of the Who's concept album Tommy, however she also had a hit this year as Miss Linda George (back when underage performers were referred to as Miss or Little) that became a hit for her this year. She mostly stuck to theatre after she became a one hit wonder, as did most female artists from the pre-Countdown era.
#30 for 1974
22 weeks
While this was indeed an 80's hit for the Buggles over in America, this was released just as the 70's was winding down throughout the rest of the world making these two future members of Yes score their big breakthrough two years prior to when MTV launched by playing this music video as the first thing to appear on the channel when it launched.
#44 for 1979
#46 for 1980
OK so this is a song that is problematic even at the time of its release, anyone who's ever found themselves in the situation that goes on in the lyrics will tell you that it's not a situation that should be glamourised the way it is on this track. Admittedly Mary quickly became aware of this as she has since distanced herself from this track even if it came at the expense of scoring another hit.
#47 for 1977
This is a cover of one of the bigger hits from the 60's by the Rooftop singers, I'm guessing these guys did this to further cement their change in music direction from the first half of the decade where they were a novelty act making joke songs written by Shel Silverstein. If they wanted to be taken seriously in the easy listening crowd, then they succeeded with flying colours as they achieved a ton of success with these ballads.
#48 for 1977
Although these guys had received plenty of buzz prior to this becoming a huge runaway hit for them, it was this track that helped them achieved their goal of scoring massive success in Australia to then take back home to their native NZ. This has been a surprisingly common phenomenon over the years with NZ artists temporarily migrating to Australia and returning home once they achieved their success.
#49 for 1977
#49 for 1978
This was one of two hit singles this year to be directly related to Australian sports, while this was the bigger of the two hits, it came at the expense of there being any other tracks released from these guys.
#45 for 1979
This was the title track from Skyhook's second album, and one that reassured listeners that having an ego in of itself wasn't the problem with toxic people but rather how these people carried themselves with said ego. It was a surprisingly poignant message that very few songs from this time had, hence why it connected with audiences.
#47 for 1975
This was the solo breakthrough for Gerry Rafferty who had minor success earlier in the decade as the lead singer of Stealer's wheel (of "Stuck in the middle with you" fame.) Let's face it, the main reason why this song is so popular to this day is for those sax solos that play at the end of every chorus, sure his vocals are nice too, but they would've have been enough to help this stand out from the crowd on their own.
#50 for 1978
Following the success he had the previous year with his Bob Dylan cover, Graham Bonnet returned to the mainstream again with the help of the Bee gees who allowed him to cover this song they originally had for an obscure band Rare earth that went nowhere for them. It's another disco classic and one that fits into a sub-genre I've dubbed as the late-night rock; this is rock music I imagine hearing whenever I'm driving home late at night.
#51 for 1978
I know the 70's were a bizarre time in pop culture, however I'm finding it very hard to believe that one of the biggest hits of the decade was this novelty track about a duck (presumably Donald Duck based on the impersonation) wants to go out to the disco to dance. I guess this was funny the first time I heard it, although for me at least this quickly wears off its charm after repeated listens.
#55 for 1976
#50 for 1977
Both of these artists were on top of the world when they released this duet, so naturally it was going to be a huge success for them given how it appears on both of their most recent albums from when it came out. This would be Neil's last hit single in Australia as his popularity dwindled going into the new decade, Barbra would hang around for a little while longer thanks to her feminist anthem with Donna Summer.
#52 for 1978
#46 for 1979
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