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.
It's hard to say if this would've been as big a hit here in Australia had it been released well into the Countdown era as it seems to fit in nicely with all of the country ballads that permeated the first half of the 70's. In any case, we have the one and only hit from Billy Swan who made a huge splash worldwide with this ballad, although I guess even in his native America, he remains a one hit wonder with this song.
#48 for 1975
This is often considered to be Leo's signature tune given how it incorporates disco into his sound despite him not really being a disco artist throughout his career. His next single would be even bigger and a major draw into his fourth album after the mediocre reception of his last album, however this is the song that many will tell you is the highlight of his career.
#56 for 1976
#51 for 1977
Well, this might be the gimmickiest song to come from 10cc as it not only has a cod reggae beat to it, but also tells a bizarre story about how the narrator was mugged while on holidays. This allowed the song to become a massive success for the British band and even had that success translate to their album Bloody tourist, however this was also the last hit they had before they faded into obscurity.
#53 for 1978
This was the lead single to Donna Summer's final disco album Bad boys, and one which ramped up the sexiness of her earlier material to eleven as she really does seem like she wants to have the night of her life throughout the track. This unfortunately led to some backlash where she was promoting the wrong message for women in the world, something she unfortunately agreed with as she stopped making music like this.
#47 for 1979
This had a very rocky road to success in Australia as it tried to find an audience and failed before finally succeeding after its third attempt. I'm not even sure why this song had such a hard time crossing over here as it was an instant success over in NZ and the rockabilly update that Ram jam gives to the ragtime original from the 30's was in line with what Ol'55 was serving up at the time.
#52 for 1977
#54 for 1978
This was Styx's only international hit; I'm guessing because international audiences couldn't stomach the cheese that went into a lot of their songs like their fellow Americans did throughout the 70's and 80's. Indeed, this is one of their more normal songs as at least it isn't as sentimental as "Lady" or a complete novelty like "Mr. Roboto," and admittedly they did find plenty of success in their homeland.
#48 for 1979
#49 for 1980
I always felt these guys were German for some reason, I'm guessing it's due to how aggressive their vocals are which are typical for German tracks from around this time. It turns out they are from the UK and that this became a hit here despite it flopping throughout Europe, I'm guessing because it fitted in with the disco trends that were making it big down under.
#53 for 1977
These guys were all about giving us history lessons set to catchy music, weren't they? Here we have their history lesson on Ma Barker, one of the most notorious women in the American crime syndicate during the first half of the century (they misspelt her name for some reason.) This became an instant success for them throughout the world and no doubt led to their even better track about Rasputin.
#54 for 1977
There didn't seem to be any signs of the Brothers Gibb slowing down in the mainstream as this lead single from their album Spirits having flown proved to be a huge success for them mere months after the album cycle for Saturday night fever came to an end. They would have another hit from the album (which we'll get to in a bit) although this would sadly be the last we would hear from them as lead vocalists for a while.
#49 for 1979
It appears that Cliff Richard was here for the long haul as this ballad managed to become a hit for him worldwide including in America where this got him out of the one hit wonder bin over there that "Devil woman" threatened to trap him in. Indeed, he would go on to have massive success throughout the 80's proving he was far from yesterday's news.
#50 for 1979
This was the first big hit that ELO had here in Australia, although they did score a hit in NZ and America with "Evil woman" the previous year which makes me wonder why that didn't also crossover here. This was the lead single from their magnum opus A new world record, so of course this was going to be huge given how it's the type of lush and opulent rock opera music that audiences gravitated towards this year.
#55 for 1977
The last time Gloria Gaynor had any success anywhere in the world was with her cover of a Jackson 5 track from the midpoint of the decade, so it must have been surprising for audiences to see her back in the spotlight with the second big disco hit from her during the height of Donna Summer's popularity. Most people will likely be more familiar with the remix of this track from the 90's as the original version isn't as bombastic as that version.
#51 for 1979
I guess the decade was known for its cheesy ballads, and hey the fact that there was a noticeable increase in artists whose first language wasn't English was admirable considering how most artists who were popular prior to the 70's were either American or British worldwide. With that out of the way, I've exhausted any positive comments I have for this ballad from the Brazilian crooner Morris Albert.
#49 for 1975
#57 for 1976
This was the double A-side that cemented Queen as one of the most endearing bands to ever make it big in the mainstream, after all you begin with the stomping beat of "We will rock you" before immediately preceding to the soaring victory lap of "We are the champions" which helped this become a massive hit worldwide for them. They would have a bit of a quiet period for the remainder of the decade before they scored a massive hit with "Crazy little thing called love."
#56 for 1977
#55 for 1978
Bryan Ferry was on a roll with this lead single to his third album In your mind, it helped the album become a huge hit in Australia which confirmed him to be one of the hottest new artists of the decade despite the lack of success he had with Roxy music earlier in the decade. Indeed, this did him no favours when he reunited with the band later in the decade until they made a tribute to John Lennon.
#57 for 1977
This remains Linda Ronstadt's second biggest hit in Australia, second only to "Don't know much" which is a song about how getting older kind of sucks which is a far cry from this track which is a cover of a love ballad from Roy Orbison. This song's popularity has since been overshadowed by "It's so easy" from the album they both come from Simple dreams, mainly because that song still gets airplay on oldies stations.
#56 for 1978
Frankie Valli certainly seemed to have a resurgence in popularity this decade which all began with this ballad about how he reminisces about a crush he had when he was a schoolboy. This managed to tug at the heartstrings of audiences worldwide and have it be a huge success for him, which in turn led to him having two more hits later in the decade both solo and with the Four seasons with disco tracks.
#50 for 1975
This was originally released the previous year to deafening silence here in Australia, I'm not even sure why it flopped if I'm being honest as Livie was already one of the biggest stars here in Australia and she was acquiring a massive international audience with her country ballads. This was given a second chance following the success of her greatest hits album First impressions.
#51 for 1975
This was originally a hit for Richard Harris (Albus Dumbledore for Harry Potter fans) ten years prior where it became a massive hit for the Irish actor despite often being hailed as one of the worst songs of all time. Donna Summer decided to resurrect this song about a cake melting in the park (that's literally what the song is about) and make it a disco hit where it became a success all over again.
#57 for 1978
#52 for 1979
This was the second hit that 10CC managed to achieve in Australia, although this was different from their other hits as each of them were in a different genre in music. Here we have something that feels like it belongs in the sophistopop genre a decade prior to when it became a thing in their native UK, I guess the ambience of this track was what got it to become a massive crossover success in America.
#52 for 1975
Many credit this one and only hit from Gary Numan as the beginning of the new wave craze, technically that honour should go to "Are friends electric" as that also had him on vocals and was a new wave classic, although I guess that was a flop over in America whereas this was a top ten hit on Billboard. Between these two songs, this was the full extent of Gary Numan's popularity worldwide.
#51 for 1980
This guy had been in the industry for over two decades before he finally scored his one and only hit outside of his native America with this ballad about his own heartbreak. I guess this being a hit makes sense as soft rock was one of the biggest trends of the decade when it wasn't centred around the dance floor or rock operas.
#53 for 1979
Although this wasn't their first song to find success in their native America, this was the song which made them an international household name likely due to it being written by Bruce Springsteen for a rock artist no one's heard of. The three ladies would go on to have massive success in the 80's here in Australia which would've been impossible for them to achieve if they had of peaked in the 70's.
#54 for 1979
This was the last hit that Elvis Presley had during his lifetime, much like John Lennon after him, he died during the height of his popularity which resulted in the success of his final album worldwide. It's hard to say if this song would've been a success if he lived to see the end of the year, however his death certainly did prevent the song from failing much like some of his other ballads this decade.
#58 for 1977
This is another popular disco track that's survived the test of time, I'm guessing due to the Kym Mazelle cover from Baz Luhrman's Romeo + Juliet which no doubt reminded audiences of this classic around the time where disco had regained its popularity in the mainstream. Like many women of colour who made disco this decade, Candi Staton remained a one hit wonder with this classic even in her native America.
#58 for 1976
These guys had been active since the late 60's, meaning they didn't find any success in their career until this year when they released this bouncy country ballad that got them their Billboard chart topper in their native America. This was a good time for country music with a groove to it, so of course it was going to succeed internationally for the two brothers, and hey they scored another hit later in the decade.
#59 for 1976
This was the breakthrough single for Heart, one of the more popular bands from America that unfortunately didn't receive much love here in Australia back in the day save for the occasional hit single here and there. Indeed, their next hit wouldn't come for another decade down under when "Alone" cracked the top ten here, by that stage they had changed their sound drastically from what it was here.
#59 for 1977
Following the moderate success of her cover of "Fire and rain," Marcia Hines managed to score a huge hit here in Australia with this original ballad which no doubt led to the success of her debut album from around the time of its release. This would be the start of a highly successful music career here in Australia after a successful run as Mary Magdalene in the Australian production of Jesus Christ superstar.
#60 for 1976
I'm a bit surprised that Jon English didn't see more success with his music career back in the day in Australia, especially considering how he did have minor international success thanks to his role as Judas in the Australian production of Jesus Christ superstar this decade. I guess this became a hit for him following his role in the miniseries Against the wind which was a massive success for him.
#58 for 1978
This was the second and final hit that the Babys managed to score here in Australia, making them the only artist from back in the day to score multiple hits with what I've described as late-night rock given how this also feels like the type of song that would play in the scenario I described earlier in this list. The band would struggle to find success going into the 80's, however this wouldn't be the last we hear from lead singer John Waite.
#55 for 1979
You're probably wondering who Todd Rundgren even is, let alone how he managed to score a massive hit with this ballad across the world given how there was no shortage of ballads like this that were flopping at the time. It turns out that he was the one who produced Meat Loaf's Bat out of hell album, meaning that this guy is responsible for one of the best albums of all time which more than justifies this songs success.
#59 for 1978
This was the first of three hits that Mark Holden had back in the day, no doubt this guy was the reason why Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett were able to be so successful in Australia given how he was our version of those young men who teenage girls fell in love with this decade.
#61 for 1976
So, Engelbert Humperdinck was able to score a hit this far into the 70's, although this did come ten years after his initial breakthrough so perhaps this was more a nostalgia hit than anything even though he would've been too young to be as John Paul Young puts it, a "yesterday's hero." Evidently this was a massive success for him in America, which is perhaps how it was a big hit in Australia as well.
#60 for 1977
I'm not sure how I feel about this iconic score from the first Rocky film being a sleeper hit here in Australia, it was a Billboard chart topper for composer Bill Conti, however it's unlike anything else that appears on this list which makes its success an anomaly to say the least. I guess the film was such a runaway hit for Sylvester Stallone that the world made an exception for allowing this kind of track to be a success.
This was the other big hit that Ted Mulry gang had this year where they stylised themselves as T.M.G, actually this was their first hit they had with this band name meaning that we Aussies were a bit slow in rejecting them being "hip" and "with it" back in the day. Admittedly it could be more we simply grew tired of their music as they were one of the biggest bands of the decade.
#61 for 1977
This is probably the oldest artist that will be featuring on my site, being born during the first world war and scoring his one and only hit down under a mere three years prior to his death with this spoken word ballad. This has been described as truck driving music, so I'm guessing even back in the day there was a stereotype for music catered towards truckies.
#62 for 1977
This was the only hit that the Doobie brothers were able to achieve in Australia, although they had plenty of success in their native America throughout the decade with their other singles which are regular staples on oldies stations here. I guess they were another victim of having more success with their albums back in the day, although Minute to minute was the only best seller for them down under.
#56 for 1979
This was the first big hit that AC/DC had in Australia, although curiously it wasn't included on their album of the same name as this was the lead single to their second album T.N.T which came out at the tail end of the year for the band. They would score a total of three hits throughout the decade, which is a far cry from the success you'd expect from the band as their first best seller wouldn't come until 1980's Back in black.
#53 for 1975
The first time I heard this song, I had to question if it was Bonnie Tyler singing as she doesn't seem to have developed her trademark raspy voice that she uses in her two chart toppers she had here in Australia. Alas, that's clearly her on the cover and in the accompanying music video to this debut single of hers, meaning this was where it all began for the Welsh singer even if it was a humble beginning.
Although they were a favourite among watchers of Countdown throughout its run, this was the only hit that Rose tattoo were able to score here in Australia likely due to them being a little ahead of the curve when it came to Aussie pub rock as that wouldn't explode in popularity until the tail end of the decade. Still, they had quite a bit more luck in the 80's with their third album due to their signature track "We can't be beaten."
It may be hard to believe that this was the song which broke Dragon through into the mainstream here in Australia given how it's fallen into obscurity compared to the likes of their other two entries on this list and "Still in love with you," however this was the first song of theirs to become a success for them even if it didn't reach the dizzying heights of success of "April sun in Cuba" or "Are you old enough."
This was the breakthrough single for Genesis, it seems fitting that they would finally see success in the mainstream following the departure of Peter Gabriel and being replaced by their drummer Phil Collins. They would achieve more success in the 80's as Phil would become a household name worldwide.
#60 for 1978
This is one of the less fondly remembered singer/songwriters of the decade, mainly because he was a one hit wonder with a ballad that wasn't that big and only released two albums during his career. Even so, this did have its fans back in the day as it was a modest success around the world for the American crooner.
#63 for 1977
This was one of those soft rocker ballads that managed to be a massive success in America but struggled to find an international audience for the singer/songwriter in question, in this case it's Randy Vanwarmer who scored a massive breakthrough with this ballad before he faded into obscurity right when the 70's had become the 80's.
This was the last hit that Helen Reddy was able to have here in Australia, I'm guessing because she didn't fit in with the Countdown era which seems fair enough as Livie would struggle to have success as the decade went on with the same brand of pop country. Unlike Livie, Helen Reddy would stick to acting after this, her best-known role being as Nora from Disney's Pete's dragon.
#54 for 1975
Although Renee Geyer had been a welcomed guest on Countdown since the day it launched, it wasn't until this track from her breakthrough album Moving along that she finally managed to score any sort of success with her fellow Aussies. Even then, it's somewhat surprising this didn't do even better for her back in the day given how this was meant to be a warmup for her magnum opus "Say I love you" from 1981.
Well, the album of the same name did fairly well here in Australia, so naturally this second hit the Silver convention had in America would wind up being a fairly decent success here as well even if it's widely considered to be one of the worst songs of the decade. I'm willing to bet that this was as big as it was here due to the surprise success that Penny McLean had with her earlier entry on this list.
Much like Polly Brown from earlier on this list, this was also a bit ahead of its time for it to be a genuine success here in Australia, that or Countdown really messed up with not promoting disco in its first season given how there was clearly a potential market with us Aussies for the genre given how it would explode in popularity as the decade went on.
Now if you thought that the Village people were made for queer folk, then allow me to introduce you to a man named Sylvester who made those guys seem like the macho men they were singing about in their breakthrough single by comparison. This was the musician of colours one and only hit anywhere in the world given how unashamedly queer it remains to this day, although he would tragically pass away a decade after its release.
For fifteen years, this was the only hit that Meat loaf had in his native America, mainly because it was the most contemporary track on Bat out of hell given that it was a ballad about how he could never be with the woman he's singing to. It's a heartbreaking situation as he does admit that he's attracted to this woman but ultimately the attraction is shallow as there's no love he has for her.
#61 for 1978
We have another successful hit from Ol'55 this year, this time it's a song about how they were on the prowl on a Saturday night which is a term used to look for trouble. Naturally this song was tongue in cheek about how innocent sounding songs from the 50's actually had a more sinister tone when you look at the lyrics as they do acknowledge that the song's subject matter was potentially problematic in the lyrics.
#62 for 1976
Again, I have no idea why this was only a sleeper success here in Australia back in the day given how this remains a staple on our oldie’s stations to this day, at least it was a success here likely due to it being released at the height of disco. The duo remains a one hit wonder here as their cover of "Sukiyaki" failed to become a hit with us Aussies in the 80's like it was throughout the rest of the world.
Surprised that this was only a sleeper hit here in Australia? Well at least it managed to make the list as opposed to the singles from Fleetwood Mac's iconic Rumours album which failed to become a success here due to how inescapably popular that album was. Their self-titled on the other hand took a while to take off here, hence why its lead single managed to makes waves on our charts back in the day.
This was the final hit for Brian Cadd here in Australia, interestingly Countdown didn't seem interested in promoting his music despite how much success he had both solo and with his two previous bands Axiom and the Twilights over the last decade. I guess if he had of joined the Little river band like his previous band mates then his solo career could've thrived in the second half of the 70's.
#31 for 1974
Eurovision this year was so popular that Olivia Newton John managed to score a massive hit worldwide with her entry for the UK despite it only coming in fourth place in the contest, it's a well performed ballad that no doubt caught the attention of her future American audience who gave her a Billboard chart topper with her earlier entry on this list.
#32 for 1974
This was the lead single to Suzi Quatro's second album, it was a bit of a false start for the album given how she would find more success with its second single that would dominate the early months of the following year for the American glam rocker.
#33 for 1974
I guess if Elvis Presley could have massive success by incorporating Hawaiian music into his sound, then why not Herb Ohta who was a Hawaiian native? This was his only hit worldwide due to it being a hybrid of Hawaiian music and Chanson which was a popular type of French music from the mid 50's.
#34 for 1974
21 weeks
If you think that ironic tracks meant to criticise the pop music of any given period is a recent phenomenon, allow me to introduce you to this one and only hit from Robin Scott AKA M who managed to take the world by storm with his critiques of the state of pop music in the late 70's. It was a huge chart topper for him in Australia and Billboard of all places despite it not getting to number one in his native UK.
#57 for 1979
While this wasn't the first hit single Bonnie Tyler had in her career (that honour goes to "Lost in France") this was the first hit song of hers to use her iconic raspy vocals as previously she had sounded more like your typical lovestruck pop diva that obviously didn't connect well with her audience. Here she makes such as splash on the international market that it even manages to crossover to Billboard for her.
#62 for 1978
And who says that feminist anthems are only a recent phenomenon? Here we have two of the most powerful women in the music industry to ever exist combining forces with this song about how they've had enough with being mistreated in this world. This comes after Donna realised that she was sending a dangerous message with her earlier material as well as Barbra wanting to appeal to Helen Reddy's audience.
#58 for 1979
#58 for 1980
Given the sudden rise in popularity of Kate Bush, it was only inevitable that there would be knockoffs in her wake. One of the more notable examples comes from Lene Lovich who copied the quirky nature of Kate on her big breakthrough single despite being nearly a decade older than the young singer/songwriter. This became almost as big as Kate's debut single from the previous year for the record.
#59 for 1979
This was the song that made John Paul Young into an international superstar given that it became a huge hit for him not just throughout Europe but also in America upon its initial release. What's strange is that it isn't among his more popular tracks in his catalogue, unless of course you include the more popular Ballroom mix from 1992 where it was chosen as the theme to the Baz Lurhman classic Strictly ballroom.
#63 for 1978
While this is more in line with new wave, the fact that punk band Squeeze (or UK Squeeze as they were known as here for some reason) were able to find success with this track proves that we Aussies were at least somewhat intrigued by the UK punk scene from around this time. I'm not sure why this scene wasn't widely accepted here as it caused us to miss out on a lot of important tracks of the day.
#60 for 1979
One of the happiest songs to come out of the decade, we have this half disco half RNB jam from Errol Brown and company which managed to be so joyous that it even crossed over to America for them. They often get compared to their American counterparts Kool and the gang since both groups have a predominantly black sound that still resonates with audiences to this day.
#63 for 1976
This may have been their only hit in Australia, however it's obvious that we were touched by the band's inspiring tale that the best was yet to come for them that we granted their wishes in making them a household name with the song and the album it came from. Indeed, these guys have a lot to be proud of as this remains a staple on oldies stations to this day.
#55 for 1975
Well, this is a song that's impossible to take seriously, I don't think I've been able to get through this track once without cracking myself laughing which I feel is the point given how badly Ian wants you to hit him with your "rhythm stick" (look up what that means kids.) This song was a massive success worldwide and put the punk band on the map right when the punk scene had begun to lose its momentum.
#61 for 1979
This was the only hit for Minnie Riperton during her short life on this planet, yes, she would go on to tragically pass away by the end of the decade from cancer which makes this one of the more bittersweet hits to become a success on my site. This song has gained infamy for Minnie's high note at the end of each chorus as well as the lyrics admittedly making no sense, I think the song is cute for what it is.
#56 for 1975
You may think that Maxine Nightingale was an American artist considering she saw massive success on Billboard with her disco classics, however she's actually from the UK and likely only saw international success due to how women of colour seemed to have been synonymous with the genre regardless of where they were from originally. Here we have her biggest hit which set the stage for other women to fight over the crown for the queen of disco.
#64 for 1976
This is often considered to be the showstopper of Grease, mainly because it's the moment where Sandy realises that even though she's aware that Danny might be bad for her, she can't help but be in love with him which many people have related to over the years. It remains her biggest solo hit from the soundtrack and no doubt served as a reminder of her innocent years before she shook up her image.
#64 for 1978
This was the only hit single that prog trio Emerson Lake and Palmer were able to achieve anywhere in the world, this no doubt led to the success of their album the Works vol 1 here given how it had a genuine hit single to its name down under. If you thought Genesis gets a bad rep when it comes to prog fans, I'd advise asking them what they think of these guys unless you're prepared for a foul-mouthed rant.
#64 for 1977
While this wasn't the final hit single these guys were able to score in Australia (that honour goes to "Rocking all over the world" from the following year) it was the last massive hit they had which goes to show how little success these guys had compared to their native UK where they were massive hit makers as recently as the early 90's. At least you still hear all of these songs on oldies stations to this day.
#65 for 1977
Well, this is a participation trophy in song form if I've ever heard one, although I absolutely understand why this has endured over the years given how Errol and company reassure their audience that it's not about winning or losing but how much fun you have playing the game. It was an easy hit for the band, although it would be one of their last hits outside of their native UK.
#65 for 1978
Although he would see massive success in his native America throughout the 80's, it likely wouldn't have happened had this breakthrough hit for him here in Australia not become as such this year. I'm guessing the lyrics didn't jive well with American audiences as it is essentially Johnny looking for the perfect one-night stand, however it certainly did jive with us largely thanks to a memorable performance of it on Countdown.
#66 for 1978
These guys already had a hit earlier in the decade with "United we stand," although it was this song which helped them win Eurovision that made them a household name as that earlier track was only a modest success upon its initial release. These two songs were the British group's only success here in Australia, although they scored further success later in the decade by ripping off Abba's material.
#65 for 1976
While the duo already had success in their native America prior to their Billboard chart topper, this was the song which made them an international household name likely due to the lyrics about how Daryl is calling out how privileged this woman is. The duo was in danger of becoming a one hit wonder in Australia as none of their other tracks from the 70's crossed over here, although they were very popular in the 80's.
#66 for 1977
This was the second Oscar winning ballad this decade to come from Maureen McGovern, an actress/singer who scored both of her hits with these two ballads in Australia as they were both attached to highly successful films that she also appeared in. This came from the Towering inferno, a disaster film about how a fire starts in what was supposed to be the tallest building in the world and the struggles that were had containing the fire in the building.
#57 for 1975
It looked like there were no signs of this husband-and-wife duo slowing down as they were able to score further success during the second half of the decade thanks to their breakthrough single "Love will keep us together" from the previous year, although their popularity here in Australia wasn't anywhere near as successful as it was in their native America where they scored a ton more success.
#66 for 1976
This was a two for one deal for John Denver as he released two of his more popular tracks from his (then) latest album Windsong in order to retain his popularity in the mainstream. This paid off for him as the double entry was a success as was the album itself, although it appears audiences suffered from overexposure from the country singer as he struggled for relevancy after this.
#58 for 1975
It seems weird that Guess who never much success had here in Australia given how well remembered their catalogue is on oldies stations, what's even weirder is that the lead singer Burton Cummings managed to find success following the bands brief demise in the mid 70's. Burton never officially rejoined the band, likely due to the surprise hit he had with this ballad that he's been trying to replicate.
#67 for 1977
This was the bigger hit that Supernaut were able to score here in Australia, although we'll get to their signature track in a bit as "I like it both ways" was the song that put them on the map originally. I'm guessing these two songs weren't as big as what Countdown made them out to be due to these guys arriving a little too late to the glam rock party to be among the biggest bands of the decade.
#67 for 1976
This was the only hit that City Boy were able to achieve in their career, I'm guessing it was due to this not being that big of a hit in their native UK despite it being a surprise hit over in America this year. I guess this was one of the more memorable pop rock tracks to come out from the decade.
#67 for 1978
This was the first of only two hits that British singer Peter Shelley had throughout the world (no relation to the Buzzcock's Pete Shelley) his other hit was a sleeper hit this year in Australia and thus won't be making an appearance on here. This likely would've been even bigger if Countdown had not taken over the music scene here as it was a hit the previous year before the show's introduction.
#35 for 1974
#59 for 1975
This was the biggest hit of Andy's career over in America, although in Australia that goes to his earlier hit "I just want to be your everything" given how that's catchier than this track. Even so it was an obvious hit for the younger brother of the Bee gees given how it was written by his older brothers with international success in mind, although his popularity would come to an end later this year.
#68 for 1978
This was the debut single for the Little river band, a group who would go on to have massive international success by the end of the decade due to how well they were promoted on Countdown during their inception. While this has fallen by the wayside in terms of their popularity, it did give them the success they needed to make their classics throughout their career.
#60 for 1975
Well neither the original version from Nina Simone nor the popular version from the Animals was a success in Australia back in the day, however this disco rendition from the French band Santa Esmeralda was a success so at least there's one version of this soul classic that managed to make it big here. Naturally the band failed to capitalise off their surprise hit worldwide as they were never heard from again.
#69 for 1978
This was another solo hit that Daryl Braithwaite was able to score this decade, I wish I had more to say about these songs but I'm not a fan of his 70's output like I am with his revival period.
#68 for 1976
This was the lead single to Queen's sequel album to A night at the opera, A day at the races. While it wasn't as big a success as "Bohemian rhapsody" (which admittedly few songs have been over the years) it did retain their popularity during the album cycle and led to them having a huge hit with their earlier entry on this list. The albums themselves were also a huge success back in the day in case you were wondering.
#68 for 1977
It looks like these guys were able to score a hit here in Australia after all even if it was the penultimate single they released in their career, although considering this was released right when the decade was coming to an end, this feels more like a last hurrah for the band even if there were no signs of bad things to come going into the 80's when this came out. Even with all of that, it was still a sleeper hit with us Aussies.
Bet you didn't know Billy Connolly had a singing career, did you? Well technically he doesn't as this "cover" of the Tammy Wynette classic is really a joke song he does in his typical sense of humour that nonetheless amused audiences back in the day. He was far from the only comic to score a hit down under over the years, heck he wasn't even the first as there were plenty of tracks like this prior to its success.
#69 for 1976
This was a bit of a surprise hit for Tom Jones, sure it wasn't the biggest hit of the year but the fact this ballad reached the upper echelons of the charts long enough to qualify for this list should tell you how popular it was for the Welsh singer a decade after his relevancy came to an end. Even so, people feel his true comeback was with his cover of Prince's "Kiss" from the late 80's with Art of noise.
#69 for 1977
This was the last major hit that Status quo had here in Australia, although they would continue to have massive success in their native UK as recently as the early 90's so perhaps their lack of success after this was due to them changing their sound from being a throwback band to a more contemporary one. This was a cover of a John Fogerty track from his first solo album from earlier in the decade that still receives airplay to this day.
#70 for 1978
Well, this is certainly different for Smokie, after all, I don't think anyone was expecting these guys to experiment with Latin pop given how much mileage they had with soft rock up until this point in their career. It would explain why it was only a sleeper hit for the band here despite this coming out immediately after the juggernaut that was "Oh carol" from earlier on this list.
It's easy to forget that "December 63" wasn't Frankie Valli's first foray into disco as that honour goes to this hidden gem which was only a sleeper hit for his band months prior to their magnum opus from earlier on this list. Indeed, this was a huge hit in their native America following the success of "My eyes adored you" which is funny given how that is a huge outlier on this list in his catalogue.
Dr Hook were on a roll this year as they found a second hit here in Australia with another soft rock ballad, this confirmed that they had matured from the comedy rock from the first half of the decade and wanted to appeal to a more mainstream audience. I guess we Aussies were a little ahead of the curve in this regard as their popularity here dwindled just as it was beginning to explode internationally.
#70 for 1976
This was the big breakthrough that Robert Palmer had here in Australia and in America of all places as this wasn't a huge hit in his native UK for some reason, in fact he never saw much success over there despite him being one of the biggest artists of the 80's worldwide. Here he scores a hit where he admits to falling in love with his doctor, a situation that I'm sure many found amusing upon its initial release.
#62 for 1979
This was the final hit that Hot chocolate had in Australia this decade, although they would return in the early 80's with the likes of "Girl crazy" and their actual final hit "It started with a kiss" due to them performing those tracks on Countdown. In the meantime, we have this RNB ballad about Errol fixing a person he's in a relationship with, it's not exactly a fondly remembered track but it was a hit.
#63 for 1979
This was the second and final hit that BJ Thomas was able to achieve in Australia, third if you consider that John Farnham stole his second hit here with his rendition of "Raindrops keep falling on my head." I guess Glen Campbell was the country star of choice here in Australia during the height of our fascination with the genre considering how much bigger he was compared to this guy down under.
#61 for 1975
It turns out this was also a sleeper hit for the Emotions here in Australia, I would say I've evened out their representation on both sides of this site except no amount of expanding this list will allow "Flowers" to appear on it due to it failing to chart here. It makes sense we Aussies knew of this songs existence back in the day given how heavily its played-on oldies stations to this day.
Evidently this was the theme to a TV show that was quite popular here in Australia, I'm not familiar with said TV show as from what I can research, Thom Pace was an American musician even though his one and only hit was only as such down under.
Well, this is a brutal entry, not for the song itself as it's your typical glam rock track from an Australian artist of the moment, rather how it was clearly destined for great things upon its initial release only to be sidelined by Countdown due to the show wanting to shape up our music scene of the moment. Still at least Ray Burgess got somewhat of a look at his catalogue by the mainstream with this entry.
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