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 looks like Sailor were able to score a second hit here in Australia with a song that I assure you has nothing to do with the Motley Crue track of the same name released a decade later, in fact this is something completely different from anything that got big on this list as this is a vaudeville track that somehow became popular during the height of disco and rock operas.
These guys had been active since the mid 50's, which means they scored their final hit in Australia and most parts of the world two decades after their initial breakthrough. They had another hit earlier in the year with "Like sister and brother" meaning this RNB ballad didn't come out of nowhere for the band down under, indeed they were fairly successful worldwide as both of these songs were huge in the UK.
#36 for 1974
20 weeks
This was the debut single for Kate Bush, it's incredible to think that someone as young as she was managed to craft a song that's resonated with so many people over the years but there you go. Kate's popularity grew well into the 80's likely due to her fitting in really well with the MTV era, after all the visuals in her videos while bizarre at time, still strike a chord with visual media to this day.
#71 for 1978
This might be my favourite vocal performance from Frankie Valli throughout his entire catalogue, although I might just be saying that due to how much I love the film in question more than anything. This was his final hit single (not counting a remix of "December 1963") although he was in his forties by this stage so it's understandable that he didn't find any further success after this.
#72 for 1978
Before Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac, this guy was the original lead vocalist for the band during the first half of the decade (fun fact, Fleetwood Mac started off as an instrumental band.) He left the group due to not finding any success with them, and while I'm sure he was kicking himself when he saw them take off soon after his departure, he at least got a consolation prize by having this be a success for him in Australia and his native America.
#73 for 1978
Well, I don't think there's much analysis needed in what John Paul Young is trying to convey in this song, I do find it ironic that he scored three of the bigger hits of the decade with songs that were critical of the music scene and yet would go on to have massive success later in the decade with a song that embodies all that he stood against on these tracks.
#71 for 1976
This was another successful song to come from the Bay city rollers this year, in fact it's worth noting that these guys managed to spawn a hit single from each of their albums during the midpoint of the decade to give you an idea of how inescapable they were here in Australia.
#62 for 1975
These two songs were bundled together likely due to Sherbet's label wanting to give the former a second chance in the spotlight following its commercial failure from earlier in the decade. Indeed, the former became a massive success largely thanks to it being attached to the much more popular track which incidentally remains one of the more fondly remembered tracks from Sherbet's discography.
#72 for 1976
#70 for 1977
This was the biggest hit from Little river band in Australia, and it comes after a long dry spell that many of its members had from their previous bands as this feels more like a supergroup considering we have members from Axiom, Mississippi, the Twilights and Drummond in this lineup. Suffice to say, this is the most successful band that all of these men were a part of due to how well they did internationally.
#71 for 1977
This was another double release from Sherbet, this time we have two songs that they couldn't decide to promote from their album Life is for living and as such went for both. This proved to be a massive success for the band as it helped them retain their popularity over their main rivals Skyhooks, although it also proved that they had a specific target audience in mind for their music.
#63 for 1975
#73 for 1976
This was the breakthrough single for Cheap trick here in Australia, largely thanks to a very memorable performance they gave on Countdown with this song which helped them find an audience here which had ignored them despite how big they were in their native America. They would have further success in the 80's here, although not without a huge dry spell throughout the middle of the decade.
#64 for 1979
#63 for 1980
It looks like the Abba phenomenon was beginning to die down with their latest album err.... the Album. With that said, these guys continued to have success here for the remainder of the decade and even into the 80's as their dip in popularity was more due to overexposure from their previous two albums, although it could also be this lead single not being the best choice to lead an album cycle.
#72 for 1977
#74 for 1978
Continuing with his meta commentary of the state of music, John Paul Young decided to target the state of love songs which often resulted in setting up unrealistic expectations in real life romances. I guess it's good to know that people have been making these observations in music for this long, although John manages to do so while having an aurally pleasing song that managed to become a huge hit for him.
#64 for 1975
Given how the original version of this track was never released as a single, this leaves the Elton John version the only successful version of this track supposedly about LSD given that's the initials of the song. Paul has of course denied this and reckons it's actually about a girl named Lucy who was dreaming to become a huge international superstar, and indeed it appears that's the direction Elton takes this song in.
#65 for 1975
Following the success of her film Grease, Olivia Newton John decided to use the transformation that her character in the film Sandy went through and apply it to her real-life music career as she went in a more risqué direction with her music. This was the first song she released in this vein which while quite tame to what would come in the 80's, was still sexier than anything she had released up until this point.
#65 for 1979
This was the final hit that Ray Stevens managed to achieve anywhere in the world, at the very least it's neither one of his comedy tracks or a song about racial harmony to try and make up for his blatantly racist humour. Instead, we have this country ballad which no doubt connected with audiences due to it being released during the height of John Denver's popularity worldwide.
#66 for 1975
This was the lead single of the 60's band the Kingston trio, a band that never saw much success here in Australia back in the day as did a lot of bands and artists who you otherwise would've thought were inescapable here. Here he recruits Stevie Nicks on backing vocals for his one and only solo hit anywhere in the world, I'm guessing her presence was what finally made him a success down under.
#66 for 1979
This was the only hit that Roger Voudouris was able to score anywhere in the world, again we have his appearance on Countdown to thank for this as I don't think it would've been as big here in Australia had he not performed the song on the show. I guess you can file this in the same category as all the hits that Leif Garrett and Shaun Cassidy had during the second half of the decade, a good-looking pop star scoring a hit with girls who found him attractive.
#67 for 1979
Given how he had one of the biggest albums of the decade with the Stranger, Billy Joel no longer had any issues with finding success with his ballads even though he was criticised at the time for making the type of music that seemed to be catered to the soccer mums of the world. Naturally this criticism has died out over the years thanks to his complex songwriting as well as how memorably his compositions are.
#68 for 1979
It's hard to believe that these guys were considered to be rock dinosaurs when this became a hit for them, after all they had only been active in the music industry for fifteen years by this point. I'm guessing that's how the youth of the day referred to them when they scored a massive hit with this disco track, after all they hadn't had a hit in five years, and this was the perfect comeback for them.
#75 for 1978
There was a popular miniseries airing from Australia which starred Jon English known as Against the wind, from what I can gather it takes place during the colonisation of Australia in the early 1800's which struck a chord with audiences back in the day. It came with a theme song which was a huge success for Jon and Mario Millo, so much so that it and the miniseries was also a success throughout Europe.
#69 for 1979
This was the lead single to Marcia Hines third album in Australia, an album that spawned her biggest hit which we looked at earlier on this list. She would continue to have success here for the remainder of the 70's, although she struggled to retain her popularity going into the 80's once Diana Ross started having hits down under again.
#73 for 1977
These two were already part of some of the biggest bands to come out of Australia throughout the 70's, so it seems fitting that they would conclude the decade with a collaboration album which scored a massive hit with this ballad they made together. Their next hit wouldn't come until 1982 when John Farnham replaced Glenn Shorrock as the lead singer of Little river band.
#70 for 1979
These guys were on a roll as they managed to score a hit with this cover of a Jackie Deshannon track that was made popular by the Searchers in the early 60's. Indeed, this would be another successful year for the band as they would score more success with their earlier entries, although their time in the spotlight wouldn't extend to the 80's.
#76 for 1978
This was the final hit that Racey were able to score in their career, although they could've at least tried to score another hit by recording a second album, but they never did for some reason. They did appear on Countdown in the new year which likely boosted the sales of Smash and grab despite it spawning three massive hits for them.
#71 for 1979
Well, he may not have had his partner in crime Bernie Taupin writing his big hits, however Elton John was able to continue having success during this dark period of his career which I'm sure was enough convincing that he didn't need Bernie's songwriting chops until their reunion in 1983. This was the big hit off his first album without Bernie's output which managed to be a modest success for him.
#72 for 1979
Pablo Cruise sounds like the name of a lounge singer who would perform Barry Manilow covers as your local lounge bar, well they're actually a band which wrote their own music that is admittedly similar to what Barry was releasing throughout the 70's. This was their only hit worldwide which does indeed fit the theme of being on a cruise, perhaps it was big because of it being featured in a commercial for one.
#77 for 1978
This was the second hit that Yvonne Elliman was able to achieve worldwide following the success of her first single "Love me" from the previous year, although Kim Wilde would have a much bigger hit in Australia with her version fifteen years later. People like to rag on the lyrics of this track due to how depressing they are once you read them; however, I feel it matches the tone of the film very well.
#78 for 1978
This was the only hit that Skyhooks managed to have success with outside of Australia as this became a huge success for them over in NZ later in the year, although here it was the second single from their third album Straight in a gay gay world which wasn't as big as their earlier releases (possibly due to the name of the album.) Indeed, their popularity would dwindle as the decade went on.
#74 for 1976
You'd think that a song about complimenting a woman's dancing would be set to a catchy disco beat, instead we have a soft rock track from American band Wha Koo (what is with these band names?) which became a hit here in Australia any nowhere else in the world. The lack of success these guys had led to them breaking up the following year, so much for having success down under meaning anything.
#79 for 1978
This was the only hit that Player had worldwide, although it was one of two hits in Australia from an act named Player as "Space invaders" was from a local band called Player 1 in 1980. This has remained a favourite on oldies stations to this day due to this being an apology ballad about how awful the narrator is, it also shares its name with a reggae track from ten years prior by the British band Equals.
#80 for 1978
Livie was on a roll when she released this title track to her album this year, it became her second Billboard chart topper in a row following the success of "I honestly love you" from the previous year. It would be her last hit here in Australia for a few years as we were growing tired of country music around this time, although she would return later in the decade in a more pop friendly direction.
#67 for 1975
OK it turns out that Bernie Taupin might have still somewhat been active in Elton John's career during the dark period that they two weren't talking to each other, I'm guessing these were songs that Bernie gave to Elton for him to work on as Elton has a songwriting credit on this instrumental as well as Bernie. I guess when I say they two reunited on Too low for zero, I mean they did so on a permanent basis.
#73 for 1979
This was the debut single from Fox which they rereleased following the success of their earlier entry on this list, it became a big sleeper hit here in Australia given this was technically the follow up to that chart topper they had even though it had already been a massive success over in the UK over a year prior to its eventual success down under.
Maureen Elkner was a cast member from the Australian production of Rocky horror show, although from what I can gather her only claim to fame these days is this novelty track where she "responds" to the narrator of the Newcastle song from Bob Hudson by providing her perspective of what happened in that track. In a way, this was the "FURB" to Bob's "F**k it" made thirty years prior.
Well, this seemed to be tailor made to be made fun of by music nerds, after all there isn't a year of the cat in the Chinese zodiac and yet British singer Al Stewart made an entire song about that concept that was a hit for him worldwide. It was even bit over in America to give you an idea of how many people bought into this.
#74 for 1977
Although it doesn't say so on the album cover, this is in fact a duet between Donna Summer and the short-lived American trio Brooklyn dreams. In fact, this is technically their song as this doesn't appear on any of Donna's albums and was instead the lead single to their second album which was a massive flop for them even in their native America, I'm guessing because even back then people didn't realise this was their song.
#74 for 1979
Tom Robinson and company are best known for their queer anthem "Glad to be gay" which as far as I can tell, is the earliest song to become popular that's meant to be a coming out anthem for those trapped in the closet. Naturally we Aussies passed that up in favour of this much more conventional track from the band which even then, struggled to find its audience with us Aussies due to the stiff competition of the moment.
It's not that surprising to me that this was only a sleeper hit here in Australia given how the album this comes from was a massive success for Santana and company here back in the day, what's really surprising is that this was the best the band could do for nearly three decades when it came to their singles given how inescapable "Smooth" would be over twenty years after this came out.
It looks like David Dundas was able to score a second hit here in Australia following the massive worldwide hit he had from earlier on this list, although this wasn't attached to a commercial (at least that I'm aware of) so it wasn't the inescapable hit that "Jeans on" proved to be for the English singer/songwriter.
This guy isn't the bassist for Queen despite them sharing the same name, instead he was an Australia TV composer who scored his one and only hit for the TV show Rush which was a popular Australian crime show from the 70's that was remade in the late 00's. From what I can gather, it was the Magnum P.I of its time, making this another occasion that American media stole from Australian media throughout history.
#37 for 1974
#68 for 1975
Well, I did mention that this was a huge hit for Sherbet earlier in the year when we looked at their other big hit they had this year, so let's look at this title track to Sherbet's third album which indeed confirmed them as a household name a year after "Cassandra" from their previous album put them on the map. They did have minor success during the first half of the decade; however, this was where they made it big.
#38 for 1974
This was the only hit that Maria Muldaur managed to achieve in her career anywhere in the world, it's a folk ballad detailing a steamy date she went on which was guaranteed to be a success for her due to the level of details she provided connecting with audiences of the moment.
#39 for 1974
19 weeks
Skyhooks were indeed one of the most popular bands of the decade thanks to their promotion on Countdown, so it only makes sense that lead singer Shirley Strachan would see massive success with a solo hit much like the lead singer of their rival band Sherbet did a few years prior. This did prove to be a death nail for the band's commercial appeal as they didn't reach the dizzying heights of their earlier material after this became a hit.
#75 for 1976
#75 for 1977
While their second album named after their previous entry on this list wasn't as successful overall as their debut, it made up for that by spawning two of the bigger hits of the decade for Skyhooks as this second single about how Shirley feels left out for being single while everyone in his social circle is settling down with their significant others struck a chord with the single people of the decade.
#69 for 1975
This was a ballad that originally went by the name "Brandy" and was a hit for Scott English earlier in the decade, I'm guessing Barry Manilow changed the name of the song to avoid confusion with that ballad even though that's the only lyrical change he made to the song. It was the first of several hit singles he scored this decade that was a cover despite him being a well-known songwriter.
#70 for 1975
Smokie were certainly on a roll throughout the 70's as they managed to score yet another hit in Australia during the second half of the decade, I get the feeling these guys replaced Bay city rollers as the British pop rock band of choice once the Scottish lads began to saw a dip in their popularity.
#76 for 1977
#81 for 1978
This was the lead single to the latest album that Bay city rollers released this year, given how they released two new albums every year since their initial breakthrough (that's not even counting their album they released exclusively in America) I think it's safe to say that the band was a tad overexposed by this point. It doesn't help that their latest single was a cover of a Dusty Springfield classic.
#76 for 1976
This was the lead single from Abba's album Voulez vous, an album that proved to be more successful than their previous effort likely due to it being released when the decade was coming to an end and audiences were overlooking the biggest music trends of the 70's. Indeed, this is one of their most well-known songs to this day, so there's little surprise that it was a huge success for them back in the day.
#75 for 1979
This was originally a hit for the Dave Clark five over a decade prior, however Hush managed to make it their own this year with their glam version which proved to be their second and final hit in their discography. They did have moderate success with their album this year due to both of their entries on this list, however they would struggle to find further success as the decade went on.
#71 for 1975
It looks like Peter Allen wasn't the only person who wanted to escape to Rio this year as Michael Nesmith also had a hit about the Brazilian capital in the southern hemisphere. It's worth noting that the Monkees vocalist didn't have much success in his native America once the band broke up earlier in the decade, although he managed to score three hits here and in NZ throughout the decade.
#77 for 1977
This was the only hit that Harry Chapin managed to achieve in his lifetime, indeed like some artists who made it big this decade, he didn't live for very long after he scored his big hit as he died in a car crash in 1981 meaning there was every chance he could've scored a second hit in his career if he lived through the 80's. This song was covered by Ugly kid joe in the early 90's where it became an even bigger success for them.
#72 for 1975
This was one of only three hits that Bob Dylan had as a solo artist in Australia, it was also his final hit here which should tell you how uninterested we were with his singles despite how huge his albums were. This was a protest song about the mistreatment of Ruben "Hurricane" Carter which came out less than a year after the success of a tribute track towards Muhammad Ali, making this a good time to write songs about boxers of colour.
#77 for 1976
This was the second and final hit that Flash and the Pan were able to score in Australia, although they would score a surprise hit with "Waiting for the train" in the UK in 1983 which compelled this and their other hit "Hey St Peter" to be released throughout Europe in the 80's to capitalise off that song's success. I'm not sure why these guys didn't have success here in the 80's, their music seemed tailor made for the MTV era.
#82 for 1978
It had been a good twenty years since Johnny Mathis last troubled the charts with one of his ballads, so it was a bit of a surprise to see him score a number one hit in his native America with this ballad that introduced the world to Deniece Williams who would go on to have massive success in the 80's. As an extra fun fact, Johnny is one of the first musicians of colour to come out as gay in the music industry.
#83 for 1978
This was the breakthrough single from Dan Hartman, a closeted LGBT man who only scored two hits in his career before tragically passing away in 1994 due to complications with HIV. While he's more well known these days for his hit single "I can dream about you," this was the bigger hit in certain parts of the world due to it being a disco track released during the height of the genre's popularity.
#76 for 1979
This was the only hit that K.C and the Sunshine band were able to score in Australia throughout the 70's, although they would score another two hits going into the 80's meaning that they weren't one hit wonders with this classic for long here. I guess a common complaint with their 70's material is that they all sounded the same to each other, after all try telling this apart from "Shake your booty," Keep it coming love" and "Get down tonight." Unless you're a fan of disco, you won't be able to do it.
#78 for 1976
This was the final hit that Raydio scored during their short time together, I'm guessing they only served as a platform for their lead single Ray Parker Jr to launch his solo career which would go in all sorts of directions throughout the 80's. Here we have a yacht rock track about how much in love Ray is with this person and how there's nothing they can do about it; it's a nice sounding song provided you don't think too hard about the lyrics.
#77 for 1979
Although they're best known for their disco classic "Groove thing" (which sadly won't be appearing on this blog) this was the big hit from Peaches and Herb due to it being their Billboard chart topper in their native America. It turns out that the Peaches on here wasn't the original Peaches when the duo formed a decade prior, in fact Herb Fame has gone through five different Peaches over the years.
#78 for 1979
This is often considered to be one of the worst songs of the 70's, this is mainly due to it sounding like an innocent love song but is really in fact about rough sex which obviously alienates everyone who could potentially like it as those into soft rock will be turned off by the subject matter and those into the subject matter will find it to be cheesy and boring.
#79 for 1976
I've seen this title track to Donna Summer's breakthrough album be described as porn music, I can certainly attest for its album version which takes up the full side A of the album as it goes for sixteen minutes. Thankfully the single version isn't nearly as long and thus doesn't wear out its welcome as quickly, thus allowing it to become a huge success for Donna and a gateway to her making disco tracks.
#80 for 1976
This was the biggest hit that AC/DC had with Bon Scott on lead vocals, although they would go on to have bigger success in the 80's once Brian Johnston took over following Bon's death in 1980. This was the lead single to the band's third album Dirty deeds done dirt cheap, an album that didn't see the level of success their second album T.N.T saw back in the day.
#81 for 1976
This was the final hit that Mark Holden was able to achieve in his career, given that he scored three massive hits with his first three singles, I don't think he has anything to be ashamed of with this achievement.
#78 for 1977
Well, I hope you're in the mood for Elton John portraying himself as a native islander trying to save the life of a sex worker of colour, because that's what he does on this song which was a Billboard chart topper for him this year. Even if this song were written and performed by a person of colour, it would still be problematic even for its time due to the insistence of them deciding what's best for the woman in question.
#73 for 1975
This was more in line with some of the bigger hits that Leo Sayer would score this decade, although it wasn't as big as what was still to come given how this has become one of his more forgotten songs in his catalogue over the years. Even so it was a good steppingstone for the likes of "You make me feel like dancing" and "Thunder in my heart."
#74 for 1975
For over a decade, this was the only hit that Eric Carmen was able to achieve anywhere in the world, it's up there with "Without you" as one of the most melodramatic songs to come out of the 70's which is perhaps why it's endured over the years (that and the popular Celine Dion cover from the 90's.) He would score a surprise comeback twelve years later by appearing on the Dirty dancing soundtrack.
#82 for 1976
While this wasn't the first hit these guys had here in Australia (stay tuned for that in my next list) this was the first hit that AC/DC had that sparked international interest in them likely due to their usage of bagpipes on the song. It's a bit of a surprise these guys weren't as big down under back in the day considering A: how well promoted they were on Countdown and B: their eventually worldwide success.
#83 for 1976
I'm not exactly sure what took this song from British group Sniff n the tears to make it big given how it was originally released two years prior, although it did eventually find an audience just as the decade had started despite it never being a hit in their native UK. I guess the rest of the world were able to appreciate the slow ballad more than their fellow Brits.
#79 for 1980
Following the success of his live album Frampton comes alive, Peter Frampton was able to score a huge hit in Australia with this track from his album of the same name only to forever fade into obscurity once the album dropped off the charts. I'm not sure why his popularity was so brief here, however it did lead to him being taught at music schools thanks to the talent he brought to his musicianship.
#79 for 1977
Here we are with one of the more instantly recognisable tracks from Leo Sayer given how popular this disco track has remained from him over the years, heck there was a popular remix of this from British DJ Meck nearly two decades later that no doubt helped this survive the test of time in the mid 00's. This would be Leo's last hit single of the decade in Australia, however he would return at the start of the 80's.
#80 for 1977
Smokie were on a roll this decade as this was their second big hit, they had followed their top entry from earlier on this list, it's not as memorable as their other entries I've featured on this site which explains why it wasn't among their bigger hits back in the day.
#81 for 1977
There were no signs of these guys slowing down in Australia this year as this title track from their (then) latest album became the second hit from the album after "Money honey" from earlier on the list.
#84 for 1976
OK so I exaggerated when I said earlier in the list that "Boogie wonderland" was the only hit these guys had in Australia, it was their only top ten hit and the only hit for the Emotions, however these guys did score a hit earlier in the year with this disco classic from their greatest hits package. I guess the fact the greatest hits album was a success did mean that we were at least aware of their catalogue back in the day.
#79 for 1979
Bet you didn't know the Muppets were able to have hits in the mainstream, did you? Yes, this opening ballad from the first Muppet movie became a success here in Australia likely due to our love of the show and the film being a box office success at the time. Evidently the theme song to the show was a huge success worldwide in the mid 70's, although that song wasn't a success here in Australia.
#80 for 1980
This was a bit of a surprise hit for James Taylor this year, mainly because he hadn't troubled the Australian charts since his duet with his (then) wife Carly Simon from three years prior. Then again, I wouldn't call this a comeback and merely a surprise hit due to him feeling out of place this year even with all the other soft rock ballads that made it big.
#82 for 1977
This is the only hit that ELO was able to achieve from their album Out of the blue, it's another song I'm surprised wasn't a huge mainstream hit given how it remains a staple on oldies stations to this day, however it did come from an album that was an instant success. The big notable single from Out of the blue is "Mr blue sky" which only became as such due to being placed in every movie trailer you can think of.
This was sandwiched between Andy's two biggest hits worldwide, although it was a massive hit in its own right as all of his entries on this site were Billboard chart toppers for him. It's unfortunate that his popularity would die out by the end of the decade, although nowhere near as much as him passing away in 1988 due to his drug problems.
#84 for 1978
This is the last hit that Santana had for twenty years anywhere in the world, although it certainly wasn't through a lack of trying given how they were quite active throughout the 80's and 90's before they got their big break with "Smooth" in 1999. If the title seems familiar to you, that's because this is a cover of a Buddy Holly track from two decades prior.
This was the second of only two solo hits that Stevie Wright had here in Australia, although he did have one of the biggest hits of the decade with "Evie" from the previous year and he was the lead single of the Easybeats who were one of the biggest Australian bands of the 60's. This was one of the earliest songs to be performed on Countdown, which in addition to his previous success, made it a shoe in to be a hit this year.
#75 for 1975
This was the final hit that the New seekers managed to achieve before they called it quits to allow the genuine article to score a comeback the following year with "Sparrow song," they were meant to be the British equivalent of the Australian band but fell short due to selling themselves as a pop band as opposed to a folk band like the genuine article was.
#40 for 1974
Our final entry on this list comes from Roberta Flack, one of the more popular artists during the first half of the decade in Australia despite being and female RNB singer of colour which normally is a combination of words that doesn't give you much success here. Indeed, her voice was so distinct that even we Aussies fell in love with her three Billboard chart toppers as this was easily the weakest hit of the three here.
#41 for 1974
18 weeks
This was the second single from Abba's fourth album Arrival, and one that seems oddly appropriate in this day and age given how frequently they proclaim this to be a "rich man's world" throughout the lyrics. It was an easy chart topper for the Swedish foursome and ensured that their popularity wasn't a fluke during the midpoint of the decade.
#85 for 1976
#83 for 1977
This was that other sports track that made it big this year in Australia, and again we have the cricket to thank for promoting this and its sequel track into the mega hits that they were. Oh yeah, this song has a sequel to it, and it also cracked the top ten here just as the decade was coming to an end.
#80 for 1979
While this wasn't their debut single, this was the song that put Abba on the map thanks to the song winning Eurovision for this year with its upbeat instrumentation and lyrics about the historical surrender of Waterloo used to compare to the love the two couples shared for each other. It's a song that's endured throughout the decades thanks to its unique premise as well as how cheerful it is.
#42 for 1974
Here we have another song that was inescapable from the Bay city rollers this decade in Australia, there's only so much I can say about these tracks without coming off as repetitive and redundant.
#76 for 1975
#86 for 1976
Given how successful his debut album was in Australia, it only makes sense that Leif Garret would continue to have success with his second album given how it was a huge success in his native America. For whatever reason, his popularity came to a screeching half once the album cycle was complete, which no doubt led to his drug addiction which preventing him from launching a comeback.
#85 for 1978
This was the debut single for a band who would go on to dominate the 80's with some of the greatest and bestselling albums of all time worldwide, although here we have a more subdue performance from the band which likely helped it stand out from all of the disco that was becoming popular around this time. They wouldn't have another hit here until "Twisting by the pool" in 1983.
#86 for 1978
#81 for 1979
Well, this is a ballad that still manages to hit hard all of these years later, Christmas of 1974 was a dire time for those living in Darwin as they were struck by Cyclone Tracy proving that climate change has been a thing for many years at this point. In order to raise funds for the survivors, NZ duo Bill and Boyd recorded this track which had all the proceeds going towards those that were affected by the disaster.
#77 for 1975
Fans of Madonna's Confessions on a dance floor will recognise the beat to this song on her hit single "Hung up," however here it was used for a song that's about wanting to hook up with a man for a one-night stand in the middle of the night as opposed to Madonna being fed up with her partner wasting her time. The success of this track proved that Abba's popularity was still going strong entering the 80's.
#82 for 1979
#83 for 1980
This was the final hit that Alice Cooper was able to achieve for an entire decade given how he wouldn't bother the charts again until his 1989 comeback album Trash, that also served as a return to form as this era saw him being a soft rocker as opposed to the rest of this catalogue which had him in glam rock.
#87 for 1978
#83 for 1979
This was another hit that Sherbet managed to achieve back in the day, it was a huge success for them as was just about everything they released during Countdown's first two years of existence due to being the most regular performers on the show.
#87 for 1976
I wonder how many LGBT people signed up for the navy when this became a hit for the Village people back in the day, after all, the YMCA was a safe haven for queer men, and they gave their endorsement with their earlier entry on this list. This was their final hit in their native America, although they had one more hit in most parts of the world as it was the theme to their theatrical disaster Can't stop the music.
#84 for 1979
This was the final hit that Wings were able to achieve before they called it quits heading into the 80's, I'm guessing they wanted to end things on a high note as this song came out around the time they released their final album London town which curiously didn't have this on the track listing.
#85 for 1979
We have one final entry from Sherbet for this site, again it was a huge success for them due to how well loved they were on Countdown during the first few years of its existence.
#78 for 1975
It looks like Ted Mulry gang wanted to be "hip" and "with it" throughout the remainder of the 70's as they altered their name to be its initials. They did score moderate success with this formula as this was a decent size hit for them this year, however audiences weren't fooled by this change as they didn't change up their sound much from their earlier work. At least they did away with the novelty tracks like "Jump in my car."
#84 for 1977
This was an amazing year for Elton John given how he not only scored two massive hits this year but also managed to have each of his albums at this point be a massive worldwide success. Neither of his two songs this year appeared on his albums, and admittedly audiences likely wanted to hear this upbeat song about how awesome Philadelphia is over his more sombre ballad "Someone saved my love tonight."
#79 for 1975
This was the final hit that Boney M achieved in most parts of the world, possibly as a last hurrah considering this came at the end of a very successful decade for them. If you couldn't gather from the title, this is a holiday theme which continues the trend they had with their biggest hit "The rivers of Babylon." It was likely adopted as a theme for TV commercials wanting to sell tropical vacations for a while.
#86 for 1979
Well, it was the fourth single from the Grammy award winning soundtrack, oh yeah, I should mention that the Saturday night fever soundtrack won album of the year at the Grammys this year. In any case, we have this third hit that the Brothers Gibb were able to score this year, once again due to the vocal harmonies of the brothers as well as the irresistibly catchy disco beat they were synonymous with.
#88 for 1978
This was the lead single to Cold Chisel's biggest album East; it was also the final song they released in the 70's as it found its success during the first months of the 80's thanks to the sentiment of the lyrics and Jimmy's performance. Their earlier entry on this list was the bit hit from the album, although both of these songs do remain popular in their discography regardless of which one was bigger.
#84 for 1980
I guess this second single from ELO's biggest album A new world record confirmed them to be the hottest new band from the prog rock category, it's not one of my favourite tracks from the album (I would've released "Do ya" or "So fine") but it was a huge success for them regardless. There's still one more entry to come from the album which was their biggest hit over in America.
#85 for 1977
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