Although Billboard has yet to release a top 500 for the biggest hits of the 70's on their website (as of this writing of course) I've decided to make up my own list which I created on my RYM site to look over what I believe to be the biggest hits of the decade over there. As usual this list only includes songs that were popular in the southern hemisphere back in the day and not the songs that didn't appeal to us Aussies or kiwis.
This is the first entry on the list to peak at number three on Billboard, although admittedly the fact that Dorothy Moore managed to score a massive worldwide hit with this track after a decade of trying to make it big is impressive in its own right. Sadly, it would be a bittersweet victory for the RNB singer of colour as she would fail to score any other hits in her career after this.
As this was the only hit that America had in the southern hemisphere, it will be their only appearance on this list despite them having four other candidates for this list proving just how popular they were in America back in the day. I guess these guys would've had a chance at crossing over here in Australia had Countdown not considered them yesterday's news by the time they found their footing internationally.
This is the only entry from Johnny Nash on this list as "Tears on my pillow" failed to connect with his fellow Americans like it did with the kiwis and the Brits back in the day. Even though it was a massive hit for him back in the day, oldies stations tend to play Jimmy Cliff's cover likely due to its connection to the Disney classic Cool Runnings.
We haven't looked at all of the chart toppers the brothers Gibb had throughout the decade yet, here's the lead single to their album Spirits having flown which continued the winning streak they had from the Saturday night fever soundtrack which no doubt was further boosted by how inescapable RNB, and disco was at the time of its release.
As this was the only hit that the Sylvers had in the southern hemisphere, naturally it's the only one that I'll be featuring on this list even though they did score a second hit in their homeland with "Hot line." It's interesting how they were touted as "the next Jackson 5" given how those guys would rebrand themselves as the Jacksons shortly after this came out and reclaim the title of the definitive family act of colour in the music industry.
Much like the rest of the world, this was the only hit that Nick Gilder had in America even if it went to number one on Billboard like so many entries we've looked at so far on this list. I guess even the Americans couldn't get past just how raunchy he is on this track which admittedly has novelty status written all over it.
This came so close to topping the Billboard charts, in fact this outranks the two songs that kept it from achieving that goal which goes to show how even back in the day, number one wasn't everything when it came to a song's popularity. This is especially impressive given how Maxine Nightingale is from the UK and that this song was more popular in America than it was in her homeland.
This is one of only two entries from Leo Sayer on this list, although both entries were chart toppers for the English crooner on Billboard despite the fact that he had so little success in America outside of his album Endless flight over there. I guess this explains why this is considered to be his signature tune even though it wasn't his biggest hit anywhere else in the world back in the day.
This got stuck behind Bo Donaldson's "Billy don't be a hero" for two weeks on the Billboard charts, even so, a song that this outranks on my RYM list as it managed to stick around for longer in the top ten that that did. It's little wonder that this was a hit throughout the rest of the world for the Stylistics given how it managed to crossover to Australia, NZ and even the UK for the RNB group of colour.
I'm sort of cheating with this entry as this is the instrumental version of a track that was a hit here in Australia, however I've decided to include it as it's widely accepted that both versions of the track were popular in the countries they charted in. Besides if I can allow an English cover of a German song and a remix of another on my 80's Billboard list, I think having this chart-topping instrumental is also fair game.
Ever wanted to know why this was a huge hit in NZ even though this came over a decade after Herb Alpert's popularity came to an end? It turns out this was a huge chart topper for him on Billboard which further proves just how inescapable instrumentals were throughout the decade in America.
This is the first of two solo chart toppers that Frankie Valli had on Billboard throughout the decade, I'm not sure why this ballad was what revived his career given how it wouldn't feel out of place with a song from a decade prior, however it was such a success that it led to the revival of the Four seasons popularity with their earlier entry on this list.
It's a bit strange that this wound up being a chart topper for Looking glass on Billboard in retrospect given how there was another track from when it came out that it shares its name with that would become a chart topper over there once Barry Manilow covered it later in the decade (that's still to come on this list.) Alas this was the only hit that these guys had even in their homeland.
Often considered to be one of the worst songs of all time, this chart-topping duet between 50's crooner Paul Anka and relatively unknown singer of colour Odia Coates was a massive success in America to the point where the rest of the world followed suit in making it a success despite the song being controversial even back in the day.
This is the final entry from the Saturday night fever soundtrack as well as the third of four consecutive chart toppers to come from the album, this is impressive for Yvonne Elliman who didn't have another hit in her homeland (technically she's American as she was born in Hawaii) as "Love me" was only a hit in the UK likely due to her involvement with Andrew Lloyd Webber's production Jesus Christ Superstar.
This got stuck behind Debby Boone's entry from the start of this list from getting to number one in America, I'm not sure how many of that song's detractors are fans of Crystal Gayle, however I have to assume it isn't an insignificant amount given how widely despised that song remains to this day as opposed to how well loved this song is.
Much like the rest of the world, this was a massive hit for Hot Chocolate in America which is impressive given how it was their first hit single on Billboard due to the failure of "Emma" over there. As they were a British band, they didn't have the same level of success in America as they did internationally, meaning we only have one more entry to come from them on this list.
I'm still shocked that we Aussies were slow on the uptake of making the brothers Gibb the kings of disco back in the day, fortunately the kiwis were more enthusiastic about this phenomenon, although not nearly as much as the Americans were given how this was their second Billboard chart topper from the genre and third overall. We still have two more entries to come on this list from the trio, one of which was another Billboard chart topper.
Given how this was a massive Billboard chart topper for Neil Sedaka, it makes sense how Countdown failed to prevent it from becoming a success here in Australia even if it was a massive dud in NZ and most other parts of the world. His duet with Elton John is still to come on this list, and he even had another candidate in the form of "Breaking up is hard to do" for this list.
Well, this is certainly a surprise, mainly because this was easily in the top ten biggest hits of the decade everywhere else in the world and yet it didn't even crack the top 100 biggest hits of the decade in America despite the film still being one of the most successful of all time at the box office. Even so, this duet did manage to top the charts for a single week on Billboard, proving that it was a success in America.
Again, when I said this song was problematic when I talked about it previously on this site, I merely meant that it was questionable that it was promoting a situation few if anyone actually wants to find themselves in and by no means support any form of censorship it may receive from modern listeners. That out of the way, it's little wonder this was Mary's only hit even in her native America given its touchy subject matter despite it being a huge chart topper on Billboard like it was here in Australia.
This is the second entry to come from Three degrees on this list, well more specifically, the trio being the featured artist on a Billboard chart topper as this was released shortly after their appearance on the Love unlimited track from a few minutes ago. We'll get to their big hit in Australia later down this list, but suffice to say, they didn't have a lot of love in their homeland as the decade went on.
Although this will be Mac Davis's only appearance on this list, he did have a second hit in his homeland with "Stop and smell the roses" this decade. Even so, there's no surprise this cheesy ballad managed to top the Billboard charts back in the day as well as become a massive worldwide hit for the country singer.
We have one more appearance from Captain and Tennille on this list, although they had three other candidates for this list which gives them a total of six hits they had throughout the decade (seven overall once you include "Do that to me one more time.") None of these songs are fondly remembered due to how cheesy and kitschy they come off even to the most diehard 70's afficionado.
This is the second of three entries to come from John Denver on this list, although he had plenty of other candidates for this list including two more Billboard chart toppers in addition to this and his earlier entry on this list. I get the feeling this was a hit here in Australia due to it being a surprise hit for him in the UK given how he didn't have any success here prior to this taking off worldwide.
Well at least this song was a success upon its initial release in America, this is another song that was blocked from the top spot by more than one song on this list (which were "Shake your booty" and "You should be dancing.) I don't even know why this needed two attempts to become a hit here in Australia if it was so popular the first time around in his homeland.
We have another one hit wonder on this list; this time it's Blue Swede who took a sweet ballad from BJ Thomas and made it a novelty track with this one and only hit they had worldwide. I'm not exactly sure how the Americans discovered this track given how it bombed in the UK, however they did and made sure it went to number one on Billboard which convinced us Aussies to make it a hit.
Given how this was a massive chart topper in NZ as well as a huge hit here in Australia, it makes sense that this would be a chart topper for Robert John on Billboard right when the decade was beginning to wind down. Although this is his only appearance on this list, he did have another candidate in the form of "The lion sleeps tonight" which was his big breakthrough in his homeland earlier in the decade.
We have another entry on this list that was only a success in NZ, this time it's the one and only hit from Clint Holmes who would've had a number one hit in his native America had "My love" from earlier not blocked him from getting there for two weeks. From what I can gather, he quit the music industry not long after this became an international hit for him to focus on his main gig as a TV presenter.
Given how this was Cheryl Gray's AKA Samantha Sang's first hit here in Australia like it was internationally, it makes you wonder how on earth it managed to find an audience in America even if it has the fingerprints of the brothers Gibb all over it. Admittedly it could be due to audiences confusing this as a Bee gees track as even here in her homeland, she failed to score a second hit.
This is the first of three entries from the Rolling stones on this list, all three of which were Billboard chart toppers given how they were on a roll throughout the decade despite journalists claiming they were rock dinosaurs towards the end of the decade. This is sandwiched between their two other entries and likely took off worldwide due to having sexually suggestive cover art.
This is the second of three chart toppers from Three dog night on this list, it was their first chronologically as well as their breakthrough hit overall which explains why it did so well here in Australia. Although their popularity lasted longer in their homeland than it did internationally, they would be has-beens by the midpoint of the decade.
Even though this was easily the biggest hit for Gordon Lightfoot in America given how it was his only Billboard chart topper, I will say that he had much better luck over there than he did anywhere else in the world as there were two more candidates for this list which came before and after his big international hit. One of them was "If you could read my mind" which was made famous in 1998 from the film 54.
This is one of only two entries from the Jackson 5 on this list, although that's only due to how unpopular they were outside of their native America as we've already skipped over three of their entries on my RYM list due to them failing to become a hit in the southern hemisphere. Indeed, it was pure luck that this caught on here in Australia likely due to how catchy and surprisingly educational it is.
Even though this will be Grand Funk's only appearance on this list, they had three other candidates including a second Billboard chart topper prior to this one in the form of "We're an American band." Unlike in Australia and NZ, the original version from Little Eva was indeed the biggest version in America given how that was a chart topper for her like this version was.
Well, the earlier entry with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John might've not been as popular in America as it was internationally, however at least the title track from Grease managed to also top the Billboard charts given how Frankie Valli was on a roll in his homeland throughout the decade. Unfortunately barring the remix of his earlier entry, this would be his final taste of success he had in his homeland.
This is the only appearance from Rose Royce on this list, this is despite the fact they had two other international hits back in the day which means they were more popular outside of their native America. Indeed, this was likely only a hit in their homeland due to it being the theme song to a now long forgotten movie of the same name, although even back then, this was more popular due to it topping the Billboard charts.
This is the other Billboard chart topper that BJ Thomas had back in the day, it's curious how he had a chart topper here in Australia with "Mama" given how that was among his less popular songs in his homeland. Given how country music was on a rapid decline during the second half of the decade even in his native America, it's fitting that this would be his final hit single anywhere in the world.
And we're still not done with the entries from the brothers Gibb as this was yet another Billboard chart topper they achieved throughout the decade, I should clarify that their final number one hit "Love you inside out" won't be appearing on this list as it flopped in Australia and NZ even though it was a candidate to do so. In any case, that was their final hit in America as they never had a comeback like they did internationally.
I still can't believe this wasn't as popular as Cher's earlier entry on this list, mainly because unlike "Half breed," this can easily be found on any number of her greatest hits albums showing how proud of it she is to this day. Indeed, many people often claim this to be the first song she released following her separation from Sonny Bono even though the pair wouldn't file for divorce until two three years after it came out.
Even in his homeland, Van McCoy was a one hit wonder with this instrumental despite it getting to number one on Billboard during the midpoint of the decade. I would say he was an international one hit wonder except that would be a lie as he scored a second hit in the UK of all places with "The shuffle" which is a different instrumental set to a different dance tempo.
This is the first of two appearances of a feminist anthem to top the Billboard charts, this one coming to us from Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer who wanted to spread a more positive message to young women of the day decades before that became a tiresome troupe in the mainstream. There was still plenty to achieve for the duo in the 80's which we've already examined at length on this site.
If you're wondering how it's taken me this long to feature Stevie Wonder on this list, let me remind you that his popularity was mostly restricted to the Billboard charts this decade as this is his third appearance on my RYM list. Of all the songs to find crossover success in Australia (he did even worse in NZ until the 80's) it's strange that one of his schmaltzier ballads was the big hit down under.
This was Bread's only chart topper on Billboard, although don't think that means their fellow Americans didn't like their music as they still have plenty of entries to come on this list and a few more that would've had they been a hit in Australia and/or NZ back in the day. It is interesting that their first big hit wound up being their biggest given how their popularity persisted throughout the decade.
We have our fifth Oscar winning track on this list, as the film this was the instrumental for was a massive box office success back in the day, the Americans had no issues with it topping the Billboard charts and making it a huge success in its own right. Unfortunately, he wouldn't have another hit over there like he would internationally after this.
Here's another victim of Debby Boone's top entry on this list as this one and only hit from Heatwave got stuck behind that track for two weeks on the Billboard charts, although I shouldn't call this their one and only hit as it turns out they scored a second hit with "The groove line" in America even though this was a huge hit in NZ where that song was a massive flop for them.
Not only is this the only chart topping hit from the Bellamy brothers in their native America, it's also their only hit single on Billboard as they failed to score another hit in their homeland despite scoring a second hit here in Australia and the UK with "If I said you had" (I'm not typing out the full name of that song.) That said, this was one of the few country ballads to find success in the UK on this list.
This is the second entry from the Rolling stones as well as their final Billboard chart topper chronologically, it's a song that was able to put egg on the face of journalists who proclaimed them to be rock dinosaurs when this topped the Billboard charts seven years after their previous entry. The fact they were only active for sixteen years at this point makes me wonder just how out of touch these journalists were back in the day.
OK a word of advice, if you're going to have someone sing the lyrics "You're sixteen, you're beautiful and you're mine," at least have them be in the same age bracket otherwise you're going to find yourself the hit piece of many tiresome articles about how you're promoting pedophilia. This obviously wasn't a thought that crossed the minds of the general public of the 70's given its status as a Billboard chart topper.
I still can't believe this was never released as a single here in Australia especially considering how it was not only a massive worldwide chart topper but also the title track to Wing's second album with Paul on lead vocals. The success it had over in NZ ensured its placement on this list which is good because I can feature every hit that the band had on Billboard because of this (except for "Let em in" from 1976.)
This came so close to topping the Billboard charts like it did here in Australia, in fact were it not for Andy Gibb refusing to give it up, Gerry would've spent an impressive six weeks at number one which is definitely not something to be ashamed of. It's easy to see why this song did so well in America given how iconic that saxophone solo remains to this day, that and how well it did down under.
Were it not for her collaboration with John Travolta from just a few entries prior, this would've been the biggest hit Livie had in America throughout the decade as well as it being second to "Physical" overall. I bring this up because A: it failed to get to number one or even number two on Billboard and B: it manages to be more successful than several songs that did outrank it on the Billboard charts.
This was blocked from getting to number one by "50 ways to leave your lover" by Paul Simon, a song that did remarkably well in his homeland and would've appeared on this list already had it been a hit anywhere else in the world for him. I guess this just goes to show how much more popular this track from Donna Summer has become over the years due to its international success.
I haven't skipped any of Barry Manilow's entries, this means that despite this failing to get to number one in his homeland, it managed to be his second biggest hit in his catalogue despite there being two more songs that are yet to come on this list that did top the Billboard charts (or rather one as one of them bombed internationally.) This did equally as well in his homeland as it did here in Australia.
It turns out Sammy Davis Jr is a two-hit wonder in his homeland as this was his second hit he had after "Something's gotta give" from 1955. Not that he had any other top ten hits here in Australia, however he did have a string of top twenty his which is more than I can say for his American run. Oh well, at least he had a huge chart topper with his cover of the Candy man song from Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory.
This is one of two entries from Anne Murray on this list, although she had an additional two candidates which should give you an idea of how popular she was in America throughout the decade. As this was her big international hit, you can imagine that it was her only Billboard chart topper likely due to her being considered the new Olivia Newton John of the country scene when it came out.
Even though this was Thelma Houston's only hit in America just like it was everywhere else in the world, at least she can take comfort in the fact that her fellow Americans are only familiar with her version of the song and not the Communards rendition that became popular a decade after its release. Indeed, this actually topped the Billboard charts for the RNB singer of colour back in the day.
This is the final Billboard chart topper that the Eagles had in their career, although it wasn't their final hit overall as that honour goes to "I can't tell you why" which appeared on my 80's list from a while back. This was the band's only hit here in Australia as we Aussies finally allowed them to have a hit at the expense of the album it was the lead single for not doing as well as their earlier efforts.
The two hits that Billy Joel had throughout the 70's in Australia and NZ were the only candidates he had for this list, meaning that he was just as popular in his homeland as he was internationally back in the day. Actually, that's not true as if you recall, he actually found massive sleeper success here in Australia with his earlier material, meaning we Aussies made him more popular than his fellow Americans back in the day.
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