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.
#70 for 1977
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."
#71 for 1977
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.
#66 for 1978
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.
#67 for 1978
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.
#69 for 1975
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.
#68 for 1978
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.
#69 for 1978
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.
#70 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.
#70 for 1976
Much like her earlier entry on this list, this was initially a bomb in Australia for Tina Charles, likely due to the sudden rise in popularity of "Dance little lady dance" which prevented this from becoming a success upon its initial release here. This proved to be her final hit worldwide likely due to audiences finding her voice to be overbearing for a genre that was defined by stripped back vocals.
#72 for 1977
This was the last hit that the Sweet were able to achieve anywhere in the world, I feel like these guys got ripped off in the mainstream throughout the decade given how they were one of the most popular bands worldwide thanks to how big glam rock was during the midpoint of the 70's. At least they got in one final hit before the decade was out with a song about how love is like the air that we breathe.
#71 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.
#73 for 1979
This was originally the lead single to Peter Allen's third album; however, it was a massive flop for him the previous year and only became a success this year due to his earlier entry being a massive chart topper here. These were the only two hits that the Australian performer was able to score during his career, although he found plenty of success as a songwriter for other people so there's that at least.
#73 for 1977
This was the only hit from Warren Zevon throughout the world, although it remains one of the most popular songs on oldies stations to this day likely due to someone mashing this up with "Sweet home Alabama" in the late 00's and scoring a massive hit with this mashup (I forget who that might be.) Indeed, this songs melody has been used in several different ways over the years to varying degrees of success.
#72 for 1978
This was the first of only two hits that Joe Camilleri managed to have with his band Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons, the other being "Taxi Mary" from the early 80's which was his final hit before they broke up and he formed his new band Black sorrows. Naturally he found more success with those guys in the 80's and 90's, however he originally found success here thanks to how catchy this track was during the Countdown era.
#74 for 1979
This was the only hit that Yvonne Fair was able to achieve in her career, it's a passionate cry for her claiming that she should be the one who ends up with the man of her dreams on this track which has made it a staple for scenarios people find themselves in with this situation. This is also a rare Motown track to make it big in Australia, perhaps this was our way of atoning for ignoring all the labels classics in the 60's.
#71 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.
#73 for 1978
This was the only notable success for Scottish singer/songwriter Frankie Miller, although I'm not sure how he made it big with this ballad considering it wasn't a huge hit for him in his native UK. I guess this was a hit here due to the ballad striking a chord with audiences who were beginning to grow tired of Rod Stewart's usual fare, although this didn't lead to Frankie having any more success of his own.
#75 for 1979
This was the final hit that Skyhooks managed to achieve in Australia this decade, although it wouldn't be the final time they trouble the charts as they would return twelve years later with "Jukebox in Siberia" for their brief reunion tour in 1990. This is a song about the band's love for women in uniform, making this a female empowerment anthem given how more women were finding jobs in the workplace.
#74 for 1978
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.
#72 for 1976
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.
#73 for 1976
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.
#75 for 1978
Well, here we are with the second hit that Leif Garrett achieved from his debut album in Australia, this time it's a cover of the doo wop singer Dion's big hit of the same name which became as such fifteen years prior for the American singer. These covers would lead to him finally releasing an original track of his from earlier on the list which also helped him find an audience in his native America.
#76 for 1978
Well, his band members Beeb Birtles and Graham Goble were able to score a huge hit this year with their duet from earlier on this list, so it seems fitting that lead singer of the Little river band Glenn Shorrock would score his own solo hit this year with this cover of the Bobby Darin classic from twenty years prior. It would be his final hit both solo and with the band until he rejoined them nine years later.
#76 for 1979
This was the first hit that Ol'55 had in Australia, a throwback band to the 50's who scored massive success with decade with songs meant to remind people of the "swell" days of that decade. It appears there were plenty of people from the 70's who were indeed longing for simpler times in music as there were a ton of other bands and artists who also scored success with this formula back in the day.
#74 for 1976
This was another big hit from Mark Holden that he achieved during his time in the spotlight, he was essentially Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett if they had an Australian accent, and he had no shame of the music he made for his audience.
#75 for 1976
This was the backing band for Gary Glitter, a man who has gone down in infamy for his disgusting habits that I won't be sharing on this site. He at least had a talented band to back him up during his heyday, and it appears the public agreed as they gave them a hit without their troubled front man once his popularity began to die down this year.
#70 for 1975
Well, it seemed inevitable that these guys would make a Christmas jam right at the height of their popularity, as such we have this festive track that became a hit during the Christmas season of 1976 and even early into the following year for them.
#76 for 1976
#74 for 1977
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.
#77 for 1978
This was the debut single for a band who named themselves after the dog from the Wizard of Oz, it was an impressive first impression given how it was a massive worldwide hit as well as making the album it came from a huge success for the band. They were in danger of being a one hit wonder here until their fourth album took home album of the year at the Grammies which made it a huge hit for them.
#77 for 1979
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.
#77 for 1976
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.
#75 for 1977
Apparently, there was a film called Car wash released around the time this became a massive success for Rose Royce worldwide, evidently no one saw the film which is perhaps why this failed to score an Oscar nomination for best original song at the academy awards around this time. Nowadays it's seen as the perfect song to play whenever you're visiting a Car wash, making it more legendary than before.
#76 for 1977
While their popularity wasn't as inescapable as it was earlier in the decade, Abba was still able to find success with their singles here in Australia as the decade was coming to an end, proving that their dip in popularity was more due to overexposure rather than the quality dropping. This was the second single from their album Voulez vous which allowed it to be a modest improvement commercially over their previous album.
#78 for 1979
This was the final hit that the Bay city rollers were able to score in Australia, I guess all good things must come to an end which is what happened to these guys when this only barely became a success for them.
#77 for 1977
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.
#79 for 1979
Well, here we are with the one and only hit that Barry Manilow managed to score with a song he wrote, at least it's his signature tune as this lounge track has managed to endure over the years thanks to its inherent camp value. This was also one of many songs to make it big over the years to be dedicated to Rio, Copacabana being a district in the capital city of Brazil.
#78 for 1978
It looked like there was no stopping Sweet given how this was released from their album Give us a wink just after they scored a massive hit with "Action" from their previous album Strung up, however aside from having one more hit later in the decade with "Love is like oxygen," this would be the last we heard from the band proving how quickly the glam rock scene had died out in the second half of the 70's.
#78 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
One of the more critically acclaimed Australian films of all time is Picnic at hanging rock, it's a film about the disappearance of a group of teenage girls set in the early 1900's that's based on a book written in the late 60's. The film is known for its score which was so popular that it became a huge hit for its composer Nolan Buddle.
#79 for 1976
#79 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.
#80 for 1976
This was the third and final single to come from ELO's breakthrough album, it's also the song which made them big both in NZ and America as it remains their biggest hit in both countries. I can see why as it's a more subdue ballad about a long-distance relationship, it's a much more conventional song in their catalogue compared to the rock opera from the rest of the album.
#80 for 1977
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.
#81 for 1976
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.
#79 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.
#71 for 1975
Norman Gunston was an Australian character who originate from Aunty Jack, the Australian 70's equivalent of Mrs. browns boys which was widely successful during its two-season run from 1972-1973. Once the show ended, the actor playing him released a comedy album which contained this skit about the popularity of Abba that became a hit for him, it wasn't even his last single as he did the same thing for Kiss in 1980.
#82 for 1976
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.
#72 for 1975
These guys didn't have a lot of success with their singles in Australia, this was mainly due to how huge their albums were and that album artists generally didn't spawn a lot of hits here in Australia with rare exceptions such as Abba and Sherbet. They did have success during the second half of the 70's given how they had the second biggest hit of the decade with "Mull of Kintyre" from two years later.
#73 for 1975
Wow was Suzi seeing diminishing returns in the mainstream worldwide as the decade went on, to think this woman was briefly the most successful in the rock scene with her first two albums both here and throughout Europe. Here she scores a hit with a song that's much softer than the glam rock that made her a household name earlier in the decade, although it did lead to her having a revival period.
#80 for 1978
This was a different side to Rose Royce as they went from the happy go lucky "Car wash" to a more downbeat breakup ballad about how the love is gone and that this person should move on from them. It was a bit of a sleeper hit here in Australia likely due to the contrast of what had come before from the band, although nowadays people are likely more familiar with Madonna's version from 1996.
#80 for 1979
We have another appearance from the Bay city rollers on this list, I've run out of things to say about them without coming off as mean so I'll leave my commentary at that.
#83 for 1976
This song feels a little low on this list, this is because it had some of its success stolen here in Australia by a local band known as Peaches who also covered this ballad from the Righteous brothers. Clout was an all-girl group from South Africa who saw massive international success with this ballad, presumably due to their interpretation of the lyrics which are about them being a substitute for the listener's current partner.
#81 for 1978
Following his run as Judas on the Australian production of Jesus Christ superstar, Jon English was able to have a moderately successful singing career here that somehow grew to him having international success likely due to how well received the show was for international audiences. This was hit first hit here in Australia, although he found success over in NZ the previous year with "Turn the page."
#84 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.
#81 for 1977
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.
#82 for 1977
There were no signs of Abba slowing down when they released the third single from Arrival, in fact this wound up being their biggest hit in the UK likely due to this being a breakup song which was in sharp contrast with the bright and upbeat pseudo disco tracks they had put out throughout their career. Indeed, this song was a bit ahead of its time when it came to the band singing about their messy breakups.
#83 for 1977
To think that this advertisement for the Hard rock cafe (which opened its doors in the UK in 1971) was one of only two hits that Carole King managed to score here in Australia, I'm guessing because we Aussies loved the restaurant chain that much (I still go whenever I can afford it to this day.) I get the feeling this killed her creditability in the music scene given how she broke through with the masterpiece Tapestry around the same time the food chain opened.
#84 for 1977
This was one of only three hits that Dolly Parton had in Australia, although she did appear on Countdown back in the day so it's not like we weren't aware of her country classics here. This was her big breakthrough in her native America which is perhaps why she was able to find success with this ballad here, her other two hits came when she began her acting career and with her BFF Kenny Rogers.
#82 for 1978
Apparently when it came time to promote John Paul Young to an international audience, his label went with an album track from his second album rather than one of the big hits he had earlier in the decade here. This was that song they went with which became a hit for him two years after it appeared on the album, it led to the success of his earlier entry on this list worldwide, so I guess that's something.
#83 for 1978
This was one of the last hit singles that Marcia Hines was able to achieve in Australia back in the day, although curiously it remains her only hit in NZ despite it being far from her biggest hit over here. Here she proclaims that something is missing in her life, that something of course being the love of her life she's trying to win over on this track.
#81 for 1979
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.
#85 for 1976
This was the final hit that Sherbet was able to score during their time together, I guess their overexposure had finally caught up with them much like Abba and Bay city rollers around this time. Unlike Abba and much like Bay city rollers, they would never recover after this, although lead singer Daryl Braithwaite would which makes him in the middle of those two bands.
#84 for 1978
This was one of the last hit singles that the king of rock and roll had in his lifetime worldwide, it was made during his Vegas years which wasn't having a positive aspect towards his mental and physical health due to all of the controversies he was finding himself in. At least the public hadn't forgotten about him given how he kept finding hits all the way up to his untimely death.
#74 for 1975
This was the lead single to David Soul's second album, an album that wouldn't see much success despite it spawning two of his biggest hits worldwide likely due to those songs failing to become as such in his native America. Yeah, it turns out he's a one hit wonder with his first entry on this list on the Billboard charts, proving how much more popular he was internationally back in the day.
#85 for 1977
I guess this guy having two Billboard chart toppers this year makes sense given how much of his back catalogue was finding success through covers around this time, this was the bigger of the two hits here in Australia proving that older crooners were among the more popular artists from around this time.
#75 for 1975
This was the last song that Ted Mulry gang released before they stylised themselves as T.M.G, I'm guessing because they wanted to be taken more seriously going forward in the decade given how their biggest hit was a joke song about picking up a girl walking down the street.
#86 for 1976
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.
#87 for 1976
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.
#76 for 1975
This was the second hit that Supercharge had here in Australia, and just like their biggest hit from the previous year, this was also a flop everywhere in the world except for Australia likely due to a possible performance these guys gave on Countdown back in the day. This would be their final hit as they would break up due to the lack of success they had in their homeland not long after this.
#85 for 1978
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.
#82 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.
#77 for 1975
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.
#86 for 1977
It looked like the Bee gees would be yesterday's news when their previous album flopped on the charts worldwide, however their fortunes changed when they decided to hop on the disco bandwagon early on in its popularity which single handedly revived their career worldwide as this topped the Billboard charts for them. For some reason, I always thought this was a Fleetwood mac single, possibly due to it lacking their trademark falsetto's which they would develop throughout the second half of the decade.
#78 for 1975
This was the only hit that Van McCoy was able to achieve in his lifetime in most parts of the world, although the Brits did give him a second hit later in the decade with "The shuffle" which is a less conventional disco record due to it being in a 6/4-time signature as opposed to the more conventional 4/4-time signature like this and many other dance tracks are. Sadly, Van would die of a drug overdose by the end of the decade.
#79 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."
#80 for 1975
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.
#83 for 1979
This was originally released three years prior to deafening silence for the husband-and-wife duo, in fact from what I can gather, this song only ever became a success here in Australia once we learned about Tina leaving Ike and making this a success in order to show our support for her getting away from her abusive husband. Since this became a surprise success for her this year, it's been adapted as a popular line dance here.
#88 for 1976
This was apparently recorded back in the late 50's when Freddy was just starting out in the music industry, apparently his label had faith in this ballad as they released it this year following the success of his earlier entry on this list. It became a huge success for him, although it was nowhere near as popular here or his native America as it was in NZ where no joke, it was the biggest hit of the decade.
#81 for 1975
This was the first of two hits that the Silver convention were able to score worldwide this year, although we won't be looking at their other hit as "Get up and boogie" wasn't that big of a success here in Australia. Both songs had a combine total of twelve words to them, meaning that these ladies weren't known for their complex songwriting and were just meant to be listened to on the dance floors.
#89 for 1976
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.
#90 for 1976
This was the only hit to come from Jeff St John, likely due to it being the lead single to his only album as he curiously called it quits when the album didn't become a massive success this year. I'm guessing he was dropped from his label even though he had at least one big hit to his name, there were a ton of Australian bands and artists who had a longer career despite not even having this level of success.
#87 for 1977
Well at least David Bowie was able to have some success in Australia during the second half of the decade, although you'd think a man who's such a force of creativity in the music scene would've thrived during the Countdown era. Indeed, the last time he troubled the charts here was with "Sorrow" back in 1974, and yet he was able to score a string of hits throughout the rest of the world with his work.
#86 for 1978
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.
#82 for 1975
If you're unfamiliar with who Telly Savalas was, he was a crooner and part time actor who scored a massive hit in the UK with this spoken word track that also managed to become a moderate success here in Australia for him. This feels like it came from over a decade prior, meaning that this would've been an excellent year for pre-Beatles music here in Australia were it not for Countdown's presence.
#83 for 1975
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.
#84 for 1975
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.
#91 for 1976
It looks like Maxine Nightingale was able to score a second hit here in Australia, although it hasn't been as well remembered as her earlier entry which is perhaps why people tend to think she's a one hit wonder to this day. She would score a second hit in NZ as well, although that would've come until the end of the decade.
#92 for 1976
This was the final hit that the husband-and-wife duo managed to achieve in the 70's outside their native America, although they would return in 1980 to score one more hit with "Do that to me one more time" before their popularity faded away for good even on the Billboard charts. This was originally recorded by Neil Sedaka but became a hit for them likely due to them being more popular at the time.
#93 for 1976
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.
#87 for 1978
This was the first big hit that Air supply had internationally, I'm not sure how that happened except perhaps due to this being much bigger over in NZ this year as this was far from their biggest hit here in Australia in their catalogue. Whatever the reason was, this made them a household name the following year in America and set the band up for great success throughout the early 80's.
#84 for 1979
This was the only hit that Gladys Knight and the Pips scored in Australia, although Gladys did appear on Dionne Warwick's charity single "That's what friends are for" from nearly a decade later so she's technically a two-hit wonder here. Even so, this is a far cry from her success she had on Billboard with her rich vocals and smooth RNB melodies provided by her band the Pips.
#88 for 1977
This was originally released four years prior to deafening silence, I'm guessing because no one wanted to hear a song from the bassist of Deep Purple sound like he was a part of the hippy culture of the late 60's. At some point throughout the decade, it was given an animated music video which allowed it to become a surprise hit in Australia this year, the animation is of course terrible even by 70's standards.
#88 for 1978
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.
#85 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.
#86 for 1979
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.
#94 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.
#87 for 1979
For my American readers, this was the big hit that Wings had this year in lieu of their earlier entry not being released as a single over there, this is more in line with their usual material as opposed to "Mull of Kintyre" being a song showcasing how proud Paul McCartney was of his Scottish heritage.
#89 for 1978
This was the only hit single that Bob Marley was able to achieve in his lifetime in Australia, hey at least it's one more hit he had here than over in America where he never even charted even posthumously. He had much better success in NZ and the UK over the years, likely because they were able to get on board with his reggae beats regardless of if they were attached to lovestruck ballads such as this or politically charged protests.
#90 for 1978
This was the only hit that Charlie Daniels and company managed to score in Australia, although considering that A: it was a country track (and one that goes hard at that) and B: the lyrics were about an outlaw causing trouble, it's a miracle that it was even as big as it was outside of the band's native America. This is a song I first heard from Coyote ugly, so I was a bit surprised to learn it was a hit back in the day.
#88 for 1979
Judy Collins had previously scored a massive hit here in Australia with a showtunes rendition of "Amazing grace" four years prior, so it isn't too far out of the realms of plausibility that she would score a minor hit this year with her rendition of this showtunes classic even amongst all of the other entries on this list.
#85 for 1975
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.
#89 for 1977
Well, here's that surprise hit in America I mentioned at the start of this list; indeed, my American readers will think these guys are a one hit wonder due to this being their only appearance on the Billboard charts back in the day despite their earlier entry being their big hit internationally. Again, we have a song that's the embodiment of happiness which is how it was able to stand out back in the day.
#86 for 1975
Well, here's a man that seemed to embody the essence of sex drugs rock and roll, we have his only hit in his career which became as due to how sexually provocative he comes off during its runtime. This was a sleeper hit here in Australia, I'm guessing because this was around the time where Rod Stewart was being sexually provocative with his earlier entry on this list.
#89 for 1979
I feel that this instrumental belongs in a horror movie, either that or people really wanted to hear ice cream music on the radio back in the day. This was Frank Mills only hit even in his native Canada, although from what I can gather it was originally recorded five years prior to when it became a hit.
#90 for 1979
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.
#87 for 1975
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.
#90 for 1977
You'd think that "Spend the night" would be the big hit that Cheetah had in their career considering how well loved that track remains to this day, alas this was their big hit here which admittedly is in the same ballpark as their signature tune so it's not like they were unfairly ignored back in the day. I don't know why these two women didn't have another hit, but it led to them calling it quits in 1982.
#91 for 1978
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.
#91 for 1977
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.
#92 for 1978
Before he became the face of new wave with his solo hit "Cars," Gary Numan was the lead singer of this short-lived new wave band Tubeway army who scored a massive hit in their native UK with this track about wondering who the real friends are of the narrator of these lyrics. Its legacy has since been overshadowed by "Cars" over the years, however it still remains a pioneer of early 80's music to this day.
#91 for 1979
This guy was one of the biggest names in music throughout the 60's, so I guess he was able to achieve a huge comeback hit this decade along the likes of Perry Como and Bobby Vinton.
#88 for 1975
