After much deliberation with myself, I've decided to finally release a list that details all of the biggest hits of the first half of the 70's here in Australia. I'll do my best to provide commentary for each of the entries, but I'll be honest, I may struggle with saying anything particularly productive on some of the entries due to how disinterest I am with talking about them.
This was the second big hit that Axiom had during their brief time together, I forgot to mention earlier that "Arkansas grass" was a carryover from the 60's, meaning that they were another band that began the 70's in the top ten that fell off fairly early into the decade.
#46 for 1970
This was the only hit that South African singer John Kongos had in his career (side note this was an excellent time for African artists if this list is any indication) it's a song that's since been eclipsed here in Australia due to the Party boys cover from 1987. It's a song that's best known for its strong African style production from the drums to it having somewhat of a tribal ambience to it.
#38 for 1971
This was the biggest hit that Gilbert O'Sullivan had in his native UK, it wasn't quite as inescapable throughout the rest of the world likely due to this song feeling like it was written about a dog rather than an overexcited partner of his. At least this isn't anywhere near as pessimistic as some of the other songs in his catalogue.
#46 for 1973
While this wasn't meant to be used as an anthem for unionisation, the fact that this folk-rock track has such an anthemic chorus with the subject matter has since made it a popular choice for union protests over the years. It was the Strawbs only hit here in Australia and their native UK, although that might be due to the rest of their catalogue being more in line with prog rock which typically didn't spawn many hit singles.
#47 for 1973
This came a full decade prior to Rick Springfield's 80's chart topper "Jessie's girl," even though it wasn't an inescapable success here like his 80's work was, it nonetheless was enough of an incentive to release it in America where it became a minor success on Billboard. Rick put his music career on hold to focus on his acting career throughout the remainder of the decade.
#39 for 1971
This was the first song that Diana Ross released following her acting debut in the Billie Holliday biopic the Lady sings the blues which she received an Oscar nomination for, naturally this song was guaranteed success given how that film was able to remind audience of her phenomenal talent as a vocalist given how well received her performance of Billie was both as an actress and singer.
#48 for 1973
Russell Morris was another Australia artist who began the 70's on a high note given how he came out of the 60's with not one but two chart toppers under his belt (those being "The real thing" and "Part 3 into paper walls.") That said, this was his biggest hit throughout the decade which was a far cry commercially from what he achieved with his earlier work.
#40 for 1971
You'd think that these guys would've kept the hits coming following the success of their two earlier entries on this list, alas this was the only other hit they had which was likely due to the success of those two chart toppers. Still the fact they managed one more hit does prove that there was at least some interest in their original material which is more than I can say for the other bands who scored a hit with a topical cover of an international chart topper on this list.
#46 for 1972
This was the biggest hit from Blood sweat and tears here in Australia, mainly because it peaked here during the transition from the 60's to the 70's but also likely because it was the most pop friendly of the three singles to spawn from the band's self-titled Grammy award winning album. The album has received backlash over the years for winning album of the year over Abbey Road by rock purists.
#47 for 1970
This was Dave Edmunds second hit here in Australia, although from what I can gather it's an Australian exclusive single given how it didn't appear to chart anywhere else int he world. I would've thought that it would at least touch the Billboard charts given how America seems to be the promised land in question going by the lyrics, however it was only us Aussies that appreciated this folk ballad.
#47 for 1972
Well, this feels like something that should've come out during the height of the hippy movement, instead it was a little late to the party as it was released at the start of this decade for Australian singer Hans Poulsen. I guess the spirit of the 60's was prevalent enough for this to become a success for him, however it also firmly put him in the novelty camp as a result of its sound.
#48 for 1970
This was originally an instrumental theme for the Hollywood blockbuster Love story; however, it was turned into a love ballad at the last minute when the producers decided to recruit American crooner Andy Williams to sing over the instrumental theme in order to score a hit for the film's soundtrack. This gambit paid off here in Australia where it was a huge hit, not so much anywhere else in the world where it wasn't.
#41 for 1971
If this sounds like an ELO track to you, then you're not far off as several members of this band would go on to be a part of that band later in the decade. This also has members of the Move who were a 60's band that was a part of the psychedelia movement which explains those elements on this track. This was their only hit here in Australia, however they were quite popular in their native UK this decade.
#49 for 1973
This was a big hit for American soft rock band the Gallery here in Australia as well as their native America and interestingly enough, Canada where it was a huge chart topper for them. Despite its international success, it remains their only hit worldwide given how the band only lasted a few years together before calling it quits in 1974.
#48 for 1972
We haven't had many musicians of colour on this list so far, let's change that by featuring the final hit from 5th dimension which was a huge success for them here in Australia as it was in their native America. I will say that these guys did quite well for themselves with us Aussies throughout their career given how they scored a few hits in the 60's in addition to this late entry from their catalogue down under.
#49 for 1972
This was a moderate hit in Gary and Dave's native Canada from the previous year, indeed it took quite a while for it to crossover here in Australia as it was released at the start of the year to deafening silence only for it to gain popularity towards the end of the year. As it turns out, the two men were also aviators which would explain why they didn't have another hit in their career.
#49 for 1974
This was the only other hit that Michael Nesmith had with his backing band the First national band (what a pretentious name for a band.) Like his earlier entry on this list, this was a country ballad that connected well with us Aussies and kiwis but not so much with his fellow Americans.
#42 for 1971
This was a surprise hit for Rick Nelson (formerly Ricky Nelson) given how this is actually about how he had faded into irrelevancy since his heyday as a teen idol from the 50's and early 60's. I guess we Aussies and his fellow Americans felt pity for his career trajectory (particular him getting booed while on stage) which is how this managed to become a huge hit for the former teen idol.
#50 for 1972
We have yet another carryover from the 60's on this list, this time it's the second hit that Neil Diamond had in Australia which came right after his first which was "Sweet Carolina." This was a case of each of his hits being bigger than the last as it would culminate with his top entry on this list becoming a massive Billboard chart topper for him.
#49 for 1970
This was the only hit that Robin Jolley managed to score in his music career, although like many Australian pop crooners, he found more success as a TV presenter which seems to be how the music industry worked here in Australia back in the day.
#51 for 1972
Well, I guess calling yourself a Bootleg band is one way to let people know you're nothing but a covers band cashing in off the success of much more famous bands and artists, here was the first of their two hits in Australia which came at the expense of the original from Loggins and Messina. At least their other big hit was a cover of a song from a decade prior.
#50 for 1973
We have another two for one entry on this list, although this time we're looking at a song that's already appeared on my site given how "Castles in the air" became a hit on its own a decade after this was released. "Vincent" was the main reason for this entries success due to it feeling like a John Denver track, particularly with the opening lyrics being "starry starry night."
#52 for 1972
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.
#50 for 1974
Another two for one entry on this list, this time it's the two final hits that CCR had in most parts of the world given how they both come from Pendulum which is the last album their fans like to acknowledge from their catalogue. "Have you ever seen the rain" is by far the more famous of these two entries given how fondly remembered it remains for 70's aficionados due to its instantly recognisable melody.
#43 for 1971
This guy was a frequent collaborator of Jigsaw back in the day, so it's interesting to note that his biggest hit was a solo entry that wasn't a cover of a more popular track (at least that I'm aware of.) He's also another pop crooner who dabbled as a TV presenter back in the day, a fairly standard practice for Australian male musicians it seems.
#51 for 1973
We have another musician of colour to feature on this list, this time it's the debut single from RB Greaves who managed to score a massive hit from the 60's going into the 70's with this gem about a couple's infidelity. This was a bit ahead of the curve when it came to sad RNB ballads about troubled couples given how this type of song would dominate the decade going forward.
#50 for 1970
This was the first of many hits that Slade would have in their career, it was their biggest hit here in Australia likely due to it not being included on any of their albums like some of their other entries on this list we'll get to in a bit. I'm not sure why they titled their earliest songs the way they did other than to offend the Grammar Nazis of the world, at least they stand out among other generic titles.
#53 for 1972
We looked at the big hit these guys had as Drummond earlier on this list, time now to look at their other big hit they had once they rebranded themselves as Mississippi a year after that big hit. From what I can gather, this is an original track from the band which meant that there was appeal for their original music as opposed to many of their contemporaries from this list alone.
#54 for 1972
Although we'll look at Danyel Gerard's version of this track much later on this list, this version from Matt Flinders proved to be the big hit here in Australia which makes this yet another example of a local artist stealing the success that an international artist would've otherwise had back in the day.
#44 for 1971
Even though there's tons of songs with this title from over the years, from what I can gather this is an original pop rock track from John Farnham (known back then as Johnny Farnham) which goes to show that he only occasionally dabbled with covers throughout his career. He would have a couple more hits around this time (which we'll get to) before fading into obscurity for the remainder of the decade.
#55 for 1972
This was the first song that Elvis Presley released this decade, naturally it was a hit here in Australia given that it followed up "Suspicious minds" which remains one of his most iconic hit singles in his catalogue.
#51 for 1970
This was sandwiched between the duo's two earlier entries on this list, meaning that it's possible that "El condor pasa" would've been even bigger here in Australia had that been pushed as the second single over this ballad about a woman named Cecilia. I guess this goes to show that we Aussies preferred experimentation over conventionality back in the day.
#52 for 1970
Ever wanted to hear a disco rendition of the 2001 a space oddity theme? Well, you're in luck as we have just that from Brazilian composer Deodato who laid out the blueprints for the genre with this rearrangement of the classic theme that tickled audiences fancy upon its initial release.
#52 for 1973
The best way to describe Lynsey de Paul is if Olivia Newton John began her career as a country artist whilst also having her sexual appeal she acquired from the Grease soundtrack, at least that's how I'd describe her one and only hit she had here and in her native UK with this entry.
#56 for 1972
It had been well over a year since Livie last touched our charts with "Banks of the Ohio" by the time she released this country ballad, as such it makes sense that it wasn't the runaway success that or "I honestly love you" was from earlier on this list despite being among her more popular pre-Grease country ballads.
#53 for 1973
#51 for 1974
This was the first solo single that Ringo Starr released in his career, naturally it was an immediate success for the drummer of the fab four given how his former bandmates had dominated the charts with their earlier entries on this list following their breakup from the start of the decade. His true peak in success would come with his second solo album which contains his other two entries on this list.
#45 for 1971
This was originally released in 1967 as the third single from Procol harum's debut album albeit only here in Australia, I guess we Aussies weren't that thrilled at having an exclusive track from these guys despite giving them two hits in the form of "A whiter shade of pale" and "Homburg" that year. It was given a second chance as a live track where it became a massive success worldwide.
#57 for 1972
This has a bit of a weird story to its success, namely that despite being a real band, Kincade didn't exist when their debut single was released as it was merely the stage name of their frontman John Carter when it came to be. It was a surprise hit here in Australia as well as in certain parts of the world despite it failing to chart in their native UK.
#54 for 1973
This was the last song that the fab four released as a unit before going their separate ways, it was also one of the few songs of theirs that failed to reach number one here in Australia likely because of the news they were breaking up. This wasn't the case in America where it went to number one on Billboard.
#53 for 1970
This was the second single to come from George Harrison's double album All things must pass, it was a massive hit for the former Beatle worldwide even with the strong album sales somewhat hampering its success in countries such as Australia which consist of data based on capitalism. This continues the spiritual theme of his earlier entry on this list which is a theme present throughout the album.
#46 for 1971
We have another entry from the debut album of Daddy cool on this list, this was the second single from said album which was released around the time the album dropped around the time the album was released in order to cash in off said albums success. It wasn't as inescapable as their earlier entry on this list, hence why you don't hear it much on oldies stations.
#47 for 1971
This was the only hit that Blue mink had in Australia, likely due to it being a plea for world peace given how the titled the track after the phrase "melting pot of friendship." They were far more successful in their native UK as well as NZ likely due to them having a woman of colour as their main vocalist in a band otherwise consisting of white men, a lineup that helped them stand out from the crowd back in the day.
#54 for 1970
Shortly before she had most of her success stolen by Liv Maessen with her earlier entry on this list, Mary Hopkin managed to begin the decade with this track that does a great job in showcasing her abilities as a vocalist as well as bringing to life songs that were discarded by the members of the Beatles for whatever reason. It's a shame that her popularity died out after the first year of the decade came to an end.
#55 for 1970
From what I can gather, Ketha Ebstein was a singer from east Germany who represented the country multiple times over the years to varying degrees of success. Her only success here in Australia was with this English cover of a song she released in her homeland to deafening silence, your guess is as good as mine as to how we Aussies came across this track back in the day.
#52 for 1974
This is one of two entries from Jamie Redfern to make the list, Jamie of course being best known for being the first breakout star on the TV series Young talent time which was similar to that of the Mickey mouse club for Australia when it came to breeding child stars in the entertainment industry. This is another two for one deal as this comes with "Rainbow on the river" (which I couldn't find album art for.)
#58 for 1972
We've looked at the second hit that James Taylor had here in Australia (at least as a solo artist) "Handy man," time now to look at the fire big hit he had which is of course his signature track that he released at the start of the decade. This was such an instant success for the folk singer that it boosted the popularity of the album it came from to the point where it became a best seller here.
#48 for 1971
It took us a while to get to a second hit from the Rolling stones on this track, however we finally have one with this lead single to their album Sticky fingers which was a much bigger hit in America and in their native UK likely due to strong album sales eating up its success here in Australia. This is their last entry on this site of mine as they only had three hits in the 70's down under (their two entries on this list and "Miss you.")
#49 for 1971
Linda George is best known for her role as the acid queen in the theatrical adaptation of the Who's concept album Tommy, however she also had a hit this year as Miss Linda George (back when underage performers were referred to as Miss or Little) that became a hit for her this year. She mostly stuck to theatre after she became a one hit wonder, as did most female artists from the pre-Countdown era.
#53 for 1974
From what I can gather, Johnny O'Keefe is the earliest Australian artist to find international success given how his cover of "Shout" from 1959 managed to become a big hit throughout the rest of the world. Just before he released that track, he released the original version of this track which bombed back in the day but was given a second chance in 1972 where it became his final hit.
#59 for 1972
Bobby Goldsboro is a country singer whose best known for his 1968 hit "Honey" which was a massive chart topper throughout the world that year including here in Australia. Fast forward five years and he managed to escape the one hit wonder bin with this ballad about the summertime albeit only here in Australia and the UK of all places.
#55 for 1973
This was the last song that the Hollies released in the 60's, meaning that it was inevitable that its success would roll over into the start of the 70's throughout the world given how they were at the height of their popularity when this came out. My UK readers will likely be surprised to see this ballad here and not from my late 80's lists, that's because it became a chart topper over there in 1988 as a rerelease.
#56 for 1970
This is the first of two entries to come from the Kinks, it remains as their final hit single in most parts of the world due to the 60's band struggling to carryover their success into the 70's likely due to their two hits from the start of the decade being very different to the garage rock of their earlier material. It could also be that there's more of a novelty both of these tracks have compared to their earlier work lyrically.
#50 for 1971
This was the debut single for Tony Orlando and Dawn, a song that wants you to believe came from a real band judging by its cover art (much like "Knock three times" and its cover art from earlier) but instead was from the crooner and his two backup singers of colour like all the other tracks in their catalogue.
#57 for 1970
It took him a while to release a new album following the demise of his band Simon and Garfunkel, however Paul Simon found instant success once he did release new music on his own given how much of an instant success said album and its lead single was throughout the world. True to the title, this is a song about a mother reuniting with her son after a long time apart which naturally connected with audiences.
#60 for 1972
If you didn't know, Cher is in fact biracial or as she puts it, a half breed (half Native American and half Italian to be precise.) I guess this was a strong enough premise for her second Billboard chart topper as a solo artist given how the song is about how both sides of her family rejected her very existence due to the nature she was conceived (which she doesn't go into detail about as it's NSFW.)
#56 for 1973
I wasn't expecting to add another entry from an artist who would go on to become a politician apart from Peter Garrett on this site, however that seems to be the case for Mike Curb as the future politician for California would score a hit with the theme to the Clint Eastwood flick Kelley's heroes a decade prior to taking office in the west coast state.
#58 for 1970
Long before she was an Oscar nominated actress in Hollywood, Bette Midler was a throwback performer who scored her first big hit with this cover of the Andrew sisters track from thirty years prior. It was equally as popular here in Australia as it was in her native America, likely due to nostalgia for music made during the height of WWII.
#57 for 1973
I'm not sure what to feel about this signature track from Joni Mitchell having most of its success come from Australia back in the day, I guess it was a modest hit in the UK and her native Canada which would explain how we Aussies came across it in the first place. For a song that's quintessentially a hippy track, it's amazing how well it holds up all these years after DDT has been outlawed.
#59 for 1970
Well, we had to get to this track eventually, this is yet another song on this list that has gone down in infamy due to the subject matter which depicts Ringo Starr "owning" a sixteen-year-old he has the hots for. This was originally a hit for Johnny Burnette in 1960 (the father of Rocky Burnette of "Tired of toeing the line" fame) who would tragically pass away four years after his version made it big.
#54 for 1974
There are two versions of this track that exist, there's the version with the disco trio Love unlimited which features vocalist from the three women of colour on the track. The other version is the instrumental version which is the version that became a massive worldwide hit given how it was commissioned from a group of session musicians by Barry White for one of his concerts with the girls.
#55 for 1974
This is by far the biggest hit that Charlie Rich had throughout the world, although this wasn't the case in NZ given how this bombed on the Listener charts and that "On my knees" from later in the decade was his big hit over there. I guess the kiwis weren't that into country music like the rest of the world was given how few of these country entries were a success on those charts.
#56 for 1974
John Denver had been active in the music industry for the better part of a decade at this point, sure he had success in his native America, but it was when this lead single to his album Back home again became a surprise success in the UK that he finally saw massive international success. The song has become a bit of a meme over the years due to how overdramatic the ballad has remained since its initial release.
#57 for 1974
This is one of several hits that Elvis Presley had during the first half of the decade that time hasn't been particularly kind to, I feel this is due to hindsight following his death from later in the decade as he would often perform many of these songs at Vegas which was obviously not good for his wellbeing.
#60 for 1970
Before he found massive success with his band, Ted Mulry was a solo artist who scored a decent hit with this breakthrough single of his. I guess this makes him one of the few artists to make it big during the first half of the decade to benefit from Countdown rather than be hindered by it given how popular he was on the show with his "gang."
#51 for 1971
There was no shortage of underage performers who made it big in the 70's, our latest entry comes from the Moir sisters who were a family trio of young women who scored their one and only hit with a song they wrote. I guess the fact they wrote this did put them on a higher league than the likes of the Osmonds and the teen idols from the second half of the decade, although they sadly remain a one hit wonder regardless.
#58 for 1974
This is the only other hit that the Kinks had this decade in most parts of the world, it's also (to my knowledge) the earliest hit single about a trans woman given that the titular woman is described as such. This has led to a polarising reception of the song in recent years as it's both praised for being ahead of its time for humanising these individuals and criticised for not going far enough (the latter usually by "woke" individuals.)
#61 for 1970
#52 for 1971
Well, the Osmonds might not have had any success here in Australia, however the same can't be said for their Canadian knockoff the Defranco family who managed to score a huge hit with their debut single as well as in America and their homeland. Basically, we have a rip-off of a rip-off here as the Osmonds are widely considered to be a knockoff of the Jackson 5 (who we'll thankfully get to eventually.)
#59 for 1974
I get the feeling this song was originally meant for Elvis Presley due to the vocals heavily reminding me of the king of rock and roll on this track, it's instead the one and only hit from country legend Faron Young outside of his native America as this was a surprise hit both here and in the UK for him. Interestingly, this bombed on the Billboard charts, meaning I have no idea how we Aussies and Brits came across it.
#61 for 1972
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.
#60 for 1974
This was the second hit that John Lennon had with the Plastic Ono band, the first being "Give peace a chance" from the end of the previous decade which helped put Yoko Ono and her band on the map due to its success. There's speculation that Yoko was responsible for breaking up the Beatles due to her music receiving backlash over the years, the real reason for their breakup was due to John mistreating everyone in his life at the time.
#62 for 1970
One of the stranger songs to become a hit throughout the 70's, we have this signature track from Three dog night which was by far their biggest hit both here in Australia and in their native America where it topped the Billboard charts due to how energetic it is. For whatever reason, Mariah Carey interpolated parts of this track for her cover of the Christmas hymn of the same name for her 1994 Christmas album.
#53 for 1971
We've already looked at this song on the NZ side of my site when it was rereleased in the early 90's due to it being featured in a jean commercial in the UK, time now to look at its original release where it became the big breakthrough for the Steve Miller band due to it topping the Billboard charts for them. It was a huge hit here in Australia as well, hence why it managed to appear on this list of mine.
#61 for 1974
Bread was another band who managed to achieve quite a bit of success in their native America throughout the decade, this was their biggest hit here in Australia despite it not being their biggest hit on the Billboard charts (we'll get to what was in a bit.) Bread are one of those bands who are often described as "white people music" mainly due to their lack of appeal in other demographics.
#62 for 1972
If you're wondering how Murray Head could score a hit single in the mid 80's when he was pushing forty, that might be due to there being enough fondness for his first big hit from fifteen years prior which he recorded for the Jesus Christ superstar soundtrack (despite this version not making it onto the album.) It was a massive success in the southern hemisphere and even a minor success on Billboard.
#63 for 1970
This is one of two hits that Badfinger managed to achieve here in Australia, we'll get to the other one in a bit but suffice to say, the Welsh band who gave us the original rendition of "Without you" was decently successful back in the day even if that success down under was pitiful compared to what they achieved throughout the rest of the world.
#63 for 1972
We have our final Oscar winning track on this list, I've saved the best for last as it's the title track from the Shaft series courtesy of Isaac Hayes who scored his only American hit with this jam. For the rest of the world, he scored another hit in the late 90's as his character in South Park Chef with "Chocolate salty balls" from the Chef aid soundtrack (it only barely failed to appear on this site.)
#64 for 1972
While we've already seen plenty of heavier tracks on this list, this is the first entry to be a full-on heavy metal track which comes to us from Deep purple of all bands. Something interesting about this song's success here in Australia is that it was quite delayed as it had almost been a full year since its international success before it finally took off on our charts.
#54 for 1971
This was written by Burt Bacharach during the height of the Civil rights movement, meaning that this is less about world peace and more about racial harmony (even though the two are of course interchangeable with each other.) Dionne Warwick's version is the most well-known, however it's this version from Tom Clay that managed to be a big hit back in the day, at least it was here in Australia.
#55 for 1971
This was the second single from Elton John's album Don't shoot me I'm only the piano player, this is a more sombre ballad compared to "Crocodile rock" which I'm guessing was a reminder to his (then) older fans of his blues roots given how he had begun to dabble with glam rock around this time.
#58 for 1973
This was released the day of the moon landing, meaning that it took four years for it to finally become a success here as well as several parts of the world for David Bowie. This was due to it being rereleased as a live track where it became a success in America which translated its success throughout the rest of the world for Ziggy Stardust.
#59 for 1973
This was the last solo hit that Neil Diamond had in Australia, although he continued to find massive success with his albums and even scored a hit with a duet with Barbra Streisand later in the decade. I guess Countdown prevented him from scoring any more hits here but allowed his popularity to flourish with his albums.
#62 for 1974
This was a hit for Brian Hyland a decade after his first hit "Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polkadot bikini" (I can't believe I had to type that up on this site even after mentioning its 1990 cover on the NZ side of my site.) This meant that the former teen idol was able to escape the one hit wonder bin here in Australia with this track about a Romani woman he's in love with (though not enough to not refer to her as a slur.)
#56 for 1971
This was the other big hit that Jamie Redfern had during his time on Young talent time, this being a cover of the Frankie Avalon track from the late 50's (with no relation to Shocking Blue's track of the same name on this list.) Jamie was another victim of the Countdown purge despite being an Australian artist, I guess this was due to him failing to appear on the show during its run.
#60 for 1973
This was the big breakthrough hit that Bread had in their career, it's easy to see this as their debut single but it wasn't as they had a few failed releases in their native America in the 60's before making it big with this ballad. It was a huge chart topper for them on Billboard, which ensured its success throughout the rest of the world.
#64 for 1970
This will be the last entry from Don Mclean on this site given how he didn't score any other hits throughout his career, indeed this was only a hit here in Australia likely due to the massive success of his two earlier entries on this list as well as the album they came from which didn't seem to be much of an incentive for the rest of the world in making this a hit.
#61 for 1973
We have another two for one deal on this list, this time it's from the king of rock and roll as Elvis Presley bundled his cover of a Dusty Springfield classic with a song that's long been forgotten by even his diehard fanbase for decades at this point.
#57 for 1971
From what I can gather, Tex Morton was an aging NZ country singer who scored a surprise hit with this track about a horse here in Australia during the first half of the decade. The horse in question was one of the most valuable in horse racing (a sport which I'm heavily against) much like that of Phar lap.
#62 for 1973
It's strange to think that the Drifters were able to score two hits in the 70's in Australia and the UK given how their fellow Americans had long abandoned their catalogue by this point in time. This was the first of those two hits which helped the RNB quartet retain an audience for the third consecutive decade in both countries.
#63 for 1973
#63 for 1974
This was the only hit for Australian country singer Reg Lindsay, it was a song written about Neil Armstrong following his overnight fame of being involved with the moon landing a year prior to this song's release. Apparently, he had tried to find success for over a decade by the time he released this track, proving how hard it's always been for Australian country singers in our music landscape.
#58 for 1971
This is the earliest entry from Sherbet to feature on my site, naturally it was the song that finally caught the mainstream's attention of their work after several minor hits that failed to put them on the level of many other bands that have appeared on this list.
#64 for 1973
This was a reggae track that became a success here in Australia due to its massive popularity in the UK of all places, I'm not sure why it took off over there other than the Brits always seeming to have a soft spot for reggae over the years. It was Dave and Ansell Collins only hit down under; however, they did score a second hit in the UK after this.
#59 for 1971
We have another entry from the brothers Gibb, this will be their earliest entry to feature on my site as I don't think I'll ever be looking at what was popular in the 60's where most of their pre disco success came from.
#60 for 1971
While this wasn't his debut single, this was the song that put Elton John on the map given how it was a massive success in most parts of the world due to how sentimental it was compared to many of the other ballads on this list. He would continue to find success for the remainder of the twentieth century with his subsequent follow ups.
#61 for 1971
It was surprisingly hard to research this track given how it and the band behind it has fallen into obscurity over the years. From what I can gather, Dusk was a trio who were formed to compete with Dawn commercially, they only seemed to have success in the southern hemisphere given how this was a big hit for the girls in both Australia and NZ.
#62 for 1971
This is one of the many moderate hits that the Partridge family had here in Australia between their two earlier entries on this list, I'm guessing this song's success was due to how well it went over with us Aussies when it was performed on the show.
#63 for 1971
Barry Crocker is perhaps the most well-known pop crooner turned TV presenter in Australian music history, not for his music career but rather for how well known he is as a presenter. This was his only hit as a singer which was one of many entries on this list that has largely been lost to the sands of time over the years.
#65 for 1973
Of all the songs to become a hit for Barry White here in Australia, I was not expecting this to be one of them given how it was far from his biggest hit in his native America (that and I think of Rick Astley whenever I look at the song title.) Confusingly, this was his only hit down under, meaning that the likes of "Can't get enough of your love" and "You're the first the last my everything" bombed with us Aussies.
#64 for 1974
This was the final hit for Tommy Roe anywhere in the world, although this was another 60's carryover so it's tough to say if this was a last hurrah for the previous decade that just took too long to take off or if there was genuine interest for keeping this guy around in the 70's that was quickly discarded. Either way, it's a good representation of his bubble-gum pop sound as well as a bad representation of his early rockabilly sound.
#65 for 1970
I bet you were beginning to wonder if these guys had any success on our charts back in the day given how long it's taken for me to feature one of their quintessential tracks. Suffice to say that this is the first of two entries on this list which became a success around the time of Jim Morrison's tragic death.
#64 for 1971
We've looked at the Boy George cover from 1987 on the NZ side of my site, time now to look at the original non reggae version from Bread which was a hit here in Australia fifteen years prior to when George's version briefly scrapped our top ten before quickly leaving our charts (making it a fan single in my opinion.) This failed to crack our top ten but stuck around for quite some time regardless.
#65 for 1972
