The Top 10 Songs of 1979 (UK)
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The UK's Top 10 Best Selling Songs of 1979
The UK's Top 10 best selling songs of 1979 certainly made for strange bedfellows considering what music was on offer during this particular year.
You probably could not create a list of ten songs as diverse as those that captured the attention of the record buying public during 1979. Who would have thought that Art Garfunkel, The Boomtown Rats and Lena Martell could end up appearing on the same countdown? But, that is exactly what happened.
Note that these songs have not been picked as my favourites of this year, but to show which records sold the most during 1979.
You probably could not create a list of ten songs as diverse as those that captured the attention of the record buying public during 1979. Who would have thought that Art Garfunkel, The Boomtown Rats and Lena Martell could end up appearing on the same countdown? But, that is exactly what happened.
Note that these songs have not been picked as my favourites of this year, but to show which records sold the most during 1979.
Contents at a Glance
- 1. Art Garfunkel: Bright Eyes
- 2. Blondie: Heart of Glass
- 3. Cliff Richard: We Don't Talk Anymore
- 4. Boomtown Rats: I Don't Like Mondays
- 5. Dr. Hook: When You're In Love With A...
- The UK's 10 Best Selling Albums of 1979
- 6. Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive
- 7. Tubeway Army: Are 'Friends' Electric?
- 8. Blondie: Sunday Girl
2. Blondie: Heart of Glass
No.1: Week Ending Feb 3 - Feb 24
The first of Blondie's six UK Number 1s also topped the US music charts and became a million seller in the UK.
curated content from YouTube
4. Boomtown Rats: I Don't Like Mondays
No.1: Week Ending July 28 - Aug 18
The Boomtown Rats achieved two UK Number 1 hits during the 1970s and this is the second of them, following hot on the heels of the previous single, Rat Trap.
curated content from YouTube
5. Dr. Hook: When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman
No.1: Week Ending Nov 17 - Dec 1
The only time that Dr. Hook managed to get to Number 1 in the UK was with this, although the band came close to topping the charts earlier in the decade.
curated content from YouTube
The UK's 10 Best Selling Albums of 1979
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1Parallel Lines - Blondie
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2Discovery - Electric Light Orchestra
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3Very Best Of Leo Sayer - Leo Sayer
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4Breakfast In America - Supertramp
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5Voulez-Vous - ABBA
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6Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Volume II - Barbra Streisand
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7Spirits Having Flown - Bee Gees
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8Abba's Greatest Hits - ABBA
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9Reggatta De Blanc - The Police
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10The Best Of Barry Manilow - Barry Manilow
8. Blondie: Sunday Girl
No.1: Week Ending May 26 - June 9
Blondie's second Number 1 song of 1979 was this breezy little number that had her horde of fans rushing to grab their own personal copy.
curated content from YouTube
The 1979 UK Top 10 Songs at iTunes
The UK's Top 10 songs of 1979 can be directly downloaded from here to your favourite mp3 player!
| Track | Artist | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bright Eyes | Art Garfunkel | Garfunkel | |
| Heart of Glass | Blondie | The Best of Blondie | |
| We Don't Talk Anymore | Cliff Richard | Rock n' Roll Juvenile | |
| I Don't Like Mondays | The Boomtown Rats | Best of The Boomtown Rats | |
| When You're In Love With a Beautiful Woman | Dr. Hook | The Best of Dr. Hook | |
| I Will Survive | Gloria Gaynor | Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive: The Anthology | |
| Are 'Friends' Electric? | Gary Numan & Tubeway Army | Gary Numan & Tubeway Army: Premier Hits | |
| Dance Away | Roxy Music | The Best of Roxy Music | |
| One Day At a Time | Lena Martell | Songs from a Woman's Heart | |
| Sunday Girl | Blondie | Blondie: Greatest Hits |
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The UK's Top Selling Songs of the 1970s
1970 - 1978
- The Top 10 Songs of 1970 (UK)
- Here are the Top 10 best selling songs for 1970 in the UK.Enjoy the superstars, the one hit wonders and the fads that made up the music of 1970.
- Best Selling Songs of 1971 (UK)
- The superstars, the one hit wonders and the fads that made up the music of 1971.Here are the Top 10 best selling songs in the UK in 1971, which include tracks by George Harrison, Tony Orlando and Rod Stewart.
- The Top 10 Songs of 1972 (UK)
- Here are the Top 10 best selling songs for 1972 in the UK.Enjoy the superstars, the one hit wonders and the fads that made up the music of 1972.
- The Top 10 Songs of 1973 (UK)
- Welcome to the superstars, the one hit wonders and the fads that made up the top ten songs of 1973.Here are the year's Top 10 best selling songs in the UK.
- The Top 10 Songs of 1974 (UK)
- The best selling songs of 1974 in the UK continued to see the domination of the Glam Rock boom that had started back in late 1970. This was reflected in huge sales by artists such as Mud, Suzi Quatro, Sweet and Alvin Stardust.
- The Top 10 Songs of 1975 (UK)
- Here are the Top 10 best selling songs for 1975 in the UK.Enjoy the superstars, the one hit wonders and the fads that made up the music of 1975.
- The Top 10 Songs of 1976 (UK)
- Here are the Top 10 best selling songs for 1976 in the UK.Enjoy the superstars, the one hit wonders and the fads that made up the music of 1976.
- The Top 10 Songs of 1977 (UK)
- The Top 10 best selling songs of 1977 include the superstars, the one hit wonders and the fads that made up the music of the year.Take a stroll along memory lane and enjoy a video rundown of the 10 most bought songs of 1977 in the UK.
- The Top 10 Songs of 1978 (UK)
- The Top 10 best selling songs of 1978 in the UK somewhat reflected the music trends of the year, but more so reflected the power of the modern musical movie, as tracks from both Grease and Saturday Night Fever dominated singles sales.
PS: The Top Selling Songs in the US in 1979
The 1979 American Hits
The US Top 10 Best Selling Singles for 1979
1. My Sharona
The Knack
2. Bad Girls
Donna Summer
3. Le Freak
Chic
4. Do Ya Think I'm Sexy
Rod Stewart
5. Reunited
Peaches and Herb
6. I Will Survive
Gloria Gaynor
7. Hot Stuff
Donna Summer
8. Y.M.C.A.
Village People
9. Ring My Bell
Anita Ward
10. Sad Eyes
Robert John
AND:
Record of the Year: What A Fool Believes - Doobie Brothers
Album of the Year: 52nd Street - Billy Joel
Song of the Year: What A Fool Believes
Best New Artist: Rickie Lee Jones
About This '70s Music Fan
With each article, Richard invites you to step into his world of music, television and entertainment. He will introduce you to The Top 10 Albums in the UK, share The 20 Scariest Film Scores Ever? and even give you an up close look at some classic actors like Christopher Lee as Dracula.For a complete list of Waxing-Lyrical's articles, please visit Waxing-Lyrical on Squidoo.
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Did You Enjoy the Top Songs of 1979?
Your Comments Are Welcomed!
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ana_nimoss
Oct 5, 2011 @ 7:52 pm | delete
- Gloria Gaynor! Always has been my favorite (although I have too many favorites)!
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nancycarol
Sep 30, 2011 @ 9:14 pm | delete
- God yes! I really loved Dr. Hook, Blondie and Gloria Gaynor. It's very interesting to see other artists that were popular in England during 1979. I love your lenses, they're always so full of knowledge of your subject. Thanks for sharing.
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Tolovaj
Apr 9, 2011 @ 5:45 pm | delete
- Hey, the music of my youth. Blondie still my favourite!
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MissMerFaery
Mar 27, 2011 @ 6:59 pm | delete
- I was born in 1979 so this was a fascinating read (and listen!) for me. Now I know what was number one when I was born in the November of that year! Fabulous!
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outsource123
Jan 30, 2011 @ 6:24 am | delete
- I love this lens, since I like music and really very useful for me.
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24websurf
Sep 14, 2009 @ 1:20 am | delete
- Wow! The Knack! My Sharona.. amazing I know the words. Heart of Glass brought back a lot of memories too! Love it!
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clouda9
Aug 26, 2009 @ 1:23 pm | delete
- Oh I love trips down memory lane...this was one of my best yet this week! Dr. Hook...yea baby! And all the rest too. Nicley done my angel ;)
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AndyPo
Jan 28, 2009 @ 9:41 am | delete
- I remember most of these. I was almost a teenager and just getting into music. Excellent
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Rewards4life
Jan 11, 2009 @ 10:42 am | delete
- This is the year I was born and what a great year, obviously I was not of age to appreciate them then but I have grown fond of them through the years, and Watership Down is one of my favorite films, what a moving piece of music. 5* and a favorite, I will keep this lens close.
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CleanerLife
Sep 11, 2008 @ 9:16 pm | delete
- What a year!
This was the year I discovered Pink Floyd. Near the end of 1979, I went from listening to "pop" music such as Gary Numan and Blondie to listening to "album" rock.
At the time, it didn't seem like there was room for both types of music in my life(the music we listened to was connected the groups we hung around with in school), today I embrace them both, along with many others!
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by Waxing-Lyrical
Waxing-Lyrical
As a 70s music fan, I enjoy listening to the best selling songs of 1979 in the UK.
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