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| 1.
A band previously known as a pioneer of the new wave/punk musical movement had its first number one hit on the Billboard charts in 1979 with a different rendition of an established popular song. It took a chance and gave the song "Once I Had A Love" a disco twist (and a new name) and the result was top spot in the U.S. for one week, and for four in both the U.K. and Australia. The group was treated with disdain by traditional new-wave bands for deserting the grass-roots style of music that it had help popularise. Undeterred, the band produced the most popular song of the year in the U.S. just twelve months later. |
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| 2.
In 1978 a band that had formed four years earlier, and was opening act on tours with The Jackson Five and The Rolling Stones, came into its own after four previous top tens in the U.S. charts with a song that hit top spot for two weeks. It was written by the group's very talented lead singer and had even greater success internationally with top position for six weeks in Australia and five in the U.K. Amazingly, this song was the only top ten hit on the Billboard charts for a very popular record label in that year. |
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| 3.
In 1977 a TV personality cum singer spent a short time on the record charts but long enough to produce two number one hits in the U.K. during that year. The first of these scored top place there for four weeks, as it did in Australia, and for one week on top of Billboard. It was written by Tony Macaulay and was ranked number 93 in VHI's 100 greatest One Hit Wonders after the second song failed to chart in the U.S. |
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| 4.
A long established and very popular band finally broke through for its first number one on the American charts in the latter half of 1976. Prior to this, the group had amassed eighteen entries into the Billboard charts including a whopping ten top tens. The song was written by the band's lead singer and earned two Grammy awards following seventeen weeks "in" and two weeks at the top. It also came up trumps in Australia for nine weeks and the U.K. for three. |
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| 5.
After winning the prestigious Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Waterloo" in 1974, the Swedish group Abba proceeded to have an enormous impact on world charts with the possible exception of the United States. Eight times the band topped the U.K. charts and five times in Australia, while on Billboard the group could manage only one song to go to number one, and for one week only in April 1977. With such a glut of Abba songs in the charts at the time, it's a matter of figuring out which song also went to number one in Australia for nine weeks and in the U.K. for six. If I told you the song revolves around a seventeen year old girl, it would give the pot away - so I won't! |
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| 6.
Back in 1974, a young singer/songwriter/guitarist re-arranged a song originally recorded by the Kingston Trio in 1963 and later by the English group Fortunes, and hit the jackpot with a mega-hit. This artist took the song on board after a collaboration with the Beach Boys, and the band refused to release the finished track despite his recommendation. The original title of the song was a French title "Le Moribond" which spells out what this song is all about. |
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| 7.
The number one song of 1973 hardly needs any introduction, with one version of the song's origin occuring on a southern bus and carrying a passenger just released from prison and heading home to an unknown reception from his family. Other stories go back as far as the American Civil War with soldiers returning home after years in the battlefield and not knowing what to expect. The song topped the charts for ten weeks in Australia, and for four weeks in both the U.K. and U.S. |
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| 8.
A very talented but underrated singer/songwriter took hold of a tune written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans for Badfinger's "No Dice" album in 1970 which wasn't lifted off by them as a single and languished as an obscure album track. This enterprising artist turned it into an unlikely major hit in 1972 by topping the Billboard and Australian charts for four weeks and the U.K.'s for five. He is also well known for his fine rendition of a top "western?" movie theme in 1969 that reached Billboard's top ten. |
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| 9.
In the latter half of 1971 a man who was to become a prolific contributor to all the music charts made his debut with a song that scored the Treble. Five weeks on top of the U.K. and Billboard lists and the same position in Australia for four weeks was a second-to-none debut. At first the song was considered the "B" side of the two songs lifted off the album "Every Picture Tells A Story", but the DJs and distributors soon reversed the disc's classification. |
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| 10.
An established act on the charts released Billboard's biggest hit of 1970 with its third and last number one that stayed top for six weeks. This song was also on top in the U.K. and Australia for three weeks each. It won a Grammy Award as the title track of the Best Album and another as Song Of The Year in 1971. Some angst occured when the member who allowed his colleague to sing the song later regretted this decision and this exposed underlying tensions which ultimately contributed to the eventual break-up of the group. |
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