The number one song in Australia for the year 1979 was "Lay Your Love on Me" by Racey, topping the year-end charts, although other massive hits like "My Sharona" by The Knack and "Heart of Glass" by Blondie were also extremely popular and hit number one during the year.
Best-selling singles
Art Garfunkel had the best-selling single of the year with "Bright Eyes". The single spent nine weeks in the top 10 (including six weeks at number one) and was certified platinum by the BPI.
Pop Hits: 1979
Party Like It's 1979
1979 was the the year of the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster and controversial SALT-II treaty negotiations with the Soviet Union. President Jimmy Carter promised to bring the hostages home from Iran as the dramatic situation inside the American embassy unfolded before a national television audience.
1979 Best Selling Albums Based on Worldwide Sales
In "The Early Show"'s weeklong "Time Machine" series, the anchors discussed several products Monday that made their debut or were big hits in 1979: the Sony Walkman, the Burton snowboard, the McDonald's Happy Meal, leg warmers and Strawberry Shortcake. Relics of '79!
Donna Summer's "Bad Girls" from her seventh studio album of the same name hit #1 on the US singles chart 46 years ago on July 14, 1979. The one-two punch of the Hot Stuff and Bad Girls singles ruled disco, pop and r&b radio for the spring and Summer of 1979.
1979 was the year that new wave became the genre. It went from being a purely underground movement to a massive commercial success. There were so many top-notch new wave albums that came out that year, with Talking Heads, Blondie, The Police, Squeeze, and more all climbing the charts with their releases.
Top 50 Songs of 1979
Country Hits: 1979
Pages in category "Musical groups established in 1979"
The song appears in the film Clerks II (2006) and during the credits of the video game Gran Turismo 5 (2010). It was also released as part of a Smashing Pumpkins-themed DLC pack for the rhythm game Guitar Hero World Tour.
The most significant turning point of 1979 was the Iranian Revolution led by the Ayatollah Khomeini, a world-historical event possessing the ideological potential of the French Revolution of 1789 and the Russian Revolution of 1917—each one a fundamental challenge to the established international order.
1979/1981: Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears
As the character and her friends hit animation, toy company Kenner turned the characters into a more figural line of dolls with pet pals, playsets, and an infused scent for each character associated with their name.
From top to bottom, left to right: the Soviet–Afghan War begins as the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan; the Iran hostage crisis erupts when militants seize the U.S. embassy in Tehran; American Airlines Flight 191 crashes in Chicago, killing 271 in the deadliest U.S. air disaster; Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey ...
Classic releases from multiple genres like rock, rap, R&B, disco, and new wave were crashing up against our ears on our radios, our boomboxes, and — in the Summer of '79 — on a new device called the Sony Walkman.
The biggest box office bomb is often debated, but Disney's John Carter (2012) is frequently cited, losing an estimated $200 million or more on a huge budget, with other major flops including Disney's Strange World (2022) and Disney's Mars Needs Moms (2011). These films suffered massive financial losses due to high production/marketing costs and poor audience turnout, with John Carter losing potentially $225M and Strange World around $197M.
There's no single "number one" album due to different metrics (sales, critical acclaim, cultural impact), but Michael Jackson's Thriller (1982) is consistently cited as the best-selling album worldwide and a landmark pop record, while The Eagles' Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) often tops US sales charts. Other contenders for "best" often include Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, and recent critical favorites like Adele's 21.
1. Led Zeppelin. With more than 300 million albums sold, Led Zeppelin is one of the most successful bands in rock history – not just of the '70s!
"My Sharona" was the debut single by The Knack. The song was released in 1979 from their album “Get the Knack”. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart where it remained for six weeks, and was number one on Billboard's 1979 Top Pop Singles year-end chart.