A decade prior to scoring massive success with his second band Mondo rock, Ross Wilson fronted this short lived but well remembered band who scored one of the quintessential hits of the decade with this pub anthem. It continues to be a staple on oldies stations to this day, an honour that few other entries on this list can boast about due to how little of a legacy they each seem to have individually.
I told you we'd get to this version of the Mixture's earlier entry on this list eventually, here we have the debut single for Mungo Jerry who is a band named after a character from a book of cat poetry that would be the basis of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats. Honestly, I could go on all day about this track, however I'll leave it at this being the quintessential track about doing nothing ala "The lazy song" or "Hakuna Matata."
#1 for 1970 (#21 AMR)
This wasn't the first hit to come from the Mixtures (we'll look at that in a bit) however this was the song that made them a household name internationally given how this nearly topped the British charts following its dominance on our charts at the start of the decade. Sadly, these guys would be a one hit wonder internationally for reasons we'll look at further down this list.
We'll be looking at quite a few instrumental tracks on this list given how they seemed to be plentiful during the first half of the decade, by far the biggest came from Hot butter who were an American instrumental band who took the world by storm with this gem. If the melody sounds familiar to you, that's because Crazy frog "covered" this track on its 2005 album and found massive success with it.
We have another ballad to feature from Rod Stewart on this site, this one being the first major hit he had both solo and as part of a group as it was due to this ballad's success that the band he was in at the time found massive success with one of their albums (that band being the Faces.)
#3 for 1971 (#7 AMR)
#2 for 1972 (#7 AMR)
It looks like Alvin Stardust had a hit here in Australia after all given how this was the biggest hit in the glam rock genre during its peak, although curiously this was a flop over in NZ despite him having a hit over there with "Pretend" almost a decade later. Then again, the kiwis weren't that big with the glam rock scene, at least not to the extent we Aussies were.
#1 for 1974 (#1 AMR)
This was the song that Liv Maessen stole the success of here in Australia given how Mary Hopkin was also on a roll going into the 70's given how she capped off the 60's with two of its biggest hits. She was credited as one of the first clients on the Beatles Apple label, although there was some concern at the time given how she was barely in her twenties when she signed her contract with them.
#2 for 1970 (#37 AMR)
It's staggering to think that these guys would be considered yesterday's news here in Australia once "Please Mr postman" fell off our charts during the midpoint of the decade given how inescapable they were here during the first half of the 70's. Here they are with their big breakthrough hit which was far more popular than many other tracks that 70's afficionados will likely name these days.
#3 for 1970 (#3 AMR)
Even though this remains a staple on oldies stations to this day, this solo breakthrough from George Harrison sparked massive controversy back in the day due to the melody being similar to a track from the Chiffons known as "He's so fine." This led to a legal battle where he wound up giving songwriting credit to the older track even if he insists the plagiarism was unintentional.
#4 for 1971 (#3 AMR)
This was the final chart topper the fab four had here in Australia, it was guaranteed to be a success given how they were still on top of the world as far as their success was concerned even if there were tons of behind-the-scenes drama which made their breakup inevitable. For me, this feels like "Hey Jude" part II musically, suggesting that this felt more like a contractual obligation than anything (although I'm not a Beatles fan so take that with a grain of salt.)
#4 for 1970 (#1 AMR)
This was the biggest hits in Australia during the first half of the decade, in fact it came close to being the biggest hit of the decade overall given its refusal to die on our charts back in the day. I feel this is the best indication of how widely different our music landscape was from the pre-Countdown era to the post Countdown era given how this definitely wouldn't have touched our charts later in the decade.
#1 for 1973 (#1 AMR)
It's crazy to think that there's an earlier version of this ballad from Badfinger of all people given how many will either think of this version or the Mariah Carey cover from the 90's when the title is brought up. Even though this was Nilsson's only hit here in Australia, it was instrumental for making his album a huge success back in the day, suggesting that his subsequent failures were due to disappointment from us Aussies.
#3 for 1972 (#4 AMR)
This is the English version of the one and only hit that Miguel Rios had in his career as naturally this song was originally in Spanish due to that being the composer's native tongue. It was a massive success here in Australia and no doubt led to the trend of combining classical music with more contemporary music of the twentieth century over the years.
#5 for 1970 (#2 AMR)
Elton John had success prior to this Billboard chart topper, however it was when he released this track that he went from just another blues singer to a household name due to how inescapable it was back in the day for him. It likely owes part of its success to it feeling right at home with the glam rock genre which had exploded in popularity around the time of its release.
#2 for 1973 (#4 AMR)
While this wasn't the debut single from Olivia Newton John (we'll look at that entry way down this list) it was the song that made her a household name given how it was easily one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia for the British born (at the time) country singer. It was due to this song's success that she decided to permanently migrate to Australia, at least until she decided to migrate to America a decade later.
#5 for 1971 (#6 AMR)
#4 for 1972 (#6 AMR)
Let it be known that age has never been anything but a number when it comes to the music scene, how else do you explain this ragtime tracks success given that it was created by musicians who were each pushing seventy when it was released as a single? Naturally this is a song that was a success when it was due to nostalgia of a simpler time from the first half of the twentieth century.
#5 for 1972 (#5 AMR)
Finally, we have another song that's survived the test of time on this list given how it's still fondly remembered even outside of oldies stations to this day. This was one of only three hits that Don Mclean had here in Australia, the other two being ballads as opposed to this lengthy track that serves as a history lesson about the day the music died (03/02/1959.)
#6 for 1972 (#8 AMR)
This was one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia, it's the first of only two hits that Easybeats frontman Stevie Wright had several years after the demise of said band and a song that promised him a long and prosperous solo career that didn't end up happening once Countdown launched later in the year. At least the song's legacy remains as strong as ever due to a cover from 2005 made for charity.
#2 for 1974 (#2 AMR)
This is often considered to be one of the worst songs of the decade, mainly because it has a rather upbeat tone despise the really depressing subject matter of coping with death which even at the time rubbed audiences the wrong way. It was the only hit for the Canadian folk singer Terry Jacks albeit a huge one likely because of the backlash it received back in the day.
#3 for 1974 (#7 AMR)
Although the Osmonds never found much success here in Australia, that didn't prevent their key member from finding a ton of success as a solo artist as this is one of many entries from Donny Osmond on this list. At least MJ appeared earlier on this list with his solo breakthrough, otherwise I'm sure this will spark an unwanted debate on how this kid copied the work of a much more talented kid of colour and found more success to boot.
#7 for 1972 (#3 AMR)
This is another (in my opinion) inferior cover of a more popular track released internationally at this time, at least the original was a hit here in Australia (stay tuned for it later down this list) even if this was by far the more popular version among us Aussies back in the day. The comes from the pop diva Liv Maessen who scored another minor hit with her rendition of Anne Murray's "Snowbird" (which won't be appearing on this list.)
#6 for 1970 (#8 AMR)
These guys were a two-hit wonder everywhere in the world except for America where this failed to become a hit for them, this was due to a cover from Bo Donaldson and the Heywood's charting over there instead of this version likely due to the American band being a better fit for these lyrics about a foolish young soldier who loses his life in a war despite being warned against it.
#4 for 1974 (#3 AMR)
This was the second and final hit that Paper lace managed to achieve in most parts of the world, it's a biographical song about Al Capone which is full of historical inaccuracies which obviously didn't prevent the song from becoming a huge success upon its initial release. They did achieve a third hit in certain parts of the world with "Black eyed boy," however that would be the last anyone would hear from them.
#5 for 1974 (#4 AMR)
We have our first 60's holdover to appear on this list, although this lasted for quite some time in 1970 which more than makes it eligible for this list even if most of its success came from 1969. It was also the final solo hit that Roy Orbison had in his lifetime given how he wouldn't touch the charts anywhere in the world again until 1988 with the Traveling wilburys mere weeks prior to his death.
#7 for 1970 (#7 AMR)
This was the final hit that Shirley Bassey had anywhere in the world, although it's curious that it would be by far her biggest hit here in Australia given how her only other hit was with "Goldfinger" from the film of the same name from almost a decade prior. At least the Welsh woman of colour can take comfort in the fact that this ballad was more popular on our charts than many other well-known tracks worldwide.
This is the best proof I have that psychedelia lasted into the 70's way longer than you would otherwise think given how it was one of the biggest hits of 1972 here in Australia from the psychedelia band Blackfeather. This wasn't even their first hit here as we'll be looking at their debut single much later on this list, proving that we Aussies still had plenty of summer love this far into the decade.
#8 for 1972 (#9 AMR)
Given how the Monkees were one of the most successful bands of the 60's, it only makes sense that their spiritual successor when it comes to bands created for TV would also find massive success worldwide. This song is nowadays better known for the Voice of the beehive cover from the early 90's, however for twenty years, it was this version people thought of whenever the title came to mind.
#8 for 1970 (#4 AMR)
#6 for 1971 (#5 AMR)
Get used to seeing a bunch of country ballads on this list as those were plentiful back in the day, here's the most successful of the bunch which comes from American singer Susan Raye likely due to it being named after the Californian airport as well as the success of the recent Airport film.
#7 for 1971 (#4 AMR)
Billy Shake AKA William Shakespeare was one of the few Australian singers to score a hit here during the first half of the decade, I guess his brand of glam rock couldn't be ignored here even without a popular TV program to promote his music. I guess if you wanted to hear something akin to Gary Glitter but find the man to be too problematic, this guy is your best bet as he never had any such controversies to his name.
#6 for 1974 (#5 AMR)
While this wasn't the biggest hit off of Simon and Garfunkel's final album, it was the highest charting song on said album here as this went to number one as opposed to their earlier entry which only hit number two on our charts. I guess we Aussies were open to having the duo put lyrics to an instrumental that was made half a century prior to their version's existence.
#9 for 1970 (#11 AMR)
This was the first solo hit to come from MJ, suffice to say that this is very different from his later material given how he was still a child when he recorded this track for the film of the same name. Incidentally, this is a horror film which just so happens to have the occasional sentimental scene, making this ballad highly inappropriate to be its theme song regardless of the context of the lyrics.
#9 for 1972 (#2 AMR)
#4 for 1973 (#2 AMR)
We have another song that has survived the test of time on this list, this time it's the biggest hit from Carly Simon who scored massive worldwide success with this lead single to her biggest album No secrets. There's been many rumours about who the song is about from James Taylor (which she's denied from day one) to Mick Jagger, however she's since confirmed it to be about Warren Beatty.
#5 for 1973 (#9 AMR)
Another trend that was out of control during the first half of the decade was the return of older artists on the charts, by far the most successful was Perry Como who scored two massive hits from the album named after this entry we're looking at. Naturally this was another trend that Countdown dealt with when it premiered on our TV a year after this was released.
#6 for 1973 (#6 AMR)
This was one of two hits that Vicki Lawrence had here in Australia, although it's worth noting that neither of these hits she had was her biggest in her native America given how "The night the lights went out in Georgia" was a huge flop here despite being a Billboard chart topper in her homeland. Nowadays she's best known for her role in the Mary Tyler Moore show and her stage work.
#7 for 1973 (#19 AMR)
This was one of only two hits that Drummond had during their time together, the other was "Kings of the world" which they achieved as Mississippi later in the decade which we'll be looking at much later on this list. It does seem like a coincidence that these guys would score a hit with a song that shares its name with Ross Wilson's first band from earlier on this list.
#8 for 1971 (#9 AMR)
Col Joye was one of the biggest names in Australian music during the 60's, that said, it was surprising to see him score a massive success with this ballad given how it had been several years since he touched our charts with one of his tracks.
#8 for 1973 (#5 AMR)
If you're wondering why John Farnham managed to have a hit with his rendition of an Oscar winning ballad from BJ Thomas, that's because this was among those songs that were released by an Australian artist that only exists to cash in off the success of the international release. Unfortunately, in this case, the original was a huge flop here in Australia, made worse by John already being a household name when this came out.
#10 for 1970 (#13 AMR)
From what I can gather, Aunty Jack was a character from a show centred around her that was a massive success on Australian TV despite being heavily controversial for its politically incorrect humour (proving that this type of humour has ALWAYS received backlash and not just in recent years.) The show was cancelled which resulted in this novelty track being recorded and finding massive success from upset fans.
#7 for 1974 (#11 AMR)
Ahh yes, the feminist anthem to end all other feminist anthems, made years before anyone from the fourth wave of feminism was born to boot. If you can believe it, Helen received backlash when this won her a Grammy back in the day due to her referring to God as a woman, let's just say we've come a long way since then if suggesting that God wasn't a man was enough to upset people.
#9 for 1973 (#8 AMR)
This was the third hit that Creedence clearwater revival (CCR for short) achieved from their magnum opus Cosmo's factory, it was a chart topper here in Australia which was quite rare for a track from a highly successful album that wasn't said album's lead single. I guess when you're selling two future staples on oldies stations for the price of one, that was something that was bound to happen.
#11 for 1970 (#9 AMR)
Contrary to popular belief, this song wasn't written for the Jesus Christ superstar soundtrack even though this was released around the time the show premiered on Broadway and west end which would likely explain its international success for Norman Greenbaum. This is also the best proof I have that the 60's didn't end at the turn of the decade given how this feels like something made pre-Woodstock.
#12 for 1970 (#10 AMR)
Simon and Garfunkel were another band who broke up at the start of the decade despite starting the 70's on a strong note, in this case it was with the title track from their final album which indeed was a massive hit for the folk duo worldwide. Curiously, Art would find more success in the 70's despite Paul finding more success on his own in the long run.
#13 for 1970 (#5 AMR)
First off, can we admire this cover art for the second biggest hit of the Rolling stones catalogue? If only there were more WTF artwork for singles like this so that I could make a list about it. With that out of the way, we have this lead single to the band's album Goat's head soup which was their biggest hit here in Australia until 1981 when "Start me up" took that prize away from the track.
(This is "Angie" if you couldn't tell from my commentary, seriously, how could I pass up featuring this artwork even if it fails to dictate what the song actually is?)
#10 for 1973 (#23 AMR)
This remains the most successful song in John Lennon's catalogue outside of his work with the Beatles, although curiously this protest track didn't hit number one on Billboard despite it being a massive chart topper throughout the rest of the world. I guess American listeners didn't quite feel the positive message of world peace this song was going for, that or they felt this was communist propaganda from an out of touch millionaire.
#9 for 1971 (#11 AMR)
#10 for 1972 (#12 AMR)
If you can believe it, this remains the biggest hit in David Bowie's career here in Australia given how none of his other songs managed to get to number one or even last long enough to be among the biggest of their respective eras. This comes from his covers album Pin ups, meaning that this is a cover of an obscure 60's track (from the McCoy's of "Hang on Sloopy" in this case) which resulted in said albums success.
#8 for 1974 (#20 AMR)
Suzi was on a roll when she released her second single from her debut album, so much so that it became her second consecutive chart topper here in Australia in addition to the album itself being a massive success for her. She was also massively successful in the UK given how the Brits also didn't have an issue with her being one of the faces of glam rock despite being an American woman.
#11 for 1973 (#27 AMR)
#9 for 1974 (#25 AMR)
This was the first Billboard chart topper for Olivia Newton John, although she had massive success in Australia and her native UK throughout the first half of the decade as a country star when female country singers were dominating the mainstream. This was written by Peter Allen around the time he came out as gay, meaning it's possible this was about how he fell in love with a guy who was in a straight relationship that he gave to Livie to straightwash the scenario.
#10 for 1974 (#10 AMR)
This is the final chart topper that Elvis Presley had in his lifetime here in Australia, it's the penultimate chart topper of his if you include the remix of "A little less conversation" from 2002. Despite this, it was far from his final hit as he exploded in popularity throughout the first half of the decade here in Australia, meaning there's plenty of other entries to come on this list from the king of rock and roll.
#14 for 1970 (#14 AMR)
This is the song that the Fugees would sample over twenty years later for their magnum opus "Killing me softly," naturally this was originally a huge hit for Roberta Flack given how she by this point was a household name due to her earlier entry on this list. She would have one more hit on her own here in Australia with "Feel like making love" as well as one with Peabo Bryson with "Tonight I celebrate my love."
#12 for 1973 (#21 AMR)
This is a sample of the score that came from the film the Sting, it's another instrumental track that found success during the first half of the decade worldwide due to it doing an amazing job at recreating the feel of a 30's neo noir setting that audiences appreciated at the time. It was Marvin Hamlisch's only hit, although film composers scoring hits were becoming rarer by this point in time.
#11 for 1974 (#12 AMR)
This is the only hit from pop crooner Wayne Newton here in Australia, it's easy to see how it connected with audiences given the subject matter of a son losing his father after said father's failing marriage to his mother. In most parts of the world, this was passed up in favour of a cover from Daniel Boone to the point where there's contention of which versions is considered to be the original (it's this version.)
#11 for 1972 (#13 AMR)
We have another 60's carryover on this list, this time it's the double single from the fab four's magnum opus Abbey Road which is often considered to be one of the best albums of all time. It was their penultimate chart topper here in Australia given how their final hit overall failed to top our charts.
#15 for 1970 (#12 AMR)
This was the first solo hit from Daryl Braithwaite in his career, suffice to say it's quite different from the more mature tracks that he would become known for during the late 80's and early 90's. What's interesting is that this was his first number one hit both solo and with Sherbet, meaning that he didn't have any chart toppers prior to Countdown promoting his music.
#12 for 1974 (#14 AMR)
It makes sense that these guys would perform this track on Countdown thirteen years after its initial release given how it was indeed one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia back in the day. Interestingly, this was only a hit in America two years after it became a massive worldwide success, even more curiously it was around the time that they topped our charts with "Fox on the run."
#13 for 1973 (#7 AMR)
#13 for 1974 (#6 AMR)
This was the biggest of three hits that American folk singer Lobo had throughout his career worldwide, it's by far his biggest hit likely due to folk love ballads being all the rage when it was released as a single. As a final bit of trivia for this guy, his stage name is the Spanish word for a male wolf, which makes it a bit misleading for the type of music he makes.
#14 for 1973 (#12 AMR)
From what I can gather, Jud Strunk was a comedian in a similar vein to that of Ray Stevens (if Ray wasn't a casual racist judging by his biggest hits in that genre.) As such we have a love ballad from an otherwise comedic performer which of course became his biggest hit during his lifetime, although he might've had a second hit had he not tragically passed away in 1981 due to a plane crash.
#15 for 1973 (#18 AMR)
This was a cover of a novelty song from the 60's from a duo by the name of Paul and Paula, I'm guessing this was done as a joke given how this cover is from TV host Ernie Sigley and comedian Denise "Ding dong" Drysdale only a decade after the original track. It proved to be an even bigger his than the original here in Australia likely due to the star power on display.
#14 for 1974 (#15 AMR)
This was the first of two chart toppers that Tony Orlando had with his backing band Dawn, a duo that was in fact two women of colour who provided backup vocals for him who obviously elevated the material from typical easy listening ballads to more noteworthy pop ballads of the day. They have two more entries to come on this list, proving how successful this formula was for the trio.
#10 for 1971 (#13 AMR)
This was clearly inspired by the Wizard of Oz given how the yellow brick road in that movie is what immediately springs to mind when mentioning it, naturally the nostalgia of the (then) thirty-five-year-old film was what made this a huge success for Elton John in addition to it being the title track of his magnum opus double album.
#15 for 1974 (#22 AMR)
Sweet were on a roll when they released this cover of a rockabilly track from the early 60's, after all glam rock was at the height of its popularity this year no thanks to Countdown promoting the genre on TV over the likes of all the easy listening that these guys had to compete with during the first half of the decade.
#16 for 1974 (#13 AMR)
This is the second single released from Cosmo's factory, it was also the first of two chart toppers the band had here in Australia which goes to show how immensely popular the swamp rockers were during the height of their fame. Like many bands that began the decade on a high note, their time in the spotlight would quickly dwindle due to behind-the-scenes drama resulting in their breakup in 1972.
#16 for 1970 (#18 AMR)
The kung fu craze of the 70's was inexplicably popular, as such we have this tribute from Carl Douglas which is surprisingly not racist in the slightest as this was back in the early days of political correctness preventing people from making caricatures of non-western culture such as the kung fu craze. The song has been covered and remixed several times of the years, which is why you still hear the original to this day.
#17 for 1974 (#16 AMR)
This was a massive hit for Elvis Presley at the start of the decade worldwide, it makes sense given how he began the decade with his earlier entry on this list which also remains one of his more iconic tracks in his catalogue. This not so much due to his 70's output being widely ignored by most modern fans of the king of rock and roll.
#17 for 1970 (#19 AMR)
We have another appearance from Jigsaw on this list, this time it's with their rendition of Christie's one and only hit from the start of the decade which resulted in that track failing to become a hit down under like it was internationally. In case you were wondering, these guys are the reason why the band behind "Sky high" were referred to as British jigsaw here in Australia back in the day.
#18 for 1970 (#43 AMR)
We looked at her second biggest hit from the start of the 80's, time to look at the biggest hit that Colleen Hewett had in her career which proved to be among the bigger hits from an Australian artist during the first half of this decade. I'm not sure why she failed to score a hit throughout the rest of the 70's here given that she did resurface in 1980, however at least she eventually escaped our one hit wonder bin.
#12 for 1972 (#20 AMR)
This is the only other hit that Melanie had in her career, although this is a much better representation of her overall sound given how this came off her magnum opus that is Candles in the rain. Here she joins forces with the Edwin Hawkins singers for a song that feels like it could've been made on Motown by the likes of the Supremes or even the Jackson five if they collaborated with a female vocalist.
#19 for 1970 (#26 AMR)
This is the final entry from Helen Reddy to appear on this list, it's another pop country ballad that was a massive success for the pioneering feminist back in the day, proving that even back then, the music industry wasn't opposed to progressive ideas despite what online activists will otherwise tell you.
#16 for 1973 (#20 AMR)
#18 for 1974 (#17 AMR)
Although this wasn't the first solo single that Cher released (that honour goes to "Bang bang") this was the first solo hit of hers to be a massive worldwide success thanks to it being an autobiographical track about how she rose to fame with her (then) husband Sonny Bono. She still has one more entry to come on this list, however her fortunes changed for the worse as the decade went on due to her marriage with Sonny failing.)
#11 for 1971 (#15 AMR)
#13 for 1972 (#16 AMR)
Given how the Partridge family was one of the biggest names both in music and on TV, it only makes sense that its key member David Cassidy would find massive success on his own with his solo debut single worldwide. There'll be a few more entries from the actor/musician on this list, proving that he was well liked by audiences back in the day and far more for his smouldering good looks to boot.
#14 for 1972 (#14 AMR)
This is the first of two hits from country star Donna Fargo to appear on this list, I told you there would be a ton of entries from female country artists on here which is a large reason why I dragged my feet in writing commentary for this list. Honestly the fact that she's a two-hit wonder here as opposed to a one hit wonder is the only thing separating Donna from the likes of Barbara Ray and Susan Raye.
#17 for 1973 (#11 AMR)
This was the final hit that the Beach boys were able to achieve here in Australia, it's interesting that their final hit with us Aussies would be a country song given how they're best known for their surf rock tracks throughout the 60's. If I were to go back to the 60's, they would have a few more entries on this site, but not nearly enough to make it worthwhile for their fanbase.
#20 for 1970 (#22 AMR)
We have another Australian supergroup here, or rather they're a supergroup in retrospect given how much success each of the members would go on to have with their separate projects. By far the most famous member is Rick Springfield, however Beeb Birtles is also well known for his involvement with the Little river band. This was their only hit which was only the case due to being a Beatles cover.
#12 for 1971 (#14 AMR)
We'll be looking at a bunch of other entries from the Partridge family later down this list but suffice to say that this track becoming a huge success here off their greatest hits package goes to show just how popular the fictional family band was with us Aussies during their heyday even compared to their fellow Americans given how this wasn't a bit hit on Billboard.
#15 for 1972 (#22 AMR)
A decade before Joan Jett scored a massive hit with "I love rock and roll," we had Suzi Quatro tearing up the international charts with her debut single which comes from the glam rock genre. I bring this up because for whatever reason, Suzi didn't have any success in her native America until much later in the decade where she sold out in favour of an adult contemporary artist.
#18 for 1973 (#17 AMR)
This was the first major hit that Helen Reddy scored here in Australia and indeed the rest of the world, although it was a hit here first given how she had yet to attract international attention which is how things work for Australian artists making it big globally. We'll be looking at three more of her ballads as we go down this list, each of them showcasing her talents as a vocalist in the country genre.
#13 for 1971 (#8 AMR)
Although "I am woman" was the song that made Helen Reddy a star outside of Australia, it was this song that confirmed her to be the real deal when it came to women in the country scene in America as this was her second Billboard chart topper following her earlier entry. This was written by Tanya Tucker, a (then) teenage girl who seemed to be wise beyond her years given the subject matter of the songs she wrote.
#19 for 1973 (#15 AMR)
This was the biggest solo hit that Ringo Starr had here in Australia, we'll look at his other two big hits later down this list but suffice to say this is the entry from him that gives me the least to talk about as it just confirms him as the talented drummer of the fab four and little else given its lack of legacy.
#20 for 1973 (#32 AMR)
#19 for 1974 (#33 AMR)
It was a new decade, meaning that Eric Burdon decided to change things up by abandoning his previous band the Animals and forming a new band known as War. He was off to a good start with his new band's debut single, likely due to being far funkier than anything his previous band released throughout the 60's. This proved to be his final hit as the rest of War's catalogue flopped as the decade went on.
#21 for 1970 (#17 AMR)
In most parts of the world, this was the final hit that Ray Stevens had as "Misty" from the following year didn't do very well due to it being one of his rare country ballads that was devoid of any humour or irony that connected with audiences in the places where it did become a success. Here we have him writing a comedy track about a streaker harassing a married couple that I'm sure audiences found hilarious at the time.
#20 for 1974 (#18 AMR)
We have our final appearance from 10cc on this site as this was their first major hit here in Australia, although in their native UK, "Donna" has the honour of being their first big hit as that was their debut single which became a massive success for them in their homeland. This also means we have a different genre to look at from these guys as this was a glam rock track during the height of that genre's popularity.
#21 for 1973 (#26 AMR)
Well at least this cover of the Lesley Gore classic came a full decade after the original, so it's not like this short-lived Australian band was cashing in off the success of a (then) recent hit single like so many other entries on this list. Still the fact that the only hit these guys had was with a feminist anthem from a teenager should tell you why they don't have much of a legacy outside of this hit of theirs.
#22 for 1973 (#40 AMR)
I don't know what's stranger, the fact that Sister Janet mead wasn't the first woman of the cloth to find a massive worldwide hit (that honour going to Sœur Sourire from a decade prior) or that she did so with a rock and roll cover of the Lord's prayer. OK so calling this rock and roll is a stretch as this is more of a pop rock track given that it successfully retains the melody of the religious hymn in this rendition.
#21 for 1974 (#8 AMR)
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.
#22 for 1970 (#53 AMR)
We have another British born south African artist to appear on this list, this time it's from Dave Mills who scored a massive hit here in Australia with this ballad to the point where he was convinced to move here following its success. This proved to be fruitless as he remains a one hit wonder here despite doing quite well in Africa with his earlier material that all failed to chart here.
#14 for 1971 (#10 AMR)
#16 for 1972 (#11 AMR)
The first of two entries from Cat Stevens, this was the lead single from his album Teaser and the fire cat, or rather it was a two for one deal given how both songs were released as singles internationally but were bundled together here in Australia. The first track remains as one of Cat's signature tunes due to the multiple covers it received over the years whilst the latter likely would've bombed here had it not been released with the former.
#15 for 1971 (#18 AMR)
#17 for 1972 (#23 AMR)
Well, this is a song that's gone down in infamy, mainly for the lyrics which suggests that Paul Anka's girlfriend (played by Odia Coates in this song) is having his baby purely for his benefit and not for hers. I get that this song was supposed to be a celebration of starting a family, but I can absolutely see how it's gone down in infamy as being one of the worst songs of all time.
#22 for 1974 (#19 AMR)
One of several TV presenters to find success as a pop crooner here in Australia, we have Matt Flinders (no relation to the historical figure of the same name) who ended the 60's and began the 70's on a high note with this track becoming a huge success for him. He has another entry to come on this list, proving that there was still plenty of room for 60's pop crooners during the first half of the decade.
#23 for 1970 (#15 AMR)
This was the lead single to Cosmo's factory, as such it was guaranteed to be a massive success for CCR even if it was the lowest charting single from the album here in Australia. What's interesting is that the band never made it to number one in their native America, they came close several times to the point where they have the most songs to peak at number two on Billboard without ever reaching the top spot.
#24 for 1970 (#16 AMR)
It was rather difficult finding out information about Joel Dayde, eventually I had to brush up on my French as the only articles online that go into detail about him are written in his native tongue. Basically, he's a singer/songwriter from France who scored his one and only hit with this ballad that was apparently written in French and then translated for him to sing in English, resulting in his version becoming a success here in Australia.
#16 for 1971 (#20 AMR)
We looked at the second Oscar winning ballad that Maureen McGovern scored a hit with worldwide, time to look at her first big hit both critically and commercially as two years prior, she took home the Oscar for this ballad for the film the Poseidon adventure which she also had a minor role in. From what I can gather, the film has a similar plot to Titanic in that it's about the sinking of a ship albeit a fictional one in this case.
#23 for 1973 (#16 AMR)
This was the only hit that the British glam rock band the Rubettes were able to achieve here in Australia, although like most glam rock bands from the UK, they did considerably better in their homeland and throughout Europe as glam rock continued to thrive during the second half of the decade in the northern hemisphere whilst it was pushed aside here in favour of local artists promoted by Countdown.
#23 for 1974 (#21 AMR)
This is the last entry to come from the Hollies and well as the song that's most well-known outside of their fanbase due to how big it was throughout the rest of the world, heck it remains their biggest hit on Billboard likely due to people confusing it for a CCR track given that it's a swamp rock track from a band otherwise known for their garage rock sound.
#18 for 1972 (#25 AMR)
Often considered to be Suzi Quatro's signature track, this was indeed a massive hit for her here in Australia back in the day, so much so that she would perform it in the dying days of Countdown thirteen years after its initial release to massive fanfare. This just goes to show how fondly remembered the track remains even after all these years, as well as further proof women in rock was a thing in the early 70's.
#24 for 1974 (#23 AMR)
This was originally released in 1969 to deafening silence for Roberta Flack, I guess because it was considered a bit ahead of its time given how it's more in line with the RNB the 70's is known for rather than the 60's which was less subtle by comparison. I'm not sure how this was rediscovered three years after its initial release, however it was which resulted in the first of three Billboard chart toppers for her.
#19 for 1972 (#15 AMR)
This is a rare case of a chart topper not being the lead single from an album, although I get the feeling this was only a huge success worldwide following the success of a country version from Lynn Anderson which compelled the duo to release it as a single a year after the album's release.
#24 for 1973 (#22 AMR)
We have further evidence that the 60's kept on rolling as far as the music was concerned as this feels like it belongs during the height of summer love, although I get the feeling it would've bombed had its target audience realised that Edison Lighthouse was actually just a group of session musicians looking to cash in off the Freelove vibes of the 60's rather than genuinely be a part of it.
#25 for 1970 (#23 AMR)
This is one of only two hits that Led zeppelin had here in Australia back in the day, it's a song that's long since been mired in controversy due to it being a rip-off musically of "You need love" from Muddy Waters which led to the latter suing the band's estate fifteen years after the song's release. As that wouldn't happen for another decade and a half, the song was free of this controversy during its initial release.
#26 for 1970 (#20 AMR)
This was the only hit that Lynn Anderson had here in Australia, mainly because it's named after a 1964 book that would become a box office flop later in the decade as a film adaptation. It could also be that it's yet another country ballad from a female artist which like I said earlier, permeated our music scene during the first half of the decade.
#17 for 1971 (#16 AMR)
If this sounds like a KC and the Sunshine band song to you, you're not far off as it was written by Harry Casey who was the lead singer of the disco band. This was George McCrae's only hit worldwide likely due to it arriving a little too early to the disco bandwagon to be seen as anything more than a novelty at the time, if it had of come out even a year later then he probably would've had a ton more success.
#25 for 1974 (#26 AMR)
We looked at his 1980 hit "It's hard to be humble" twice already, time to look at the big hit that Mac Davis had internationally as this ballad managed to be a Billboard chart topper for the country legend upon its initial release. This is another song that's often cited as one of the worst the decade has to offer due to its admittedly cheesy lyrics (the title says it all) which is where its legacy remains to this day.
#20 for 1972 (#24 AMR)
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