I've decided to show what was popular during the waning years of the go set charts in Australia, although again I haven't included any commentary here as I feel uncomfortable with talking about songs that I struggle to form opinion about while also feeling that talking about the select few that I do have strong feelings about would reveal my biases in a negative way on this site. I'll also include stats from the last quarter of 1974 to evenly round out this list even though I'm obviously using AMR stats for those entries.
This is the final hit that Gary Glitter had here in Australia as his fortunes seemed to have run out fairly early on in the glam rock days with us Aussies, even so, at least it remains as his biggest hit here given how there's still plenty of entries to come from the former legend of glam rock.
#26 for 1974 (#24 AMR)
This was the lead single to Paul and Linda's collaboration album Ram, a song that for whatever reason, never saw the light of day in the former's native UK despite it being a massive success throughout the rest of the world. It's also often mistaken for a Wings track, likely because it appears on many greatest hits packages for the band as well as fans considering it as such for Linda's involvement.
#18 for 1971 (#21 AMR)
#21 for 1972 (#29 AMR)
It's hard to believe this song was ever taken seriously given how it will be forever remembered for its bizarre "ooga chucka's" at the end of each chorus, however it may surprise you to learn this was a cover of a BJ Thomas track which naturally omitted that inane chant this version uses. Unsurprisingly, this was Blue Swede's only hit anywhere in the world due to how gimmicky this cover is.
#27 for 1974 (#35 AMR)
This was the only hit from husband-and-wife duo Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan, it's a novelty track about how birds can operate without the features that make them birds that apparently amused us Aussies back in the day and virtually no one else in the world due to how much of a failure it was internationally.
#27 for 1970 (#38 AMR)
Boy was this hard to do research on, this was the one and only hit from American band Osmosis who scored a hit here in Australia with this ballad and virtually nowhere else in the world. You can still find this on oldies stations to this day, which is perhaps why it's easier to look up the song over the band on the internet.
#28 for 1974 (#27 AMR)
For the longest time, this was the only hit that Tony Christie had in his native UK, although he had a second hit here in Australia that we'll get to in a bit that was a hit for him over there in 2005 of all times. I like to think of this guy as the English equivalent of Tom Jones, that is the pop crooner Tom and not the sexaholic Tom given how this guy obviously lacks the Welshman's sex appeal.
#19 for 1971 (#23 AMR)
Glen Campbell had an impressive run on the Australian charts during the first half of the decade, indeed this was his biggest hit here despite this not being a hit in his native America. His popularity would die out here the following year when he sold out to become as he puts it "a rhinestone cowboy" which ironically is where his popularity skyrocketed in his homeland.
#29 for 1974 (#28 AMR)
Remember "Top of the world" from earlier on this list? Well, I mentioned that wasn't originally meant to be released as a single and was only done due to the success of a cover it received from Lynn Anderson. This was the song that was meant to sell that album which it failed to do here in Australia, although it at least was a big hit in its own right likely due to how popular the duo was here.
#22 for 1972 (#27 AMR)
While this wasn't Elvis's final hit anywhere in the world, it is the last song he released from his catalogue that has largely survived the test of time likely due to it feeling like a track from the 60's rather than the early 70's. It was a massive hit for the king of rock and roll regardless of where in the world you're from, although outside of Australia, it was a bit of a comeback for him.
#23 for 1972 (#30 AMR)
#25 for 1973 (#29 AMR)
He may be best known for his work from the late 80's, however John Williamson scored his one and only hit here in Australia with his debut single which true to form, is about a man and his emu farm. He was always the voice for the outback Australian, although it appears his fellow Aussies weren't interested in what he had to say until "True blue" hit our airwaves sixteen years later.
#28 for 1970 (#24 AMR)
I think I've done fairly well in keeping my commentary neutral on this list so far, however it's difficult for me to remain as such with this entry due to how obviously high on drugs Melanie is on this track. This obviously wasn't a deterrent for audiences back in the day as it remains her biggest hit in her catalogue, which is further proof that the 60's bled well into this decade given how this feels right at home at Woodstock.
#24 for 1972 (#17 AMR)
We've looked at the Bananarama cover from 1986, time to look at the original version of this classic from the Dutch group Shocking blue who scored a massive worldwide hit with this dance rock track at the start of the decade. Even though most people will be more familiar with the 80's version, this still remains a staple on oldies stations to this day, proving how well loved the song is after all these years.
#29 for 1970 (#25 AMR)
This is one of those hopeless romantic ballads that along with Nilsson's earlier entry on this list, tends to drive more cynical listeners (such as myself) insane with how pessimistic the lyrics are. This clearly wasn't the case for audiences back in the day as it became the breakthrough single for Irish crooner Gilbert O'Sullivan, although strangely it wasn't his biggest hit in his homeland like it was internationally.
#25 for 1972 (#21 AMR)
This is one of those songs that is fondly remembered by 70's afficionados but is rather silly the more you think about its lyrics, I mean can anyone explain the poetic genius of lines like "there were plants and birds and rocks and things there was sand and hills and rings" and "in the desert, you can remember your name cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain?" I think because of these dodgy lyrics, this remains the band's only hit here in Australia.
#26 for 1972 (#32 AMR)
There weren't a lot of RNB groups to make it big in Australia back in the day, one of the lucky few who did was the Stylistics who scored a massive hit with this RNB ballad due to how inescapable it was throughout the rest of the world. Like many RNB groups of the day, they had more success over in NZ even during the second half of the decade, giving you an idea of how much they loved RNB.
#30 for 1974 (#30 AMR)
The legends are true, there is in fact a version of the Christian hymn "Amazing grace" that's performed on bagpipes by a real army battalion known as the Military band of the Royal Scots Dragon Guards. I'm not sure when the backlash towards this song became an internet meme or if it even had a backlash prior to the internet, however it's one of those tracks that internet trolls love to use in reference to a joke towards a meme.
#27 for 1972 (#26 AMR)
This was the first hit that Wings scored throughout the world, although it's confusingly credited as a collaboration track between the band and their frontman Paul McCartney likely due to him being unsure of joining his wife's band permanently when it was released as a single. It's one of only two entries from the band to appear on this list, likely due to us Aussies passing up their singles in favour of their albums.
#26 for 1973 (#30 AMR)
Although disco didn't exist at the start of the decade, I feel that it's safe to declare this as the first song in the genre given how similar it sounds to the likes of the Bee gees and Donna Summer's work from later in the decade. It was the only hit that Freda Payne had here in Australia likely due to how catchy it is compared to many of the other entries on this list, although she fared much better in her native America.
#20 for 1971 (#19 AMR)
Here's the first hit that the Mixtures had here in Australia, as you've noticed, this is a cover of the Mungo Jerry track from around this time (don't worry we'll look at that version shortly.) This was part of a trend where Australian bands and artists would churn out their (in my opinion) inferior covers of a popular track of the moment which would steal the success of the international version of the song.
#30 for 1970 (#6 AMR)
This was the only hit that Ross Ryan had in his career, although he made many other attempts to score a hit with his other less gimmicky songs in his career to little avail. Indeed, this song was only a hit due to the novelty of it being the standout track from his album based around the mythological Greek flying horse.
#27 for 1973 (#13 AMR)
#31 for 1974 (#9 AMR)
This was the only hit for British singer Lally Stott (boy what a stupid stage name) it's not the only version of this track to appear on this list as Middle of the road took their stab at the track shortly after this version was released. Tragically, Lally would die from a bike accident later in the decade, meaning that there's a possibility he could've escaped the one hit wonder bin had he lived to the end of the twentieth century.
#21 for 1971 (#24 AMR)
Told you we'd be looking at another version of Lally Stott's one and only hit on this list, here we are with Middle of the road (what a strange name for a pop band) interpretation of the folk track which also serves as their debut single to boot. The best way to describe these guys is if they were the Scottish equivalent of the New seekers and thus weren't a spinoff of a much better Australian band from the 60's.
#22 for 1971 (#26 AMR)
This may seem like a surprise entry if you're from the northern hemisphere as this was merely an album track outside of Australia and NZ for the Hollies, I'm not sure why us Aussies and kiwis were given the privilege of having this be a single over the rest of the world, but the result was that it became the band's biggest hit here and second biggest hit behind "The air that I breathe" in NZ.
#23 for 1971 (#17 AMR)
This was the first song that the Aztecs released following their reformation in 1971, it became their biggest hit throughout their career despite it not being their highest charting single as they did score a number one hit in the 60's with "I told the brook." That said, this is by far their most fondly remembered song if its overplay on oldies stations is anything to go by, likely due to it being a rare pub rock track from the band.
#28 for 1972 (#19 AMR)
Suzi was definitely on a roll when she released this track given how it was sandwiched between "48 crash" and "Devil gate drive" from earlier on this list, although it obviously wasn't quite as inescapable as the three entries we've looked at already hence its lower placement on this list.
#32 for 1974 (#36 AMR)
Well, this is a bit of a surprise, mainly because we have Sammy Davis Jr who's one of the very few men of colour to find success in the 50's in the music industry covering a song that was originally written for Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory. I guess it makes sense that a version of the song would be popular given how much of a success the film was at the time, however this version being the big hit just confuses me.
#29 for 1972 (#31 AMR)
This was the first big hit that Gary Glitter had in his career, mainly because it's another two for one deal on this list given how we have two tracks that were billed as two parts of a song he released to appeal to the rising trend of glam rock. Now if the melody sounds familiar to you and you've somehow never heard of this track on oldies stations, that's because it was interpolated for "Doctoring the tardis" in 1988 by the KLF.
#30 for 1972 (#38 AMR)
Oh boy do I do not want to talk about this song, mainly for the artist who made it but also, I promised myself I wouldn't be mean to songs that were clearly meant for children. Thankfully this will be Rolf Harris's only entry on my site given how his only other hit was as such a decade prior.
#31 for 1970 (#27 AMR)
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.
#24 for 1971 (#39 AMR)
Both Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell were on a roll when they began the decade with this collaboration they made together worldwide, as such it was inevitable that they would find massive success with this ballad even if the former wouldn't have another hit after this collaboration moving forward.
#32 for 1970 (#36 AMR)
In a bizarre turn of events, this was released as a single here in Australia rather than the international chart topper "Ain't no mountain high enough" which was the B-side to this release albeit the version that has Diana Ross as part of the Supremes and is a duet with the Temptations. I guess you can consider this a spot Diana's solo rendition as I feel its success is about the same as that would've received here.
#33 for 1970 (#30 AMR)
This was the first of only two hits that British singer Peter Shelley had throughout the world (no relation to the Buzzcock's Pete Shelley) his other hit was a sleeper hit this year in Australia and thus won't be making an appearance on here. This likely would've been even bigger if Countdown had not taken over the music scene here as it was a hit the previous year before the show's introduction.
#33 for 1974 (#32 AMR)
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.
#34 for 1970 (#48 AMR)
This is a reading from radio host Les Crane of a 1927 poem about world peace, naturally it was a massive success for the American disco jokey given how this was at a time where there was a higher drive for world peace than ever when it was delivered over his program and then released as a single worldwide. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if this sort of thing was done in this day and age due to how divided the world is currently.
#31 for 1972 (#36 AMR)
This was the only hit that Australian prog rock band Spectrum managed to achieve in their career, mainly because it was highly unusual for prog bands to find success with their singles back in the day and that their albums even more curiously didn't do very well back in the day. I guess it was due to this limited success they had that led to them breaking up two years after their one and only hit.
#25 for 1971 (#33 AMR)
This is one of the very few E.P's that managed to become a hit during the pre-Countdown era in Australia, this also serves as the only hit that country singer Slim Newton had given how the title track managed to amuse his fellow Aussies upon its initial release which resulted in the E.P's success.
#32 for 1972 (#43 AMR)
This was the final hit that Dawn had here in Australia, honestly with a title like that, it's any wonder why many people don't like going over what was popular during the first half of the 70's given how it tells you everything you need to know about how cheesy the music was overall.
#28 for 1973 (#36 AMR)
One of the biggest names in country music to never achieve much commercial success is Tanya Tucker, around this time, she was the Leann Rimes of her generation as she was looking to break into the country market in her native America with ballads such as this one that became a success for Australian singer Judy Stone who had a career of covering songs from international artists for Australian audiences.
#34 for 1974 (#34 AMR)
This was the love theme for the horror flick Airport, a film I haven't seen and likely never will given how I'm very familiar with its parody film Flying high (or Airplane if you're from America) from 1980 which makes a complete mockery of this film and its subsequent sequels. It was the only hit that composer Vincent Bell had here in Australia despite working on a number of other scores over the years.
#35 for 1970 (#32 AMR)
While none of his singles managed to rise to the ranks of even his weaker selling albums here in Australia, that didn't mean that Neil Diamond didn't achieve massive success during the first half of the decade here like he did throughout the rest of the world. This was the third hit he scored on our charts as well as the biggest in his entire catalogue due to it being his first Billboard chart topper.
#36 for 1970 (#33 AMR)
This was the final hit that the Hollies managed to achieve here in Australia, although I'm sure they would've had continued success in the second half of the decade had Countdown not pushed them aside in favour of our local music scene. It's strange to think these guys found more success in the 70's than they did in the 60's down under considering how they greatly benefitted from the British invasion in America.
#35 for 1974 (#29 AMR)
This was already a hit twice here in Australia and around the world, the first time was its initial version from Johnny Mathis in the 50's and the second was from Cliff Richard about a decade prior to this version from Donny Osmond. If I were to rank these three versions based on how well they did, it would go as Johnny, Donny and Cliff.
#29 for 1973 (#39 AMR)
So, if you know the name Lionel Rose, you're probably wondering how a heavyweight boxing champion managed to make it onto my site given how most professional athletes to try out a music career are usually laughed out of the industry. It turns out the aboriginal (or first nations if you prefer) managed to impress his fellow Aussies with his musical abilities to the point where he scored a massive hit at the start of the decade.
#37 for 1970 (#31 AMR)
We have another entry from the brothers Gibb on this list, this time it was the song they released just prior to their earlier entry on this list which also managed to be a success due to the momentum the trio had this far into the decade from their heyday from the 60's.
#33 for 1972 (#42 AMR)
It's strange that Dave Edmunds would score success on both ends of the decade but find no success during its midpoint, here we are with the first of his three hit singles (we'll look at his second in a bit) which was his biggest hit both here and his native UK due to being a cover of an old RNB track from the 50's that he faithfully interpreted for a (then) modern audience.
#26 for 1971 (#22 AMR)
It's a bit odd that Barbara ray would only find success once she left her native Scotland for South Africa, even then, it was mainly here in Australia as her fellow Brits ignored her brand of country pop when she migrated out of the UK. As with most artists from a non-western country, she was way more successful in her homeland than she was internationally.
#30 for 1973 (#10 AMR)
This was the second and final hit that Lieutenant pigeon scored in Australia, it was one more hit they had here compared to the rest of the world where they remain a one hit wonder with "Mouldy old dough" from two years prior. They were an instrumental band whose key member was a woman who was in her fifties due to her being the mother of the lead instrumentalist.
#36 for 1974 (#37 AMR)
I keep needing to remind myself this isn't an early ELO track and is instead from Wings of all bands, I definitely wasn't expecting to have a prog track from the band make it on this site even though it honestly would've dumbfounded me if this song wasn't a hit here in Australia given that it's a Bond theme for the movie of the same name. It means that I've now featured both the original and Guns n roses version of this track on my site.
#31 for 1973 (#45 AMR)
It took me a while to get to these guys, but I finally get to feature the spiritual successor of the Seekers on this list of mine starting with their debut single. I guess the rest of the world was a bit sceptical of this new direction that the brand name was going in given how it was only a hit in the southern hemisphere, although that would quickly change with their subsequent releases.
#38 for 1970 (#42 AMR)
#27 for 1971 (#34 AMR)
Well, I hope you're prepared to see the Bee gees in their Beatles knockoff phase otherwise you'll be shocked at how radically different their music is compared to their more iconic disco phase. This was the biggest hit the trio had during the first half of the decade given how they lost a lot of their good will coming into the decade due to behind-the-scenes drama with the other members of their band.
#34 for 1972 (#40 AMR)
This is the only hit that comedian Benny Hill ever had in his career, although admittedly he wasn't much of a musician as this was clearly meant to be a throwaway comedy track that became a surprise hit here in Australia and his native UK due to the success of his show at the time.
#35 for 1972 (#28 AMR)
This was Donna Fargo's only other hit here in Australia, although given how it appears so close to her earlier entry on this list, it's safe to say that both of these songs were equally as popular back in the day with us Aussies as each other. That is until you realise, they were from the same album, and this came out first, meaning that her earlier entry was even more popular if we factored in album sales eating its success.
#36 for 1972 (#10 AMR)
#32 for 1973 (#14 AMR)
This was the only hit that Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot had here in Australia, although I'm a bit surprised this was the case considering how well folk music did throughout the decade down under even after Countdown launched this year. This is a fine upbeat number which perhaps explains its success in a year that's filled with midtempo ballads with some bounce to their instrumentation.
#37 for 1974 (#38 AMR)
It's interesting that this almost made it to number one on our charts given how it wasn't a big hit in Glen's native America, then again, Glen Campbell in general seemed to have more success down under than he did on the Billboard charts until he sold out with "Rhinestone cowboy" in 1975 where his fortunes were reversed in both countries.
#39 for 1970 (#39 AMR)
One of the more prominent glam rock bands of the decade was T Rex, this was their biggest hit which feels like a hybrid of a psychedelia track and a glam track which I feel is the perfect song to see how the former became the latter as the decade found its own identity. Even though this was their biggest hit here in Australia, it's far from their most well known as we'll get to those tracks later on this list.
#28 for 1971 (#32 AMR)
For the longest time, I was more familiar with the Jimmy Cliff version of this song given how that became a huge worldwide hit in the 90's due to being the theme song for Disney's Cool Runnings. It turns out this was originally a hit for reggae singer Johnny Nash who scored a huge number one hit on Billboard with this track as well as it being a massive hit worldwide for the American soul singer.
#37 for 1972 (#34 AMR)
#33 for 1973 (#34 AMR)
This was the only hit from British glam rocker Barry blue, naturally this was meant to fuse glam rock with the pop sounds of the day which (to me at least) makes this feel like an early rendition of a disco track more than anything. He would have one more hit in his homeland before forever fading into obscurity despite this type of music thriving throughout the rest of the decade.
#34 for 1973 (#24 AMR)
While this wasn't their debut single, this was the song that put Abba on the map thanks to the song winning Eurovision for this year with its upbeat instrumentation and lyrics about the historical surrender of Waterloo used to compare to the love the two couples shared for each other. It's a song that's endured throughout the decades thanks to its unique premise as well as how cheerful it is.
#38 for 1974 (#39 AMR)
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.
#29 for 1971 (#43 AMR)
Oh joy, we now have the youngest member of the Osmond family scoring a massive hit with his track at the tender age of ten years old. Even though this was widely rejected in his native America, it was a massive hit here in Australia which prompted it to be an even bigger hit in the UK where it actually went to number one.
#38 for 1972 (#18 AMR)
This is the other big hit that Perry Como had here in Australia throughout the decade, I guess this was proof of concept that 50's crooners were able to find success two decades later given how the rest of the decade would see the likes of his contemporaries such as Al Martino and Johnny Mathis charting throughout the world.
#35 for 1973 (#31 AMR)
#39 for 1974 (#31 AMR)
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.
#39 for 1972 (#55 AMR)
This was originally released in 1962 where it was a massive hit for Bobby Picket in his native America, however it fell on death ears back then which is perhaps why it became a massive worldwide hit for him....... eleven years later. I have no idea why this Halloween classic was a hit when it was, however, it resulted in it being among the bigger hits of the early 70's here in Australia.
#36 for 1973 (#25 AMR)
This was a bit of a surprise hit for Carly Simon here in Australia given how as far as I can tell, this wasn't released anywhere else in the world for the female singer/songwriter. The success of this track ensured that her earlier entry on this list would be one of the biggest hits of the decade down under, although not that it wasn't a huge success throughout the rest of the world or anything.
#37 for 1973 (#35 AMR)
This is the earliest entry from CCR I'll be featuring on this site, it was the lead single from their fourth album Willy and the poorboys which serves as yet another two for one deal on this list given how both tracks on this release remain staples on oldies stations to this day. For what it's worth, the band had massive success in 1969 with material from their first three albums.
#40 for 1970 (#35 AMR)
This was the debut single for Dr Hook and the medicine show, it was a decent hit in their native America and a massive international hit for the band likely due to the comedic lyrics in the song. That said, this isn't too far off from their material from the second half of the decade musically, I bring that up because a lot of their earlier work is straight up comedy tracks written by children's novelist Shel Silverstein.
#40 for 1972 (#35 AMR)
This was the only hit from English pianist Peter Skellern, it was a massive hit for him here in Australia and his native UK likely due to this coming out right before Elton John took over the world with his top entry on this list. It's interesting to theorise how big this guy would've been had Elton not become one of the biggest names in music worldwide.
#41 for 1972 (#33 AMR)
#38 for 1973 (#33 AMR)
We have another two for one deal on this list, this time it's with Elton's heartfelt tribute to Marilyn Monroe as well as his third Billboard chart topper which incidentally feels like a continuation of "Crocodile rock" from the start of this list both lyrically and musically. Naturally this allowed both songs to be a success here in Australia due to the strong album sales of the album they were pulled from.
#40 for 1974 (#40 AMR)
We have another Oscar winning ballad to make it on this site, this time it's the love theme from Barbra Streisand's movie of the same name which helped her score her first Billboard chart topper as well has her first hit here in Australia since "Second hand rose" from eight years prior. The film remains a classic to this day thanks to strong performances from her and her co-star Robert Redford.
#41 for 1974 (#44 AMR)
Well, this might be one of the peachiest songs to ever be a hit single, although curiously this wasn't the big hit that Gerry Monroe had in his native UK as that honour goes to "Sally" which was incidentally his debut single despite him pushing forty when it was released in his homeland.
#30 for 1971 (#12 AMR)
Even though this wasn't the biggest hit that the brothers Gibb has here in Australia during the first half of the decade, this was the first Billboard chart topper the trio had suggesting that this was the song that finally made them a household name in America even though they had plenty of success over there with their earlier material from the 60's.
#31 for 1971 (#35 AMR)
This was originally released in 1967 to deafening silence here in Australia, I guess because we Aussies felt there wasn't enough room for these guys in the psychedelia scene given how the likes of the Beatles and Procol Harum had dominated that scene with their chart-topping hits. It was given a second chance five years later as a live rendition which became a massive worldwide hit for the band.
#39 for 1973 (#38 AMR)
Even without the assistance of Countdown, Sherbet were already one of the biggest Australian bands of the 70's when they released their third album Slipstream. The title track was a huge hit earlier in the year for the band, however it was this second single from the album that made them a huge success due to it being one of the first songs to be performed on the show when it launched late this year.
#42 for 1974 (#41 AMR)
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.
#41 for 1970 (#47 AMR)
This was the second and final hit that Ronnie Burns had throughout his career, the first was with "Coalman" from 1967 which initially put the Australian singer/songwriter on the map during the height of the Freelove era of music. I guess he was pipped for good things this decade given how well he began it with this track, however his fate turned for the worst as he failed to score any other hits.
#42 for 1970 (#28 AMR)
This is the only notable hit that Joan Baez had here in Australia, it's a cover of a song from the Canadian band err... the Band about the fallout of the American civil war. Naturally it connected with audiences at the time due to the recent outcome of the Civil rights movement, which is often compared to the Civil war when it comes to fighting for the basic human rights of the everyman.
#32 for 1971 (#28 AMR)
Well true to the title of this song, this is indeed a composition that comprises of a banjo duel that was apparently made for a film known as Deliverance. The film was well received back in the day, meaning that this was likely a hit due to how popular it was with us Aussies (box office numbers are hard to come back even for modern movies outside of America.)
#40 for 1973 (#42 AMR)
This was the song that made Hot chocolate a household name outside their native UK as they had struggled to translate the success they had earlier in the decade internationally prior to its release, it's one of their low tempo ballads dedicated to an Emma in Errol Brown's life that naturally connected with audiences at a time where RNB struggled to find success here in Australia.
#43 for 1974 (#42 AMR)
Another artist to die tragically young this decade, here we have the only hit that Janis Joplin achieved which she only did so posthumously given how he died of a drug overdose several months prior to its release. This is also a bad representation of her work musically as it's a country ballad as opposed to her heavier blues tracks that she's often celebrated for.
#33 for 1971 (#25 AMR)
This is the only hit to come from the Canadian band Edward Bear (a name that suggest this was from a solo artist) it was one of many pop rock tracks to be a success during the first half of the decade worldwide, although like many other entries on this list, it hasn't really stood the test of time due to its absence on oldies playlists.
#41 for 1973 (#28 AMR)
This was the biggest hit the New seekers had in their native UK, naturally this meant that it would be a huge hit here in Australia despite the fact that these guys struggled to follow up the success of their earlier entry with their releases from between these two songs. If you can believe, it was NZ where these guys were at their most popular given how they clogged the Listener charts.
#44 for 1974 (#48 AMR)
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.
#42 for 1973 (#46 AMR)
There have been so many different versions of this ballad over the years that it almost seems anticlimactic that the most famous version comes from the woman who gave us "Ode to Billie Joe" from two years prior. Bobbie Gentry of course is well known for her personal folk ballads, so seeing her score her biggest hit with this Burt Bacharach number is a bit confusing to say the least.
#43 for 1970 (#34 AMR)
This was the only hit that Spanish composer Waldo De Los Rios had throughout his career, it was a symphonic rearrangement of Mozart's "Symphony no 40" which proved to be a massive success thanks to the rise in popularity of classical music from around this time.
#34 for 1971 (#30 AMR)
We have another two for one entry on this list, this time it's the big hit that Carole King had as well as what would've been her only hit were it not for her endorsement of the Hard rock cafe becoming a surprise hit for her later in the decade. Here we have a folk track that helped her claim her only number one hit on Billboard as well as its B-side which was a massive hit for Martika nearly two decades later.
#35 for 1971 (#36 AMR)
We've looked at the renditions from Kylie Minogue and Ritz on this site, time now to look at the first version of this track that was a huge hit here in Australia from the hard rock band Grand funk (better known as Grand funk railroad by my American readers.) Given how the original from Little Eva was a massive flop here, I'm not particularly sure why this was a hit for the band down under and not their other songs.
#45 for 1974 (#45 AMR)
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.
#42 for 1972 (#46 AMR)
I guess if Countdown hadn't of taken over the Australian scene, then this country legend would've had more success here throughout the 70's, as is it was his only hit here likely due to it being a huge hit on the Billboard country charts at the time. He continued charting on the Billboard country charts well into the 80's, proving he was a household name in the Nashville music scene.
#46 for 1974 (#46 AMR)
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.
#44 for 1970 (#52 AMR)
Even though he had released a solo album the year prior to this ballad, this was the first solo hit that Paul McCartney had anywhere in the world due to not releasing a single from that album at the start of the decade. This went straight to number one on our charts despite it not being among the bigger hits of the decade down under.
#36 for 1971 (#29 AMR)
This is the other two for one deal that Cat Stevens released here in Australia back in the day, naturally this also managed to become a success for the English folk singer mainly through the strength of side-A which was the intended second single from Teaser and the firecat. This would be his only other major hit here in Australia, although he was always more of an album artist back in the day.
#43 for 1972 (#39 AMR)
This is the only notable hit that the Canadian band Five-man electrical band (seriously what is with these wack band names?) had throughout the world, this song being a protest track about the political climate of the early 70's given how it appeared that the world had abandoned the protests of the 60's by this point in time. Naturally it drew criticism at the time for failing to provide a solution to the issues they addressed.
#37 for 1971 (#27 AMR)
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.
#45 for 1970 (#50 AMR)
This is the only notable success that pop star Bobby Sherman had back in the day, it was a massive hit for him here in Australia as well as his native America likely due to it being an innocent bubble-gum pop track about finding out how much the love of his life Julie loves him.
#46 for 1970 (#45 AMR)
This was a bit of a minor success here in Australia, mainly because it was the lead single to a highly successful album which ate up its potential success early on but not enough for us Aussies to completely overlook this ballad from Rod Stewart.
#44 for 1972 (#77 AMR)
We have another instrumental track that's loosely based on classical music for this list, this time it's the one and only hit from British band Apollo 100 (I'm assuming a reference to the Apollo 11 landing) where they make a musical arrangement of a Sebastian Bach track which impressed us Aussies and the Americans but not their fellow Brits.
#45 for 1972 (#45 AMR)
Now I'm not opposed to having a song that calls for racial peace and harmony (particularly in this day and age where racial tensions seem to be at their all-time worst due to idiots on the internet) the problem I have here is that we're having a call to action from someone who's infamous for their racially insensitive comedy tracks and that it's displayed as a ballad similar to that of "We are the world."
#47 for 1970 (#29 AMR)
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.
#48 for 1970 (#49 AMR)
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.
#43 for 1973 (#52 AMR)
This is the first of three entries from Axiom, a folk-rock band who only lasted two short years together before going their separate ways despite being one of the more successful Australian bands at the start of the decade. The band is best known for having Glenn Shorrock on lead vocals as well as Brian Cadd on keyboards, the former known for fronting the Little river band and the latter of his own solo material.
#49 for 1970 (#41 AMR)
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