Top 30 Songs of the 1970s

Neil’s Top 30 Songs of The 1970s

As we turned the corner into a new decade, we saw more changes in the music industry with Australian artists like Spectrum, Daddy Cool, Madder Lake, Russell Morris and Brian Cadd coming to the fore. And music wasn’t the only thing changing – fashion moved from the hippie style of the late 1960s, through the glam rock period to tight jeans and Miller shirts. In total, over 1700 singles managed to make it to the AUstralian Top 40 during the 1970s, starting with Ronnie Burns’ Smiley and finishing with Graham Gouldman’s Sunburn in December 1979.

In this countdown, Neil selects his favourite songs of the 1970s … how many of these would you include in your list?

  1. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
  2. Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel
  3. Because I Love You – Masters Apprentices
  4. Baker Street – Gerry Rafferty
  5. Are You Old Enough – Dragon
  6. American Pie – Don McLean
  7. Khe Sanh – Cold Chisel
  8. Sultans Of Swing – Dire Straits
  9. The Wonder Of You – Elvis Presley
  10. You And Me – Alice Cooper
  11. Reminiscing – Little River Band
  12. S.O.S – Abba
  13. Hotel California – Eagles
  14. The Air That I Breathe – The Hollies
  15. Wuthering Heights – Kate Bush
  16. Evie – Stevie Wright
  17. You’re So Vain – Carly Simon
  18. Let It be – The Beatles
  19. Imagine – John Lennon
  20. Without You – Harry Nilsson
  21. Kings Of The World – Mississippi
  22. If You Leave Me Now – Chicago
  23. Superstar – Colleen Hewett
  24. If You Can’t Give Me Love – Suzi Quatro
  25. I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself – Marcia Hines
  26. Rockaria! – Electric Light Orchestra
  27. Seasons Of Change – Blackfeather
  28. Video Killed The Radio Star – The Buggles
  29. Just When I Needed You Most – Randy Vanwarmer
  30. I Am Woman – Helen Reddy

The next 10 cabs off the rank if we had taken it to number 40 – in chronological order:

  • Fire And Rain – James Taylor – 1971
  • I’ll Be Gone – Spectrum
  • Golden Miles – Healing Force – 1971
  • Everything I Own – Bread – 1972
  • Space Oddity – David Bowie – 1973
  • I Am Pegasus – Ross Ryan – 1973
  • Girls On The Avenue – Richard Clapton – 1975
  • Slipping Away – Max Merritt & The Meteors – 1976
  • Hollywood Seven – Jon English – 1976
  • Year Of The Cat – Al Stewart – 1977