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 was the first hit that Gary Glitter had that didn’t appear on one of his albums (that I’m aware of) naturally this allowed it and his top entry on this list to top the UK charts which remain as his only two chart toppers over there along with “I’m yours” which won’t be appearing on this list.
#66 for 1973 (#72 AMR)
There are two versions of this track that exist, there’s the version with the disco trio Love unlimited which features vocalist from the three women of colour on the track. The other version is the instrumental version which is the version that became a massive worldwide hit given how it was commissioned from a group of session musicians by Barry White for one of his concerts with the girls.
#61 for 1974 (#55 AMR)
The Carpenters were on a roll when they released their second big hit around the world, in fact this nearly topped the Billboard charts much like their top entry on this list which confirmed the brother and sister duo as the real deal moving forward in the decade.
#64 for 1971 (#68 AMR)
Although these guys had success in their native America prior to this hit, this was the first of several Billboard chart toppers that Three dog night had likely due to them taking an Eric Burdon track and running through the funk sound with their interpretation. The rest of the world liked what they did with the track which allowed it to crossover internationally.
#67 for 1970 (#74 AMR)
I wasn’t expecting to add another entry from an artist who would go on to become a politician apart from Peter Garrett on this site, however that seems to be the case for Mike Curb as the future politician for California would score a hit with the theme to the Clint Eastwood flick Kelley’s heroes a decade prior to taking office in the west coast state.
#68 for 1970 (#58 AMR)
You’d think that “Stairway to heaven” would be the big hit from Led Zeppelin’s fourth self-titled album, alas it wasn’t as that honour goes to this track instead which is more of a conventional rock track as opposed to the prog classic that continues to invade our airwaves even to this day.
(this is Led zeppelin “Black dog)
#68 for 1972 (#70 AMR)
I’m shocked this was only a moderate success for Bob Dylan here in Australia, although that might be due to how Guns n roses revived this song’s popularity in the 90’s with their rendition which coincidentally came out the same year I was born (1992.) In any case, this was the second hit that the folk legend had here in Australia following “Like a rolling stone” from 1965.
#67 for 1973 (#84 AMR)
This was the only hit for Australian actress/singer Abigail Rogan, I’m guessing this was the case due to the popularity of a TV she was on at the time of its release (it’s surprisingly hard to find information about this woman) given how this saw a release in the UK where it predictably flopped.
#68 for 1973 (#78 AMR)
This was a hit for Brian Hyland a decade after his first hit “Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polkadot bikini” (I can’t believe I had to type that up on this site even after mentioning its 1990 cover on the NZ side of my site.) This meant that the former teen idol was able to escape the one hit wonder bin here in Australia with this track about a Romani woman he’s in love with (though not enough to not refer to her as a slur.)
#65 for 1971 (#56 AMR)
While these guys only had one inescapable hit here in Australia with “Hot love,” their fortunes were much better in their homeland as this became yet another chart topper in the UK for the glam rock band as well as another staple on oldies stations to this day.
#69 for 1972 (#80 AMR)
We have another two for one deal on this list, this time it’s from the king of rock and roll as Elvis Presley bundled his cover of a Dusty Springfield classic with a song that’s long been forgotten by even his diehard fanbase for decades at this point.
#66 for 1971 (#57 AMR)
This was the only hit to come from American singer Bobby Bloom, mainly because he would tragically pass away four years after its release due to a self-inflicted gun wound (there’s actually speculation on if it was a suicide or his gun misfiring on him.) The song would be covered by Australian band Allniters a decade after his death where it became a modest success for them (albeit a sleeper hit.)
#69 for 1970 (#72 AMR)
We’ve looked at the Boy George cover from 1987 on the NZ side of my site, time now to look at the original non reggae version from Bread which was a hit here in Australia fifteen years prior to when George’s version briefly scrapped our top ten before quickly leaving our charts (making it a fan single in my opinion.) This failed to crack our top ten but stuck around for quite some time regardless.
#70 for 1972 (#65 AMR)
There was a popular TV crime series known as Van der Valk (Dutch for “of the falcon”) which aired from 1972-1977 back in the day. As with most popular TV series, its theme song was quite popular in the music scene here in Australia as well as in the show’s native UK where it topped the British charts.
#62 for 1974 (#67 AMR)
This is the final hit that Axiom achieved during their short time together, it was the lead single to their second and final album which proves that although they weren’t quite as popular with their first album, there was still love for the band regardless even mere months prior to them calling it quits.
#67 for 1971 (#67 AMR)
This was a short-lived covers band from Australia who scored two hits during the first half of the decade with cover songs, this one being of the Merry Clayton track that’s best known nowadays for Cher’s rendition for her film Mermaids. These guys likely would’ve had more success here had they stuck around once Countdown launched, alas they called it quits mere months after the show premiered.
#63 for 1974 (#65 AMR)
This was George Harrison’s final hit here in Australia for eight years as he wouldn’t touch our charts again until 1981 with his tribute to John Lennon “All those years ago.” It was a much bigger deal internationally where this topped the Billboard charts for the former Beatle likely due to its strong message about world peace.
#69 for 1973 (#86 AMR)
This was the one and only hit for the Dutch band Golden earring, a song that was a massive success throughout Europe the previous year and only crossed over to Australia this year due to it being a surprise hit on Billboard. It remains a popular rock and roll track from the 70’s to this day, so at least they have a strong legacy with this one hit of theirs.
#64 for 1974 (#66 AMR)
This was another huge hit that Slade had throughout the world during their heyday, it was coincidentally their second UK chart topper given how it was their second biggest hit here in Australia for the glam rock band.
#71 for 1972 (#67 AMR)
This will be the last entry from Don Mclean on this site given how he didn’t score any other hits throughout his career, indeed this was only a hit here in Australia likely due to the massive success of his two earlier entries on this list as well as the album they came from which didn’t seem to be much of an incentive for the rest of the world in making this a hit.
#70 for 1973 (#61 AMR)
It’s strange to think that the Drifters were able to score two hits in the 70’s in Australia and the UK given how their fellow Americans had long abandoned their catalogue by this point in time. This was the first of those two hits which helped the RNB quartet retain an audience for the third consecutive decade in both countries.
#71 for 1973 (#63 AMR)
#65 for 1974 (#63 AMR)
This was the last major hit that the Masters apprentices had in their career, although their next single “Because I love you” would receive plenty of airplay due to a 1988 release of the track that flopped but was regardless what made them a favourite on oldies stations. Their success was more prevalent in the 60’s due to their sound fitting in perfectly with the hippy revolution.
#70 for 1970 (#76 AMR)
This is one of the many moderate hits that the Partridge family had here in Australia between their two earlier entries on this list, I’m guessing this song’s success was due to how well it went over with us Aussies when it was performed on the show.
#68 for 1971 (#63 AMR)
This is a song that could’ve only been popular from the 60’s or the start of the 70’s, it comes to us from Daddy Dewdrop who scored his one and only hit worldwide with this novelty track that still pops up here and there in pop culture.
#69 for 1971 (#83 AMR)
This is another one of those cheap covers of an international track from an Australian artist that got big throughout the decade, although at least we’ll eventually get to the original version of this track further down the list as opposed to some of the other entries that missed out from appearing on this list.
#66 for 1974 (#81 AMR)
We have another entry from the brothers Gibb, this will be their earliest entry to feature on my site as I don’t think I’ll ever be looking at what was popular in the 60’s where most of their pre disco success came from.
#70 for 1971 (#60 AMR)
This is one of only two entries from Stevie Wonder, that’s right, one of the biggest names of the decade only had two hits here in Australia even if his albums did do considerably well with us Aussies (which somewhat makes him an album artist as far as we’re concerned.) At least this was a chart topper on Billboard even if it’s one of his rare slow jams that got popular over the years.
#72 for 1973 (#79 AMR)
It’s puzzling to think that this was the big hit from blues legend JJ Cale and not “Cocaine” here in Australia, although I guess the fact that he had a hit here in Australia is proof that we Aussies did at least love him for one single as opposed to his fellow Americans who completely ignored his catalogue.
#72 for 1972 (#76 AMR)
This is the only entry from Marie Osmond to appear on this side of my site, mainly because her duets with Donny failed to become a success here in Australia (possibly due to their incestual nature which was unintentional on their part.)
#67 for 1974 (#80 AMR)
In most parts of the world, this was Albert Hammond’s only hit given how he never had much success in his native UK with his ballads. I’m willing to bet this only became a hit here in Australia due to its surprise success in America, although he had a ton of success over in NZ if the Listener charts are anything to go by.
#73 for 1973 (#82 AMR)
We have another UK chart topper for Slade to come on this list, it’s incidentally their third UK chart topper which goes to show how the process was for making their songs a success here in Australia. This will be the band’s final appearance on my list despite having a few other minor hits back in the day.
#74 for 1973 (#70 AMR)
We’ve featured the Joan Jett cover on this site on my list of Countdown performances, time now to look at the original version of the glam rock track from Gary Glitter which continued the icon’s winning streak back in the day given how it was the lead single to his second album Touch me.
#75 for 1973 (#71 AMR)
Mark Lindsay was the lead single of Paul Revere and the Raiders, an American band who curiously failed to score any hits here in Australia despite how popular they were in their homeland. He did win us Aussies over with this ballad about a girl named Arizona (not the state) which sadly did no favours for his band at the time.
#71 for 1970 (#67 AMR)
This was the first song that John Farnham released in the decade; it was a guaranteed success for him given how this was coming off the heels of his top entry on this list which coincidentally was when the original version from BJ Thomas took home the academy award for best original song.
#72 for 1970 (#73 AMR)
Well, this is something different from Chicago, here we have a jazz rock track in the vein of early Santana or Blood sweat and tears which became a moderate success at the start of the decade worldwide for the band. I guess the genre became more niche as the decade went along, hence why they transitioned to a soft rock sound with their hit “If you leave me now.”
#73 for 1970 (#83 AMR)
This is the only hit to come from Brownsville station, a rare American glam rock band who quite surprisingly managed to make it big in their homeland give how rare it was for glam rock to become a success on Billboard (even from local artists such as Suzi Quatro.) Motley Crue fans will know this as one of that band’s signature tracks due to their rendition being a minor success on Billboard in the 80’s.
#68 for 1974 (#75 AMR)
We have our final Oscar winning track on this list, I’ve saved the best for last as it’s the title track from the Shaft series courtesy of Isaac Hayes who scored his only American hit with this jam. For the rest of the world, he scored another hit in the late 90’s as his character in South Park Chef with “Chocolate salty balls” from the Chef aid soundtrack (it only barely failed to appear on this site.)
#73 for 1972 (#64 AMR)
This was a modest success for Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds (what a weird band name) here in Australia, likely due to it being a huge hit in their native America where this type of ballad reigned supreme on the Billboard charts.
#71 for 1971 (#82 AMR)
This was John Farnham’s final hit he had until his 1980 comeback with “Help,” I guess he was seen as a relic of the 60’s by this point in time which was a stigma that wouldn’t hold once he released his magnum opus in 1986.
#76 for 1973 (#83 AMR)
This was the final hit for Brian Cadd here in Australia, interestingly Countdown didn’t seem interested in promoting his music despite how much success he had both solo and with his two previous bands Axiom and the Twilights over the last decade. I guess if he had of joined the Little river band like his previous band mates then his solo career could’ve thrived in the second half of the 70’s.
#69 for 1974 (#69 AMR)
This was the only hit for Leon Russell, one of the less influential icons of the hippy culture despite doing quite well with his albums here in Australia during the first half of the decade. I’m not sure how we Aussies came across his work given how little success he had in his native America.
#72 for 1971 (#80 AMR)
This was the last hit that the Brothers Gibb had before they had transitioned to disco, it’s a good representation of their sound while they were a trio but before they were having us jam to their music on the dance floor.
#70 for 1974 (#71 AMR)
It had been well over a year since Livie last touched our charts with “Banks of the Ohio” by the time she released this country ballad, as such it makes sense that it wasn’t the runaway success that or “I honestly love you” was from earlier on this list despite being among her more popular pre-Grease country ballads.
#77 for 1973 (#53 AMR)
#71 for 1974 (#51 AMR)
This was the final hit that the New seekers managed to achieve before they called it quits to allow the genuine article to score a comeback the following year with “Sparrow song,” they were meant to be the British equivalent of the Australian band but fell short due to selling themselves as a pop band as opposed to a folk band like the genuine article was.
#72 for 1974 (#70 AMR)
This is the final hit from Russell Morris, he had a good run throughout the decade but alas, his popularity didn’t continue on after this moderate hit he had.
#74 for 1972 (#81 AMR)
This is the only hit to come from the Australian band the Strangers, it’s a pop track about how someone named Melanie makes the narrator smile which was in keeping with the feel-good hippy nature of songs that made it big at the start of the decade.
#74 for 1970 (#78 AMR)
Even though this track from Alison Mccallum wasn’t among the most popular here in Australia back in the day, it nonetheless sparked international interest for the rock singer which is why I was able to find cover art for it that wasn’t just a Jpeg of its vinyl for this list. Naturally this interest didn’t do her career any favours as she would retire from music by the end of the decade.
#75 for 1972 (#73 AMR)
This was the first big hit that Leo Sayer had in his career, naturally it was a decent success here in Australia even if this would’ve likely benefitted from Countdown’s promotion given how big the rest of his catalogue was from the second half of the decade here. My American readers will likely be more familiar with the Three dog night version that became a hit on Billboard in lieu of this version.
#73 for 1974 (#68 AMR)
While we’ve already seen plenty of heavier tracks on this list, this is the first entry to be a full-on heavy metal track which comes to us from Deep purple of all bands. Something interesting about this song’s success here in Australia is that it was quite delayed as it had almost been a full year since its international success before it finally took off on our charts.
#73 for 1971 (#54 AMR)
Bread was another band who managed to achieve quite a bit of success in their native America throughout the decade, this was their biggest hit here in Australia despite it not being their biggest hit on the Billboard charts (we’ll get to what was in a bit.) Bread are one of those bands who are often described as “white people music” mainly due to their lack of appeal in other demographics.
#76 for 1972 (#62 AMR)
This was released the same time as when Wings dropped their magnum opus Band on the run, naturally you’d think this would be on the album but alas it wasn’t which means that no song from the album appears on this list. I’m not sure why we Aussies passed up on the singles given how well they did internationally back in the day as well as their presence on oldies stations to this day.
#74 for 1974 (#90 AMR)
These guys had been active since the mid 50’s, which means they scored their final hit in Australia and most parts of the world two decades after their initial breakthrough. They had another hit earlier in the year with “Like sister and brother” meaning this RNB ballad didn’t come out of nowhere for the band down under, indeed they were fairly successful worldwide as both of these songs were huge in the UK.
#75 for 1974 (#72 AMR)
This is the final entry from Russell Morris on this list, he had quite the string of hits here with some of them even crossing over to NZ due to how inescapable he was during the first half of the decade. He’s another Aussie artist that I’m surprised failed to see a resurgence in popularity with the rise of Countdown.
#74 for 1971 (#87 AMR)
This was the second hit that the Doors had from their final album L.A woman, it’s another song that’s been fondly remembered over the years due to how much oldies stations love to play it. I guess if the album weren’t so successful, it would’ve been even bigger here due to our charts revolving around physical sales which the album ate up for this song.
#75 for 1971 (#81 AMR)
This is the only other entry to come from Stevie Wonder, it’s another slow jam of his that wasn’t even among his biggest hits on Billboard. It was a carryover from the 60’s, so perhaps it got lost in the shuffle in his homeland where that wasn’t the case here in Australia.
#75 for 1970 (#84 AMR)
This was a hit a year after its initial release, I guess it wasn’t released as a single here in Australia initially due to it having to compete with “Imagine” from earlier on this list as that was the Christmas chart topper of 1971 down under. It had its full chance to shine the following Christmas where it was too little too late for it to make an impact on our charts.
#78 for 1973 (#85 AMR)
This was John Farnham’s penultimate hit here in Australia until his comeback from 1980, it’s a song released during our Christmas which makes its lyrics about how things go out of season appropriate given how we Aussies have Christmas in summer as opposed to most of the world which has it during winter.
#79 for 1973 (#74 AMR)
There was no stopping Gary Glitter during the first half of the decade given how this was a huge hit from his second album Touch me despite failing to reach out top ten (the highest entry on this list to do so.) It’s easy to see how he made it big in the glam scene given how energetic he is on record; let alone the energy he displayed on stage when performing these tracks.
#80 for 1973 (#37 AMR)
Of all the bands that could’ve used a second chance in the mainstream following the launch of Countdown, Chain ranks pretty high as they were one of the few Aussies prog rock bands to find success during the height of the genre’s popularity during the first half of the decade. This was their only hit, however it easily fits in with Blackfeather’s earlier entries on here.
#76 for 1971 (#90 AMR)
This was the first solo single from John Fogerty which he confusingly credited as the album that it appeared on; it was likely due to this confusion that prevented it from matching the success of his earlier entries with CCR he had on this list. It could also be due to the rocky reception of their final album Mardis gras which caused them to breakup to begin with.
#81 for 1973 (#80 AMR)
Given the success of the Mike Curb congregation from earlier on this list, these guys had to be referred to as the English congregation here in Australia as well as anywhere else in the world that “Burning bridges” had charted in order to avoid confusion with them. In any case, this was a decent hit here in Australia, although it was much bigger internationally likely due to the lack of confusion.
#77 for 1972 (#78 AMR)
If you’re wondering how Hollywood legend Lee Marvin managed to score a hit with what appears to be a spoken word track about wishing on a star, that’s because this is from his film Paint your wagon which co-stars Clint Eastwood who also has spoken word songs which led to the films critical backlash upon its initial release for the two leads lack of singing talent.
#76 for 1970 (#75 AMR)
We have another country ballad from a female artist to make it on this list, this time it’s the only hit that Sammi Smith scored here and in her native America as this was released during the height of this trend that died out by the midpoint of the decade.
#77 for 1971 (#31 AMR)
This was released the day of the moon landing, meaning that it took four years for it to finally become a success here as well as several parts of the world for David Bowie. This was due to it being rereleased as a live track where it became a success in America which translated its success throughout the rest of the world for Ziggy Stardust.
#82 for 1973 (#59 AMR)
This was the lead single to Suzi Quatro’s second album, it was a bit of a false start for the album given how she would find more success with its second single that would dominate the early months of the following year for the American glam rocker.
#76 for 1974 (#78 AMR)
This was the lead single to CCR’s final album Mardis gras, or rather it was a throwaway track they released following the success of Pendulum that they included on the album due to the behind-the-scenes drama they went through during the album’s conception.
#78 for 1971 (#84 AMR)
This is the final entry from Donny Osmond on this list, he did quite well for himself with us Aussies despite his band being MIA on our charts back in the day. Heck if it wasn’t for his sister Marie having a hit with her entry on this list as well as his younger brother Jimmy, he would’ve been the only member of the family we knew about.
#83 for 1973 (#89 AMR)
We looked at his final hit “Strokin” from the late 80’s on the NZ side of this site, time now to look at the only hit that Clarence Carter had here in Australia which is also his biggest hit worldwide due to how huge it was in the UK of all places. Clarence did find success in his native America throughout the 60’s, although none of those songs managed to crossover internationally like this did.
#77 for 1970 (#69 AMR)
This was the first song that Cuff links released in the decade, suffice to say that their biggest hit “Tracy” was a huge hit here in Australia albeit in the 60’s hence why it won’t be appearing on this list. That said, this is more or less the same track as that only it appears to be dedicated to a Julie instead of a Tracy.
#78 for 1970 (#71 AMR)
From what I can gather, Ketha Ebstein was a singer from east Germany who represented the country multiple times over the years to varying degrees of success. Her only success here in Australia was with this English cover of a song she released in her homeland to deafening silence, your guess is as good as mine as to how we Aussies came across this track back in the day.
#77 for 1974 (#52 AMR)
I guess if Elvis Presley could have massive success by incorporating Hawaiian music into his sound, then why not Herb Ohta who was a Hawaiian native? This was his only hit worldwide due to it being a hybrid of Hawaiian music and Chanson which was a popular type of French music from the mid 50’s.
#78 for 1974 (#82 AMR)
Eurovision this year was so popular that Olivia Newton John managed to score a massive hit worldwide with her entry for the UK despite it only coming in fourth place in the contest, it’s a well performed ballad that no doubt caught the attention of her future American audience who gave her a Billboard chart topper with her earlier entry on this list.
#79 for 1974 (#76 AMR)
This was a hit for Lobo two years prior to his other two entries on this list, likely because it’s a love song that revolves around a couple and their puppy which I’m sure melted the hearts of listeners back in the day despite how lame it seems for modern audiences.
#79 for 1971 (#79 AMR)
This was the only other chart topper that Gilbert O’Sullivan had in his native UK, it was his first chart topper there given how this came out before “Get back” and likely got there due to the success of “Alone again” over in America. This ballad is actually about the mother’s love for her daughter Clair rather than a traditional love ballad, likely explaining its success over other contemporary love ballads.
#84 for 1973 (#81 AMR)
Country radio was an Australian band who scored their one and only hit with this track, there’s not much to say about it or the band in question as it was only a success due to it being released at the right time for it to become as such.
#78 for 1972 (#83 AMR)
Of all the songs to become a hit for Barry White here in Australia, I was not expecting this to be one of them given how it was far from his biggest hit in his native America (that and I think of Rick Astley whenever I look at the song title.) Confusingly, this was his only hit down under, meaning that the likes of “Can’t get enough of your love” and “You’re the first the last my everything” bombed with us Aussies.
#80 for 1974 (#64 AMR)
This is the original version to Barry Manilow’s breakthrough hit “Mandy,” I’m not sure why Barry felt the need to change the name of the girl who stole his affections in his rendition given how this was a proven hit for Scott English here in Australia. I guess it was for that lucrative American audience as this did bomb in Scott’s native America.
#79 for 1972 (#82 AMR)
