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This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1979.
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January–February
- January 1
- Bill Graham closes San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom following a New Year's Eve performance by the Blues Brothers and the Grateful Dead.
- During a New Year's Eve concert in Cleveland, Ohio, Bruce Springsteen is injured when a firecracker is thrown onstage from the audience.
- January 4 – The Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany, known for its connections to the early days of the Beatles, reopened.
- January 6 – ABC's American Bandstand featured the debut of the "Y.M.C.A. dance" using the hand gestures forming the letters YMCA during a broadcast with the Village People.
- January 9 – The Music for UNICEF Concert in held in New York City at the United Nations, starring the Bee Gees. Highlights are aired the following evening on NBC.
- January 13 – Singer Donny Hathaway dies after falling 15 stories from his hotel room in New York City. According to Hathaway's record company, Atlantic, the singer had been having some psychological problems.
- January 15 – MCA Records purchases ABC Records for a reported $20 million.
- February 2 – Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious is found dead from an overdose, a day after being released on bail from Rikers Island prison.
- February 7
- The Clash kicked off their first concert of their first American tour at the Berkeley Community Theatre outside San Francisco. Bo Diddley opened the show.
- Stephen Stills becomes the first major rock artist to record digitally, laying down four songs at The Record Plant in Los Angeles. None of the songs are released, and Ry Cooder becomes the first major rock artist to release a digitally recorded record.
- February 10 – Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" hit No. 1 on the Billboard magazine charts, and stayed there for 4 weeks.
- February 11 – 43 million viewers watch "Elvis!" on ABC, a made-for-TV movie starring Kurt Russell as Elvis.
- February 14 – Following her 1972 sex reassignment surgery, musician Wendy Carlos legally changes her name from Walter. She reveals this information in an interview in the May 1979 issue of Playboy magazine.
- February 15
- Minnie Riperton appears on the Grammys as a presenter with Stephen Bishop.
- The 21st Annual Grammy Awards are presented in Los Angeles, hosted by John Denver. The Bee Gees collect 4 Grammys for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, including Album of the Year, while Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" wins both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. A Taste of Honey win Best New Artist.
- February 23 – Dire Straits begin their first U.S. tour in Boston.
- February 24
- Friedrich Cerha's completion of Alban Berg's opera Lulu is premiered at the Opera Garnier in Paris.
- Singer Johnnie Wilder, Jr. of Heatwave is paralyzed from the neck down in a car accident in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio.
- February 26 – B.B. King becomes the first blues artist to tour the Soviet Union, kicking off a one-month tour there.
March–April
- March 2–4 – Weather Report, The CBS Jazz All-Stars, the Trio of Doom, Fania All-Stars, Stephen Stills, Billy Swan, Bonnie Bramlett, Mike Finnegan, Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge and Billy Joel, plus Cuban acts Irakere, Pacho Alonso, Elena Burke, Los Papines, Tata Güines and Orquesta Aragón play at the historic three-day Havana Jam festival at the Karl Marx Theater, in Havana, Cuba.
- March 5 – MCA Records dissolves ABC Records.
- March 10 – James Brown performs at the Grand Ole Opry.
- March 15 – Elvis Costello gets into a heated argument with members of Stephen Stills' touring entourage at a Holiday Inn in Columbus, Ohio. After Costello makes disparaging remarks about America, he is punched by Bonnie Bramlett. Costello suffers a wave of negative press coverage after the incident is made public.
- March 21 – The Pretenders sign a contract with Sire Records.
- March 27 –
- Eric Clapton marries Patti Boyd, ex-wife of Clapton's friend George Harrison.
- Simple Minds make their first television appearance, performing the songs "Chelsea Girl" and "Life in a Day" on BBC's The Old Grey Whistle Test.[1]
- March 31 – The Eurovision Song Contest, the biggest music festival in the world, takes place for the first time in a country outside Europe – Israel. The show is broadcast live from Jerusalem to Europe and a few countries in Asia. The big winner of this night is Israel for the second time in a row. The winning song is "Hallelujah" sung by the group Milk and Honey, including Gali Atari. A few months after winning the song had been translated into more than 82 languages, and broke a new record by entering the Guinness Book of Records as the most translated song in the world.
- April 2 – Kate Bush begins her first, and for 35 years, only tour. She becomes the first artist to use a wireless microphone, enabling her to sing and dance at the same time.
- April 6 – Rod Stewart marries Alana Hamilton.
- April 7 – 110,000 people attend the California Music Festival at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. Performers include Aerosmith, The Boomtown Rats, Cheap Trick, Ted Nugent and Van Halen.
- April 12 – Mickey Thomas replaces Marty Balin as the lead singer of Jefferson Starship.
- April 13 – During a concert by Van Halen in Spokane, Washington, David Lee Roth collapses from exhaustion. A local doctor treats him for a stomach virus and advises him to "calm down".
- April 22 – The New Barbarians and The Rolling Stones perform two concerts in Oshawa, Ontario to benefit the CNIB, as part of Keith Richards' 1978 sentence for heroin possession.
- April 24 – The New Barbarians open their US tour at Ann Arbor, Michigan.
- April 27 – Ozzy Osbourne is fired as lead singer of Black Sabbath. He is replaced in May by Ronnie James Dio.
May–August
- May 1 – Elton John becomes the first pop music star to perform in Israel.
- May 2 – The Who play their first concert following the death of drummer Keith Moon. The band performs with new drummer Kenney Jones at London's Rainbow Theatre.
- May 4 – Release as a single of Gary Numan's "Are "Friends" Electric?" with Tubeway Army; it becomes the first synth-pop single to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart.
- May 8
- Iron Maiden, Samson, and Angel Witch share a bill at the Music Machine in Camden, London. Critic Geoff Barton coins the term "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" in a review of the show for Sounds magazine.
- The Cure release their debut album "Three Imaginary Boys" (Boys Don't Cry in US, Australia)
- May 12 – Disco occupies eight of the top ten spots of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, for two weeks. The charts are led by Peaches and Herb's R&B ballad single "Reunited".
- May 14 – Kate Bush plays the final date at the Hammersmith Odeon on her first-ever tour, which also turned out to be her last tour.[2]
- May 19 – Three of the four ex-Beatles perform on the same stage, as Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr jam with Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Mick Jagger and others at a wedding reception for Clapton at his Surrey home.
- May 21 – Elton John plays the first of eight concerts in the Soviet Union, making him the first western solo pop artist to tour there.
- June 1 – Alternative Tentacles record label established by Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra.
- June 8 – Marianne Faithfull marries Ben Brierly of The Vibrators.
- June 9 – The Bee Gees tie Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles with a record six consecutive number-one singles in the U.S. in less than a single calendar year with "Love You Inside Out".
- June 16 – Donna Summer becomes the first female to have the #1 single "Hot Stuff" and album Bad Girls for a second time.
- June 28 – Bill Haley makes his final studio recordings at Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
- June 30
- Donna Summer becomes the first female artist to have 2 of the top 3 songs, Hot Stuff at #1 & Bad Girls at #3, on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. They will stay in the top 3 together for 4 weeks. In fact, all of the top 5 songs that week are entirely by women, both in Billboard and in Cashbox.
- Tubeway Army reach number 1 on the UK Singles Chart with "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and become the first British act to have a synth pop hit single. The song will remain at number 1 for four consecutive weeks.[3]
- July
- EMI's first non-classical digital recording, of UK jazz-funk duo Morrissey–Mullen covering the Rose Royce hit "Love Don't Live Here Anymore", is recorded at Abbey Road Studios and later released as a limited edition vinyl EP.
- George Martin's Associated Independent Recording opens its AIR Montserrat recording studio on the Caribbean island of Montserrat; the first album recorded here is Climax Blues Band's Real to Reel.[4]
- July 1 – The Sony Walkman goes on sale in Japan.
- July 7 – The Bee Gees play to a sold-out crowd at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium as part of their Spirits Having Flown tour.
- July 10 – Chuck Berry is sentenced to four months in prison for tax evasion by a Los Angeles judge.
- July 12 – "Disco Demolition Night", an anti-disco promotional event held by a Chicago rock station at Comiskey Park involving exploding disco records with a bomb, causes a near-riot between games during a baseball major league doubleheader, forcing the cancellation of the second game.
- July 14 – Donna Summer, for a third time in an eight-month period, scores a #1 single with "Bad Girls", (staying atop the charts for five weeks); and #1 album of the same name, which also tops the Billboard 200 for six weeks.
- July 21
- With Bad Girls (both single and album), Donna Summer's success continues as she becomes the first female artist to sit on top of 3 major Billboard charts: the Billboard Hot 100, the Hot Soul Singles chart, and the Billboard 200. Disco dominates the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with the first six spots (beginning with Donna Summer's "Bad Girls"), and seven of the chart's top ten songs ending that week.
- Tubeway Army reach number 1 on the UK Albums Chart with "Replicas".[3]
- July 28 – Aerosmith and Ted Nugent headline the World Series of Rock at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. Also on the bill are Journey, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC and the Scorpions. Following the concert, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry quits the group after an argument with bandmates.
- July 31 – 250,000 turn out in Central Park for a free concert by James Taylor in a campaign to restore Sheep Meadow.
- August – Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin, having reunited after a three-year break, eventually record their first compositions since then, to be released a year later as 21 at 33.
- August 6 - Bauhaus releases debut single "Bela Lugosi's Dead", considered to be the first Gothic Rock release.
- August 18 – Nick Lowe and Carlene Carter are married at Carter's Los Angeles home.
- August 24 – Prince's first hit single "I Wanna Be Your Lover" is released in the US, reaching number one on the RnB and number 11 on the Hot 100, selling more than one million copies in the US.
- August 25 – "My Sharona" by The Knack hits #1 on the Billboard charts. This is the first time in over a year that a song hits #1 that is not either a disco song or a ballad, signalling the potential resurgence of rock.
September–December
- September 1 – INXS perform in public for the first time, at the Oceanview Hotel in Umina, New South Wales.
- September 2 – U2 enters the studio for the first time to record a locally released single.
- September 13 – ABBA begins ABBA: The Tour in Edmonton, Alberta, leading off a month of dates in North America.
- September 16 – The Sugarhill Gang release Rapper's Delight in the United States, the first rap single to become a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
- September 17 – Ontario Court of Appeals rejects a government appeal against the previous year's sentencing of Keith Richards, which allowed him to avoid jail time for his 1977 arrest in Toronto for heroin possession.
- September 19–23 – Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) stages a series of five No Nukes concerts at Madison Square Garden. Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Petty, James Taylor and Carly Simon are among the participants.
- September 22
- Gary Numan hits number 1 on the UK Albums Chart with The Pleasure Principle, only two months after his Tubeway Army album Replicas had topped the chart.[5]
- The NewMusic, a Canadian weekly music and culture program, makes its début on Citytv.
- September 27 – Elton John collapses on stage at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles County, California while performing "Better Off Dead". He refuses to stop the show and resumes playing fifteen minutes later.
- October 10 – Joe Perry officially leaves Aerosmith.
- November 3 – Donna Summer becomes the first female artist to have 5 top 10 hits in the same year.
- November 16 – Infinity Records is shut down and absorbed into parent company MCA.
- November 17 – Donna Summer, for a second time, has two songs ("Dim All the Lights", #2, & "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" with Barbra Streisand, #3) in the Top 3 of the Billboard Hot 100, and the first female to have 5 top 5 hits in the same year.
- November 24 – With "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" hitting the top spot, Donna Summer becomes the first female artist to score 3 #1 singles in a calendar year on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
- November 26 – Bill Haley & His Comets perform at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, in a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II. This was Haley's final recorded performance of "Rock Around the Clock".
- November 30 – Pink Floyd releases The Wall. It is one of rock's most well-known concept albums and one of the best-selling albums of all time. It is also the last album recorded with the line up of David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright.
- December – Iron Maiden is signed by EMI. They hire Dennis Stratton as a second guitarist.
- December 3 – In Cincinnati, a stampede for seats at Riverfront Coliseum during a Who concert kills 11 fans and injures 26 others. Band members were not informed of the deaths until after the show.
- December 26 – Iron Maiden drummer Doug Sampson is replaced by ex-Samson drummer Clive Burr.
- December 26-29 – The Concerts for the People of Kampuchea are held over four nights at the Hammersmith Odeon in London to raise funds for victims of war in Cambodia. Queen, The Who, The Clash, Wings, Elvis Costello and members of Led Zeppelin all take part.
- December 31 – The eighth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by The Oak Ridge Boys, Village People, Chic, Blondie and Barry Manilow.
Also in 1979
- The Welsh Philharmonia becomes the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera.
- Michael Schenker leaves Scorpions during their tour in France and is replaced by Matthias Jabs.
- Stevie Wonder uses digital audio recording technology in recording his album Journey through the Secret Life of Plants.
- Disco reigns supreme this year, with several number-one hits from The Bee Gees and Donna Summer. Several artists who were not regarded as disco acts, scored major successes by releasing disco-oriented singles or albums, including new wave band Blondie with their first US number-one single "Heart of Glass", Rod Stewart with "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?", and symphonic rock band Electric Light Orchestra with their UK No. 1 LP Discovery.
January
February
March
April
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Replicas | Tubeway Army | |
| Cool for Cats | Squeeze | ||
| Euroman Cometh | Jean-Jacques Burnel | ||
| 10 | I Love to Sing the Songs I Sing | Barry White | |
| 13 | Black Rose: A Rock Legend | Thin Lizzy | |
| 20 | Life in a Day | Simple Minds | [10] |
| Gimme Some Neck | Ron Wood | ||
| Million Mile Reflections | The Charlie Daniels Band | ||
| My Father's Eyes | Amy Grant | ||
| Y | The Pop Group | ||
| 23 | Bob Dylan at Budokan | Bob Dylan | Live |
| Voulez-Vous | ABBA | ||
| 25 | Bad Girls | Donna Summer | |
| 27 | New Values | Iggy Pop | UK |
| N/A | Exposure | Robert Fripp | Solo Debut |
| Blue Kentucky Girl | Emmylou Harris | ||
| It's Alive | Ramones | Live | |
| Mission Accomplished But the Beat Goes On | The Rezillos | Live | |
| New Chautauqua | Pat Metheny | ||
| New England | New England | ||
| Strikes | Blackfoot | ||
May
June
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Discovery | Electric Light Orchestra | [11] |
| This Boot Is Made for Fonk-N | Bootsy's Rubber Band | ||
| 5 | I Am | Earth, Wind & Fire | [12] |
| Best of The J. Geils Band | The J. Geils Band | ||
| 8 | Back to the Egg | Wings | |
| The Kids Are Alright | The Who | Soundtrack | |
| Labour of Lust | Nick Lowe | ||
| Repeat When Necessary | Dave Edmunds | ||
| 11 | Get the Knack | The Knack | |
| 13 | Candy-O | The Cars | |
| Mingus | Joni Mitchell | ||
| 15 | Unknown Pleasures | Joy Division | Debut |
| Communiqué | Dire Straits | ||
| Secrets | Robert Palmer | ||
| PXR5 | Hawkwind | ||
| Silent Letter | America | ||
| 19 | Mirrors | Blue Öyster Cult | |
| 22 | Live Killers | Queen | Live |
| Mick Taylor | Mick Taylor | ||
| 25 | Secret Omen | Cameo | |
| N/A | Survivors | Samson | Debut |
| Spy | Carly Simon | ||
| Another Taste | A Taste of Honey | ||
| Armageddon | Prism | ||
| Door, Door | The Boys Next Door | ||
| Life and Love | Leon Russell | ||
| One for the Road | Willie Nelson and Leon Russell | ||
| No Exit | The Angels | ||
| Si todo hiciera Crack | Crack | ||
| Touch the Sky | Carole King | ||
July
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Rust Never Sleeps | Neil Young and Crazy Horse | |
| 6 | The B-52's | The B-52's | |
| 10 | Low Budget | The Kinks | US |
| 13 | Screaming Targets | Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons | |
| 19 | The Records | The Records | US Version of Shades in Bed |
| 20 | Nine Lives | REO Speedwagon | |
| 27 | Highway to Hell | AC/DC | |
| Exposed | Mike Oldfield | Live[13] | |
| John Cougar | John Cougar | ||
| 30 | Risqué | Chic | |
| N/A | Bop till You Drop | Ry Cooder | |
| Can | Can | ||
| Circles & Seasons | Pete Seeger | ||
| Duty Now for the Future | Devo | ||
| First Under the Wire | Little River Band | ||
| Fool Around | Rachel Sweet | US version | |
| Gamma 1 | Gamma | ||
| Honest Lullaby | Joan Baez | ||
| Midnight Magic | Commodores | ||
| No Promises...No Debts | Golden Earring | ||
| The Original Disco Man | James Brown | ||
| Shake Hands with the Devil | Kris Kristofferson | ||
August
September
October
November
December
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Quiet Life | Japan | International |
| 14 | London Calling | The Clash | |
| 20 | Christopher Cross | Christopher Cross | Warner Bros. |
| 27 | Adventures in Utopia | Utopia | |
| 31 | Score | Carol Lloyd | |
| N/A | 20 Jazz Funk Greats | Throbbing Gristle | |
| Sid Sings | Sid Vicious | ||
| September Morn | Neil Diamond | ||
| Les Plus Grands Succès De Chic: Chic's Greatest Hits | Chic | ||
| Sabotage/Live | John Cale | Live |
Release date unknown
- 3D – The Three Degrees
- The Adventures of the Hersham Boys – Sham 69
- An American Dream - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- The Audience with Betty Carter – Betty Carter
- The Beat – The Beat
- The Beatles Concerto – John Rutter
- Born to Be Alive – Patrick Hernandez
- Breaking Loose – Helix
- Buona domenica – Antonello Venditti
- Buy – James Chance & the Contortions
- California – Gianna Nannini
- The Candidate – Steve Harley
- Casino Classics: Chapter One – Various artists
- Chance Meeting on a Dissecting Table of a Sewing Machine and an Umbrella – Nurse With Wound
- A Classy Pair – Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie
- The Crack – The Ruts
- Deltics – Chris Rea
- Demo EP – Oingo Boingo
- Disco Nights – GQ
- Digital III at Montreux – Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie and Joe Pass
- Don't Fight It – Red Rider
- Earthquake – Electric Sun
- Fine and Mellow – Ella Fitzgerald
- French Skyline – Earthstar
- Future Now – Pleasure
- Grosses Wasser – Cluster
- Hair – Various Artists – Soundtrack
- Identify Yourself – The O'Jays
- The Innes Book of Records – Neil Innes
- Invasion of the Booty Snatchers – Parlet
- Jardin Au Fou – Hans-Joachim Roedelius
- The Kenny Rogers Singles Album – Kenny Rogers
- Lenox Avenue Breakdown – Arthur Blythe
- Let's Drip Awhile – Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons - Live
- Live & Direct - Taj Mahal - Live
- Live! Go for What You Know – Pat Travers Band
- Living Dub Vol. 1 - Burning Spear
- Lo Pasado, Pasado – José José
- Looking for Saint Tropez – Telex
- Lots of Luv' – Luv'
- Lubbock (On Everything) – Terry Allen
- A Million Vacations – Max Webster
- Morning Dance – Spyro Gyra
- Muddy "Mississippi" Waters – Live – Muddy Waters – Live
- A Night at Studio 54 – Various artists
- On the Road Again – Roy Wood
- A Perfect Match – Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie
- Rainbow's End – Resurrection Band
- Rise – Herb Alpert
- Rockit – Chuck Berry
- Rock On – Raydio
- The Roches – The Roches
- Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes – Eloy
- Sky – Sky
- Slumberin' on the Cumberland - John Hartford
- Songs of Love – Anita Ward
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Jerry Goldsmith – Soundtrack
- Stations of the Crass – Crass
- Street Life – The Crusaders
- Take It Home – B.B. King
- Tango Palace - Dr. John
- Teenage Head – Teenage Head
- Teenage Warning – Angelic Upstarts
- Thanks, I'll Eat It Here – Lowell George
- Tiger in the Rain – Michael Franks
- Together Again – The Dubliners
- True Luv' – Luv'
- Underdog – Atlanta Rhythm Section
- The Very Best of Leo Sayer – Leo Sayer
- Walking on Sunshine – Eddy Grant
- Washes Whiter Than – Petra
The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1979.[21]
| # | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blondie | Heart of Glass | 1979 |  | UK 1 – Jan 1979, US BB 1 – Mar 1979, Canada 1 – Mar 1979, Austria 1 – Mar 1979, Switzerland 1 – Feb 1979, Germany 1 – Feb 1979, Australia 1 for 5 weeks Jan 1980, Sweden (alt) 3 – Mar 1979, France 3 – Feb 1979, Australia 3 of 1979, Netherlands 5 – Feb 1979, Norway 5 – Mar 1979, RYM 8 of 1979, US CashBox 11 of 1979, US BB 1 of 1979, POP 13 of 1979, South Africa 15 of 1979, Italy 29 of 1979, Virgin 29, OzNet 30, Scrobulate 46 of 80s, Germany 54 of the 1970s, RIAA 217, Acclaimed 241, Rolling Stone 255 |
| 2 | Gloria Gaynor | I Will Survive | 1978 | | UK 1 – Feb 1979, US BB 1 – Jan 1979, US BB 1 of 1979, Canada 1 – Mar 1979, Republic of Ireland 1 – Mar 1979, POP 2 of 1979, Sweden (alt) 3 – Apr 1979, Netherlands 4 – Mar 1979, Norway 4 – May 1979, Switzerland 7 – Apr 1979, Scrobulate 8 of disco, Germany 9 – Mar 1979, US CashBox 10 of 1979, France 10 – Mar 1979, South Africa 16 of 1979, Austria 17 – May 1979, Party 24 of 1999, Australia 25 of 1979, Italy 38 of 1979, Europe 66 of the 1970s, RYM 67 of 1978, RIAA 89, OzNet 155, Acclaimed 416, Rolling Stone 489 |
| 3 | M | Pop Muzik | 1979 |  | US BB 1 – Aug 1979, Sweden (alt) 1 – Jun 1979, Switzerland 1 – Jun 1979, Germany 1 – May 1979, Australia 1 for 3 weeks May 1980, UK 2 – Apr 1979, Austria 2 – Jul 1979, Netherlands 3 – May 1979, France 3 – Nov 1979, Norway 5 – Jun 1979, South Africa 5 of 1979, Canada 8 – Sep 1979, Australia 10 of 1979, US CashBox 15 of 1979, Italy 18 of 1979, US BB 40 of 1979, POP 40 of 1979, RYM 50 of 1979, Germany 59 of the 1970s, OzNet 888, Acclaimed 1691 |
| 4 | Donna Summer | Hot Stuff | 1979 | | US BB 1 – Apr 1979, Switzerland 1 – May 1979, Australia 1 for 1 weeks May 1980, Canada 2 – Apr 1979, Sweden (alt) 2 – May 1979, Norway 2 – Jun 1979, France 3 – May 1979, Austria 3 – Jun 1979, US BB 4 of 1979, Scrobulate 5 of disco, Germany 6 – May 1979, POP 6 of 1979, UK 11 – May 1979, US CashBox 14 of 1979, Netherlands 14 – May 1979, Australia 17 of 1979, Italy 24 of 1979, RYM 88 of 1979, Rolling Stone 103, OzNet 124, Party 210 of 1999, Germany 246 of the 1970s, Acclaimed 717 |
| 5 | Patrick Hernandez | Born to Be Alive | 1979 |  | Sweden (alt) 1 – Jul 1979 (20 weeks), France (SNEP) 1 – Feb 1979 (5 months), France 1 – Mar 1979 (5 weeks), Austria 1 – Apr 1979 (6 weeks), Norway 1 – Jul 1979 (17 weeks), Belgium 1 – Jan 1979 (18 weeks), Germany 1 – Mar 1979 (6 months), Canada RPM 1 for 2 weeks – Aug 1979, New Zealand 1 for 2 weeks – Oct 1979, RIANZ 1 – Sep 1979 (14 weeks), Australia 1 for 5 weeks – Oct 1979, France 1 for 15 weeks – Mar 1979, Germany 1 for 5 weeks – May 1979, France (InfoDisc) 4 of the 1970s (peak 1, 30 weeks, 1,412k sales estimated, 1979), US Gold (certified by RIAA in Nov 1979), Germany Gold (certified by BMieV in 1979), Netherlands 5 – Feb 1979 (18 weeks), Switzerland 5 – Feb 1979 (13 weeks), Australia 5 of 1979, Springbok 6 – Aug 1979 (11 weeks), Italy 7 of 1979, UK 10 – Jun 1979 (14 weeks), POP 11 of 1979, Canada 12 – Jul 1979 (6 weeks), US BB 15 of 1979, US Billboard 16 – Jun 1979 (19 weeks), Record World 19 – 1979, Germany 20 of the 1970s (peak 1 25 weeks), Brazil 32 of 1979, Scrobulate 68 of disco, US Radio 108 of 1979 (peak 16 5 weeks), RYM 200 of 1979, UK Silver (certified by BPI in Sep 1979), Global 7 (10 M sold) – 1979 |
US number-one singles and artist
(weeks at No. 1)
- "Babe" – Styx (2)
- "Bad Girls" – Donna Summer (5)
- "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" – Rod Stewart (4)
- "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" – Michael Jackson (1)
- "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" – Rupert Holmes (2 weeks in 1979 + 1 week in 1980)
- "Good Times" – Chic (1)
- "Heart of Glass" – Blondie (1)
- "Heartache Tonight" – The Eagles (1)
- "Hot Stuff" – Donna Summer (3)
- "I Will Survive" – Gloria Gaynor (3)
- "Knock on Wood" – Amii Stewart (1)
- "Le Freak" – Chic (3 weeks in 1978 + 3 weeks in 1979)
- "Love You Inside Out" – Bee Gees (1)
- "My Sharona" – The Knack (6)
- "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" – Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer (2)
- "Pop Muzik" – M (1)
- "Reunited" – Peaches & Herb (4)
- "Ring My Bell" – Anita Ward (2)
- "Rise" – Herb Alpert (2)
- "Sad Eyes" – Robert John (1)
- "Still" – Commodores (1)
- "Too Much Heaven" – Bee Gees (2)
- "Tragedy" – Bee Gees (2)
- "What a Fool Believes" – The Doobie Brothers (1)
- Also see: Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1979
UK number-one singles and artist
(weeks at No. 1)
- "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II" – Pink Floyd (3 weeks in 1979 + 2 weeks in 1980)
- "Are 'Friends' Electric?" – Tubeway Army (4)
- "Bright Eyes" – Art Garfunkel (6)
- "Cars" – Gary Numan (1)
- "Heart of Glass" – Blondie (4)
- "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick" – Ian Dury and The Blockheads (1)
- "I Don't Like Mondays" – The Boomtown Rats (4)
- "I Will Survive" – Gloria Gaynor (4)
- "Message in a Bottle" – The Police (3)
- "One Day at a Time" – Lena Martell (3)
- "Ring My Bell" – Anita Ward (2)
- "Sunday Girl" – Blondie (3)
- "Tragedy" – Bee Gees (2)
- "Video Killed the Radio Star" – The Buggles (1)
- "Walking on the Moon" – The Police (1)
- "We Don't Talk Anymore" – Cliff Richard (4)
- "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" – Dr. Hook (3)
- "Y.M.C.A." – Village People (3)
Japanese Oricon number-one singles and artist
(weeks at No. 1)
- Chameleon Army – Pink Lady (4 weeks in 1979 + 2 weeks in 1978)
- "Champion" – Alice (4)
- "Hero (Hero ni Naru Toki, Sore wa Ima)" – Kai Band (2)
- Young Man (Y.M.C.A.) – Hideki Saijo (5)
- "Miserarete" – Judy Ongg (9)
- "Kimi no Asa" – Satoshi Kishida (5)
- "Omoide-zake" – Sachiko Kobayashi (1)
- "Kanpaku Sengen" – Masashi Sada (10)
- "Sexual Violet No. 1" – Masahiro Kuwana (3)
- "Oyaji no Ichiban Nagai Hi" – Masashi Sada (6)
- "Ihojin" – Saki Kubota (4 weeks in 1979 + 3 weeks in 1980)
| Song title | Artist(s) | Release date(s) | US | UK | Highest chart position | Other Chart Performance(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "99" | Toto | December 1979 | 26 | n/a | 26 (US) | 17 (Canada) - 97 (Australia) |
| "Accidents Will Happen" | Elvis Costello and the Attractions | May 1979 | 101 | 28 | 28 (UK) | n/a |
| "After the Love Has Gone" | Earth, Wind & Fire | July 1979 | 2 | 4 | 2 (US) | See chart performance entry |
| "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" | McFadden & Whitehead | April 1979 | 13 | 5 | 1 (U.S. Billboard Hot R&B) | See chart performance entry |
| "Angel Eyes" | Roxy Music | August 1979 | n/a | 4 | 4 (UK, Belgium) | See chart performance entry |
| "Angeleyes" | ABBA | July 1979 | 64 | 3 | 3 (UK) | 37 (US Adult Contemporary [Billboard]) - 76 (US Cashbox Top 100 Singles) |
| "Baby I'm Burning" | Dolly Parton | January 1979 | 25 | n/a | 1 (Canada Country Singles) | See chart performance entry |
| "Baby It's You" | Promises | February 1979 | n/a | n/a | 1 (New Zealand) | 2 (Australia) - 4 (West Germany) - 12 (Belgium) |
| "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" | Robert Palmer | July 1979 | 14 | 61 | 1 (Canada) | See chart performance entry |
| "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" | Marianne Faithfull | October 1979 | n/a | 48 | 2 (Austria) | See chart performance entry |
| "Better Love Next Time" | Dr. Hook | October 1979 | 12 | 8 | 7 (Ireland) | See chart performance entry |
| "Big Shot" | Billy Joel | January 1979 | 14 | n/a | 13 (Canada) | 13 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 36 (New Zealand) - 91 (Australia) |
| "Boogie Wonderland" | Earth, Wind & Fire with the Emotions | May 1979 | 6 | 4 | 2 (France, Norway, US Hot Soul Singles) | See chart performance entry |
| "Born to Be Alive" | Patrick Hernandez | January 1979 | 16 | 10 | 1 (13 Countries) | See chart performance entry |
| "Boys Keep Swinging" | David Bowie | April 1979 | n/a | 7 | 7 (UK) | 16 (Netherlands) - 18 (Belgium) - 19 (Ireland) - 51 (Spain) - 85 (Australia) |
| "Breakfast in America" | Supertramp | June 1979 | 62 | 9 | 6 (Ireland) | See chart performance entry |
| "Broken Hearted Me" | Anne Murray | September 1979 | 12 | n/a | 15 (Canada) | 1 (Canada Country Tracks) - 1 (Canada Adult Contemporary) - 1 (US Hot Country Singles [Billboard]) - 1 (US Adult Contemporary [Billboard]) |
| "Can't Stand Losing You" | The Police | June 1979 | n/a | 2 | 2 (United Kingdom) | See chart performance entry |
| "Casanova" | Luv' | April 1979 | n/a | n/a | 2 (Austria, Denmark, Europe, Netherlands) | See chart performance entry |
| "Chuck E.'s In Love" | Rickie Lee Jones | April 1979 | 4 | 18 | 4 (United States) | See chart performance entry |
| "Computer Games" | Mi-Sex | September 1979 | n/a | n/a | 1 (Australia) | 2 (Canada) - 5 (New Zealand) - 16 (Austria) - 44 (Netherlands) - 61 (US Hot Dance Club Songs) |
| "Cool For Cats" | Squeeze | March 1979 | n/a | 2 | 2 (United Kingdom) | 5 (Australia) - 11 (New Zealand) - 33 (Netherlands (Single Top 100)) - 39 (Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)) |
| "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" | Queen | October 1979 | 1 | 2 | 1 (4 countries) | See chart performance entry |
| "Chiquitita" | ABBA | January 1979 | 29 | 2 | 1 (5 countries) | See chart performance entry |
| "The Cost of Living" | The Clash | May 1979 | n/a | 22 | 22 (United Kingdom) | 24 (Ireland) |
| "Crazy Love" | Poco | January 1979 | 17 | n/a | 17 (United States) | 1 (US Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 7 (US Radio & Records chart) - 15 (Canada RPM Top Singles) - 73 (Australia) |
| "Cruel to Be Kind" | Nick Lowe | August 1979 | 12 | 12 | 12 (Australia, United Kingdom, United States) | 12 (Canada RPM Top Singles, U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 34 (New Zealand) |
| "Dance Away" | Roxy Music | April 1979 | 44 | 2 | 1 (Ireland) | 8 (Netherlands) - 10 (New Zealand) - 12 (Belgium) - 20 (Sweden) - 30 (West Germany) - 75 (Canada) - 92 (Australia) |
| "Dance the Night Away" | Van Halen | April 1979 | 15 | n/a | 15 (United States) | 28 (Canada) |
| "Dancin' Shoes" | Nigel Olsson | January 1979 | 18 | n/a | 18 (United States) | 62 (Australia) |
| "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" | Charlie Daniels Band | May 1979 | 3 | 14 | 3 (United States) | 1 (Canada Country Tracks, US Billboard Hot Country Songs) - 4 (US Cash Box Top 100) - 5 (Canada) - 13 (New Zealand) - 14 (Australia, Ireland, United Kingdom) - 25 (Netherlands Dutch Top 20) - 30 (US Billboard Adult Contemporary) |
| "The Diary of Horace Wimp" | Electric Light Orchestra | July 1979 | n/a | 8 | 8 (United Kingdom) | 10 (Ireland) - 48 (Australia) - 52 (West Germany) |
| "Dim All the Lights" | Donna Summer | August 1979 | 2 | 29 | 2 (United States) | See chart entry performance |
| "Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)" | GQ | February 1979 | 12 | 42 | 12 (United States) | 1 (US Billboard Hot Soul Singles) - 3 (US Billboard Dance Club Songs) - 97 (Australia) |
| "Do Anything You Want To" | Thin Lizzy | June 1979 | 81 | 14 | 14 (United Kingdom) | 25 (Ireland) |
| "Do That to Me One More Time" | Captain & Tennille | October 1979 | 1 | 7 | 1 (Belgium, Netherlands, South Africa, United States) | See chart performance entry |
| "Does Your Mother Know" | ABBA | April 1979 | 19 | 4 | 1 (Belgium, Europe) | See chart performance entry |
| "Don't Bring Me Down" | Electric Light Orchestra | August 1979 | 4 | 3 | 1 (Canada) | See chart entry performance |
| "Don't Cry Out Loud" | Melissa Manchester | January 1979 | 10 | n/a | 9 (Canada) | 2 (Canada RPM Adult Contemporary) - 9 (US Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 10 (US Cash Box Top 100) - 57 (Australia) [Released in October 1978 and continued charting in 1979] |
| "Don't Do Me Like That" | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | November 1979 | 10 | n/a | 3 (Canada) | 7 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 17 (New Zealand) |
| "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough | Michael Jackson | July 1979 | 1 | 3 | 1 (8 countries) | See chart performance entry |
| "Dream Police" | Cheap Trick | September 1979 | 26 | n/a | 5 (Australia) | 7 (New Zealand) - 9 (Canada) - 37 (Netherlands Dutch Top 40) - 79 (Japan) |
| "Dreaming" | Blondie | September 1979 | 27 | 2 | 2 (United Kingdom) | See chart entry performance |
| Driver's Seat" | Sniff 'n' the Tears | May 1979 | 15 | 42 | 1 (Netherlands [Dutch Top 40]/[Single Top 100] | See chart entry performance |
| "Dschinghis Khan" | Dschinghis Khan | March 1979 | n/a | n/a | 1 (West Germany) | 3 (Norway, Switzerland) - 5 (Finland) - 8 (Austria) - 20 (Belgium) |
| "Every Day Hurts" | Sad Café | August 1979 | n/a | 3 | 3 (United Kingdom) | 78 (Australia) |
| "Fire" | The Pointer Sisters | March 1979 | 2* | 34 | 1 (4 countries) | See chart entry performance *1978 in US |
| "Get Used to It" | Roger Voudouris | March 1979 | 22 | n/a | 4 (Australia) | 18 (US Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 22 (US Cash Box Top 100) - 20 (New Zealand) - 45 (Canada) |
| "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" | ABBA | October 1979 | n/a | 3 | 1 (6 countries) | See chart entry performances |
| "Girls Talk" | Dave Edmunds | May 1979 | 65 | 4 | 4 (United Kingdom) | 9 (Australia) - 11 (Ireland) - 18 (Canada) - 65 (US Cash Box Top 100) |
| "Go West" | Village People | June 1979 | 45 | 15 | 12 (Belgium) | 13 (Canada) - 14 (US Billboard Dance Club Songs) - 15 (Ireland, United Kingdom) - 29 (Netherlands [Single Top 100]) - 31 (Netherlands [Dutch Top 40)] - 41 (Canada) |
| "Gold" | John Stewart | May 1979 | 5 | 43 | 4 (Canada) | 5 (Australia) - 6 (US Cash Box Top 100) - 13 (New Zealand) - 42 (US Billboard Adult Contemporary) |
| "Good Times" | Chic | June 1979 | 1 | 5 | 1 (Canada, United States) | See chart entry performance |
| "Goodbye Stranger" | Supertramp | March 1979 | 15 | 57 | 6 (Canada) | See chart entry performance |
| "Goodnight Tonight" | Wings | June 1979 | 5 | 5 | 1 (Canada) | See chart entry |
| "Half The Way" | Crystal Gayle | September 1979 | 15 | n/a | 1 (Canada) | 2 (Canadian Adult Contemporary Tracks) - 2 (US Billboard Hot Country Songs) - 4 (South Africa) - 9 (US Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 56 (Canada) |
| "Halfway Hotel" | Voyager | April 1979 | n/a | 33 | 33 (United Kingdom) | 15 (Australia) |
| "Hallelujah" | Milk and Honey, including Gali Atari | April 1979 | n/a | 5 | 1 (Finland, Ireland, Israel, Norway, Sweden) | See chart performance entry |
| "He's the Greatest Dancer" | Sister Sledge | February 1979 | 9 | 6 | 6 (Canada, United Kingdom) | See chart performance entry |
| "Heaven Knows" | Donna Summer w/Brooklyn Dreams | January 1979 | 4 | 34 | 3 (Canada) | See chart performance entry |
| "Highway to Hell" | AC/DC | July 1979 | 47 | 56 | 14 (Belgian) | See chart performance entry |
| "Honesty" | Billy Joel | May 1979 | 24 | n/a | 1 (France) | See chart performance entry |
| "I Have a Dream" | ABBA | December 1979 | n/a | 2 | 1 (Austria, Belgium, Netherlands [Dutch Top 40)/[Single Top 100), Switzerland) | 2 (Ireland) - 3 (South Africa) - 64 (Australia) |
| "I Know a Heartache When I See One" | Jennifer Warnes | June 1979 | 19 | n/a | 19 (United States) | 10 (U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs) - 12 (Canada RPM Country) - 14 (U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 21 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 46 (Canada RPM Top Singles) |
| "I Just Fall in Love Again" | Anne Murray | January 1979 | 12 | 58 | 1 (Canada) | 1 (Canadian RPM Country Tracks, Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary, U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs, U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks) - 46 (Australia) |
| "I Want You To Want Me (live)" | Cheap Trick | April 1979 | 7 | 29 | 1 (Belgium, Japan, Netherlands [Dutch Top 40]) | 2 (Canada) - 3 (U.S. Cash Box top 100) - 15 (Austria) - 18 (West Germany) - 23 (New Zealand) |
| "I Was Made For Lovin' You" | Kiss | May 1979 | 11 | 50 | 1 (Belgium, Canada, France, Netherlands [Dutch Top 40]/[Single Top 100], New Zealand) | See chart performance entry |
| "I Will Survive" | Gloria Gaynor | October 1979 | 1 | 1 | 1 (Ireland, United Kingdom, United States) | See chart performance entry |
| "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" | The Bellamy Brothers | March 1979 | 39 | 3 | 3 (United Kingdom) | 1 (U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs) - 11 (Netherlands [Dutch Top 40]) - 17 (New Zealand) - 24 (Canadian RPM Country Tracks) |
| "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" | Barbara Mandrell | February 1979 | 31 | n/a | 31 (United States) | 1 (U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs) - 6 (U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary) |
| "In the Navy" | Village People | March 1979 | 3 | n/a | 1 (Belgium, Canada, Netherlands [Dutch Top 40]/[Single Top 100]) | See chart performance entry |
| "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" | Joe Jackson | April 1979 | 21 | 13 | 8 (Ireland) | 9 (Canada) - 15 (Australia) - 18 (New Zealand) - 46 (Netherlands [Single Top 100)] |
| "Lucky Number" | Lene Lovich | January 1979 | n/a | 3 | 2 (Australia) | See chart performance entry |
| "This Is It" | Kenny Loggins | October 1979 | 11 | n/a | 9 (Canada) | See chart performance entry |
| "Tusk" | Fleetwood Mac | September 1979 | 8 | 6 | 3 (Australia) | See chart performance entry |
| "Video Killed the Radio Star" | The Buggles | September 1979 | 40 | 1 | 1 (11 countries) | See chart performance entry |
| "We Don't Talk Anymore" | Cliff Richard | July 1979 | 7 | 1 | 1 (11 countries) | See chart performance entry |
| "Weekend" | Earth and Fire | November 1979 | n/a | n/a | 1 (7 countries) | See chart performance entry |
| "Who Listens to the Radio" | The Sports | November 1979 | 45 | n/a | 35 (Australia) | An original 45 version charted in Australia in November 1978. The Album version charted in the US a year later |
| "You Decorated My Life" | Kenny Rogers | September 1979 | 7 | n/a | 7 (United Kingdom) | See chart performance entry |
| "You're Only Lonely" | JD Souther | September 1979 | 7 | n/a | 7 (United States) | 1 (U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 2 (Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary) - 12 (Canadian RPM Country Tracks) - 17 (Australia) - 18 (Canadian RPM Top Singles) - 60 (U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles) |
| "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" | Long John Baldry and Kathi McDonald | June 1979 | 89 | n/a | 2 (Australia) | 37 (New Zealand) - 45 (Canada) |
Other Chart hit singles
- "Banana Splits (Tra La La Song)" – The Dickies (# 7 UK)
- "Bat Out of Hell" – Meat Loaf (# 8 UK)
- "Beautiful People" – Australian Crawl (# 22 Australia)
- "Bright Side of the Road" – Van Morrison (# 63 UK, # 48 Netherlands)
- "C'mon Aussie C'mon" – The Mojo Singers (# 1 Australia - originally released in 1978)
- "Choirgirl" – Cold Chisel (# 14 Australia)
- "Dancing Barefoot" – Patti Smith Group (# 39 Netherlands)
- "Death Disco" – Public Image Ltd. (# 20 United Kingdom)
- "The Eton Rifles" – The Jam (# 3 United Kingdom, # 50 Australia)
- "Freedom's Prisoner" – Steve Harley (# 58 UK)
- "Good Times Roll" - The Cars (# 41 United States, # 60 US Cash Box Top 100 Singles, # 74 Canada)
- "Here Comes the Summer" – The Undertones (# 34 UK)
- "Hersham Boys" – Sham 69 (# 6 UK)
- "Hit and Run" – Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons (# 12 Australia)
- "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" - Jimmy and the Boys (# 57 Australia)
- "I Do Love You" – GQ (# 20 US, # 5 US R&B charts)
- "I Just Can't Be Happy Today" – The Damned (# 46 UK)
- "I Wanna Be Sedated" – Ramones
- "Into the Valley" – The Skids (# 10 UK)
- "Jezebel – Jon Stevens (# 1 New Zealand)
- "Jimmy Jimmy" – The Undertones (# 16 UK)
- "Just the Way You Are" – Barry White
- "Just What I Needed" – The Cars
- "Just When I Needed You Most" – Randy VanWarmer
- "Lay Your Love on Me" – Racey
- "Lead Me On" – Maxine Nightingale
- "Let's Go" – The Cars
- "Life During Wartime" – Talking Heads
- "Little Bit of Soap" – Nigel Olsson
- "The Logical Song" – Supertramp
- "London Calling" – The Clash
- "Lonesome Loser" – Little River Band
- "The Long Run" – Eagles
- "Lotta Love" – Nicolette Larson
- "Love Song" – The Damned
- "Lucky Number" – Lene Lovich
- "The Main Event/Fight" – Barbra Streisand
- "Make My Dreams a Reality" – GQ
- "Making Plans for Nigel" – XTC
- "Mama Can't Buy You Love" – Elton John
- "A Message to You, Rudy/Nite Klub" – The Specials
- "Message in a Bottle" – The Police
- "Milk and Alcohol" – Dr. Feelgood
- "Morning Dance" – Spyro Gyra
- "Moskau" – Dschinghis Khan
- "Music Box Dancer" – Frank Mills
- "My Forbidden Lover" – Chic
- "My Girl" – Madness
- "My Life" – Billy Joel
- "Nami Nori Pirates" – Pink Lady (band)
- "Old Time Rock and Roll" – Bob Seger
- "Oliver's Army" – Elvis Costello and the Attractions
- "On My Radio" – The Selecter
- "One Step Beyond" – Madness
- "One Way or Another" – Blondie
- "One Way Ticket" – Eruption
- "Ooh Baby Baby" – Linda Ronstadt
- "Ooh, Yes I Do" – Luv'
- "Parisienne Walkways" – Gary Moore
- "Playground Twist" – Siouxsie and the Banshees
- "Please Don't Go" – KC & The Sunshine Band
- "The Prince" – Madness
- "Queen of Hearts" – Dave Edmunds
- "Questions and Answers" – Sham 69
- "Rapper's Delight" – The Sugarhill Gang (#36 US: first rap song to hit Billboard's Top 40)
- "Reasons to Be Cheerful (Part 3)" – Ian Dury & the Blockheads
- "Refugee" – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
- "Rock with You" – Michael Jackson
- "Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto" – The Shadows
- "Roxanne" – The Police (released in 1978)
- "Run Like Hell" – Pink Floyd
- "Sad Eyes" – Robert John
- "Sail On" – Commodores
- "Shadows in the Moonlight" – Anne Murray
- "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" – The Jacksons
- "Shape I'm In" – Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons
- "She Believes In Me" – Kenny Rogers
- "Shine a Little Love" – Electric Light Orchestra
- "Ships" – Barry Manilow
- "Shivers" - The Boys Next Door
- "Since You Been Gone" – Rainbow
- "Slap and Tickle" – Squeeze
- "Smash It Up" – The Damned
- "Some Girls" – Racey
- "Somethin' Else"/"Friggin' in the Riggin'" – Sex Pistols
- "Somewhere in the Night" – Barry Manilow
- "Song on the Radio" – Al Stewart
- "Spiral Scratch" – Buzzcocks
- "The Staircase (Mystery)" – Siouxsie and the Banshees
- "Strange Town" – The Jam
- "Street Life" – The Crusaders w/Randy Crawford
- "Stumblin' In" – Suzi Quatro & Chris Norman
- "Sultans of Swing" – Dire Straits (released in 1978)
- "Take Me Home – Cher
- "Take On The World" – Judas Priest
- "Take The Long Way Home – Supertramp
- "Talking In Your Sleep" – Crystal Gayle
- "Tears of a Clown"/"Ranking Full Stop" – The Beat
- "Theme from the Deerhunter (Cavatina)" – The Shadows
- "Transmission" – Joy Division
- "Union City Blue" – Blondie
- "Up the Junction" – Squeeze
- "Up There Cazaly" – The Two Man Band
- "Video Killed The Radio Star" – The Buggles
- "Voulez-Vous" – ABBA
- "Waiting for an Alibi" – Thin Lizzy
- "We Are Family" – Sister Sledge
- "We Don't Talk Anymore" – Cliff Richard
- "What I Like About You" - The Romantics (Began charting in 1980)
- "Whatever You Want" – Status Quo
- "When I Think of You" – Leif Garrett
- "When You're Young" – The Jam
- "Who Listens to the Radio" (Album version) - The Sports (# 35 Australia- original 45) - (# 45 United States - Album version)
- "Wonderful Christmastime" – Paul McCartney
- "Y.M.C.A" – Village People
- "You Decorated My Life" – Kenny Rogers
- "You Needed Me" – Anne Murray (in the UK; hit #1 in the US in 1978)
- "You Take My Breath Away" – Rex Smith
- "You're a Better Man Than I" – Sham 69
- "You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It?)" – The Undertones
| Song title | Artist(s) | Release date(s) | Other Chart Performance(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Bela Lugosi's Dead" | Bauhaus | August 1979 | n/a |
| "Boys Don't Cry" | The Cure | July 1979 | 99 (Australia) |
| "California über alles" | Dead Kennedys | June 1979 | 4 (UK Indie Chart) |
| "Death Disco" | Public Image Ltd | June 1979 | 20 (UK Singles Chart) |
| "Jumping Someone Else's Train" | The Cure | November 1979 | n/a |
| "Life During Wartime" | Talking Heads | September 1979 | 80 (US Billboard Hot 100) |
| "Mittageisen" | Siouxsie and the Banshees | September 1979 | 47 (UK Singles Chart) |
| "Playground Twist" | Siouxsie and the Banshees | June 1979 | 28 (UK Singles Chart) |
| "Rapper's Delight" | The Sugarhill Gang | September 1979 | (#36 US: first rap song to hit Billboard's Top 40) |
| "Shivers" | The Boys Next Door | May 1979 | n/a |
| "The Staircase (Mystery)" | Siouxsie and the Banshees | March 1979 | 24 (UK Singles Chart) |
| "They Don't Know" | Kirsty MacColl | June 1979 | n/a |
| "Transmission" | Joy Division | October 1979 | n/a |
| "Typical Girls" / "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" | The Slits | September 1979 | 60 (UK singles Chart) |
Other Notable singles
- "Baby Doll" - Teenage Jesus and the Jerks
- "Fa Cé La" - The Feelies
- "Gidget Goes to Hell" - Suburban Lawns
- "Orphans" - Teenage Jesus and the Jerks
- "Rowche Rumble" - The Fall
- "Run by Night" - Midnight Oil
- "Don't Cry Out Loud" w. Carole Bayer Sager m. Peter Allen
- "The Facts of Life" w.m. Alan Thicke, Gloria Loring, and Al Burton, from the TV series of the same name
- "I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love" w.m. Carole Bayer Sager & Peter Allen
- "Knots Landing theme" m. Jerrold Immel
- "The Rainbow Connection" w.m. Kenny Ascher & Paul Williams, from the film The Muppet Movie
- "Sultans of Swing" w.m. Mark Knopfler
- Arno Babadjanian – Third String Quartet
- Milton Babbitt
- An Elizabethan Sextette, for six female voices
- Images, for saxophone and tape
- Paraphrases, for ten instruments
- Osvaldas Balakauskas – Symphony No. 2
- Pascal Bentoiu – Symphony No. 5, Op. 26
- Luciano Berio – Scena
- Harrison Birtwistle – ... agm ..., for sixteen voices and three instrumental ensembles
- John Cage
- Hymns and Variations, for twelve amplified voices
- Roaratorio for tape
- George Crumb
- Apparition for soprano and amplified piano
- Celestial Mechanics (Makrokosmos IV) for amplified piano (four hands)
- Star-Child (1977, revised 1979) for soprano, antiphonal children's voices, male speaking choir, bell ringers, and large orchestra
- Mario Davidovsky – Pennplay for sixteen players
- Peter Maxwell Davies
- Black Pentecost, for mezzo-soprano, baritone, and orchestra, Op. 82
- Kirkwall Shopping Songs, for young voices and instruments, Op. 85
- Nocturne, for alto flute solo, Op. 84
- Quiet Memory of Bob Jennings, for violin, viola, and cello, WoO 135
- Salome, concert suite from the ballet, Op. 80b
- Solstice of Light, cantata for tenor, SATB chorus, and organ, Op. 83
- Morton Feldman
- String Quartet No. 1
- Violin and Orchestra
- Hugh Flynn – Birds
- Philip Glass
- Dance (Dances 1, 3 and 5, with Lucinda Childs and Sol LeWitt), for ensemble
- Mad Rush, for piano or electric organ
- Alexander Goehr
- Babylon the Great Is Fallen, cantata, Op. 40
- Chaconne for organ, Op. 34a
- Das Gesetz der Quadrille, Op. 41
- Sinfonia, Op. 42
- Cristóbal Halffter
- Officium defunctuorum, for orchestra and chorus
- Violin Concerto No. 1
- Jacques Hétu – Bassoon Concerto
- Vagn Holmboe
- Violin Concerto No. 2
- Notater for 3 trombones (alto, tenor, baritone) and tuba
- Konstateringer for choir
- Guitar Sonata No. 1
- Guitar Sonata No. 2
- Accordion Sonata No. 1
- Bogtrykkemaskinen for violin and piano
- Miloslav Kabelac – Metamorphoses II, for piano and orchestra, Op. 58
- Wojciech Kilar –
- Fanfare for mixed choir and orchestra
- Hoary Fog (Siwa mgła), for baritone and orchestra
- Witold Lutosławski – Novelette for orchestra
- William Lloyd Webber – Missa Sanctae Mariae Magdalenae
- Tomás Marco
- Aria de la batalla, for organ
- Tartessos, for four percussionists
- Richard Meale – Viridian, for orchestra
- Paul Moravec
- Ave Verum Corpus, for SATB chorus
- Missa Miserere, for SATB chorus and orchestra
- Pater Noster, for SATB chorus
- Ștefan Niculescu – Sincronie for flute, oboe and bassoon
- Allan Pettersson – Viola Concerto
- Steve Reich
- R. Murray Schafer
- Beauty and the Beast, from Patria 3, for alto with masks and string quartet
- Felix's Girls, from Patria 3, for SATB quartet or choir
- Gamelan, from Patria 3, for SATB, SASA, or TBTB solo quartet or choir
- Hear Me Out from Patria 3, for four speaking voices
- Music for Wilderness Lake, for twelve trombones and small rural lake
- Ontario Variations on a theme by Jack Behrens (one variation), for piano, contribution to collective work by Ontario composers
- Peter Sculthorpe
- Four Little Pieces, for piano duet
- Mangrove, for orchestra
- Requiem, for cello alone
- Denis Smalley – The Pulses of Time, electronic music
- Roger Smalley – String Quartet
- Michael Tippett – Triple Concerto for violin, viola, and cello
- Anatol Vieru
- Concerto for violin, cello, and orchestra
- Iosif si fratii sai, for eleven instruments and tape
- Malcolm Williamson – Fanfarade, for orchestra
- Charles Wuorinen
- Fortune, for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
- Joan's, for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
- The Magic Art, instrumental masque, for chamber orchestra
- Percussion Duo, for mallet instruments and piano
- Psalm 39, for baritone and guitar
- String Quartet No. 2
- Three Songs, for tenor and piano
- Iannis Xenakis
- Anémoessa, for SATB chorus of 42 or 84 voices and orchestra
- Dikhthas, for violin and piano
- Palimpsest, for cor anglais, bass clarinet, bassoon, horn, percussion, piano, and string quintet
- Peter Maxwell Davies
- Cinderella, Op. 87
- The Lighthouse, Op. 86
- Hossein Dehlavi – Mana and Mani[22]
- Libby Larsen – The Silver Fox
- Roger Smalley – William Derrincourt (Perth, 31 August)
- Ain't Misbehavin' (Music: Fats Waller, Lyrics: Various Book: Murray Horwitz & Richard Maltby, Jr.). London production opened at Her Majesty's Theatre on March 22.
- Carmelina (Book: Alan Jay Lerner & Joseph Stein Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner Music: Burton Lane) Broadway production opened at the St. James Theatre on April 8 and ran for 17 performances. Starring Georgia Brown and Cesare Siepi
- Evita (Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lyrics and Book: Tim Rice). Broadway production opened at the Broadway Theatre on September 25 and ran for 1567 performances
- The King and I London revival opened at the Palladium on June 12 and ran for 538 performances
- My Old Friends (Music, Lyrics and Book: Mel Mandel and Norman Sachs). Off-Broadway production opened at the Orpheum Theatre on January 12 and transferred to the 22 Steps Theatre on Broadway on April 12 for a total run of 154 performances.
- Oklahoma! (Music: Richard Rodgers, Lyrics and Book: Oscar Hammerstein II) – Broadway revival opened at the Palace Theatre on December 13 and ran for 310 performances
- Peter Pan (Music: Mark Charlap, Lyrics and Book: Carolyn Leigh with additional songs, Music: Jule Styne and Lyrics: Betty Comden & Adolph Green). Broadway revival opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on September 6 and ran for 551 performances.
- Saravà (Music: Mitch Leigh, Lyrics and Book: N. Richard Nash). Broadway production opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on February 23 and ran for 140 performances
- Sugar Babies Broadway revue opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on October 8 and ran for 1208 performances.
- Sweeney Todd (Music and Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim, Book: Hugh Wheeler) – Broadway production opened at the Uris Theatre on March 1 and ran for 557 performances
- They're Playing Our Song (Music: Marvin Hamlisch, Lyrics: Carole Bayer Sager, Book: Neil Simon). Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on February 11 and ran for 1082 performances
- Tommy London production opened at Queen's Theatre on February 6 and ran for 118 performances
- The Venetian Twins (Music: Terence Clarke, Lyrics and Book: Nick Enright). Opened at the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre on October 26.
- Whoopee (Music: Walter Donaldson, Lyrics: Gus Kahn, Book: William Anthony McGuire). Broadway revival opened at the ANTA Theatre on February 14 and ran for 212 performances.
- January 1
- Brody Dalle, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- Koichi Domoto, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor
- January 5 – Kathleen Edwards, Canadian singer/musician
- January 7 – Aloe Blacc, American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, businessman, and philanthropist
- January 10 – Christopher Smith, singer-songwriter (Kris Kross)
- January 11 – Siti Nurhaliza, Malaysian singer
- January 16 – Aaliyah Haughton, American singer, actress, and model (d. 2001)
- January 20
- Rob Bourdon (Linkin Park)
- Will Young, British singer
- Joel Pott, English musician, producer and songwriter (Shura, George Ezra)
- February 1
- Valentín Elizalde, Regional Mexican singer
- Jason Isbell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Drive-By Truckers)
- Julie Roberts, American country singer-songwriter
- February 10 – Daryl Palumbo, American musician who fronted bands such as Glassjaw
- February 11 – Brandy Norwood, American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress
- February 12 – Jade Jones, British singer and chef, Emma Bunton's partner
- February 14 – Tsakane Valentine Maswanganyi, South African operatic and concert soprano
- February 15 – Adam Granduciel, American musician
- February 21 – Jennifer Love Hewitt, American actress, television producer, director, singer-songwriter, and author\
- February 22 - Jessica Kiper (a.k.a. "Sugar"), American actress, singer, reality TV star and actress
- February 26 – Corinne Bailey Rae, British singer, songwriter, record producer, and guitarist
- March 4
- Merrill Garbus, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, activist, art-pop musician (Tune-Yards)
- Jon Fratelli, Scottish singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist (The Fratellis)
- March 7 – Amanda Somerville, American singer-songwriter and vocal coach
- March 8 – Tom Chaplin, British singer (Keane)
- March 9 – Oscar Isaac, Guatemalan-American actor and musician (Sucker Punch, The Blinking Underdogs, Inside Llewyn Davis)
- March 11
- Benji Madden, American lead guitar for Good Charlotte
- Joel Madden, American lead vocals for Good Charlotte
- March 14 – Jacques Brautbar (Phantom Planet)
- March 18 – Adam Levine, American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, and record producer (Maroon 5)
- March 20 – Sean Garrett, American musical producer, musician, songwriter (Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Ciara)
- March 23 – Ariel Rechtshaid, American record producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter
- March 28 – Shakib Khan, Bangladeshi film actor, producer, singer, film organiser, and media personality[23]
- March 30 – Norah Jones, American singer-songwriter, pianist
- April 1 – Mikko Franck, Finnish violinist and conductor
- April 2 – Jesse Carmichael, American instrumentalist
- April 6 - Richard Jones, British music producer, songwriter, bass guitar player and founding member of the rock band The Feeling
- April 8 – Alexi Laiho, Finnish guitarist, composer, and vocalist (d. 2020)
- April 10 – Sophie Ellis-Bextor, British singer-songwriter and dancer
- April 11
- Danielle de Niese, Australian-American lyric soprano
- Chris Gaylor, drummer (The All-American Rejects)
- Sebastien Grainger (Death from Above 1979)
- April 13 – Tony Lundon (Liberty X)
- April 20 – Quinn Weng, Taiwanese-Canadian mezzo-soprano singer (Seraphim)
- April 21 – Anwar Robinson, American singer
- April 22 – Daniel Johns, Australian musician, singer, and songwriter (Silverchair)
- April 29
- Jo O'Meara, English singer and actress (S Club 7)
- Matt Tong, drummer (Bloc Party)
- May 4 – Lance Bass, American singer, dancer, actor, film, and television producer, and author ('N Sync)
- May 9
- Ara Mina, Filipino actress and singer
- Andrew W.K., American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer
- Matt Morris, American singer, producer, actor, and songwriter
- May 13 – Mickey Madden, American bassist
- May 14 – Dan Auerbach, American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer (The Black Keys, Patrick Carney)
- May 21 – Sonja Vectomov, Czech-Finnish musical artist
- May 29 – Scribe, New Zealand hip hop rapper and recording artist of Samoan descent
- June 5 – Pete Wentz, American musician, multi-instrumentalist, writer, mental health advocate, and songwriter (Fall Out Boy)
- June 8 – Derek Trucks, guitarist, songwriter
- June 12 – Robyn, Swedish singer, songwriter, and record producer
- June 17 – Young Maylay, American rapper, producer, and voice actor
- June 18 – Ivana Wong, Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actress
- June 19 – Robby De Sá, South African musician, music producer, and instrumentalist
- June 26 – Ryan Tedder, American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer (OneRepublic, Hilary Duff, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez)
- June 29 – Abz Love, singer (5ive)
- July 4 – Dumas, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- July 5 – Shane Filan, Irish singer and songwriter (Westlife)
- July 6 – Matthew Barnson, American viola player and composer
- July 9 – Ella Koon, Hong Kong singer and actress
- July 13 – Ladyhawke, New Zealand born singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist
- July 15 – Laura Benanti, American actress and singer
- July 16 – Ivan Tásler
- July 17 – Solé, American rapper
- July 25 – Amy Adams, singer
- July 26 – Tamyra Gray, singer
- August 7 - Gangsta Boo, American rapper (d. 2023)
- August 13 – Amiel Daemion, American-Australian pop singer, songwriter, and actress
- August 15 - Jon Hopkins, an English musician and producer who writes and performs electronic music. H
- August 20 – Jamie Cullum, English jazz-pop singer-songwriter, pianist
- August 21 – Kelis, American singer-songwriter and chef
- August 23 – Ritchie Neville, singer (5ive)
- August 27 – Jon Siebels, guitarist (Eve 6)
- August 31 – Yuvan Shankar Raja, film composer and singer
- September 3 – Jason McCaslin, bass guitarist (Sum 41)
- September 6 – Foxy Brown, American rapper, model, and actress
- September 8 – Pink, American singer-songwriter, dancer, musician, and activist
- September 16 – Flo Rida, American rapper and singer
- September 21
- Maija Kovaļevska, Latvian soprano opera singer
- Jericho Rosales, Filipino entertainer
- September 22 – Emilie Autumn, American violinist, singer, poet, mental health advocate, and songwriter
- September 24 – Julia Clarete, Filipina singer, actress, performer, television personality, and former host of Eat Bulaga!
- September 27 – Barbara Kanam, Congolese singer
- October 3 – Josh Klinghoffer, guitarist, (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
- October 9 – Alex Greenwald, vocals, rhythm guitar for Phantom Planet
- October 10 – Mýa, American recording artist, songwriter, and actress
- October 12 – Jordan Pundik, lead vocals for New Found Glory
- October 15
- Jaci Velasquez, Latin pop singer
- Yoav, singer-songwriter of Israeli-Romanian descent, raised in South Africa
- October 18 – Ne-Yo, American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, television host/judge, and actor (Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, World Of Dance)
- October 24 – Ben Gillies, Australian drummer (Silverchair)
- October 25 – Bat for Lashes, English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist
- November 7 – Jon Peter Lewis, American singer
- November 9 – Nicolas Koeckert, German violinist
- November 10 – Chris Joannou, Australian musician, bass guitar for Silverchair
- November 22 – Scott Robinson, singer (5ive)
- November 28 – Chamillionaire, American rapper
- November 29 – The Game, American rapper
- December 3 – Daniel Bedingfield, English-New Zealand singer, songwriter, and record producer
- December 7 – Sara Bareilles, American singer-songwriter, actress, and author.
- December 14 – Sophie Monk, Australian singer, songwriter, actress, model, and radio personality
- December 15
- Alex Solowitz, American actor, composer, singer, dancer, and producer (2gether)
- Adam Brody, American actor, writer, musician, and producer (Leighton Meester, Big Japan)
- Edele Lynch, Irish singer (B*Witched)
- Keavy Lynch, Irish singer (B*Witched)
- December 26 – Chris Daughtry, American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor
- December 28 – Zach Hill, American multi-instrumentalist and visual artist, (Death Grips, The I.L.Y's, Hella)
- December 30 – Yelawolf, American rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, and producer
- December 31 – Bob Bryar, American retired musician, drummer (My Chemical Romance)
- Unknown
- Ingrid Michaelson, American singer-songwriter, actress, and activist
- Ms. Jade, American rapper
- January 5 – Charles Mingus, jazz musician, 56[24]
- January 13
- Donny Hathaway, singer, 33 (injuries from fall)[25]
- Marjorie Lawrence, operatic soprano, 71[26]
- February 2 – Sid Vicious, punk rocker, 21[27]
- March 4 – Mike Patto, rock singer, 36 (cancer)
- March 5 – Alan Crofoot, operatic tenor and host of Mr Piper, 49 (suicide)[28]
- March 13 – Harrison Keller, US violinist and music teacher, 90[29]
- March 22 – Walter Legge, record producer, 72[30]
- March 23 – Antonio Brosa, violinist, 84[31]
- April 3 – Ernst Glaser, Norwegian violinist, conductor and music teacher, 75
- April 10 – Nino Rota, composer, 67 (coronary thrombosis)[32]
- April 16 – Maria Caniglia, operatic soprano, 73
- April 29 – Julia Perry, composer and conductor, 55
- May 1 – Bronislav Gimpel, violinist, 68
- May 9 – Zoltán Kelemen, operatic bass-baritone, 53
- May 11 – Lester Flatt, bluegrass musician, 64
- May 21 – Blue Mitchell, trumpeter, 49
- May 26 - Stefano Ballarini, baritone, 76[33][34]
- June 5 – Jack Haley, actor, singer (Wizard of Oz) 80
- June 21 – Angus MacLise, American drummer and songwriter (Velvet Underground and Theatre of Eternal Music), 41 (hypoglycemia and pulmonary tuberculosis)[35]
- June 29 – Lowell George, singer, songwriter and guitarist, founder of Little Feat, 34 (heart attack)
- July 3 – Louis Durey, composer, 91
- July 6 – Van McCoy, singer, 39 (heart attack)
- July 12 – Minnie Riperton, singer, 31 (breast cancer)
- July 14 – Pedro Flores, composer, 85
- July 16 – Alfred Deller, countertenor, 67
- August 19 – Dorsey Burnette, Rockabilly singer, 46 (heart attack)
- August 25 – Stan Kenton, bandleader, 67
- September 2 – Jacques Février, pianist, 79
- September 6 – Guy Bolton, English librettist, 94
- September 22 – Richard Nibley, violinist, 66
- September 27
- Gracie Fields, actress and singer, 81
- Jimmy McCulloch, guitarist (Wings), 26
- October 1 – Roy Harris, composer, 81
- October 13 – Rebecca Helferich Clarke, viola player and composer, 93[36]
- October 22 – Nadia Boulanger, French composer, conductor, and music teacher, 92[37]
- October 27 – Germaine Lubin, operatic soprano, 89
- November 11 – Dimitri Tiomkin, film composer and conductor, 85
- November 13 – Freda Betti, French mezzo-soprano opera singer, 55
- November 17 – John Glascock, rock bassist, 28
- November 23 – Judee Sill, singer-songwriter, 35
- November 30 – Joyce Grenfell, actress and singer-songwriter, 69
- December 21 – Nansi Richards, harpist, 91
- December 30 – Richard Rodgers, composer and songwriter, 77
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