March 1Mar 1 Happy to hear 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick' clicked with you while putting together this thread what a quirky chart-topper. 'Video Killed the Radio Star' is also distinctive, as you say. MTV music channels may be fading away but this song is timeless. I found a whole new level of appreciation for Trevor Horn's craftsmanship after working through his rate on here.'I Will Survive' aligns with my taste the least from this top 5 but an undeniable classic and powerhouse vocal for sure. That snapshot of your school days was a sad read but with a happy ending now you can fully embrace the song. 🥰I'm a big fan of Blondie's first 4 albums and it's incredible how they got from that particularly punky debut to something like 'Heart of Glass'! But they pull it off so well. Debbie Harry carries the heartbreak with such a cool aura and that, coupled with the upbeat disco production, always puts me in a good mood whenever I hear it.Tubeway Army is an excellent #1 pick, in fact my top 2 would be exactly the same as yours. I feel like this is one of those early impactful dark synth records, along with something like Kraftwerk's 'The Model', that really shaped an enormous facet of my music taste. The 'Freak Like Me' sample was my introduction to it and that was really well done in itself, even praised by Numan. But I was blown away when I eventually got around to the original. As you say, I'd love to have experienced this at the time as well, it must have felt like an alien landing from space when people saw that TOTP performance for the first time - this dark, deadpan figure with his moody delivery, futuristic lyrics and those incredible, forward-thinking synths. What a masterpiece!My own top 10 would look something like this:01 Tubeway Army - Are 'Friends' Electric?02 Blondie - Heart of Glass03 Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall Part II04 Gary Numan - Cars05 The Boomtown Rats - I Don’t Like Mondays06 Blondie - Sunday Girl07 The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star08 Ian Dury and the Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick09 The Police - Message in a Bottle10 Bee Gees - TragedySo Floyd and Gloria Gaynor the biggest differences, with the latter probably being about 11th for me, like the former was for you!Thank you for this thread, Dandy! Really enjoyed reading your thoughts and revisiting this generally very high quality batch of songs.
March 1Mar 1 Great to read your commentaries on these songs - these are a strong set of #1s on the whole, most of them continue to be well known and even influential. I'm not actually sure how I'd go about ranking a lot of these - 'Heart Of Glass' had the most plays on my iPod, but I probably appreciate 'Are 'Friends' Electric?' more these days now that I've heard more of the music of this era - however I've a definite group for the top half, and it's the same as your top 9 except with Pink Floyd in place of Buggles (and that, 'Tragedy' and 'YMCA' would be next in some order, so my top 12 has the same songs as yours too!)
March 2Mar 2 'Are Friends Electric?' was the talk of the school playground the morning after it was first performed on Top Of The Pops. We'd never heard or seen anything like it. As well as those chunky synths, it was the resonant guitar sounds. I'll sort out my own order to put these songs in tomorrow.
March 2Mar 2 Thank you @dandy* for putting this together. I agree with your rating, but overall this year had nearly only true classics as #1. Apart from Lena Martell everything is decent. I will give my ranking after I have gone through all 18 songs again. If anyone likes so too, here is the Spotify playlist in reverse order of dandy's rating:
March 2Mar 2 Thanks dandy* - didn’t comment much towards the end but it’s a fabulous top half and expect my ranking wouldn’t be very much different.
March 2Mar 2 Here are my rankings now - the Ian Dury song did not go down as expected - got a bit on my nerves, so I had to rank it way down. Also the Buggles song is not one of my biggest favourites. In brackets are dandy's numbers: Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive (03) Blondie - Heart of Glass (02) Tubeway Army - Are Friends Electric? (01) The Boomtown Rats - I Don’t Like Mondays (06) Gary Numan – Cars (07) Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall Part II (11) Blondie - Sunday Girl (08) Cliff Richard - We Don’t Talk Anymore (15) Village People – YMCA (12) Anita Ward - Ring My Bell (13) Bee Gees – Tragedy (10) The Police - Walking on the Moon (14) The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star (04) The Police - Message in a Bottle (09) Art Garfunkel - Bright Eyes (16) Ian Dury and the Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick (05) Dr Hook - When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman (17) Lena Martell - One Day at a Time (18)
March 2Mar 2 Just catching up now my hols are done. Great reviews though I'd shuffle positions a bit, (we all love what we love oc). Sunday Girl was my 3rd Blondie number one after Denis and Heart Of Glass, and possibly my fave of the 3 these days - I just love the upbeat French-ish punk-60's-style and melody, It's such fun, though Heart Of Glass is prob the better track, and a million selling monster as disco peaked. Everyone was buying new stereo hi fi's as they dropped in price and didnt take us as much space as old ones, and the speakers/sound was an upgrade - and thats partly why singles sales went through the roof as everyone got the groove and multiple genres all clashed.Cars didnt quite top my chart but i bought it as a new track soon as I got back from the States holiday in August/Sept of 1979, a catchy timeless gem. Like Rollo I bought ELO's Don't Bring Me Down, a USA California desert singalong monster on radio. The song of the summer while I worked in a hosiery factory for the cash to go the USA, radio on all day long, was The Boomtown Rats' - everyone knew about the tragedy behind the song, that made it all the more powerful and Geldof got the second of two number ones for me too, both brilliant.Ian Dury is great but the one I didn't quite put in the A league, merely going top 5 for me, but time has been kind to it, still grooves and funks. Video Killed The Radio Star was all fresh and new and top 5 for me, and topped my chart as an oldie since then - it clashed with some other major classics from Abba, Michael jackson - and is iconic of course, anticipating the future that was pretty clear by 1979 - videos were getting more and more important, creative and beneficial to record sales on outlets other than Top Of The Pops.Gloria Gaynor topped my charts, a classic, her 3rd chart-topper for me, and my mum went mad on it too, buying one of only two singles she ever bought (Robin Gibb's Saved By The Bell the other) just after turning 40. Overplay has taken the shine off it a bit, but it is a standard, no doubt. Tubeway another classic too, I also prefer it to Cars, and at the time did it seem like the future? Most press comments were that he was ripping off Bowie, he regularly got unfairly slagged off by the music musos. Bear in mind Bowie had just done Boys Keep Swinging, Sound & Vision and Heroes not that long before, and the thread of influence was pretty clear, but his industrial, dour take was exciting and the riffs just fabulous. Pretty sure he would have heard The Model around that time too, but as synth pop was booming from 79 onwards singling Gary out for slagging was unfair. Kids at school (and me) didnt care what they thought though. I know I rushed out to buy it...
March 2Mar 2 This would be my ranking of these number 1s:01 Tubeway Army - Are Friends Electric?02 Art Garfunkel - Bright Eyes03 Gary Numan - Cars04 The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star05 Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall Part II06 The Boomtown Rats - I Don’t Like Mondays07 Ian Dury and the Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick08 Blondie - Heart of Glass09 The Police - Message in a Bottle10 Village People - YMCA11 The Police - Walking on the Moon12 Cliff Richard - We Don’t Talk Anymore13 Blondie - Sunday Girl14 Bee Gees - Tragedy15 Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive16 Dr Hook - When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman17 Anita Ward - Ring My Bell18 Lena Martell - One Day at a TimeThe main difference is I've put Bright Eyes a lot higher. I didn't rate it that much in 1979 but I've come to appreciate it a lot more as I've got older. I've ranked I Will Survive a lot lower than you. Apart from those two songs, we're mainly in agreement over where these should be ranked.
March 2Mar 2 Great top five, thanks Dandy for another excellent rank in this series.So many classic chart toppers in 1979, I like that you dished out so many 10s!I agree with your review of Are Friends Electric? being futuristic, it's so unbelievable that this and One Day At A Time co-existed at No.1 in the same year, they feel sonically like they have 30 years or more between them.My rank would be:01 Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall Part II (incredible single, such a good song to be a Christmas No.1)02 The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star (Trevor Horn is a genius, as is this song)03 Tubeway Army - Are Friends Electric? (that bassline is everything)04 Blondie - Heart of Glass (untouchable)05 Cliff Richard - We Don’t Talk Anymore (I guess songs like this are why Cliff is in my top 50 most listened to artists on Spotify, despite all the crap he has had too)06 Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive07 The Police - Message in a Bottle08 Gary Numan - Cars09 The Boomtown Rats - I Don’t Like Mondays10 Ian Dury and the Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick11 Blondie - Sunday Girl12 Art Garfunkel - Bright Eyes 13 Village People - YMCA (fun but killed off for me over the years through overplay and various parodies)14 Anita Ward - Ring My Bell15 The Police - Walking on the Moon16 Bee Gees - Tragedy (I would never listen to this over the Steps cover, and even that is hardly one of my favourite songs)17 Dr Hook - When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman (ok but not their best)18 Lena Martell - One Day at a Time (just awful)
March 2Mar 2 Great top 2 to finish up with. Both of them are classics of their kind and I like but not love 'I Will Survive'. Undeniably a disco classic though.My rank1 Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall Part II2 Blondie - Heart of Glass3 Gary Numan - Cars4 Tubeway Army - Are Friends Electric?5 Ian Dury and the Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick6 The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star7 The Police - Message in a Bottle8 The Boomtown Rats - I Don’t Like Mondays9 Cliff Richard - We Don’t Talk Anymore10The Police - Walking on the Moon11 Blondie - Sunday Girl12 Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive13 Dr Hook - When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman14 Village People - YMCA15 Bee Gees - Tragedy16 Art Garfunkel - Bright Eyes17 Anita Ward - Ring My Bell18 Lena Martell - One Step At A TimeOnly last two I don't care for, like to love everything else!Thanks Dandy!
Tuesday at 18:575 days Here's my ranking:Dr Hook - When You’re in Love with a Beautiful WomanTubeway Army - Are Friends Electric?Blondie - Heart of GlassIan Dury and the Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm StickGary Numan - CarsThe Buggles - Video Killed the Radio StarPink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall Part IIThe Police - Message in a BottleBlondie - Sunday GirlThe Police - Walking on the MoonArt Garfunkel - Bright EyesBee Gees - TragedyThe Boomtown Rats - I Don’t Like MondaysAnita Ward - Ring My BellVillage People - YMCACliff Richard - We Don’t Talk AnymoreGloria Gaynor - I Will SurviveLena Martell - One Day at a TimeNot a million miles away from your rankings but it seems I'm on my own with liking Dr Hook and only one other seems to not like Gloria Gaynor.
Tuesday at 19:425 days Excellent top 2, Are 'Friends' Electric still feels quite harrowing as a subject matter and its themes still relevant to this day, the menacing synth line (sampled brilliantly in Freak Like Me which was my introduction to it) is wonderful and Numan's vocals add a great sense of urgency. Heart of Glass is an easy favourite from Blondie, her vocals and the addictive guitar hook are amazing, the outro where the instrumental really flourishes is a highlight. I Will Survive is definitely a singalong classic too.Great stuff D*, I think my own ranking would be very similar albeit Pink Floyd would definitely be in my top 3 x
Wednesday at 09:075 days On 02/03/2026 at 15:54, King Rollo said:This would be my ranking of these number 1s:01 Tubeway Army - Are Friends Electric?02 Art Garfunkel - Bright Eyes03 Gary Numan - Cars04 The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star05 Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall Part II06 The Boomtown Rats - I Don’t Like Mondays07 Ian Dury and the Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick08 Blondie - Heart of Glass09 The Police - Message in a Bottle10 Village People - YMCA11 The Police - Walking on the Moon12 Cliff Richard - We Don’t Talk Anymore13 Blondie - Sunday Girl14 Bee Gees - Tragedy15 Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive16 Dr Hook - When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman17 Anita Ward - Ring My Bell18 Lena Martell - One Day at a TimeThe main difference is I've put Bright Eyes a lot higher. I didn't rate it that much in 1979 but I've come to appreciate it a lot more as I've got older. I've ranked I Will Survive a lot lower than you. Apart from those two songs, we're mainly in agreement over where these should be ranked.Mike Batt will be chuffed! I've been swapping comments n compliments with him on Twitter and elsewhere of late, reminding him of forgotten stuff like Pans People's Glam flop You Can Really Rock n Roll Me and the non-single best Wombles track The Orinoco Kid 😄He's working on a Ukraine symphony at the mo.
Thursday at 22:523 days That was a great rundown Dandy*I wonder who on this forum will do what year next? The current streaming revival for Madonna - Into The Groove really makes me wish someone would do 1985 soon!
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