1970s

#06 Kate Bush - 'Wuthering Heights' (1978)

#05 Derek & The Dominos - 'Layla' (1970)

Hounds of Love is my favourite Kate Bush project overall, but 'Wuthering Heights' from debut album The Kick Inside is my top song from her wonderful, eclectic catalogue.

Bush's record company EMI originally had the track 'James and the Cold Gun' pencilled in as her debut single but she was determined to get 'Wuthering Heights' out there first instead. The rest is history and 'Wuthering Heights' was introduced to the world in early 1978, following delays, as it was feared the song would get lost in the Christmas rush. It gained airplay on stations such as Radio Luxembourg and BBC Radio 1, then wowed Top of the Pops audiences, after she first broke into the top 40 at #27. A star was born.

Kate Bush impressively wrote 'Wuthering Heights' in one night when she was 18 years old. Bush was specifically inspired by the 1967 BBC adaptation of Emily Brontë's 1847 gothic romance novel of the same name. She subsequently read the book itself and was also fascinated by the fact Brontë shared the same birthday as her. Bush sings from the perspective of the novel's Catherine Earnshaw, or "Cathy", who once shared a romance with fellow character Heathcliff and later passes away. Kate Bush as Cathy reminisces on her time with Heathcliff, who she views as her true love and haunts him from beyond the grave.

Two music videos were shot for the song. The one chosen for U.K. audiences sees Kate as Cathy in a white dress, performing suitably ghostly choreography. The alternate video, instead filmed outdoors in a red dress, has become iconic in its own right and even inspired an annual get together called The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever, where fans dress up like Kate in that video.

Kate's poetic lyrics, unique high pitched vocal performance and piano playing are a spellbinding combination. The majestic instrumental also contains the sound of drums, celesta (an idiophone operated by a keyboard), my good friend from the '60s write-ups aka the Hammond organ, acoustic guitars, bass guitar and crotales, aka antique cymbals. The powerful, Floyd-esque guitar solo was performed by the late Ian Bairnson, who was a member of Pilot and the Alan Parsons Project.

What a striking debut and all the more impressive coming from the mind of someone so young. OMD's Andy McCluskey said it was the very first song he fell in love with. I also know my mum was into Kate Bush at the time after she grew out of acts like The Bay City Rollers...! So this appreciation of her evidently passed on to me.

'Wuthering Heights' climbed to #1 in the U.K. and stayed there for four weeks. This achievement put Kate into the history books as the first female artist to achieve a U.K. #1 hit with an entirely self-written song. It was the tenth best-selling single of 1978 here. The song re-entered the top 40 this year thanks to Emerald Fennell's updated film adaptation of Wuthering Heights.

•••

'Layla' by Derek & the Dominos has an interesting release history, as it originally existed in 7:03 glory on the album Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs in 1970, then a shorter version was released in the U.S. in 1971, which was followed by a re-release in 1972 where it charted here in the U.K. for the first time, then made the top 10 again upon another re-release in 1982. Finally it charted once more in 1992, albeit lower down, in an acoustic version credited to just Eric Clapton. Phew!

Clapton formed Derek & the Dominos with keyboardist and singer Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon, after all four had previously been involved with the group Delaney & Bonnie and Friends. Disagreements over money led many members to leave that ensemble, so Clapton seized the opportunity to get this new group together.

'Layla' was inspired by Clapton's at the time unrequited love for model Pattie Boyd, who was married to Clapton's friend George Harrison. She would later wed Clapton after her previous marriage broke down. I became fascinated with Pattie Boyd after learning she was the muse behind songs as iconic as 'Layla', fellow Clapton composition 'Wonderful Tonight' and 'Something' by The Beatles, although Harrison did downplay her influence on the latter down the line. Whatever the truth, she still appears in the promo video for it, alongside other Beatle partners. Here are a couple of Pattie things I own, including a vintage 1960s British Vogue cover with her on the front, plus memoir Wonderful Tonight, where she came across well and respectful to her former flames:

The title 'Layla' was inspired by the the poem The Story of Layla and Majnun by 12th century author Nizami Ganjavi, which in itself was based on the ancient Arab love story Layla and Majnun. Eric Clapton's friend Ian Dallas was converting to Islam and gave him a copy of The Story of Layla and Majnun, which he really connected with. This story involves a young man who goes crazy after he falls in love with a girl who is instead married off to someone she doesn't love. Clapton poured his own feelings about Boyd into 'Layla', addressing his desires, her mixed signals and the cracks in her relationship with Harrison ("I tried to give you consolation, when your old man let you down") - such as him cheating on her with Ringo Starr's then wife Maureen. What a messy musical universe. I think it's quite something that Clapton and Harrison were still friends even despite all of this, with Harrison even later attending Clapton's wedding party for him and Boyd after his own marriage was over...!

'Layla' was originally a ballad but took a turn once its signature riff was born. Duane Allman, who was invited to the Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs album sessions as a guest of Clapton, played that instantly iconic opening slide guitar riff that takes over 'Layla' for a short while.

The song has an unusual structure, as the first few minutes contain extremely raw vocals by Clapton (Pattie Boyd said she was bowled over by his passion in this song) but then morphs into a very long instrumental section right until the end. This is dominated by the equally bittersweet sounding piano piece played by the band's drummer Jim Gordon. However, its origins are sketchy, as he got the credit but multiple people claim his then girlfriend Rita Coolidge instead came up with the piano melody for this iconic coda. Allman, from the opening riff, is also back for this movement of the song and impresses me once again with his high pitched guitar playing, which has been described as a "crying bird" at this point.

Clapton of course contributes guitar parts of his own, as he plays acoustic and slide guitar, while Carl Radle provides the bass. Final Dominos member Bobby Whitlock can be heard on harmonies alongside Clapton's vocals and also plays the Hammond organ, in this very textured instrumental.

I'm no fan of Clapton as a person but he, in addition to the talent he surrounded himself with, created something really special here. 'Layla' is a bonafide rock classic that always overwhelms me in the best way, with its intense vocals and initially frantic instrumental, that morphs into a more graceful reflection. What a stunning composition.

'Layla' achieved its U.K. peak in 1982 under the double billed Derek And The Dominos/Eric Clapton 'Layla/Wonderful Tonight (Live Version)' release, which got to #4. It previously first made the chart here as just 'Layla' in 1972, peaking at #7.

I like all six of these so far. I remember Cargo Culte from that song contest and the other five are all 70s classics. Shortly after I bought my first CD player in 1989, I bought a double CD compilation called 'Rock Milestones' which had the full version of Layla on it and that was the first time I had heard the wonderful piano solo in the second half. I would go for Comfortably Numb as Pink Floyd's best song from the 70s but Another Brick In The Wall is still very good. I think I can guess three of the four songs that make up your top four and there's another that I think might be in there as well.

Another two great songs! Wuthering Heights still sounds like nothing else in music, starkly original and very beautiful!

Layla is an obviously a guitar classic but it’s so much more in the longer version as you described. Epic!

13 hours ago, King Rollo said:

I like all six of these so far. I remember Cargo Culte from that song contest and the other five are all 70s classics. Shortly after I bought my first CD player in 1989, I bought a double CD compilation called 'Rock Milestones' which had the full version of Layla on it and that was the first time I had heard the wonderful piano solo in the second half. I would go for Comfortably Numb as Pink Floyd's best song from the 70s but Another Brick In The Wall is still very good. I think I can guess three of the four songs that make up your top four and there's another that I think might be in there as well.

Oh yes, unsurprisingly the '70s rock' edition was hosted by you!

I tried to look up the compilation you're referencing on Discogs and if I've found the right one then 'Wuthering Heights' is also on it, so that's cool they've dropped out together here. I think I knew the longer version of 'Layla' first and have only heard the short one a couple of times, the piano solo is a must.

'Comfortably Numb' is a great pick! That's another Pink Floyd song I first knew through a 2000s sample/cover, this time Scissor Sisters instead of Eric Prydz.

11 hours ago, Jaz13music said:

Another two great songs! Wuthering Heights still sounds like nothing else in music, starkly original and very beautiful!

Layla is an obviously a guitar classic but it’s so much more in the longer version as you described. Epic!

I was spoilt for choice with Kate for both the '70s and '80s in particular, but 'Wuthering Heights' has always especially wowed me - as you say it sounds like nothing else.

Yeah 'Layla' has such an instantly recognisable riff nevertheless but the lengthier version really completes the experience. ❤️

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Thank you both for commenting '70s #4 and #3 coming tonight - this is going so fast!

1970s

#04 David Bowie - 'Life on Mars?' (1971)

#03 Donna Summer - 'I Feel Love' (1977)

Next up is my favourite solo male artist of all-time so I was spoilt for choice! But prior to my appreciation, elsewhere in the family my nan was ahead of the curve discovering Bowie before many others did, as she watched him live way back in 1965, so even pre-'The Laughing Gnome'! She saw him at the 100 Club in London for a Radio Caroline event where he was billed as Davy Jones & The Lower Third. I could listen to her sixties music stories all day long, how cool.

Bowie had so many possibilities for this countdown, as 'Space Oddity' is a 1960s triumph, 'Ashes to Ashes' shines in the 1980s and 'Black Star' is also one of my favourite songs of the 2010s, but ultimately the glam rock ballad 'Life on Mars?', which also has cabaret and art rock influences, is my top song of his. So Bowie takes a place in the 1970s part of the thread.

'Life on Mars?' wasn't released as a single until 1973, after reaching the impressive heights of his Ziggy Stardust fame, but existed since 1971 as a track on his fourth studio album Hunky Dory. The song has a really interesting back story that stretches back to the 1960s. No it does not involve my nan. Instead, Bowie was hired by his music publisher to write English language lyrics for a French song named 'Comme d'habitude', in 1968. He rose to the challenge and presented a version called 'Even a Fool Learns to Love'. However, this was rejected by the song's French publishers due to Bowie's obscurity at the time. Soon after, Paul Anka bought the rights to the song and rewrote it as none other than 'My Way', made famous by Frank Sinatra...! Bowie was extremely bitter about how this panned out and challenged himself to write something that sounded a bit like 'My Way', but could be even better. This is how 'Life on Mars?' was born, hence the liner notes for Hunky Dory stating that 'Life on Mars?' was "inspired by Frankie". Bowie claimed the similarity between the two songs was not theft but instead a "statement of rightful ownership".

The title 'Life on Mars?' was inspired by media coverage surrounding the space race between the United States and Soviet Union. Lyrically, the song is about an isolated girl with "mousy hair" who wants to escape her mundane life by going to the movies. But she is left disappointed when the film is a "saddening bore", so the song raises existential questions about the difference between life and art. Bowie contributes unique, poetic lyrics as ever. Verse 2 particularly stands out to me as it's stuffed with so many vivid entertainment references, from Mickey Mouse to John Lennon. His vocal performance of these words is also a highlight as Bowie's delivery builds up well to the passion in the chorus.

The production was handled by Bowie and Ken Scott. The latter has worked with many big names including The Beatles, as he was an engineer for them. The beautiful piano playing in the song was courtesy of Rick Wakeman who has been a member of both The Strawbs and Yes. The string arrangement, that effectively grows in intensity throughout much like the vocals, was handled by guitarist Mick Ronson who also plays on the recorder during the second verse, in addition to electric guitar contributions. The BBC Symphony Orchestra are also present on the recording and play violins, violas, celli and string basses to create that lush sound. Trevor Bolder is the man behind the bass guitar and Mick Woodmansey is the drummer. Bowie is an absolute star on this track, a sentiment further enhanced by his striking image in the iconic visuals, but this classic is also made by that instrumental, which follows his lead in often being tender but soaring in the right places.

'Life on Mars?' became Bowie's fifth U.K. top 10 single at the time when it peaked at #3.

This song has experienced long term impact as it: inspired the name of the British television show Life On Mars, was used for space-related events and has been covered by a number of singers. No-one does it as well as the man himself but I did enjoy Lorde's cover version at the 2016 Brit Awards ceremony, performed as a tribute to Bowie after his sad passing.

•••

Bowie's collaborator Brian Eno told him that Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love' would change the sound of club music for the next 15 years and he was on to something.

Summer had previously worked with producer Giorgio Moroder on her sexually charged hit single 'Love to Love You Baby' in 1975. He was very fond of her, stating she was both talented and disciplined. They would come together again, alongside fellow producer and writer Pete Bellotte, for her 1977 album I Remember Yesterday.

The concept for I Remember Yesterday was for each track to evoke a different time period. For example, it opens with a 1940s style title track, then moves on to the 1950s influenced 'Love's Unkind', followed by swinging sixties tribute 'Back In Love Again' and so on. This was all a warm-up to final track to 'I Feel Love', with the idea of ending the album on a song that sounded futuristic. They hit this brief and then some as this track would go on to be massively influential.

'I Feel Love' was produced with a Moog synthesiser which was highly unusual for disco music at the time, instead orchestras were the typical backing. Moroder and Bellotte borrowed the Moog from classical composer Eberhard Schoener. His assistant Robby Wedel turned out to be an unsung hero as he demonstrated how to use a click track, which was a "revelation" according to Moroder. The team also took white noise generated by the Moog and processed it with an envelope, to get a hi-hat sound. Aside from Summer's vocals, the only production element that didn't involve a machine was the kick drum played by Keith Forsey, as they were not satisfied by the kick sound of the Moog.

The sophisticated, pulsating instrumental was the first to combine repetitive synth loops with a continuous four-on-the-floor bass drum and off-beat hi-hat, which would become a main feature for techno and house music over a decade later. What a triumph, I can't imagine how futuristic this must have sounded at the time.

Summer's vocals are just as hypnotic as the instrumental as she delivers those euphoric lyrics in a sensual, floaty way. This lighter, head voice delivery was quite unusual for disco music at the time, as vocals in the genre were typically sang in a deeper chest voice. So this track was a game-changer on several levels.

Like 'Layla', I always stream the longer 8 minute version of 'I Feel Love', although the video embedded is 'only' 6 minutes as I wanted an upload that also incorporated clips of Donna Summer's live choreography. That's quite fun to watch with the mix of both robotic and flowing movements.

The public displayed sensational taste on this occasion as 'I Feel Love' was Donna Summer's sole U.K. chart topper, spending four weeks at #1.

'I Feel Love' has been covered and sampled by the likes of Beyoncé, Bronski Beat and Sam Smith - plus has influenced Blondie, The Human League and Kylie Minogue just to name a few. Truly timeless.

Fantastic for its time production and good vocal on I Feel Love. Important for many electronic genres going forward.

Those were two of the three songs I mentioned that I thought would be in your top four. I Feel Love sounded so ahead of its time when it came out and still sounds so fresh while Life On Mars is my favourite song by David Bowie. Yes, Wuthering Heights is also on that compilation CD so you found the right one on Discogs.

Life On Mars is great, one of Bowie’s best ballads! So many of his songs to choose from, maybe I’d go for Ashes To Ashes as my favourite. But that would take up a precious 80s slot, so perhaps Ziggy Stardust? Very difficult!

No doubt about I Feel Love’s place though! Just brilliant but also groundbreaking and way ahead of its time. I love everything about it but especially that weird syncopated ever changing rhythm. Eno underestimated it though, it changed the sound of club music for more like 50 years, and still sounds like the future!

On 29/08/2026 at 11:30, Jade said:

I can't help but think of the BuzzJack member when "Severin, Severin" is uttered in the song. I'm pretty sure our Severin is named after Steven Severin from Siouxsie and the Banshees, but the Severin in this song is the masochistic Severin von Kusiemski from the novel.

Actually it's from this song primarily. It's enchanted me since I was a kid. I'd say it's about 70% Velvets and 30% the Banshee as the inspiration, but he took his name from this song too and I was aware of all this when I chose it.

This is a great idea and will be checking this thread out properly in a minute. I got one post in and had to reply! A cracking start so far.

#01 The Ronettes - 'Be My Baby' (1963)

#02 The Beatles - 'Tomorrow Never Knows' (1966)

#03 The Mamas & The Papas - 'California Dreamin’ (1965)

#04 The Animals - 'The House of the Rising Sun' (1964)

#05 Ben E. King - 'Stand By Me' (1961)

#06 Procol Harum - 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' (1967)

#07 The Rolling Stones - 'Paint It, Black' (1966)

#08 The Beach Boys - 'God Only Knows' (1966)

#09 The Doors - 'Light My Fire' (1967)

#10 The Velvet Underground & Nico - 'Venus In Furs' (1967)

That's a stonking top 10 and I couldn't possibly argue with any of them, although naturally mine would be quite different. The '60s is one of my favourite decades, particularly 1965 onwards, with the Psychedelic and garage scene being so creative.

Paint It, Black remains my favourite song of all time still, so that the Velvets and The Animals would probably make my top 10 if I could ever narrow it down

From the 70s so far, again all brilliant choices, but obviously Kate, Blondie's Heart of Glass was one of the first singles I ever owned (bought for me) and The Wall is one of my top 3 albums of all time (the others being The Holy Bible, and The Dreaming). And I think I'd probably try to shoehorn about 9 Bowie song in if I could but Life on Mars? is hard to beat.

14 hours ago, TheSnake said:

Fantastic for its time production and good vocal on I Feel Love. Important for many electronic genres going forward.

Could not agree more! Moroder and Summer were a great team together; 'Love to Love You Baby' also stands out as pretty groundbreaking in its own way too.

12 hours ago, King Rollo said:

Those were two of the three songs I mentioned that I thought would be in your top four. I Feel Love sounded so ahead of its time when it came out and still sounds so fresh while Life On Mars is my favourite song by David Bowie. Yes, Wuthering Heights is also on that compilation CD so you found the right one on Discogs.

Pleased to hear we have the same favourite Bowie song as he of course has so many classics!

Thanks for confirming - the track list is really strong, with: 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Oxygene IV', 'Vienna' and 'Tubular Bells' standing out as my biggest highlights not mentioned in this thread so far

11 hours ago, Jaz13music said:

Life On Mars is great, one of Bowie’s best ballads! So many of his songs to choose from, maybe I’d go for Ashes To Ashes as my favourite. But that would take up a precious 80s slot, so perhaps Ziggy Stardust? Very difficult!

No doubt about I Feel Love’s place though! Just brilliant but also groundbreaking and way ahead of its time. I love everything about it but especially that weird syncopated ever changing rhythm. Eno underestimated it though, it changed the sound of club music for more like 50 years, and still sounds like the future!

Happy to see some 'Ashes to Ashes' love 🥰 I'm a big fan of the accompanying album in general.

Haha yes, this is true, he was on to something but the appeal and influence of 'I Feel Love' is evergreen really <3

10 hours ago, Severin said:

Actually it's from this song primarily. It's enchanted me since I was a kid. I'd say it's about 70% Velvets and 30% the Banshee as the inspiration, but he took his name from this song too and I was aware of all this when I chose it.

This is a great idea and will be checking this thread out properly in a minute. I got one post in and had to reply! A cracking start so far.

Oh wow, I'm pleased you have dropped in and explained that! I remembered you being a Banshees fan, so must've jumped to conclusions based on that, not realising you were also into the Velvet Underground. That's amazing to hear anyway - I love that others on here are passionate about 'Venus in Furs' too, or have made a good discovery out of it in some cases, what a song.

Thanks for also sharing some of your other favourites! 'Paint It, Black' really is special and great to see some love for The Animals too.

Fantastic to be able to say that something as quality as 'Heart Of Glass' was your first ever single!

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Thanks all for the comments 1970s favourites conclude tonight.

1970s

#02 Tubeway Army - 'Are ‘Friends’ Electric?' (1979)

#01 Kraftwerk - 'The Model' (1978)

I first discovered 'Are 'Friends' Electric?' in some capacity when it was sampled in the Sugababes hit 'Freak Like Me'. I was only 4 when that was released, in 2002, but my parents had the accompanying album so I heard it a fair bit growing up. I didn't get to Tubeway Army's song for a while, which is surprising, as my mum is into her '70s/'80s synth music too. But I found the song in my own time, fell in love and subsequently enjoyed it even more than Richard X's mash-up wizardry that became the aforementioned Sugababes chart-topper...

Tubeway Army, fronted by Gary Numan, released 'Are 'Friends' Electric?' as the second and final single from their sophomore album Replicas. It was born out of two different tracks Numan was attempting to write on an out of tune piano. He played them back-to-back and something clicked. He pulled verse and chorus ideas from both and combined them into one, until reaching its 5 minute+ run time.

Numan is on the autistic spectrum so felt he saw the world differently. He spent time writing his own stories about what London would be like in 30 years time, drawing inspiration from a strong interest in sci-fi writers and his own experiences of social isolation. Numan incorporated ideas from these stories when writing the lyrics for 'Are 'Friends' Electric?' and ultimately landed on a theme of robots who look like humans. They supply all kinds of services but unsuspecting neighbours are none the wiser about their true form, since they appear so realistic. The specific robot, or 'friend', chosen for this song is one providing services in prostitution.

The lyrics are wonderfully quirky throughout and food for thought, but the final spoken word section particularly gets me, as it's obvious he's pouring his frustrations as an autistic person trying to navigate the world into that part. His vocals are suitably deadpan and robotic for most of the track but they touchingly break character a bit here.

In addition to the themes, the impressive synth work on the song also gave it a futuristic feel. Numan uses minimoog and polymoog synthesisers to get that sound, after he accidentally stumbled across the minimoog in the studio. He originally had a punk album in mind until then! There are three distinctive parts in the song: the recurring synth riff that appears on the verses, the arpeggiated chords that back the aforementioned spoken word part, then the instrumental break. I enjoy the way the synths adapt with the tone of the song. There are also traditional instruments featured too, so the public wouldn't be totally alienated by this sound, as Numan also plays guitar, Paul Gardener tackles the bass and Jess Lidyard does some great drumming work too. Overall, they created a magnificent dark world together.

Watching the Top of the Pops performance must have been mind-blowing at the time. Numan is like this alien who has beamed down from space - with ghostly face make-up, eyeliner, dark clothing and a deadpan look on his face, all while singing robotically for the most part and with these futuristic synths backing him up. The '80s had arrived early!

The TOTP performance, in addition to one on The Old Grey Whistle Test, evidently intrigued viewers and helped to send the track to #1 in the U.K. for an impressive 4 weeks. Not bad for a song without an obvious hook! His label also put out a run of picture discs to aid sales. The song's charms stood the test of time as the aforementioned 'Freak Like Me' by Sugababes went to #1 too. Numan has said he actually prefers their song to his own. I wouldn't quite go that far but it is my favourite Sugababes song nevertheless.

Amazingly, Tubeway Army would call it quits after this accidental smash, but Gary topped the charts again on his own with fellow synth classic 'Cars'.

•••

Joining The Ronettes in the hall of fame for this countdown so far is the sensational Kraftwerk!

I credit 'The Model' with helping to shape the dark synth facet of my taste, which is an awfully large one. It's going to become even more prominent in the 1980s and still relevant in my 2020s list. 'The Model' is one of those songs I discovered quite a long time ago but my love has been unwavering for all these years; I don't think it's possible for me to ever get bored of it.

'The Model', or 'Das Model' in its German form, is the song referred to in my opening post that could be relevant for two different decades. I've considered it an '80s song in the past due to its later impact in the U.K., e.g. when nominating in the huge 'BuzzJack's Favourite Song' event we had, but in this thread I've been sticking to original release dates, so I'll be consistent here. I'm more than happy to sneak one more '80s song in too! So 'The Model' is officially my favourite song that was originally released in the 1970s, even if the public caught on in a big way a bit later.

This Kraftwerk song might as well have been an '80s track, as it is one of many from their back catalogue that sounds ahead of its time. The pioneering German synth act genuinely have a flawless run of five albums for me between 1974's Autobahn and 1981's Computer World. Speaking of the latter, it was decided that this era is when 'The Model' was going to get its turn to shine, despite originating from 1978 album The Man-Machine (the first record of theirs I owned on vinyl!), packaged alongside the up to date 'Computer Love' as a double A-side. The latter had originally only made #36 when it was previously pushed (with 'The Model' merely joining it as a B-side) though has certainly earned its stripes in time - as its riff was notably interpolated on Coldplay's 'Talk'. The switch to the double A-side was made, against the band's wishes, as EMI had gotten wind that 'The Model' was proving more popular. So this almost three year old song ultimately got the bigger push and has become the band's signature song in the long term.

'Das Model' was written by Kraftwerk members Ralf Hütter and Karl Bartos in collaboration with artist Emil Schult, who was genuinely in love with a model at the time. Schult also composed music for the song, but this was rewritten by Hütter and Bartos, as they felt the original music was too guitar-heavy. The lyrics for both 'Das Model' and 'The Model' are very similar. I've just re-listened to the former version for the first time in a while and the main difference is the sudden "korrekt!" part, which would come after the "she's going out to nightclubs drinking just champagne" line in the English version, but instead has no counterpart.

The fairly straight-forward lyrics give us an idea of what this model is like - a woman who plays games with the narrator, seeks out the competition as her star rises and then is seemingly no longer in his orbit. So they're lustful but also a satirical take on the commercialisation involved with fashion and beauty culture. These words are pretty endearing to me while delivered in such a monotonous German accent.

The structure of the song is unusual, as there are only verses and an instrumental break. It's easy to see why my top 2 are next to each other as they share quite a lot of similarities really! Including a futuristic synth sound. 'The Model' needn't bother with a chorus as it has such a memorable synth riff substitute instead. The group have always been quite secretive about the operations of their famous Kling Klang studio but it's theorised the textured synths were born from mini, micro and polymoog synthesisers. Aside from the melodic riff, I also love the instrumental break - which feels like an emotional release at the mid-way point despite its lack of words, after the initial robotic feel to the track. The ever-catchy riff returns and then the song ends on an unsettling, atmospheric drone noise. Amongst all of that, I also appreciate the steadiness of the drum machines too. Overall, it's a fascinating, futuristic template that would go on to inspire others in the field.

The group have so many impressive tracks across their catalogue, the lengthier 'Europe Endless' for example is the one I chose to represent my BuzzJack Song Contest nation for our 100th anniversary and it surprisingly performed very well! But I think 'The Model', with its appealing mix of dark features and earworm riff, will always have a particularly special place in my heart as my very first Kraftwerk song and the one that expanded my music taste.

It particularly stands out as a U.K. #1 as well. I suppose it reaching the top in 1982, after gradually climbing, is a neat segway into the 1980s part of the countdown soon!

1970s

TOP 10 RECAP

#01 Kraftwerk - 'The Model' (1978)

#02 Tubeway Army - 'Are ‘Friends’ Electric?' (1979)

#03 Donna Summer - 'I Feel Love' (1977)

#04 David Bowie - 'Life on Mars?' (1971)

#05 Derek & The Dominos - 'Layla' (1970)

#06 Kate Bush - 'Wuthering Heights' (1978)

#07 Blondie - 'Heart of Glass' (1978)

#08 Pink Floyd - 'Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2' (1979)

#09 Serge Gainsbourg - 'Cargo culte' (1971)

#10 Blue Öyster Cult - '(Don’t Fear) The Reaper' (1976)

Honourable mentions: pioneering gothic track 'Bela Lugosi's Dead' by Bauhaus which was the final song I cut, 'Ever Fallen In Love...' by the Buzzcocks, 'Woodstock' by Matthews Southern Comfort, George Harrison's 'My Sweet Lord' from my fave solo Beatle project, Minnie Riperton's 'Les Fleurs' or 'Lovin' You', 'Magic Fly' by Space, Jean-Michel Jarre's 'Oxygene', 'Move on Up' by Curtis Mayfield, many great Fleetwood Mac classics but especially 'The Chain' and 'Songbird', T.Rex for brightening up the glam rock era of chart toppers, Jimi Hendrix's 'Voodoo Child (Slight Return), Mike Oldfield's 'Tubular Bells', multiple Stevie Wonder classics, Sparks' 'This Town Ain't Big Enough For the Both of Us', many other Blondie/Bowie/Kraftwerk songs and some little known tune called 'Bohemian Rhapsody' amongst others...

Going to take a couple of days off writing again like last week and then get cracking with the 1980s 🫶 please let me know what you thought of the 1970s countdown!

Are Friends Electric was the other song that I thought would be in your top four so I got three out of four. The other one I thought might be a dark horse was Hong Kong Garden. I did think of The Model later on if you were counting it as a 70s song. The full album version of Autobahn would be my favourite by Kraftwerk followed by Trans Europe Express. Overall, that's a fantastic top ten.