Welcome to 1979, and in this episode of Hall of Songs, we find that the 1970s are over a year early. Synthesizers are taking over popular music, totally new sounds hit the airwaves, and darkness seeps into just about everything … even the cheery songs.
Here we pick our top-12 songs of 1979. Agree? Disagree? After listening, head to hallofsongs.com to vote for the best of the best. Our ’79 picks join picks from years past in the Hall of Songs ballot. Vote, and you’ll have a say into what’s considered the absolute greatest songs of all-time.
After listening to Tim and Chris, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1979, plus tunes from 1978, ’77 and ’76 are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! Vote now at hallofsongs.com and come back on April 8, 2022, to find out which song or songs get in!
Our 1979 nominees:
- “Pop Muzik” as performed by M
- Written by Robin Scott; recorded fall 1978; released March 1979
- “Good Times” as performed by Chic
- Written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers; recorded fall 1978; released June 1979
- “My Sharona” as performed by The Knack
- Written by Doug Fieger and Berton Averre; recorded April 1979; released June 1979
- “Rock With You” as performed by Michael Jackson
- Written by Rod Temperton; recorded early 1979; released August 1979
- “Cars” as performed by Gary Numan
- Written by Gary Numan; recorded summer 1979; released August 1979
- “I Wanna Be Your Lover” as performed by Prince
- Written by Prince; recorded spring 1979; released August 1979
- “Typical Girls” as performed by The Slits
- Written by Viv Albertine, Ariane Foster, Tessa Pollitt and Paloma Romero; recorded summer 1979; released September 1979
- “Rapper’s Delight” as performed by The Sugarhill Gang
- Written by Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers, Sylvia Robinson, Henry Jackson, Michael Wright, Guy O’Brien, Curtis Brown and William Hankshaw; recorded August 1979; released September 1979
- “Message in a Bottle” as performed by The Police
- Written by Sting; recorded February 1979; released September 1979
- “Here Comes My Girl” as performed by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
- Written by Tom Petty; recorded spring 1979; released October 1979
- “Comfortably Numb” as performed by Pink Floyd
- Written by David Gilmour and Roger Waters; recorded summer 1979; released November 1979
- “London Calling” as performed by The Clash
- Written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones; recorded August 1979; released December 1979
Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. Scroll down to vote. Then, come back on April 8, 2022 to find out the voting results, and April 10, 2022 for our discussion on 1980.