REMEMBER WHEN - 27TH JANUARY 1979

No.	LW
1	2	Ian Dury And The Blockheads	Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
2	1	Village People	YMCA
3	4	Earth Wind And Fire	September
4	5	Olivia Newton John	A Little More Love
5	18	Three Degrees	Woman In Love
6	NEW	Blondie	Heart Of Glass
7	3	Racey	Lay Your Love On Me
8	6	Paul Evans	Hello This Is Joannie
9	23	Shadows	Don't Cry For Me Argentina
10	7	Chic	Le Freak
11	10	Driver 67	Car 67
12	15	Barry White	Just The Way You Are
13	9	Funkadelic	One Nation Under A Groove
14	8	Elton John	Song For Guy
15	26	Billy Joel	My Life
16	11	Chaka Khan	I'm Every Woman
17	20	Rocky Sharpe & The Replays	Rama Lama Ding Dong
18	13	Hot Chocolate	I'll Put You Together Again
19	14	Bee Gees	Too Much Heaven
20	30	Shalamar	Take That To The Bank
21	34	Third World	Cool Meditation
22	28	Anne Murray	You Needed Me
23	21	Sally Oldfield	Mirrors
24	27	Dan Hartman	This Is It
25	NEW	Leif Garrett	I Was Made For Dancing
26	31	Barry Manilow	Could It Be Magic
27	NEW	Dr. Feelgood	Milk And Alcohol
28	36	Doll	Desire Me
29	12	Barbra & Neil	You Don't Bring Me Flowers
30	16	Sarah Brightman & Hot Gossip	I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper
31	NEW	Generation X	King Rocker
32	39	London Symphony Orchestra	Theme From Superman
33	40	Chanson	Don't Hold Back
34	29	Leo Sayer	Raining In My Heart
35	25	Mankind	Dr. Who
36	17	Barron Knights	A Taste Of Aggro
37	38	Phoebe Snow	Every Night
38	35	Rod Stewart	Do You Think I'm Sexy
39	NEW	Cerrone	Je Suis Music
40	33	Musique	In The Bush

Ian's second hit and it went all the way to number one. Many bought it for the B Side "There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards" but the A Side was the song that will always be remembered. Strange how Ian never really built on the success of this. It was nice to see him on the comback trail at Wollaton Park in May 1998. But the comeback was cut short by his death in early 2000.

This single had a three week stint at number two to close 1978. It then began 1979 with three weeks at number one. It was the first and biggest hit for the Village People and spent 13 weeks on the 40. A re-mixed version reached number 12 fifteen years later. It did get a little tiresome at the time, but it's a classic of the disco era.

The first of Earth Wind And Fire's three consecutive top five hits and also the biggest with a number three peak, though it took seven weeks to reach that position. It was a hell of a way for them to kick off their most successful year with them also having their 'Best Of' album released at this time, and the huge 'I Am' following six months later. A re-mix of this song reached number 25 in the summer of 1999.

Olivia's success in the UK has always been patchy. After six hits from countless releases between the Spring of '71 to the Autumn of '74, she was absent from the chart until the Summer of '77 when she had her biggest hit to date with the number six peaking "Sam". She then had to wait almost a year before her next hit, but what a hit !
It was the duet with John Travolta "You're The One That I Want" that spent a whopping nine weeks at number one, swiftly followed by seven further weeks on top with "Summer Nights", also with John. the time looked set for more Olivia solo material, so after her solo effort from the 'Grease' soundtrack "Hopelessly Devoted To You" had been to number two, EMI released this brand new track and watched it climb the chart to number four and spend a total of nine weeks in the 40. It was another of those singles that took a huge drop out of the chart, as it's last chart week was spent at number 16. Olivia's performance of this song is quite comical for the way in which she swiftly turns her head in time with the music.
It's parent album "Totally Hot" is the only ONJ album that I can comfortably listen to (my sister has them all) in it's entirety without wanting to smash it to pieces for having the nerve to enter my life, but no further singles from the album made it into the top 40.

The Three Degrees were enjoying a revival in their UK chart fortunes, and reached number three with their biggest hit in almost five years. It was actually their first single to make the top ten since "Take Good Care Of Yourself" climbed to number nine in April 1975. It was one of six singles on the Ariola label to be pressed on gold vinyl in January 1979

This was Blondie's first ever number one in the UK, and by the end of the following year, they had achieved five chart toppers with a combined total of 12 weeks at the summit (this attained four of them). The amazing fact about this (at the time), was that it was the third single to be lifted from the 'Parallel Lines' album. They didn't stop there either, as a fourth single from the said album also hit the top a few months later.

This first hit for Racey spent three weeks at number three in January. It had what would become the distinctive 'Racey sound' (or do I mean all of their songs sounded the same ?). That same sound was evident on a track called "Kitty" that was featured on theri album "Smash And Grab". Toni Basil later picked up on the track, changed a few words and renamed it "Mickey". She had a massive worldwide hit with it in 1982 reaching number 2 in the UK, and aa cover of her version was taken to number 4 in the UK in 1999.

Another novelty hit here. "Hello This Is Joannie (The Telephone Answering Machine Song)" made it to number six in January. It told the story of someone trying to contact his girlfriend (Joannie) that he'd had an alcohol fueled argument with the previous evening. But he kept getting her new fangled answering machine. Near the end of the song he discovers that Joanie has been killed in a car crash. I may have described this as a novelty hit, but had it been first recorded by an established band of the 90s, it could be regarded as a classic in some minds. This had been his first UK hit for over 18 years, so brace yourself, he's overdue another one !
By the way, is there a difference between an answering machine and voice mail ?
If not, then what is the point ?
Besides, everytime I've heard someone use the expression 'Voice Mail', the guilty party has either been a Cliff, Cliffess, or someone pretending to be something they're not !

Great with lyrics, great without. This song had already hit number one exactly two years to the week before this version peaked at number five, when recorded by Julie Covington. But it was now being given the Shadows instrumental treatment. It was the Shadows first hit since their Eurovision entry "Let Me Be The One" back in the spring of 1975. It was also their first instrumental hit for 12 years and the biggest hit for the band since "The Rise And Fall Of Flingel Bunt" in 1964.

A single that seemed to be around forever on both sides of the Atlantic (it actually hit the top three times in the States). Over here it peaked at number seven in the middle of December. But after spending the next four weeks between number 9 & 10, it then climbed back up to it's peak before dropping for the rest of it's 14 week run. Even then, it wouldn't fall out until the follow up was ready to chart in the last week of February 1979.

Driver 67's novelty hit "Car 67" reached a high of number seven and he was to have no more hits. This was a song about a taxi driver being ordered to do a pick up at the home of the woman he'd broken up with the previous evening. Interesting concept, and I remember a follow up single being released, and I think it was called "Headlights" and available on luminous vinyl. Actually, I think I have it, but don't have time to check.

Barry White was enjoying a brief comeback with his version of Billy Joel's hit from the previous March. It's a classic love song that says so much, so the king of seduction (ha) could hardly go wrong could he ?
The 12inch (White Vinyl of course) was worth buying for the excellent "Your Sweetness Is My Weakness" on the flip. In early January 1979 the whole of the counry was white. The snow had began on Christmas Eve, and it seeemed to snow almost everyday afterwards until the end of February. When returning to work after the new year, I had to go and help out the highways department by clearing snow from the footpaths in Wrexham town centre. I was working in Regent Street and Hope Street with Chris Squires and Rob Jones (I went out with Rob's sister 4 years later, but let's forget that for now). As well as not wanting to be recognised by anyone I knew, It was also freezing cold. So we took turns at going into shops for a warm. I took my turn when we reached Woolies, and came out with this record.
It reached number 12, but it was to be almost nine years before Barry returned to the top 40.

Another disco record, but with a much heavier sound than most of the others around. I recall this being around for quite a few weeks before Christmas, but that's probably because it was getting a lot of airplay on Radio One (and I did listen to it all day as I did all kinds of gardening work in the freezing cold). It peaked at number nine towards the end of January. I remember seeing an article about the band in the quite new 'Smash Hits' magazine at that time. The title of the article was "What Is A Parlia - Funkadelic ?", and it was all to do with the two bands 'Parliament' and 'Funkadelic' being basically the same band led by George Clinton but each with a slightly different sound. There was also a poster of the band, and there were over 30 members !

Elton's previous single "Part Time Love" peaked at number 15 in the same week that this entered at number 22. "Song For Guy" quickly rose up the chart to number four becoming Elton's first top five hit in six years. It was a mostly instrumental track that was inspired by the death of a motorcycle messenger employed by Rocket Records.

A low new entry position for Billy at number 40, but so what, this was 1978 not 1998. Three weeks later Billy had matched the number 36 peak of his previous single ("Movin' Out") and fallen to number 38. But he then started moving up again and peaked at number 12 in his ninth week of a 12 week run. Of course the Americans have always had much better taste where Billy Joel is concerned, and it hit number three over there.

Rocky Sharpe And The Replays somehow got to number 17 with a song that included the line "I know a girl, her name is Rama Lama Ding Dong" ! I would never have complained if I'd known that 17 years later one of the biggest hits of the year would consist of someone repeatedly saying "Lager". Besides, I've since been informed of the fine musical pedigree of this band, something that I was previously unaware of.

A lovely song from Hot Chocolate that was regularly heard at the end of the night in discos at that time. It peaked at number 13 in it's seventh chart week.
Speaking of Disco's, I went to my first Disco on licensed premises on Christmas Eve in 1978. It was at the British Legion in Ruabon. I remember that night so well, my favourite memory being at midnight when the DJ played "Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade.

After what seemed like an eternity since the last single "Night Fever", the Bee Gees were back with a return to ballads. After taking a leap from 14 to 3, they surprisingly dropped to number five. They didn't just disappear though, as they climbed back to number four for a couple of weeks. It was also the fourth of six consecutive number ones in the States for them.

The follow up to "Now That We've Found Love" couldn't match the number ten peak of it's predecessor spending two of it's seven week chart run at a peak of number 17. Personally, I thought that it was a better track. It was also another of those big droppers out of the chart when it fell out from number 19. Third World were then absent from the chart until June 1981.

Anne Murray only reached number 22 with this song, and then after falling, climbed back up to reach number 23, 4 weeks later. In all this slow burner spent 9 weeks on the 40. This had been her first top 40 hit since "Snowbird" in 1970, and the last one that she's had to date. Though she did release a good follow up to this called "I Just Fall In Love Again". This kind of song wasn't particularly fashionable then let alone now, but you can't keep a good song down. Boyzone covered it and spent a week at number one in May 1999, yet I wouldn't be surprised if they sold less copies than Anne in the UK (Anne hit number one in the US).

Dan Hartman was following up his first hit "Instant Replay" with a song that had nothing whatsoever to do with the Melba Moore classic from 1976. It peaked at number 17, after which Dan released two more singles during 1979 ("Time And Space" & "Boogie All Summer") that both failed to chart. He would not return to the chart until 1985 with "I Can Dream About You". The highest charting Dan composition was 'ReLight my Fire', a number one for Take That in 1993, though his work was sampled on Black Box's massive hit "Ride On Time" in 1989. Dan died of aids related illness in 1994.

Barry Manilow was having his first top 40 hit for almost five years with "Could It Be Magic", a song that had already been a minor hit for Donna Summer back in 1976. In actual fact, I remember clearly listening to this on the top 40 in the very week that it entered. I wondered why Barry was covering Donna's song, until I checked out my 'Donna Summer Greatest Hits' album and discovered that Barry had co-written it in the first place. Barry could only make it to number 25 with his version, but the song was taken to number two by Take That 14 years later. After the success of that version, Barry re-recorded the song in Take That/Donna Summer style (leaving out the orgasm) and took it to number 36.
Back to the year in question, and this release had been taken from the 'Manilow Magic' album, an album that seemed to be around forever and turned him into a housewives favourite.

Doll were one hit wonders who reached their peak of number 28 in their second week on the chart with "Desire Me". If you like the music of Siouxsie And The Banshees from that time, then you would probably like this single. I thought they sounded similar to SATB, but no one seems to agree with me, so forget I even mentioned it, maybe you won't like it, but I do.

This was very different to the music we would be hearing from Sarah during the '80s & '90s. At this time Sarah was a pin up girl (well, I had a saucy poster of her on my wall anyway) and part of risqué dance troupe 'Hot Gossip'. They had made a name for themselves while appearing regularly on 'The Kenny Everett Video Show', an innovative show that was first broadcast on the day I started work (July 3rd 1978). I remember that because everyone was talking about the show the following day. Why they decided to record a single, I don't know, but they were rewarded with this number six hit. Soon afterwards Sarah split from the rest and recorded her own singles including "The Adventures Of The Love Crusader" and "Love In A UFO", which all failed to chart (though the former was included on a K Tel compilation album called 'Hi Energy'). The rest of Hot Gossip actually released an album of their own a few years later, an album that included their cover of the Human League's "Circus Of Death".

This is when Billy Idol hit the top 20 for the first time as part of Generation X. It was their second top 40 hit, following the number 36 peaking "Your Generation" in 1977. They only managed one further top 40 hit coming very shortly after this one, before Generation X sank into oblivion. Lead vocalist Billy Idol is of course a different story.

The LSO have released many good albums of their interpretations of Rock classics, but this is their only hit single. It peaked at number 32 and didn't stay around too long. And yes, it's the theme from the first of those Superman films that always creep into the TV schedule for either Christmas Day or Boxing Day. To be honest I didn't care too much for this, and probably went upstairs to check that Donna Summer album (see Barry Manilow) while it was on.

Chanson were enjoying their only hit with the number 33 peaking 'Don't Hold Back'. This was another one of the six singles that Ariola Records released on Gold Vinyl at the time. Even my memory isn't good enough to remember what they all were, but besides this and the 'Three Degrees' hit there was a single by a band called 'The Winners' that failed to chart, and I think there was one by 'Linda Lewis' that suffered the same fate.

Leo's second single from the "Leo Sayer" album was a cover of a song that was originally on the B Side of Buddy Holly's 1959 number one "It Doesn't Matter Anymore". It was a simply brilliant cover and promised so much, but sadly got caught up in Christmas and could only reach number 21 during it's eight week run.

Another one of those parody singles from the Barron Knights, this one parodied, Rivers Of Babylon, The Smurf Song and Matchstalk Men And Matchstalk Cats And Dogs. It didn't do as well as any of the originals, but it spent two weeks at number three. The album from which it came (Night Gallery) contained many gems including My Will (I Will), Little White Bum (Little White Bull), and the follow up single Boozy Nights (Boogie Nights).

Phoebe Snow with her only hit, a cover of Paul McCartney's "Every Night". Surprisingly this record only reached number 37 despite being played every day for what seemed like months by BBC Radio 1 DJ Simon Bates. I was with Simes on that one and think it deserves a re-release. Better than the original. The last that was heard of Phoebe was in the early '90s when she was touring clubs with a band that included Donald Fagen & Michael McDonald.

Rod has received a lot of criticism for this song. It has been said that Rod should not have gone disco, he sold out.
I know it's no "Maggie May", but I strongly disagree. On this, Rod took the piss out of both disco music and himself, and came up with a song that the public loved and sent to number one. It was taken from the album 'Blondes Have More Fun', his last great album for 13 years.

Three weeks at number 16 for this single and it spent a total of ten weeks in the chart. Isn't it strange how a single that could only climb this high can still be remembered clearly over 20 years later, yet many top ten hits from just six months ago have already been forgotten ?
Musique had no further hits, but their "Keep On Jumpin'" became a top ten hit twice in 1996, courtesy of 'Todd Terry' and 'Lisa Marie Experience'.

Disclaimer All comments concerning the quality of the songs in this and any other chart, are purely my opinion and not a statement of fact. I believe that we are all equal when it comes to deciding what makes a good song. I do not believe that good songs have to be serious or dull. I am of the opinion that if a single sells many copies, then many people like it, so it must be good whether I like it or not. Good music is everything YOU like, and it's also everything I like.