Top 10 Tracks of 1979
Previous: 1978
Blondie’s Parallel Lines gets so much attention, and I feel, as a result, valuable gems like “Dreaming” are largely overlooked. // I don’t think I’m capable of hearing “Brass in Pocket” without thinking of Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation. // I would take Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You” over anything on Thriller. // Does “Comfortably Numb” have the greatest guitar solo of all time? // The Clash are punk legends, yet my favorite tune of theirs is pop perfection. // Neil Young sums up the tragic contradictions of rock and roll in one brilliant song without a studio recording.
10. Blondie- Dreaming (Listen)
9. The Police- Message in a Bottle (Listen)
8. The Pretenders- Brass in Pocket (Listen)
7. Prince- I Wanna Be Your Lover
6. The Cure- Boys Don’t Cry (Listen)
5. Elvis Costello- Oliver’s Army (Listen)
4. Michael Jackson- Rock With You (Listen)
3. Pink Floyd- Comfortably Numb (Listen)
2. The Clash- Train in Vain (Stand by Me) (Listen)
1. Neil Young- Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) (Listen)
See Also: Top 10 Albums of 1979
Top 10 Tracks of 1976
Previous: 1975
Punk is a wonderful thing, or at least it used to be. I recently saw Blondie live, and it would have been nice if they had played “X Offender.” (They didn’t.) I can’t think of “Long May You Run” these days without thinking about Conan O’Brien’s last week on NBC. ABBA is best known these days for an upbeat dance tune (and a horrible movie musical), but their best material is their break-up music. Though to be fair, even their break-up songs are upbeat dance tunes. The single release of “Anarchy in the U.K.” in 1976 allows me to include two songs off of Never Mind the Bollocks for this project, the second for 1977’s list.
10. The Damned- New Rose (Listen)
9. David Bowie- Station to Station (Listen)
8. Blondie- X Offender (Listen)
7. Neil Young- Long May You Run
6. The Modern Lovers- Roadrunner (Listen)
5. Ramones- Judy is a Punk (Listen)
4. ABBA- Knowing Me, Knowing You (Listen)
3. Jackson Browne- The Pretender (Listen)
2. Sex Pistols- Anarchy in the U.K. (Listen)
1. Stevie Wonder- Love’s In Need of Love Today (Listen)
Next: 1977
See Also: Top 10 Albums of 1976
Top 10 Albums of 1976
1. Ramones- Ramones
Listen: “Judy is a Punk”
2. Stevie Wonder- Songs in the Key of Life
Listen: “Knocks Me Off My Feet”
3. David Bowie- Station to Station
Listen: “Station to Station”
4. ABBA- Arrival
Listen: “Why Did It Have to Me”
5. The Modern Lovers- The Modern Lovers
Listen: “Roadrunner”
6. Blondie- Blondie
Listen: “X Offender”
7. Tom Waits- Small Change
Listen: “Tom Traubert’s Blues”
8. Bob Dylan- Desire
Listen: “Hurricane”
9. Jackson Browne- The Pretender
Listen: “The Pretender”
10. Joni Mitchell- Hejira
Listen: “Blue Motel Room”
Honorable Mention: AC/DC’s High Voltage
Updated: December 31, 2011
See Also: Top 10 Tracks of 1976, Top 10 Albums of 2007, Top 10 Albums of 2006, Top 10 Albums of 2005, Top 10 Albums of 2004, Top 10 Albums of 2003, Top 10 Albums of 2002, Top 10 Albums of 2001, Top 10 Albums of 2000, Top 10 Albums of 1999, Top 10 Albums of 1998, Top 10 Albums of 1997, Top 10 Albums of 1996, Top 10 Albums of 1995, Top 10 Albums of 1994, Top 10 Albums of 1993, Top 10 Albums of 1992, Top 10 Albums of 1991, Top 10 Albums of 1990, Top 10 Albums of 1989, Top 10 Albums of 1988, Top 10 Albums of 1987, Top 10 Albums of 1986, Top 10 Albums of 1985, Top 10 Albums of 1984, Top 10 Albums of 1983, Top 10 Albums of 1982, Top 10 Albums of 1981, Top 10 Albums of 1980, Top 10 Albums of 1979, Top 10 Albums of 1978, Top 10 Albums of 1977, Top 10 Albums of 1975, Top 10 Albums of 1974, Top 10 Albums of 1973, Top 10 Albums of 1972, Top 10 Albums of 1971, Top 10 Albums of 1970, Top 10 Albums of 1969, Top 10 Albums of 1968, Top 10 Albums of 1967, Top 10 Albums of 1966, Top 10 Albums of 1965
