Seventies Music Chart Top Ten: January 1979

Here are the pop charts of the week ending 6th January 1979 (BBC)

1 YMCA by Village People
This song broke the mold, it was a huge 70s music hit world wide, and still is with the dance that goes with it, the fun video, and the fact it was born out of the gay scene, although at the time, despite the lyrics, you were not really told that. The "YMCA" , was the Young Man’s Christian Association, but was known also as a cruising record for gay people in the know. Although members of the group still deny this.

The video with the fireman, cowboy, Indian, construction worker and biker never got away from the gay fantasy, but most of the millions around the world dancing, and singing a long, just did not see the connection, and the record companies and the press did not seem to say too much either.

Victor Willis the US cop was also on stage in "The Wiz", in 1976, and Glenn Hughes the biker died in 2001 from lung cancer.

Part of the lyrics

Young man, there's no need to feel down.

I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.

I said, young man, 'cause you're in a new town

There's no need to be unhappy.

Young man, there's a place you can go.

I said, young man, when you're short on your dough.

You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find

Many ways to have a good time.

It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A.

It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A.

They have everything that you need to enjoy,

You can hang out with all the boys ...

SEE THE YMCA

video

2 Mary’s Boy Child by Boney M

This successful German session group had huge disco hits in the 1970 pop charts, and this was a great Christmas record to come up with. Originally a hit for Harry Belafonte in the 1950s, he of the co writer fame "We Are the World"

Boney M interview

Guitar chords Video

3 Lay Your Love On Me by Racey

A good 70s music, pop record from the British group from Weston Super-mare, and they had several hits in the late 1970 pop charts, and it was always considered a fun group, their biggest hit being "Some Girls Will".

Pete Miller on bass died in 2003 from cancer.
Article about Racey

4 A taste of Aggro by The Barron Knights

The group formed in the 1950s, with great parody hits in the 1960s, were back in the 1970s.They were often on tv and the cabarets and were performing into the eighties.

The lead singer Duke D’Monde, died from a heart attack in 2009.

5 A Song for Guy by Elton John 

This almost fully instrumental was inspired by the death of a motorbike courier called Guy at the age of 17. He did not turn up one day, and Elton and the crew heard he had died in a motorbike accident. Elton dominated 70s music, and even today continues to have hits.

Official site

6 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick by Ian Dury and the Blockheads
This was named the best single of 1979 , and Ian Dury died in 2000 from cancer at the age of 57.

 


7 You Don’t Bring Me Flowers by Barbara Streisand and Neil Diamond

8 Too Much Heaven by the Bee Gees Article about Robin Gibb

9 I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper by Sarah Brightman and Hot Gossip

10 Le freak by Chic