The year in music

Best Songs of 1979

The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” puts hip-hop on record. The Clash’s “London Calling”, Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”, Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall”, and the first Walkman.

The first Walkman
Play 1979

46 songs

Rock with You

Rock with You

Michael Jackson
Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Queen
Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough

Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough

Michael Jackson
Rock ’n’ Roll High School

Rock ’n’ Roll High School

Ramones
Highway to Hell

Highway to Hell

AC/DC
Love Ballad

Love Ballad

George Benson
Message in a Bottle

Message in a Bottle

The Police
Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2

Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2

Pink Floyd
Atomic

Atomic

Blondie
Bad Girls

Bad Girls

Donna Summer
Bomber

Bomber

Motörhead
Brass in Pocket

Brass in Pocket

Pretenders
California Über Alles

California Über Alles

Dead Kennedys
Cars

Cars

Gary Numan
Comfortably Numb

Comfortably Numb

Pink Floyd
Here Comes The Summer

Here Comes The Summer

The Undertones
Hot Stuff

Hot Stuff

Donna Summer
I Was Made for Lovin' You

I Was Made for Lovin' You

Kiss
Jimmy Jimmy

Jimmy Jimmy

The Undertones
Metal

Metal

Gary Numan
Overkill

Overkill

Motörhead
You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It?)

You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It?)

The Undertones
Harmony in My Head

Harmony in My Head

Buzzcocks
After the Love Has Gone

After the Love Has Gone

Earth, Wind & Fire
Good Times

Good Times

Chic
London Calling

London Calling

The Clash
Transmission

Transmission

Joy Division
Bela Lugosi's Dead

Bela Lugosi's Dead

Bauhaus
Christmas Rappin'

Christmas Rappin'

Kurtis Blow
Don’t Bring Me Down

Don’t Bring Me Down

Electric Light Orchestra
One Rule for You

One Rule for You

After the Fire
Refugee

Refugee

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Rock Lobster

Rock Lobster

The B-52’s
Rydeen

Rydeen

Yellow Magic Orchestra
Street Life

Street Life

The Crusaders
Technopolis

Technopolis

Yellow Magic Orchestra
The Logical Song

The Logical Song

Supertramp
Birdland

Birdland

The Manhattan Transfer
Funkytown

Funkytown

Lipps Inc.
Morning Dance

Morning Dance

Spyro Gyra
My Sharona

My Sharona

The Knack
Pop Muzik

Pop Muzik

M
Ring My Bell

Ring My Bell

Anita Ward
Rise

Rise

Herb Alpert
Video Killed the Radio Star

Video Killed the Radio Star

The Buggles
We Are Family

We Are Family

Sister Sledge

1979 on Music By Decade

The catalogue holds 46 songs first released in 1979. Rock, New Wave and Disco lead the year. The Undertones, Donna Summer and Gary Numan are among the voices of 1979.

Artists of 1979

The sound of 1979

More of that time