Cobb: 100 Songs from 1978

December 08, 2005

100 Songs from 1978

It's only upon reflection at this list, picking up the meme from Professor Kim, that I realize how hard it must have been for the people who were screaming 'Disco Sucks' all those years. I didn't pay attention to the pop charts at the time. I didn't have to, I was a DJ in the 'hood. I knew all the good music that people actually danced to. I don't mean people who suddenly upped and decided to dance because of John Travolta, but people for whom dance is a fundamental part of life. If 'something about the music, got into your pants', then you know I'm talking about you.

So I look at this top 100 from MusicOutfitters and I'm thinking, how is it that the number 100 song is about 100 times better than the number 1 song? Are these people nuts? This pop culture needs a diaper change. But I've seen it before.

It's astounding how upside down America became because of Grease and Saturday Night Fever. It just ain't right. Now there's quite a few songs here that I actually liked, but the instructions say 'loved'. So here it is.

~~1. Shadow Dancing, Andy Gibb~~
2. Night Fever, Bee Gees
~~3. You Light Up My Life, Debby Boone~~
4. Stayin' Alive, Bee Gees
~~5. Kiss You All Over, Exile~~
6. How Deep Is Your Love, Bee Gees
7. Baby Come Back, Player
~~8. (Love Is) Thicker Than Water, Andy Gibb~~
9. Boogie Oogie Oogie, A Taste Of Honey
10. Three Times A Lady, Commodores
~~11. Grease, Frankie Valli~~
12. I Go Crazy, Paul Davis
~~13. You're The One That I Want, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John~~
14. Emotion, Samantha Sang
15. Lay Down Sally, Eric Clapton
16. Miss You, Rolling Stones
17. Just The Way You Are, Billy Joel
18. With A Little Luck, Wings
19. If I Can't Have You, Yvonne Elliman
20. Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah), Chic
21. Feels So Good, Chuck Mangione
22. Hot Child In The City, Nick Gilder
23. Love Is Like Oxygen, Sweet
24. It's A Heartache, Bonnie Tyler
25. We Are The Champions / We Will Rock You, Queen

26. Baker Street, Gerry Rafferty
~~27. Can't Smile Without You, Barry Manilow~~
28. Too Much, Too Little, Too Late, Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams
29. Dance With Me, Peter Brown
30. Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad, Meat Loaf
31. Jack And Jill, Raydio
32. Take A Chance On Me, Abba
33. Sometimes When We Touch, Dan Hill
34. Last Dance, Donna Summer
~~35. Hopelessly Devoted To You, Olivia Newton-John~~
36. Hot Blooded, Foreigner
37. You're In My Heart, Rod Stewart
38. The Closer I Get To You, Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
39. Dust In The Wind, Kansas
40. Magnet And Steel, Walter Egan
41. Short People, Randy Newman
42. Use Ta Be My Girl, O'Jays
43. Our Love, Natalie Cole
44. Love Will Find A Way, Pablo Cruise
45. An Everlasting Love, Andy Gibb
46. Love Is In The Air, John Paul Young
47. Goodbye Girl, David Gates
48. Slip Slidin' Away, Paul Simon
49. The Groove Line, Heatwave
50. Thunder Island, Jay Ferguson
51. Imaginary Lover, Atlanta Rhythm Section
52. Still The Same, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
53. My Angel Baby, Toby Beau
54. Disco Inferno, Trammps
55. On Broadway, George Benson
56. Come Sail Away, Styx
57. Back In Love Again, L.T.D.
58. This Time I'm In It For Love, Player
59. You Belong To Me, Carly Simon
60. Here You Come Again, Dolly Parton
61. Blue Bayou, Linda Ronstadt
62. Peg, Steely Dan
63. You Needed Me, Anne Murray
64. Shame, Evelyn "Champagne" King
65. Reminiscing, Little River Band
66. Count On Me, Jefferson Starship
67. Baby Hold On, Eddie Money
68. Hey Deanie, Shaun Cassidy
~~69. Summer Nights, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-john~~
70. What's Your Name, Lynyrd Skynyrd
71. Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue, Crystal Gayle
72. Because The Night, Patti Smith
73. Every Kinda People, Robert Palmer
74. Copacabana, Barry Manilow
75. Always And Forever, Heatwave
76. You And I, Rick James
77. Serpentine Fire, Earth, Wind and Fire
78. Sentimental Lady, Bob Welch
79. Falling, LeBlanc and Carr
80. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, Santa Esmeralda
81. Bluer Than Blue, Michael Johnson
82. Running On Empty, Jackson Browne
83. Whenever I Call You "Friend", Kenny Loggins
84. Fool (If You Think It's Over), Chris Rea
85. Get Off, Foxy
86. Sweet Talking Woman, Electric Light Orchestra
87. Life's Been Good, Joe Walsh
88. I Love The Night Life, Alicia Bridges
89. You Can't Turn Me Off (In The Middle Of Turning Me On), High Inergy
90. It's So Easy, Linda Ronstadt
91. Native New Yorker, Odyssey
92. Flashlight, Parliament
93. Don't Look Back, Boston
94. Turn To Stone, Electric Light Orchestra
95. I Can't Stand The Rain, Eruption
96. Ebony Eyes, Bob Welch
97. The Name Of The Game, Abba
98. We're All Alone, Rita Coolidge
99. Hollywood Nights, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
100. Deacon Blues, Steely Dan

Posted by mbowen at December 8, 2005 06:44 PM

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Comments

I picked up the meme before i decided to stop...

but 87 was a HORRIBLE year. i wish they'd had an r and b only list, or even an underground list (87 was a great year for house and detroit techno).

Posted by: Lester Spence at December 8, 2005 07:54 PM

It was horrible. I looked at more years and music was crap. When Janet Jackson made her big album, it truly was a revolution in the industry.

BTW. Cobblers-Hiphop is halfway to being where we need to be on membership. We'll get it going yet.
http://www.last.fm/group/Cobblers%2B-%2BHiphop

Posted by: Cobb at December 8, 2005 10:30 PM

what year was this?

Posted by: sandra at December 12, 2005 10:02 AM

That list reminds me why LA's Black kids who were bussed out to the high schools on the west side had to have an an after party following the Prom.

We had to put up with that playlist. 1978 was a great year for funk bands with 52-piece brass sections, but that list is devoid of most of them. But the DJ at the afterparty had 'em all.

Posted by: brotherbrown at December 13, 2005 02:17 PM