The UK Top 40 w/e 22nd December 1979
Nigel Jones
Week 51
WEEK ENDING 22nd DECEMBER 1979
THE CHRISTMAS CHART
TOP 40 SINGLES
No. LW
1 1 Pink Floyd Another Brick In The Wall
2 21 Abba I Have A Dream
3 2 Police Walking On The Moon
4 26 Fiddlers Dram Day Trip To Bangor
5 4 Tourists I Only Want To Be With You
6 3 Sugarhill Gang Rappers Delight
7 20 Paul McCartney Wonderful Christmas Time
8 6 Gibson Brothers Que Sera Mi Vida
9 10 Three Degrees My Simple Heart
10 30 Pretenders Brass In Pocket
11 5 Donna Summer & Barbra Streisand No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)
12 7 Michael Jackson Off The Wall
13 23 David Bowie John I'm Only Dancing (Again)
14 13 Blondie Union City Blue
15 11 E.L.O. Confusion/Last Train To London
16 18 Status Quo Living On An Island
17 24 Rose Royce Is It Love You're After
18 14 Moody Blues Nights In White Satin
19 9 Madness One Step Beyond
20 31 Beat Tears Of A Clown
21 8 Dr. Hook When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman
22 19 Matchbox Rockabilly Rebel
23 15 Gary Numan Complex
24 27 Skids Working For The Yankee Dollar
25 NEW Elvis Presley It Won't Seem Like Christmas Without You
26 12 Queen Crazy Little Thing Called Love
27 16 Boomtown Rats Diamond Smiles
28 35 K.C. & The Sunshine Band Please Don't Go
29 NEW Clash London Calling
30 40 Mike Oldfield Blue Peter
31 28 Ramblers The Sparrow
32 29 Chic My Feet Keep Dancing
33 37 Sheila B. Devotion Spacer
34 39 Diana Ross It's My House
35 NEW M Moonlight And Muzak
36 NEW Kurtis Blow Christmas Rappin
37 36 Storm It's My House
38 NEW Boney M I'm Born Again
39 NEW Dollar I Wanna Hold Your Hand
40 32 Lena Martell One Day At A Time
THE NEW ENTRIES
25 Elvis Presley
It Won't Seem Like Christmas Without You
Elvis had now been dead over two years, but the hits still kept on coming. This
was actually quite good and was a grand showcase for his vocals. It peaked at
number 13.
29 Clash London Calling
This track had the honour of being the first song heard on Top Of The Pops in
the Eighties. They didn't actually appear of course, but it was played as the
chart was counted down at the beginning. In reaching number 11, it also held the
honour of being the Clash's highest charting single until the re-release of
"Should I Stay Or Should I Go" in 1991. It's parent album (also titled "London
Calling") was released in time to feature on the last Album chart of the '70's
and is many people's choice as the best album of the '80's (others choose it as
their best of the '70's). Personally, I don't find it to be anything more than
an average album, I much prefer the first two albums.
35 M
Moonlight & Muzak
It was a long time coming, but here at last was the follow up to the smash hit
"Pop Muzik". I always preferered this one, found it a much more interesting
song. Sadly, it only reached number 33.
36 Kurtis Blow
Christmas Rappin'
Hot on the heels of the Sugarhill Gang, here was Kurtis with the second rap
single to hit the UK top 40. It only reached number 30, but at least I wasn't
led to believe that the old school rappers had sex with their own mothers. It
was all quite innocent back then.
The B Side of this was an instrumental track called "Do It Yourself Rappin' ",
and yes, I had a go. But a better track for doing that was the B Side to Chic's
"I Want Your Love" 12 inch, a track called "Funny Bone".
38 Boney M
I'm Born Again
A very Christmassy single in the vein as "Mary's Boy Child" and I expected it to
be at least a top ten hit. But no, it surprisingly stalled at number 35. It was
actually a double A side with "Bahama Mama", but that track was a little silly.
This was the last of their 11 consecutive UK top 40 hits, but not the end of all
their chart activity.
39 Dollar
I Want To Hold Your Hand
I always had a soft spot for Dollar, and this cover of (what was at the time)
the second biggest selling single in the UK, was done in such a way that it
barely resembled the Beatles original. It took just three weeks to hit number
nine, but that was as far as it got. It was Dollar's fourth hit in the space of
a year, but they would have to wait until August 1981 for their next one.
These songs were in the top 50 this week, but failed to reach the top 40.
Earth Wind And Fire Can't Let Go
Another great track from the "I Am" album, and it didn't sound too much like the
previous three either. Thing is, us record buyers weren't mugs too often then.
So we weren't going to buy a song that we already had, it peaked at number 46.
Barron Knights Food For Thought
More fun from the Barron Knights, but unfortunately not too many heard this as
it only reached number 46. On this occasion they parodied Lena Lovich's "Lucky
Number", M's "Pop Muzik" and the best of all, Bellamy Brothers' "If I Said You
Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" as "If I Jump Into The Back
Of Your Lorry Would You Take Me To Finchley", which evolved into "If you jump
into the back of my lorry, you'll be frozen by Watford". It's parent album
"Teach the World To Laugh" also included their takes on "The Logical Song" (The
Topical Song), "Leaving On A Jet Plane" (Heaving On A Jet Plane) and McCarthur
Park (Arthur Clarke the gardener in the park), as well as a version of E.L.O.'s
"Telephone Line" where the call is made from a call box and the money keeps
running out.
No chart next week due to Christmas. Please keep it in December from now on, it
does NOT begin in September and the major store chains need to be told. Have a
great one anyway !
Nige
Nigel's Golden Days
http://www.yearsofgold.org.uk