For the American Top 40 episode of July 7, 1979, Casey counted down "The Top 40 Hits of the Disco Era, 1974-1979." Methodology for determining chart placement is never discussed in the episode, but Casey states that "The Disco Era" started on July 4, 1974 when "Rock the Boat" hit #1 on the pop chart. In his words, it was the first song to hit #1 that had that "disco sound and disco feel." For comparison, I'll note here that Billboard magazine published its first disco chart on October 26, 1974, titled "Disco Action." Also, I share the opinion of many who believe the first disco song was "Soul Makossa" by Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango, which peaked at #35 in 1973. But here's how the countdown is described in a June 30, 1979 memo to AT40 subscribing stations:
Rather vague, no? But here's what they came up with:
AT40 Extra #1: "Rock the Boat" by The Hues Corporation for reasons mentioned above.
Rank |
Song |
Artist |
Top 40 Debut |
Top 40 Peak |
Disco Chart Peak |
R&B Chart Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | "Love To Love You Baby" | Donna Summer | 12/20/75 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 39 | "Shake Your Groove Thing" | Peaches & Herb | 1/27/79 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| 38 | "(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again" | L.T.D. | 11/12/77 | 4 | 19 | 1 |
| 37 | "Last Dance" | Donna Summer | 6/3/78 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 36 | "Turn the Beat Around" | Vicki Sue Robinson | 6/19/76 | 10 | 1 | |
| 35 | "Keep It Comin' Love" | K.C. & The Sunshine Band | 8/13/77 | 2 | 9 | 3 |
| 34 | "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" | The Jacksons | 3/31/79 | 7 | 20 | 3 |
| 33 | "Dance With Me" | Peter Brown | 5/6/78 | 8 | 4 | 5 |
AT40 Extra #2: "How Deep Is Your Love" by The Bee Gees. The AT40 staff interviewed "dozens of disco DJs all around the country" and asked them which song they used to "cool things off a bit." This song was the third most mentioned.
Rank |
Song |
Artist |
Debut |
Top 40 |
Disco |
R&B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | "That's the Way (I Like It)" | K.C. & The Sunshine Band | 11/1/75 | 1 | 18 | 1 |
| 31 | "I Feel Love" | Donna Summer | 9/3/77 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| 30 | "Dazz" | Brick | 11/20/76 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| 29 | "Disco Inferno" | The Trammps | 3/25/78 | 11 | 1 | 9 |
| 28 | "Knock On Wood" | Amii Stewart | 2/24/79 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
AT40 Extra #3: "The Twist" by Chubby Checker. Included as "the biggest dance hit of all time."
Rank |
Song |
Artist |
Debut |
Top 40 |
Disco |
R&B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | "You Should Be Dancing" | The Bee Gees | 7/17/76 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 26 | "Get Up and Boogie (That's Right)" | Silver Convention | 4/17/76 | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| 25 | "In the Navy" | Village People | 3/31/79 | 3 | 14 | 30 |
| 24 | "You Sexy Thing" | Hot Chocolate | 12/6/75 | 3 | 6 | |
| 23 | "Got to Give It Up" | Marvin Gaye | 4/23/77 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
AT40 Extra #4: "Three Times a Lady" by Commodores. Second-most popular slow song as voted by Disco DJs.
Rank |
Song |
Artist |
Debut |
Top 40 |
Disco |
R&B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | "Fly, Robin, Fly" | Silver Convention | 10/25/75 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 21 | "Hot Stuff" | Donna Summer | 4/28/79 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 20 | "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" | Meco | 8/27/77 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| 19 | "More, More, More" | Andrea True Connection | 4/24/76 | 4 | 2 | 23 |
| 18 | "Miss You" | The Rolling Stones | 6/10/78 | 1 | 6 | 33 |
AT40 Extra #5: "Disco Duck" by Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots. Included because it was a #1 tune that wasn't played in discos and, instead, mocked disco music. Casey claims that the popularity of this novelty song was "a declaration that disco had arrived. If disco could be taken seriously enough to poke fun at it, then it wasn't just a passing fad, it had become a legitimate part of our pop culture."
Rank |
Song |
Artist |
Debut |
Top 40 |
Disco |
R&B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | "Car Wash" | Rose Royce | 12/11/76 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 16 | "If I Can't Have You" | Yvonne Elliman | 2/25/78 | 1 | ||
| 15 | "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" | K.C. & The Sunshine Band | 7/31/76 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
AT40 Extra #6: "Reunited" by Peaches & Herb. The top slow song as voted by Disco DJs.
Rank |
Song |
Artist |
Debut |
Top 40 |
Disco |
R&B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | "I'm Your Boogie Man" | K.C. & The Sunshine Band | 4/27/77 | 1 | 9 | 3 |
| 13 | "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" | Chic | 12/10/77 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| 12 | "MacArthur Park" | Donna Summer | 9/30/78 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 11 | "Don't Leave Me This Way" | Thelma Houston | 1/29/77 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | "Y.M.C.A." | Village People | 11/11/78 | 2 | 2 | 32 |
| 9 | "Boogie Oogie Oogie" | A Taste of Honey | 7/22/78 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | "I Love the Nightlife (Disco Round)" | Alicia Bridges | 9/9/78 | 5 | 2 | 31 |
AT40 Extra #7: "The Hustle" by Van McCoy & Soul City Orchestra. Included as it "introduced the most popular dance step in American discos," according to Casey.
Rank |
Song |
Artist |
Debut |
Top 40 |
Disco |
R&B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" | Rod Stewart | 12/23/78 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | "I Will Survive" | Gloria Gaynor | 1/20/79 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | "A Fifth of Beethoven" | Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band | 7/4/76 | 1 | 10 |
AT40 Extra #8: "San Francisco (You've Got Me)" by Village People. Included as the song that "did the best on the disco chart without making the pop chart." Not to be pedantic, but the song topped the chart as an album cut alongside the other three tracks on the album. Casey mistakenly claims the song wasn't released as a single. It was actually the very first single released by the group and would peak on the Bubbling Under chart at #102 in January 1978.
Rank |
Song |
Artist |
Debut |
Top 40 |
Disco |
R&B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | "Best of My Love" | The Emotions | 7/2/77 | 1 | 11 | 1 |
| 3 | "Stayin' Alive" | The Bee Gees | 12/24/77 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 2 | "Night Fever" | The Bee Gees | 2/11/78 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| 1 | "Le Freak" | Chic | 11/18/78 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Would make a helluva playlist. Artists appearing more than once in the countdown: Chic (2), The Bee Gees (2), The Village People (2), K.C. & The Sunshine Band (4), and Donna Summer (5). These 5 acts are responsible for 37.5% of the 40 tunes. The soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever fares quite well, too.
I could complain about the inclusion of the Rolling Stones or the low ranking of my all-time favorite disco tune, If I Can't Have You, but I won't because I'm happy to see Chic in the #1 spot. Plus, there were some great Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards disco tunes still to come with the likes of Sister Sledge and Diana Ross.
Previously, I've looked at these AT40 episodes:
July 2, 1983 - "The Forty Top Acts of the Eighties - So Far"
November 6, 1982
September 18, 1982
October 24, 1981
July 19, 1980
July 5, 1980 - "The Book of Records"
February 16, 1980
August 4, 1979
June 9, 1979 - Guest host: Bruce Philip Miller
September 16, 1978
November 6, 1982
September 18, 1982
October 24, 1981
July 19, 1980
July 5, 1980 - "The Book of Records"
February 16, 1980
August 4, 1979
June 9, 1979 - Guest host: Bruce Philip Miller
September 16, 1978
July 1, 1978 - "The 40 Biggest Acts of the 70's"
April 1, 1978 - "AT40 Goes to the Movies"
April 23, 1977
July 4, 1976 - "4th of July's Greatest Hits"
April 1, 1978 - "AT40 Goes to the Movies"
April 23, 1977
July 4, 1976 - "4th of July's Greatest Hits"
