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Parking itself in the #1 spot this week 25 years ago, Cars gave Gary Numan a
second consecutive chart-topper just a couple of months after Are "Friends"
Electric? had ruled the roost. Cars' reign would last only 7 days, however,
and Numan never scaled the same heights again, his chart fortunes steadily
declining over the next decade until his singles barely scraped into the Top 75
at all.
The outgoing #1, We Don't Talk Anymore by Cliff Richard, swapped places with
Cars after a month at the top. It was Cliff's first UK #1 since 1968, and
ended the decade on a high note after the least successful period of his career.
The single's success also meant he had reached #1 in the 1950s, 1960s and
now 1970s. Subsequently, that sequence would be extended to include the 1980s
(Mistletoe & Wine), 1990s (Saviours Day) and, remarkably, even the 21st
Century's first decade (courtesy of The Millenium Prayer).
The Best Of The Bellamy Brothers
Completing one of the most memorable Top 3s in chart history, Electric Light
Orchestra's Don't Bring Me Down moved up a notch from #4 to continue their
strong Top 10 showing throughout 1979. Previous single The Diary Of Horace Wimp
fell from #10 to #19 on the chart of August 25th, the same week as Don't
Bring Me Down entered at #38. The latter's surge to #11 and then #4 meant E.L.O.
had only been out of the Top 10 for a fortnight. Its peak of #3 proved to be
the band's all-time high, despite numerous Top 5 hits both before and after.
The records at #4 and #5 were also on the up; The Bellamy Brothers'If I
Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me climbed 3 places from
#7, while Love's Gotta Hold On Me by Dollar rose from #9. The Crusaders'Street Life, which introduced the vocal talents of Randy Crawford to the public,
slipped from #5 to #6 and B.A. Robertson's former #2 smash Bang Bang was
falling from #3 to #7. Highest of 7 new entries to the chart was Message In A
Bottle by The Police at #8. The following week it would topple Cars from the #1
spot. Their next two official releases (not including the mutil-single Six
Pack which hit #17) would also reach the very top.
Divine Madness
Between #11 and #20, Frantique were up 12 to #11 with Strut Your Funky
Stuff, Bill Lovelady's Reggae For It Now rose 6 to #12, Sail On by The Commodores
was climbing 10 to #14, Johnny Mathis moved #21-#15 with Gone Gone Gone and
Nick Lowe's Cruel To Be Kind continue its ascent of the Top 40 by going from
#26 to #16. Going in the opposite direction, The Flying Lizards'Money,Duchess by The Stranglers and Gangsters by The Specials were falling to #17, #18
and #19 respectively.
Knocking on the door of the Top 20 were Secret Affair (up 6 to #21 with Time
For Action) and Racey, whose Boy Oh Boy (peaking at #22) proved a far less
popular single than its predecessor, the #2 hit Some Girls. Two bands widely
acknowledged as among the finest British singles acts of the past 30 years were
also moving up towards the upper half of the chart; the debut Madness
single The Prince had debuted at #37 the previous week and now soared 14 places to
#23, while Slap & Tickle by Squeeze moved up 7 places from its entry
position of #32 but despite following a brace of seminal #2 singles in the shape of
Cool For Cats and Up The Junction it eventually went no higher than #24.
The Very Best of Rainbow
Two other rising hits were, however, destined for the Top 10; Rainbow's Since
You've Been Gone (up from #33 to #26) and the Kate BushOn Stage EP, which
climbed 8 to #27 on its second week in the Top 40. Something of a stopgap release
between her second and third albums, and also a kind of souvenir from her one
and only tour, the lead track was a live version of The Kick Inside album
cut Them Heavy People.
A pair of non-movers at #28 and #30 for the UK Subs (Tomorrow's Girls) and
Gerry Rafferty (Get It Right Next Time) bookended the second-highest entrant of
the week, Michael Jackson's Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough at #29. The
single went on to hit #3 and effectively kickstarted his sensational run of
success through the 1980s and 1990s. Other newcomers to the chart included The
Jags'Back Of My Hand at #34, Status Quo's future Top 5 smash Whatever You Want
at #35 and one of Donna Summer's less popular releases Dim All The Lights at
#38.
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Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
