Best Song of 1978
The late 1970s were a fascinating time for music. Where else could you have country songs, heavy rock, disco, r'n'b, electro-pop, jazz, and even novelty songs top the charts? Only the 70s, baby! Now, as we hurtle toward 50 years after their release, the Great Pop Culture Debate wants to determine the Best Songs of 1978. Songs discussed: “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, “Le Freak” by CHIC, “Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel, “Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen, “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan, “One Way Or Another” by Blondie, “I Wanna Be Sedated” by Ramones, “Roxanne” by The Police, “Stayin’ Alive” by Bee Gees, “Copacabana” by Barry Manilow, “Take a Chance On Me” by ABBA, “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions” by Queen, “Heart of Glass” by Blondie, “Rock Lobster” by The B-52’s, “Big Shot” by Billy Joel, “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire.
Note that while some of these songs were released in 1977, they were all on the Billboard Top 100 for the 1978 end-of-year charts.
Join host Eric Rezsnyak, Patreon sponsor Derek Mekita, GPCD panelist Karissa Kloss, and special guest panelist Beth D’Imperio as they discuss 16 of the greatest songs from the late 1970s.
Play along at home by finding the listener bracket here. Make a copy for yourself, fill it out, and see if your picks match up with ours!
For more exclusive content, including the warm-up in which we discuss additional songs that were popular in 1978 we were bummed didn’t make the bracket, become a Patreon supporter of the podcast today.
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Round 1 Match-Ups:
Not a Patreon subscriber? Here’s a primer on how we came up with the bracket.
Match-Up 1: “I Will Survive” Gloria Gaynor (1) vs. “Le Freak” CHIC (4)
Match-Up 2: “Just the Way You Are” Billy Joel (3) vs. “Fat-Bottomed Girls” Queen (2)
Match-Up 3: “I’m Every Woman” Chaka Khan (1) vs. “One Way Or Another” Blondie (4)
Match-Up 4: “I Wanna Be Sedated” Ramones (3) vs. “Roxanne” The Police (2)
Match-Up 5: “Stayin’ Alive” The Bee Gees (1) vs. “Copacabana” Barry Manilow (4)
Match-Up 7: “Heart of Glass” Blondie (1) vs. “Rock Lobster” The B-52’s (4)
Match-Up 8: “Big Shot” Billy Joel (3) vs. “September” Earth Wind & Fire (2)
Looking for a playlist with all of the songs, as well as a few extra nominated by the panelists? Click here to find it directly on Spotify.
Want to play along at home?
Download the Listener Bracket and see if your picks match up with ours!
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Episode Credits
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Panel: Derek Mekita, Karissa Kloss
Patreon Sponsor: Derek Mekita
Special Guest: Beth D’Imperio
Producer: Curtis Creekmore
Editor: Bob Erlenback
Theme Music: “Dance to My Tune” by Marc Torch