Big Disco Crossover Hits, part 5

1979-1980 were practically the last years of Disco as the dominant force on the Pop charts. There were still a number of big crossover hits through the early 1980s, but the number was meager compared to the second half of the 1970s. People still danced, but they didn't dance exclusively to Disco, they also danced to New Wave, Pop, and Rock; when I visited LA in the summer of 1979, the song that brought all the dancers to the disco floor was My Sharona, a Rock hit. However, big Pop, Rock, and R&B stars were still making Disco-friendly music in 1979. We will begin with them.

Cher needs no introduction; a Pop veteran, who started having hits in the mid-1960s and is still relevant today, an Oscar-winning actress, a consummate show-woman and a bonafide Queer Icon. In 1979 she released Take Me Home, a #2 Disco hit. It also hit #8 in the US Hot 100 and #21 on the R&B chart:

Another artist who needs no introduction is Barbra Streisand. All the above in relation to Cher apply to her too - and even more gloriously. One of a handful of EGOT winners, she's among the most powerful persons in show business. In 1979 she teamed up with the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer, and together made No More Tears (Enough Is Enough), a US Disco #1 and an international hit:

To listen to the rest of Donna Summer's big crossover hits of 1979, click here.

Barbra Streisand also had a solo hit that crossed over; it was The Main Event/Fight from the film, The Main Event:

Bette Midler had (a minor) crossover hit with Married Men:

Stephanie Mills was also a singer and actress. Never Knew Love Like This Before (1980) was her biggest hit:

Also in 1980, the title track from 9 to 5, sung by Dolly Parton was a huge Pop hit and a minor Disco hit:

The same chart pattern applied to It's Still Rock and Roll to Me by Billy Joel:

... As well as Late in the Evening by Paul Simon:

David Naughton was primarily an actor. He starred in 1981's An American Werewolf in London, which had the honor of receiving the first-ever Oscar for Best Makeup. In 1979 he led the TV series Makin' It. The title track was a big crossover hit:

Herb Alpert is an extremely talented musician and entrepreneur (he co-founded A&M Records). He had lots of hits in the 1960s, among them, this instrumental classic, A Taste of Honey:

In 1979, he paid his tribute to Disco and was rewarded with the huge hit, Rise:

He followed it up with the also big crossover hit, Rotation:

Super Trouper by ABBA was #1 in the UK and a #1 US Disco hit:

The Doobie Brothers were one of the biggest Rock bands in the 1970s. What a Fool Believes was their second #1 hit on the Hot 100, as well as a top 40 Disco hit:

Would you expect to find Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd on this list? Well, it was a huge #1 in the US and the UK, as well as in most of the world, but it was also a #57 Disco hit. So, yes.

Another band that you'd never think to look for on the Disco chart would be the Avant-Garde band from Ohio, Devo. Still, Whip It was a hit both on the Hot 100 and the US Disco chart:

Queen were riding high in 1979-1980. Another One Bites the Dust was a #7 hit in the UK, but it was even bigger in the US: #1 Pop, #2 R&B, and #2 Disco:

Another big Rock hit that also made the Disco chart was I Was Made for Lovin' You by KISS:

Toto had (a minor) crossover hit with Georgy Porgy:

Pop royalty Paul McCartney also experimented with Disco. In 1979, there was Goodnight Tonight:

... Coming Up was his big 1980 hit:

Elton John was another Pop megastar who experimented with Disco. He made an EP with Philadelphia's super-producer Thom Bell. Are You Ready For Love? was one of the tracks, which went to #1 in the UK when it was released in a remixed version in 2003.

Victim Of Love was produced by Pete Bellotte. It wasn't one of Elton's big hits, but it was a hit nonetheless:

Even the Beach Boys jumped on the bandwagon: Here Comes the Night wasn't a big hit, but it made both the Pop and the Disco chart:

The divine David Bowie had a couple of crossover hits in 1980 - and both were classics; there was Ashes to Ashes:

... and there was Fashion:

M was an Electro-Pop group and also the act with the shortest name to hit #1 on the Hot 100. It also peaked at #4 (US, Disco) and #2 (UK) with the song Pop Muzik:

Gary Numan was a British Electro-Pop wizard. Cars was a #1 hit in the UK and a top 10 in the US. It also made the US Disco chart:

We continue with a bunch of British acts that had big hits in the UK (mostly in the top 10), as well as on the US Disco chart. Some also charted on the Hot 100.

Money, an electro remake of the classic Barrett Strong R&B hit by The Flying Lizards, was a hit (#5, UK - #22 US, Disco):

This is One Step Beyond by Ska legends, Madness:

Hands Off... She's Mine was a crossover hit by another successful Ska band, The Beat:

The Specials was another popular UK Ska band, with emphasis on the political, while Madness and The Beat were more about fun. Rat Race was The Specials' crossover hit:

The Grand Master of Reggae himself, the amazing Bob Marley, had a crossover hit with the majestic Could You Be Loved:

The late, great Ian Dury and The Blockheads appear with Reasons To Be Cheerful, part 3:

Another one of Ohio's super-talents, Chrissie Hynde, and her band The Pretenders had their first huge hit with the seductive Brass in Pocket:

You wouldn't expect the Clash, the top Punk band ever, to have also entered the Disco chart, but they have, twice. There was the galvanizing London Calling:

... As well as the super-cool Train in Vain (Stand by Me):

The Jam, a dynamic band influenced by the Mod sound of the 1960s, Paul Weller's brainchild, was another British supergroup at the time. Start! was a crossover hit:

Adam and the Ants was probably the most popular act in Britain in 1980-81. Dog Eat Dog was a crossover hit:

... So was Antmusic:

Turning Japanese was a cool crossover hit by The Vapors:

To Cut a Long Story Short made the world aware of Spandau Ballet:

Enola Gay is a great one by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark:

This is Echo Beach by Canadians Martha & the Muffins:

New Zealand should be proud of Split Enz. The band that was founded by Tim Finn and later included his brother, Neil, before they would go on to create one of the best Pop groups of the 1980s, Crowded House. Meanwhile, they gave us I Got You, a #1 hit in Australia and New Zealand, #12 in the UK, #13 in Canada, #53 US, and #82 on the US Disco chart:

Yellow Magic Orchestra put Japan on the international Pop-hit map and gave the world Ryuichi Sakamoto. Mission accomplished. Computer Game (Theme from the Invaders) was a crossover hit:

The Crusaders were a Jazz band, yet they had a classic crossover hit with Street Life, featuring the amazing Randy Crawford:

Another superlative Jazz musician, George Benson, who had already successfully crossed over to R&B and Pop, extended his reign to Disco with Give Me the Night:

Did you know that Prince's first major Pop hit, I Wanna Be Your Lover, also was a #2 Disco hit? Now you know it:

Another one of music's giants, Stevie Wonder had a huge crossover hit with one of my favorite songs of his, Master Blaster (Jammin'):

Back Together Again by Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway wasn't a big Hot 100 hit, but it made the top 10 in the UK, the US R&B chart, and the US Disco chart:

The R&B veterans, The Isley Brothers, gave us It's a Disco Night (Rock Don't Stop):

The man who recorded the protest song and classic R&B hit, War, Edwin Starr that is, returned in 1979 with two big crossover hits; there was Contact:

... and H.A.P.P.Y. Radio:

Celebration was one of Kool & the Gang's greatest hits:

Fame introduced Irene Cara to the world; a #1 hit and an Oscar winner:

The Spinners, one of the top R&B acts of the 1970s, also had two big crossover hits; there was Working My Way Back to You:

... and Cupid / I've Loved You for a Long Time (medley):

Another popular group, The Brothers Johnson, crossed over with Stomp!:

Oscar winner for Shaft, Isaac Hayes, had Don't Let Go:

Bonnie Pointer had a few hits after leaving The Pointer Sisters. Her most prominent was Heaven Must Have Sent You:

... Followed by the remake of the Four Tops' classic, I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch):

Her sisters, The Pointer Sisters, didn't just sit and stare. In 1979 they gave us Happiness, which also appeared in the film Donnie Brasco:

... One of their biggest hits was He's So Shy from 1980:

The Three Degrees were having hits since the early 1970s. The Runner was a good way to end the decade:

All of the above are considered to be Pop, Rock, and R&B hits that crossed over to the Disco charts. The following tracks were Disco hits that crossed over to the Pop charts.

Ring My Bell by Anita Ward topped all available charts:

Funkytown by Lipps, Inc. came close:

Knock on Wood (the Eddie Floyd hit that was also remade by David Bowie) was a smash for Amii Stewart:

The Second Time Around was Shalamar's biggest hit ever:

This is Take Your Time (Do It Right) by The S.O.S. Band:

Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now by McFadden & Whitehead was very big:

Another duo that scored in 1979 was Ashford & Simpson with Found a Cure:

This is Disco Nights (Rock-Freak) by G.Q.:

I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl) was a dance classic by Instant Funk:

Keep On Dancin' was a big hit by Gary's Gang:

Canadian France Joli's crossover hit was Come to Me:

Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet was a big hit by Gonzalez:

And the Beat Goes On was a big hit by The Whispers:

Let's Get Serious by Jermaine Jackson was one of the biggest hits of 1980:

Also one of the biggest hits of 1980: I Don't Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops, Up Side Your Head) by The Gap Band:

Remember Foxy and their hit Get Off? They followed it up with Hot Number:

Remember Evelyn King and Shame? She followed it up with I Don't Know If It's Right:

Another big hit; Don't Stop the Music by Yarbrough & Peoples:

Use It Up and Wear It Out by Odyssey was a #1 UK and a top 10 US Disco hit:

... So was Feels Like I'm in Love by Kelly Marie:

Jump to the Beat by Stacy Lattisaw peaked at #3 in the UK and at #1 on the US Disco chart:

This is Rufus and Do You Love What You Feel:

Thelma Houston followed up Don't Leave Me This Way with Saturday Night, Sunday Morning:

This is I Shoulda Loved Ya by Narada Michael Walden:

This is Don't Push It, Don't Force It by Leon Haywood:

As the last song for today, here's one of the best songs of all-time: Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division is a Rock classic. It peaked at #13 on the UK Singles chart. It's gloomy and pessimistic - aeons apart from the smooth and hedonistic sounds of Disco. Yet it was a US Disco hit, albeit at #42:

Other Pop, Rock & R&B superstars who had crossover hits in 1979-1980 and have already been presented include Rod Stewart, the Bee Gees, Diana Ross, Chic & Sister Sledge, Village People, the Gibson Brothers, Roxy Music (Over You), the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, the Jacksons, Blondie, Earth, Wind & Fire with the Emotions, Born to Be Alive by Patrick Hernandez, Rapper's Delight by The Sugarhill Gang, Eruption, Sylvester, Giorgio Moroder, Change, and Gloria Gaynor.

So, today we have covered 1979 and 1980. You may have noticed that there were more songs from other genres on the Disco chart than on previous years. This was a sign that Disco was losing ground. People wouldn't stop dancing, but they would be dancing to different kinds of music now...