Top 15 Hits from 1979 Trivia Quiz

Answer:

FYI - All incorrect songs were from 1969.

1. "My Sharona" (The Knack) was written by Berton Averre and Doug Fieger. It was the debut single by the Knack and was Capitol Records' fastest gold status debut single since the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in 1964.

2. "Bad Girls" (Donna Summer) was written by Donna Summer, Bruce Sudano, Edward "Eddie" Hokenson and Joe "Bean" Esposito. It became a worldwide success, peaking within the top ten in seven countries. Summer was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording at the 22nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1980.

3. "Le Freak" (Chic) was written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers. It was the first song to score the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 three separate times. It was also selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress.

4. "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (Rod Stewart) was written by Rod Stewart, Carmine Appice and Duane Hitchings. Song royalties were donated to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Stewart performed the song at the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations General Assembly in January 1979.

5. "Reunited" (Peaches & Herb) was written by Dino Fekaris and Freddie Perren. The song was a big crossover smash, topping both the pop and soul charts. In Canada, it likewise reached number one and was the number nine song for the year.

6. "I Will Survive" (Gloria Gaynor) was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. The song is frequently remembered as a symbol of female empowerment. In 2016, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

7. "Hot Stuff" (Donna Summer) was written by Pete Bellotte, Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey. Up to that point, Summer had mainly been associated with disco songs but this song showed a significant turn toward rock. It was the second of four songs by Summer to reach number one.

8. "Y.M.C.A." (Village People) was written by Jacques Morali, Victor Willis and Henri Belolo. A US number-one hit it also reached number one in the UK around the same time, becoming the group's biggest hit. It is one of fewer than 40 singles to have sold 10 million (or more) physical copies worldwide.

9. "Ring My Bell" (Anita Ward) was written by Frederick Knight. The song was originally written for then 11-year-old Stacy Lattisaw, as a teenybopper song about kids talking on the telephone. When Lattisaw signed with a different label, Anita Ward was asked to sing it instead, and it became her only major hit.

10. "Sad Eyes" (Robert John) was written and recorded by Robert John. It is one of just a few non-disco tunes to top the 1979 pop chart. It is also notable as the song that ended the six-week reign of the biggest smash hit of the year, The Knack's "My Sharona."

11. "Too Much Heaven" (Bee Gees) was written and performed by the Bee Gees. It was the band's contribution to the "Music for UNICEF" fund. In the US, it would become the fourth of six consecutive number ones which included "How Deep Is Your Love", "Stayin' Alive", "Night Fever", "Too Much Heaven", "Tragedy" and "Love You Inside Out".

12. "MacArthur Park" (Donna Summer) was written by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb and was first recorded by Irish actor and singer Richard Harris in 1968 where it peaked at number two. Donna Summer's disco arrangement reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

13. "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" (Dr. Hook) was written by Even Stevens. Riding the disco wave it became an international hit, reaching number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and doing even better in the UK where it spent three weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart in November 1979.

14. "Makin' It" (David Naughton) was a disco song written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris the team was also responsible for Gloria Gaynor's number one hit "I Will Survive", Peaches and Herb's number five hit "Shake Your Groove Thing" and number one hit "Reunited". It was David Naughton's first and, to date, only musical release.

15. "Fire" (The Pointer Sisters) was written by Bruce Springsteen in 1977 and had its highest profile as a single release by the Pointer Sisters. Springsteen envisioned "Fire" as a song that could be recorded by his idol Elvis Presley. Springsteen sent Elvis a demo of it but he died before it arrived.