1979
The year in music, movies, TV, fads & memories
In 1979, “My Sharona” by The Knack topped the Billboard year-end Hot 100 and The Wall by Pink Floyd and London Calling by The Clash were on every turntable. Alien, Apocalypse Now and Rocky II were in theaters, and The Dukes of Hazzard, Knots Landing and ESPN launches were on TV.
The headlines: Iran hostage crisis begins. New that year: Sony Walkman debuts. Fads of the year: Roller disco and Skateboarding. Gas was 86¢ a gallon, a stamp was 15¢ and a movie ticket ran $2.47. On the shelf: a roll of Bottle Caps, an ICEE and a Lite-Brite, with Fat Albert on Saturday morning.
🎂 What music raised you?
Drop your birthday and we'll rewind to your golden era — the years the songs imprinted for life.
🔙 Backtrack — 1979
The world around the music — what was on screen, and what was on the shelf.
🎬 Set the scene
In 1979, a perfect afternoon didn't need much: The Pink Panther, a packet of Fun Dip, a can of Hawaiian Punch, and nowhere important to be.
🎬 At the movies
📼 Saturday cartoons
- Scooby-Doo👕 tee →
- Super Friends👕 tee →
- Schoolhouse Rock!
- Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
- The Pink Panther Show
- Hong Kong Phooey
- The Jetsons
- The Flintstones
📰 Headlines
- Iran hostage crisis begins
- Three Mile Island accident
- Second oil crisis / gas lines
- Margaret Thatcher elected (UK)
- Pope John Paul II visits US
💡 Tech & Firsts
- Sony Walkman debuts
- VisiCalc spreadsheet
- Atari 400/800 computers
- Cellular network trials
- First mobile-phone network (Japan)
🏆 Sports
- Pirates win the World Series
- Steelers win Super Bowl XIII
- SuperSonics win the NBA title
- Spectacular Bid's near-miss
- Magic vs. Bird NCAA final
🤪 Crazes & fads
- Roller disco
- Skateboarding
- Designer-jeans frenzy
- 'Disco Sucks' backlash
- Walkman buzz
👖 Clothes
- Designer jeans (Calvin Klein)
- Spandex disco wear
- Tube tops
- Feathered hair (Farrah)
- Velour tracksuits
💵 What it cost
- Gas: 86¢/gal
- Stamp: 15¢
- Movie ticket: $2.47
- New car avg: ~$6,800
- Median home: ~$62,900
🧸 Toy chest
🍬 On the shelf
Billboard Year-End Hot 100
📊 Full chart →- 1
My SharonaThe Knack - 2
Bad GirlsDonna Summer - 3
Le FreakChic - 4
Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?Rod Stewart - 5
ReunitedPeaches & Herb - 6
I Will SurviveGloria Gaynor - 7Hot StuffDonna Summer
- 8
Y.M.C.A.Village People - 9
Ring My BellAnita Ward - 10
Sad EyesRobert John - 11
Too Much HeavenBee Gees - 12
MacArthur ParkDonna Summer - 13
When You're in Love With a Beautiful WomanDr. Hook - 14
Makin' ItDavid Naughton - 15
FireThe Pointer Sisters - 16
TragedyBee Gees - 17
A Little More LoveOlivia Newton-John - 18
Heart of GlassBlondie - 19
What a Fool BelievesThe Doobie Brothers - 20
Good TimesChic - 21
You Don't Bring Me FlowersNeil Diamond & Barbra Streisand - 22
Knock on WoodAmii Stewart - 23
Stumblin' InChris Norman & Suzi Quatro - 24
Lead Me OnMaxine Nightingale - 25
Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)The Jacksons
More from 1979
🎤 Big in 1979
🎚️ 1979 genres
🎛️ Behind the boards & the pen — 1979
The hands behind 1979 — the producers and songwriters who actually shaped that year's records. John Boylan was on 3 of them.
🎬 Movies of 1979
All soundtracks →The soundtracks that scored 1979 — every song and where it played.
🎚️ Related vibes
All themes →Themed rooms that lean on the sound of 1979.
🌀 Things 1979 remembers wrong
All Glitch Files →Mandela-effect cases that were on the shelf, the screen or the radio in 1979. Which do you remember?
What does 1979 remind you of?
The drive, the dance, the heartbreak, the summer. Add a memory of 1979.
Community Memories
How well do you remember 1979?
7 quick questions — the songs, the artists, the year. No cheating. 😏
📼 Take this tape with you
Build this in your own Spotify in two taps — free, no account needed here. (For Apple Music or YouTube, open songs one-by-one below.)
Then open the free helper
🎵 1979 albums on vinyl
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📻 70s gear
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