1978 in British music

1970s in music in the UK
Number-one singles
Number-one albums
Best-selling singles
Best-selling albums
Summaries and charts
1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974
1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979
1969 1980
Top 10 singles
1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974
1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979
1969 1980

This is a summary of 1978 in music in the United Kingdom.

Events

Charts

Number one singles

DateSongArtistWeeks
7 January"Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School"Wings 4
4 FebruaryUptown Top Ranking Althea & Donna 1
11 February"Figaro"Brotherhood of Man 1
18 February "Take a Chance on Me"ABBA 3
11 March "Wuthering Heights"Kate Bush 4
8 AprilMatchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and DogsBrian and Michael 3
29 April"Night Fever"Bee Gees 2
13 May"Rivers of Babylon"Boney M 5
17 June"You're the One That I Want"John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John 9
19 August"Three Times a Lady"The Commodores 5
23 September"Dreadlock Holiday" 10cc 1
30 September"Summer Nights"John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John 7
18 November"Rat Trap"The Boomtown Rats 2
2 December"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Rod Stewart 1
9 December"Mary's Boy Child - Oh My Lord" Boney M 4

Number one albums

Date Album Artist Weeks
7 January Disco Fever Various Artists 2
21 January The Sound of Bread Bread 1
28 January Rumours Fleetwood Mac 1
4 February The Album ABBA 7
25 March 20 Golden Greats Buddy Holly and The Crickets 3
15 April 20 Golden Greats Nat 'King' Cole 3
6 May Saturday Night Fever Original Soundtrack 18
9 September Nightflight to Venus Boney M 4
7 October Grease Original Soundtrack 13

Year-end charts

The tables below include sales between 31 December 1977 and 30 December 1978: the year-end charts reproduced in the issue of Music Week dated 23 December 1978 and played on Radio 1 on 31 December 1978 only include sales figures up until 16 December 1978.

Best-selling singles

[1]

No. Title Artist Peak
position
1 "Rivers of Babylon"/"Brown Girl in the Ring" Boney M 1
2 "You're the One That I Want" Travolta, JohnJohn Travolta and Olivia Newton-John 1
3 "Summer Nights" Travolta, JohnJohn Travolta and Olivia Newton-John 1
4 "Three Times a Lady" Commodores, TheThe Commodores 1
5 "The Smurf Song" Abraham, FatherFather Abraham and the Smurfs 2
6 "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord" Boney M 1
7 "Night Fever" Bee Gees 1
8 "Rat Trap" Boomtown Rats, TheThe Boomtown Rats 1
9 "Take a Chance on Me" ABBA 1
10 "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" Brian and Michael 1
11 "Dreadlock Holiday" 10cc 1
12 "Wuthering Heights" Bush, KateKate Bush 1
13 "Sandy" Travolta, JohnJohn Travolta 2
14 "Rasputin" Boney M 2
15 "Substitute" Clout 2
16 "Denis" Blondie 2
17 "Baker Street" Rafferty, GerryGerry Rafferty 3
18 "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Stewart, RodRod Stewart 1
19 "Figaro" Brotherhood of Man 1
20 "Come Back My Love" Darts 2
21 "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" Rose Royce 2
22 "Mull of Kintyre"/"Girls' School" Wings 1
23 "It's Raining" Darts 2
24 "Wishing on a Star" Rose Royce 3
25 "Lucky Stars" Friedman, DeanDean Friedman 3
26 "Dancing in the City" Marshall Hain 3
27 "Boogie Oogie Oogie" Taste of Honey, AA Taste of Honey 3
28 "Oh What a Circus" Essex, DavidDavid Essex 3
29 "Grease" Valli, FrankieFrankie Valli 3
30 "Jilted John" Jilted John 4
31 "Y.M.C.A." Village People 2[lower-alpha 1]
32 "Annie's Song" Galway, JamesJames Galway 3
33 "Stayin' Alive" Bee Gees 4
34 "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" Mathis, JohnnyJohnny Mathis and Deniece Williams 3
35 "The Boy from New York City" Darts 2
36 "Hopelessly Devoted to You" Newton-John, OliviaOlivia Newton-John 2
37 "Blame It on the Boogie" Jacksons, TheThe Jacksons 8
38 "Darlin'" Miller, FrankieFrankie Miller 6
39 "Never Let Her Slip Away" Gold, AndrewAndrew Gold 5
40 "Sweet Talking Woman" Electric Light Orchestra 6
41 "If I Had Words" Fitzgerald, ScottScott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley with the St Thomas More School Choir 3
42 "I Can't Stand the Rain" Eruption featuring Precious Wilson 5
43 "Mr. Blue Sky" Electric Light Orchestra 6
44 "Uptown Top Ranking" Althia and Donna 1
45 "MacArthur Park" Summer, DonnaDonna Summer 5
46 "I Wonder Why" Showaddywaddy 2
47 "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" Sylvester 8
48 "If You Can't Give Me Love" Quatro, SuziSuzi Quatro 4
49 "A Taste of Aggro" Barron Knights, TheThe Barron Knights 3
50 "Forever Autumn" Hayward, JustinJustin Hayward 5

Best-selling albums

[2]

No. Title Artist Peak
position
1 Saturday Night Fever Original Soundtrack 1
2 Grease Original Soundtrack 1
3 The Album ABBA 1
4 Nightflight to Venus Boney M 1
5 20 Golden Greats Cole, Nat 'King'Nat 'King' Cole 1
6 Rumours Fleetwood Mac 1
7 Out of the Blue Electric Light Orchestra 5[lower-alpha 2]
8 Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds Wayne, JeffJeff Wayne 5
9 Images Williams, DonDon Williams 2
10 20 Golden Greats Holly, BuddyBuddy Holly & the Crickets 1
11 The Kick Inside Bush, KateKate Bush 3
12 And Then There Were Three Genesis 3
13 Classic Rock London Symphony Orchestra 3
14 New Boots and Panties!! Dury, IanIan Dury 8[lower-alpha 3]
15 Live and Dangerous Thin Lizzy 2
16 Reflections Williams, AndyAndy Williams 2
17 The Sound of Bread Bread 1
18 The Singles: 1974–1978 Carpenters, TheThe Carpenters 2
19 Street-Legal Dylan, BobBob Dylan 2
20 A Tonic for the Troops Boomtown Rats, TheThe Boomtown Rats 8
21 20 Golden Greats Hollies, TheThe Hollies 2
22 The Stud Original Soundtrack 2
23 City to City Rafferty, GerryGerry Rafferty 6
24 The Big Wheels of Motown Various Artists 2
25 You Light Up My Life Mathis, JohnnyJohnny Mathis 3
26 Greatest Hits (1976-1978) Showaddywaddy 4[lower-alpha 4]
27 20 Golden Greats Diamond, NeilNeil Diamond 2
28 Bat Out of Hell Meat Loaf 11[lower-alpha 5]
29 London Town Wings 4
30 Emotions Various Artists 2
31 Midnight Hustle Various Artists 5
32 Some Girls Rolling Stones, TheThe Rolling Stones 2
33 Variations Lloyd Webber, AndrewAndrew Lloyd Webber 2
34 Pastiche Manhattan Transfer, TheThe Manhattan Transfer 10
35 Greatest Hits ABBA 12[lower-alpha 6]
36 Kaya Marley, BobBob Marley and the Wailers 4
37 Blondes Have More Fun Stewart, RodRod Stewart 3
38 Parallel Lines Blondie 7[lower-alpha 7]
39 Foot Loose & Fancy Free Stewart, RodRod Stewart 4[lower-alpha 8]
40 Plastic Letters Blondie 10
41 Arrival ABBA 12[lower-alpha 9]
42 Black and White Stranglers, TheThe Stranglers 2
43 20 Giant Hits Nolan Sisters, TheThe Nolan Sisters 3
44 The Greatest Hits of Donna Summer Summer, DonnaDonna Summer 4
45 Natural High Commodores, TheThe Commodores 8
46 This Year's Model Costello, ElvisElvis Costello and the Attractions 4
47 Anytime...Anywhere Coolidge, RitaRita Coolidge 6
48 Octave Moody Blues, TheThe Moody Blues 6
49 A Single Man John, EltonElton John 8
50 Bloody Tourists 10cc 3

Notes:

  1. Reached number 1 in 1979
  2. Reached number 4 in 1977
  3. Reached number 5 in 1979
  4. Reached number 1 in 1979
  5. Reached number 9 in 1981
  6. Reached number 1 in 1976
  7. Reached number 1 in 1979
  8. Reached number 3 in 1977
  9. Reached number 1 in 1976

Classical music: new works

Film and Incidental music

Births

Deaths

References

  1. Scaping, Peter, ed. (1979). "Top 200 Singles in 1978". BPI Year Book 1979 (4th ed.). London, England: The British Phonographic Industry Ltd. pp. 186–89. ISBN 0-906154-02-2.
  2. Scaping (1979). "Top 200 LPs in 1978". pp. 182–85.
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