Disco peaks, then collapses mid-year after a “Disco Sucks” riot in Chicago, New Wave breaks out with “My Sharona,” and the rest of the year is a mostly Disco-free grab bag on the Hot100. Diva Donna Summer and Michael Jackson weather the backlash, and KC & The Sunshine Band scores with a Ballad, but The Village People, Chic and The Bee Gees vanish, Story Songs make a comeback and Rod Stewart is second-guessing his brazen Disco gambit.
#1 Song of the Year
Artists of the Year
- Donna Summer
- Chic
- Kenny Rogers
Artist with Most Charting Songs
- 7-WAY TIE: Donna Summer/Chic/Earth, Wind and Fire/Village People/Peaches & Herb/Olivia Newton-John/ABBA (4)
Average #1 Artist Age
- 31.3 years
#1 Songs on the Weekly Hot100
- Chic – Le Freak (December ’78, 6 wks)
- Bee Gees – Too Much Heaven (January, 2 wks)
- Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? (February, 4 wks)
- Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive (March, 3 wks)
- Bee Gees – Tragedy (March, 2 wks)
- The Doobie Brothers – What a Fool Believes (April, 1 wk)
- Amii Stewart – Knock on Wood (April, 1 wk)
- Blondie – Heart of Glass (April, 1 wk)
- Peaches & Herb – Reunited (May, 4 wks)
- Donna Summer – Hot Stuff (June, 3 wks)
- Bee Gees – Love You Inside Out (June, 1 wk)
- Anita Ward – Ring My Bell (June, 2 wks)
- Donna Summer – Bad Girls (July, 5 wks)
- Chic – Good Times (August, 1 wk)
- The Knack – My Sharona (August, 6 wks)
- Robert John – Sad Eyes (October, 1 wk)
- Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough (October, 1 wk)
- Herb Alpert – Rise (October, 2 wks)
- M – Pop Muzik (November, 1 wk)
- Eagles – Heartache Tonight (November, 1 wk)
- Commodores – Still (November, 1 wk)
- Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer – No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (November, 2 wks)
- Styx – Babe (December, 2 wks)
- Rupert Holmes – Escape (The Pina Colada Song) (December, 3 wks)
- KC & The Sunshine Band – Please Don’t Go (January ’80, 1 wk)
