Looking back on my life in 1978, it was quite eventful, both personally and musically. On the personal level, I had some success athletically. And, for some reason that is still unbeknownst to me, I was actually named “Sophomore Student of the Month” in January of that year. Maybe it had something to due with the fact that we missed half of January that year because of a blizzard; there must have been a lack of nominees or I really had the best academic two weeks of my life. Additionally, I went to Colorado for some national track meet, got blown away in my event, learned that you cannot throw a javelin like a baseball (it will only go about 10 feet), discovered that, generally speaking, basketball players from Indiana are truly better than those in the rest of the country (sorry, but if I am dominating basketball players from other states, there is a problem!), and, most importantly, met, shook hands and talked with the immortal Jesse Owens. That, my friends, was the finest moment, after all the family stuff, of my life. He was everything you would hope a hero would be, humble with that aura of greatness. I just wish I had a camera at the time, the ONE time I wish we were in the era of smartphones.
And to stick with the great year motif, there was some terrific music released in 1978. Now, was it a year like 1977? Not really. However, I do listen to much more of the albums and singles released in 1978. Look, the Stones made what arguably their last great album with Some Girls. The Cars and Van Halen released their debuts, perhaps two of the 25 greatest debut albums ever, while The Police debuted with a great album as well. Even the cheesy pop music was great, just think of the Grease soundtrack. Sure, there was some really dopey music (Rod Stewart’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” immediately comes to mind), but that happens every year. Yet, when you strip away the crap, there is a plethora of lasting music.
Let’s take a brief run through the genres of the year. First, disco was peaking in popularity. Punk’s initial run was burning out, being replaced by various mutant strains like new wave, post-punk and synth pop. Yacht rock, though we called it “soft rock” was everywhere, as was much of today’s “classic rock” even though we just called it “rock” back in the day. Outlaw country and Southern Rock were great, while the “Quiet Storm” R&B genre was catching fire all over (Thanks Smokey!) And, we were just getting the first rumblings of power pop, while funk was gaining a foothold on the charts. Honestly, it was something of a transition year as the Boomers’ influence was finally getting challenge from the budding Gen Xers’ tastes in music, irony and sarcasm. And the craziest thing? We had blacks and Latinos doing rock music and whites doing R&B, not to mention we had the multicultural Village People and the transgendered Sylvester. What’s not to like about this era of music?
So, let’s get this countdown thing going so you can see what I mean.
100. “I Love the Nightlife” – Alicia Bridges
99. “Who Are You” – The Who
98. “Hot Blooded” – Foreigner
97. “If the Kids Are United” – Sham 69
96. “I Am the Cosmos” – Chris Bell
95. “A Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy” – The Kinks
94. “Whenever I Call You ‘Friend'” – Kenny Loggins
93. “Hopelessly Devoted to You” – Olivia Newton-John
92. “Big Shot” – Billy Joel
91. “Grease” – Frankie Valli
90. “Reunited” – Peaches & Herb
89. “Close the Door” – Teddy Pendergrass
88. “Double Vision” – Foreigner
87. “Heaven Knows” – Donna Summer
86. “Sweet Music” – Roadmaster
85. “With a Little Luck” – Wings
84. “Magnet and Steel” – Walter Egan
83. “Shadow Dancing” – Andy Gibb
82. “I Want Your Love” – Chic
81. “Don’t Look Back” – Boston
80. “Straight On” – Heart
79. “What You Won’t Do for Love” – Bobby Caldwell
78. “Get Off” – Foxy
77. “Use Ta Be My Girl” – The O’Jays
76. “Hold the Line” – Toto
75. “On Broadway” – George Benson
74. “Fire” – The Pointer Sisters
73. “Three Times a Lady” – The Commodores
72. “Badlands” – Bruce Springsteen
71. “Shake Your Groove Thing” – Peaches & Herb
70. “MacArthur Park” – Donna Summer
69. “Y.M.C.A.” – Village People
68. “Follow You, Follow Me” – Genesis
67. “My Life” – Billy Joel
66. “Beast of Burden” – The Rolling Stones
65. “Got to Be Real” – Cheryl Lynn
64. “Got to Get You into My Life” – Earth, Wind & Fire
63. “We’ve Got Tonight” – Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
62. “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” – Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson
61. “Come Together” – Aerosmith
60. “Warm Leatherette” – The Normal
59. “Sentimental Lady” – Bob Welch
58. “FM” – Steely Dan
57. “Everytime I Think of You” – The Babys
56. “Hot Child in the City” – Nick Gilder
55. “Lights” – Journey
54. “Roll with the Changes” – REO Speedwagon
53. “So Lonely” – The Police
52. “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) – The Jacksons
51. “You’re the One That I Want” – John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John
50. “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” – Sylvester
49. “Every Kinda People” – Robert Palmer
48. “Jamie’s Cryin'” – Van Halen
47. “I Go Crazy” – Paul Davis
46. “Summer Nights” – John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John
45. “Love Is like Oxygen” – Sweet
44. “Time for Me to Fly” – REO Speedwagon
43. “Wheel in the Sky” – Journey
42. “I’m Every Woman” – Chaka Khan
41. “Thunder Island” – Jay Ferguson
40. “Prove It All Night” – Bruce Springsteen
39. “Can’t Stand Losing You” – The Police
38. “One Way or Another” – Blondie
37. “Werewolves of London” – Warren Zevon
36. “What a Fool Believes” – The Doobie Brothers
35. “Wuthering Heights” – Kate Bush
34. “Life’s Been Good” – Joe Walsh
33. “You Really Got Me” – Van Halen
32. “Radio Radio” – Elvis Costello & the Attractions
31. “Feels like a Number” – Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
30. “Shattered” – The Rolling Stones
29. “Just What I Needed” – The Cars
28. “Kiss You All Over” – Exile
27. “Good Times Roll” – The Cars
26. “Teenage Kicks” – The Undertones
25. “Blue Collar Man” – Styx
24. “Sultans of Swing” – Dire Straits
23. “Baker Street” – Gerry Rafferty
22. “Runnin’ with the Devil” – Van Halen
21. “Macho Man” – Village People
20. “Pump It Up” – Elvis Costello & the Attractions
19. “Fat Bottomed Girls” – Queen
18. “The Groove Line” – Heatwave
17. “I Will Survive” – Gloria Gaynor
16. “Because the Night” – Patti Smith Group
15. “September” – Earth, Wind & Fire
14. “Last Dance” – Donna Summer
13. “I Fought the Law” – The Clash
12. “My Best Friend’s Girl” – The Cars
11. “Roxanne” – The Police
10. “Boogie Oogie Oogie” – A Taste of Honey
9. “Shame” – Evelyn “Champagne” King
8. “Le Freak” – Chic
7. “Heart of Glass” – Blondie
6. “Take Me to the River” – Talking Heads
5. “One Nation Under a Groove” – Funkadelic
4. “Don’t Stop Me Now” – Queen
3. “Surrender” – Cheap Trick
2. “Miss You” – The Rolling Stones
1. “I Wanna Be Sedated” – Ramones
If My Records Could Talk 