27 Best Songs From 1978

“I Go Crazy” by Paul Davis

Paul Davis composed and recorded “I Go Crazy” in 1977. That makes it sound ineligible as one of the best songs of 1978, but once it got onto the music charts in 1977 it proved hard to shake. It was still on the Billboard 100 and still climbing in 1978.

It stayed there until May 1978, breaking the record for the longest time spent at the top of the charts at that time.

Davis’ song about the awkwardness of encountering an old flame and feeling residual feelings resonated deeply. The result was that it was inarguably one of the best songs from 1978.

“Emotion” by Samantha Sang

Australian singer Samantha Sang didn’t have many hit singles. But the one she had in 1978 made up for it. Written by Barry and Robin Gibb, “Emotion” is another of the best songs of 1978. Sang arrived in America intending to record a version of “Don’t Throw It All Away.”

Instead, Gibb offered Sang a new song. She did the vocals for “Emotion,” with Gibb’s notorious falsetto on the harmony. Sang gave the melody a Gibb-like breathiness that was immediately popular with listeners.

The song was so successful that The Bee Gees recorded a version in 1984 to capitalize on its popularity. However, their rendition didn’t get released until 2001 as part of their album Greatest Hits.  

“Lay Down Sally” by Eric Clapton

Another notorious artist when discussing good music from 1978 is Eric Clapton. Clapton collaborated with Marcy Levi and George Terry on “Lay Down Sally.”

He then went out of his way to style it as much as possible, like a band from Tulsa. The song was a country-inspired composition, and Clapton wanted to replicate the country sensibility as much as a British-born musician could.

That he succeeded is evidenced by how “Lay Down Sally” became one of the best songs of 1978.

“Miss You” by The Rolling Stones

It’s also tricky to talk about the best songs of 1978 without talking about The Rolling Stones.

They released “Miss You” in the spring of 1978. It anticipated an upcoming album and existed in two versions. There was the initial single, which went straight to the top of the UK and North American charts, and there was the “Special Disco Version.”

It was the band’s first remix of a song, and they issued it on a 12-inch single. It included several extra instrumental solos in the remix, taking it to over eight minutes long.

“Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel

Another of the best songs of 1978 was “Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel.

Joel famously said his inspiration for the chords and music for the song came to him in a dream. The title was inspired by a line in “Rag Doll” by The Four Seasons.

Because Joel wrote the song with his first wife in mind, he didn’t initially want to include it on his album The Stranger. But several other artists in his studio heard the song and were insistent.

Joel capitulated, and his colleagues were proved right when “Just The Way You Are” proved a musical triumph.

“Dance, Dance, Dance” by Chic

Chic’s first American single was also one of the best songs of 1978. “Dance, Dance, Dance” quickly reached sixth place on the R&B and pop charts. It also had success on the disco charts.

Sometimes called “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsha, Yowsha, Yowsha),” the parenthetical exclamation has an interesting history. It originated in the 1920s with Bennie Bernie. He was a jazz violinist prone to this unlikely vocalization.

When his career ended, it faded into obscurity until the sixties, when a film called They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? revitalized the expression.

“Feels So Good” by Chuck Mangione

Jazz is less synonymous with the seventies than disco or punk. But it’s also an incredibly fluid genre, ever adapting to its new environment.

That’s why one of the best songs of 1978 was Chuck Mangione’s “Feels So Good.”

It’s a jazz fusion song, meaning it takes jazz conventions and mixes them with other genres like:

• R&B
• Funk
• Rock

The jazz improvisations are still there, but the sound is newer and, to younger listeners especially, “cooler.”

It certainly worked in Mangione’s favor; “Feel So Good” skyrocketed to number four on the American charts following its release in 1978.

“We Will Rock You” by Queen

Few songs are as immediately recognizable as Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” It’s distinctive for many reasons, not least its use of foot stomping and clapping as the only accompaniment. The one exception is an equally distinctive guitar solo.

In addition to being one of the best songs of 1978, “We Will Rock You” gained increasing fame with time. It is also one of the:

• 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2004)
• Number 146 on the 2001 Songs of the Century list
• Included in Grammy Hall of Fame

“Can’t Smile Without You” by Barry Manilow

“Can’t Smile Without You” was written in collaboration by Christian Arnold, Geoff Morrow, and David Martin. Several artists, including The Carpenters, recorded it. But the best-known rendition is by Barry Manilow.

Manilow’s version became one of the best songs of 1978 when it simultaneously reached number one on the American Contemporary music charts and number three on the Billboard 100.

Manilow’s version uses lyrics slightly different from other recordings, most notably those of The Carpenters.

Like all the best Manilow songs, “Can’t Smile Without You” blends sweetness with a slow-building yearning for something unavailable.

“It’s a Heartache” by Bonnie Tyler

One of the best soft rock examples of good music from 1978 is Bonnie Tyler’s “It’s a Heartache.”

Jazz talent Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe wrote the song. It was one of the first songs Tyler recorded after recovering from a procedure to remove nodes from her vocal cords.

You wouldn’t guess it. The song was number one on charts across Canada, Australia, and Europe, while attaining a respectable three on the American music charts.