American Songwriter revisits 1979 as a banner year for power pop, a genre already well established but often bundled together with the newer New Wave movement. The piece argues that despite fierce competition from a wide range of emerging styles, power pop asserted itself strongly, and it highlights four hit singles that captured the genre's energy and appeal.

The selections span both sides of the Atlantic. "Getting Closer" by Paul McCartney and Wings appeared on Back To The Egg, an attempt to recapture uptempo energy that proved to be Wings' final album; "Up The Junction" by Squeeze, from Cool For Cats, reached No. 2 in the UK and paired Chris Difford's wry, poignant lyrics with Glenn Tilbrook's melodic music; "My Sharona" by Ohio band The Knack topped the charts and was written by Doug Fleger and Berton Averre, though the band struggled to follow it up; and "Cruel To Be Kind" by Nick Lowe, a former Brinsley Schwarz song backed by Rockpile, became his biggest US hit.