# 3 Top 40 Hits From 1979 That Every 70s Kid Still Knows by Heart Today

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/3-top-40-hits-from-1979-that-every-70s-kid-still-knows-by-heart-today/
- Published: 2026-11-12T01:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T01:24:51+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/3-top-40-hits-from-1979-that-every-70s-kid-still-knows-by-heart-today/
- Topics: Americas, Entertainment, Music, World

## Key points

- Billy Joel denied “Big Shot” was about Bianca Jagger.
- Melissa Manchester’s film song earned an Oscar nomination.
- Little River Band followed “Lonesome Loser” with “Cool Change”.

## Summary

Three songs released in 1979 became enduring hits: Billy Joel’s “Big Shot”, Melissa Manchester’s “Through The Eyes Of Love” and Little River Band’s “Lonesome Loser”. The article revisits their stories and the reasons listeners may still remember them decades later.

Joel wrote “Big Shot” about someone paying a price for living the high life, though he denied a rumour that it was inspired by a date with Bianca Jagger. “Through The Eyes Of Love”, written by Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager, featured in the 1978 film *Ice Castles* and was nominated for an Oscar. David Briggs wrote “Lonesome Loser”, which appeared on Little River Band’s *First Under The Wire*; the band later released “Cool Change”.

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