Culture news and discussion on TalkFuse.
4 Hit Singles That Demonstrated the Potency of Power Pop in 1979
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.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
These four songs' commercial success—especially 'My Sharona' at number one and 'Cruel To Be Kind' as a major US hit—supports the article's thesis that power pop asserted itself strongly in 1979. The songs' artistic strength and popular appeal demonstrate that power pop retained genuine vitality and broad market reach even as new sounds emerged.
The case against
Characterising 1979 as a banner year for power pop risks misrepresenting the era's actual musical trajectory. Whilst commercially successful, these songs increasingly incorporated new wave and post-punk elements, and their success arguably reflects new wave's breakthrough rather than power pop's dominance. The article's own acknowledgement that power pop was 'often bundled with' new wave suggests the clearer story is not power pop's potency but the genre's gradual evolution and subsumption into the broader new wave movement.
Explained simply
Power pop is a rock music style built around catchy melodies and upbeat rhythms. By 1979, it was an established genre, though it often got overshadowed by newer trends like punk rock and New Wave.
Despite competing against these newer styles, several power pop singles became major hits in 1979 on both sides of the Atlantic. These came from artists of different backgrounds—established rock acts like Paul McCartney and Wings, new British bands like Squeeze, American newcomers like The Knack, and veteran musicians like Nick Lowe.
This matters because 1979 is often remembered as the year punk and New Wave took over, yet power pop produced multiple hit singles that same year. Understanding this period helps explain how different rock styles coexisted and developed their influence through the 1980s and beyond.
Art Culture Entertainment Music UK World