Nick Gilder’s “Hot Child in the City” was one of those wildly misunderstood songs. Its rhythm is upbeat and carefree, but if you ever took a second to read the lyrics, you’d realize the song is about young girls working in the streets. Gilder wrote the song after an eye-opening experience he had on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Gilder was a London-born Canadian musician who topped the charts with this 1978 hit. Even though he was wildly successful with his rock band, Sweeney Todd, and as a songwriter for A-list artists, this was as high as he got in terms of his solo career.
"Rock the Boat" by The Hues Corporation
"Rock the Boat" was one of the first ever disco songs to become a massive hit. Released in 1974 by The Hues Corporation, an American trio that was insanely talented, this song reached the number one spot on the US Billboard 100 chart and on the Canada Top Singles chart.
A fusion of disco, soul, and R&B, "Rock the Boat" was one of those songs that you could either seriously dance to or simply play in the background while you were cuddling with a loved one. Unfortunately, this amazing music trio didn't produce any more hit singles, but we'll always have 'the boat.'
"You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone
Even though the song is originally from a 1977 film, it was Debby Boone who made the tune world-famous after her cover. Of course, being the daughter of legendary Pat Boone didn't hurt her chances of making it big in the music world. However, Debby still carried her own weight and worked hard to propel her career.
Not only did the song spend a record-breaking time on the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, Debby won a Grammy and an American Music Award for her unique version of "You Light Up My Life".
"Pop Muzik" by M
If you ever want a perfect example of what new wave music sounds like, listen to "Pop Muzik" by M. It may be incredibly bizarre and catchy at the same time, but this 1979 hit by English group M was certainly a success.
The band was a collaborative project that centered around Robin Scott, a known English musician of the time. "Pop Muzik" had synthesizers that made it a perfect mix of disco and electronic pop, a style that would define the '80s. The famous '90s band U2 has remixed and performed the song many times.
"Magic" by Pilot
Back in the '70s, Pilot was one of Scotland's most famous rock bands, and their hit "Magic" won a gold record just a few short months after its release in 1974. Not only is it an extremely catchy tune, but it also makes you think like you're in a magic show. Whether you agree or not, the song definitely had a certain kind of magic to it since it sold nearly a million copies worldwide.
"Magic" made it to number 5 in the U.S. music charts, but their following hit, "January," only made it big in the UK. Funnily enough, "Magic" made a big comeback more than 30 years later, in 2007, as the theme song for a Pillsbury commercial.