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Shakedown 1979: The Strangest Year in Music

It gave us disco’s peak, new wave, rap, and a whole lot of weirdness.

Jeremy Helligar
5 min readJan 17, 2020
ABBA sings “Does Your Mother Know” (Photo: YouTube)

I just came across a 2014 WatchMojo.com countdown of the “Top 10 Years with the Best Music Released” on YouTube and after watching the 14-minute video, I must admit I was impressed. It’s certainly one of their most on-point shortlists.

Although I’m not as high on 2001 as they were and they left off my beloved 1978, I have to give them props for including four of my most significant years, 12-month periods that also produced some pretty stellar tunes: 1. The year I was born (number 1), 2. The year I graduated from high school (number 2), 3. The year I graduated from college (number 3), and 4.
The year I had a one-year subscription to Billboard magazine, a Christmas present from my mom the previous December 25 (number 6).

Drumroll, please …

10. 1995

9. 2001

8. 1999

7. 1970

6. 1984

5. 1977

4. 1979

3. 1991

2. 1987

Honorable Mentions: 2007, 1962, 1959, 1988, 1982

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Jeremy Helligar
Jeremy Helligar

Written by Jeremy Helligar

Brother Son Husband Friend Loner Minimalist World Traveler. Author of “Is It True What They Say About Black Men?” and “Storms in Africa” https://rb.gy/3mthoj

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