Episode 97: The Week Ending January 20, 1979

Episode 97: The Week Ending January 20, 1979

Author: Mark Roback January 19, 2026 Duration: 2:27:04

Baby I’m burnin’, my head is on fire, and only heaven knows if I will survive the flu this year. It seems like love don’t live here anymore, because you don’t bring me flowers when I’m sick. I could really use a little more love in my life. Now I know what you’re saying, don’t cry out loud. You took the words right out of my mouth. At least we’re warm and dry as we listen to the music from the Billboard Top 40 from the week of January 20, 1979. You’ll hear us sharing the night together with a special voice from the past. We can’t make any promises that every 1’s a winner, but hey; there is such a thing as too much heaven. 


Link to a listing of the songs in this week’s episode: https://top40weekly.com/1979-all-charts/#US_Top_40_Singles_For_The_Week_Ending_20th_January_1979


The Boneless Podcasting Network: https://goboneless.lovable.app/?fbclid=IwY2xjawNK9G9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFCOFFUdWQ2Q3c1WDk5SGZnAR6CXGGEhN4i3JS0ICCT2NZw4_cc2wCO8o4wooPiBGlZhUGIR1y8bG1fQHt7tQ_aem_jFAp4YBBW1S0DD-s1iLXLw


Data Sources: Billboard Magazine, where the charts came from and on what the countdown was based.

Websites: allmusic.com, songfacts.com Wikipedia.com (because Mark’s lazy)

Books: “Ranking the 70’s” by Dann Isbell, and Bill Carroll

“American Top 40 With Casey Kasem (The 1970’s) by Pete Battistini.


Rejected Episode Titles:

I Was Made for Dancing to the New York Groove

The Soul Man I’ll Never Be

Baby I’m Burnin’, but I Will Survive the Fire

Hey Le Freak, Do You Think I’m Sexy?


Things we talked about in the show:


Scott Haskin’s Website / Podcast: https://www.scotthaskin.com/


The Deep Purple Podcast: https://deeppurplepodcast.com/

BBC Kid Jensen "Radio One Roundtable Show"; London, England Rory Gallagher & Ann Nightingale discuss various songs/artists/releases. https://youtu.be/ce_nvdBvGwg?si=YYT8w9unca4Tw0bF

 


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Every week, Mark Roback and his friend Pete dust off a random episode of Casey Kasem's American Top 40 from the 1970s. 70s Weekly Countdown with Mark and Pete is more than just a nostalgic trip through the charts. Each song in that week's lineup gets a thoughtful rating and a deep dive-they unpack the stories behind the music, the artists' trajectories, and what made those particular tracks resonate. But the context is just as important as the countdown. The conversation naturally expands to include the major headlines, the TV shows everyone was watching, and the cultural moments that defined that specific week in history. Woven into the analysis are personal anecdotes from Mark and Pete, connecting the music to their own coming-of-age experiences during that era. This podcast is a layered exploration of a decade, using the pop chart as a starting point to examine the sound, the spirit, and the surprising details of the 1970s. You'll hear passionate debates, learn obscure facts, and get a feel for what it was like to live through that time, all through the shared lens of two friends who genuinely love the material.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

70s Weekly Countdown with Mark and Pete
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