Classic rock radio is keeping a lot of incredible hits from 1979 and beyond alive. However, some songs that made it big that year were all over the radio for some time, only to virtually disappear overnight. Some of them haven’t really seen a resurgence on classic rock radio today, either. Or at least, I certainly don’t hear some of those massive hits out in the wild anymore. When it comes to the following three songs, I think that’s unfair. These are some of the best classic rock radio jams from 1979. Let’s revisit a few awesome and slightly underrated songs, shall we?
“Double Vision” by Foreigner from ‘Double Vision’
Considering the enormous number of hit songs that Foreigner released since its inception, it’s no surprise that some chart-toppers or close-to-chart-toppers from the hard rock band did well on the radio, only to fall out of favor compared to tracks like “I Want To Know What Love Is” and “Cold As Ice”. “Double Vision” is one such song, in my opinion. I can’t remember the last time I heard this song out in the wild. “Double Vision” was a No. 2 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after it was released. The whole of the album it came from was a similar success for the band.
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“Train In Vain” by The Clash from ‘London Calling’
“Train In Vain” first made it to the ears of young punks in 1979 with the release of London Calling and was released as a single the following year. The Clash make it to classic rock radio all the time, but I usually only hear tracks like “Rock The Casbah” or “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”. “Train In Vain” deserves more love nowadays, considering how much of a quintessential early-era punk song it is. It was also the first song by The Clash to make it to the Top 40 in the US, peaking at No. 23. There are some funky soul elements in “Train In Van” that make it stand out, too.
“Get Used To It” by Roger Voudouris from ‘Radio Dream’
Remember Roger Vousdouris? Unfortunately, this pop-rock musician’s song “Get Used To It” is a bit of a one-hit wonder on our list of classic rock radio hits from 1979. It was his only single to chart, peaking at No. 21 in the US. But what an excellent song to be known for! I wish that this classic made it to the radio more often.
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