The year 1979 marked the end of a decade and an entire era for music. As we transitioned into the 1980s, classic rock songs began to sound very different. And the following three tunes from that very year were very indicative of the direction rock would take in the 80s. Let’s take a look at a few classic rock songs from 1979 that really did sound like the last night of the 1970s.
“Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2” by Pink Floyd from ‘The Wall’
Pink Floyd would keep the train going in the 1980s, but this particular song really did mark the end of an era for the band and rock music as a whole. “Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2” has that classic art rock sound of the late 1970s, glittering synths, and sophisticated production that would carry over into the 1980s.
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“Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2” by Pink Floyd peaked at No. 1 across the board, including charts in the US, UK, and much of Europe.
“London Calling” by The Clash from ‘London Calling’
Punk rock was born in the late 1970s, and it would continue to enjoy its time in the spotlight in the 1980s. “London Calling” was a particularly good “transitional” song for the genre. It had that very late-70s punk sound, with the kind of dark urgency that would become common in early 1980s punk rock stylings. There’s also a spooky sort of finality to this song by The Clash, and I can’t think of a more suitable song for this list of tunes that sound like the last night of the 1970s.
“London Calling” by The Clash peaked at No. 11 in the UK and No. 30 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart in the US.
“The Logical Song” by Supertramp from ‘Breakfast In America’
This entry on our list of classic rock songs from 1979 is a fine example of the direction rock music would take. Supertramp’s “The Logical Song” incorporates synthesizers, keyboards, and polished production into rock gorgeously, and that would become the standard for rock tunes in the 80s.
“The Logical Song” by Supertramp made it all the way to No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1979.
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