You won’t find anything more seventies than Sniff ‘n’ the Tears and their hit “Driver’s Seat”. Complete with huge hairdos, a frantic drum beat, synthesizer falsettos and very heavy guitar riffs, this song has it all and more. The British-born band saw huge success with their 1979 chart-topping hit.
But it seems worldwide success wasn’t enough to keep the band together, as shortly after “Driver’s Seat” broke chart records, many of the band’s members left, and the next singles weren’t nearly as good. One thing’s for sure though, the song will also forever be remembered as part of the legendary soundtrack of the epic film, ‘Boogie Nights’.
"Cruel to Be Kind" by Nick Lowe
If you're a 90's child, you might remember "Cruel to Be Kind" as a song performed by alt rock band Letters to Cleo in the cult classic film, '10 Things I Hate About You'. But this sing was actually released in 1979, by English singer/songwriter, Nick Lowe.
Reaching number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 made Lowe into a one-hit wonder. "Cruel to Be Kind" told the story about a man that's confused about his lover's harsh treatment, but when he asks why, she simply says that "You've gotta be cruel to be kind". And we do agree that sometimes it is a necessary evil to be unkind in order to achieve overall happiness.
"I Love The Nightlife" by Alicia Bridges
Even though Alicia Bridges might look like a punk chic, she's definitely a disco princess. Her hit song "I Love the Nightlife", released in 1978, was Bridges's personal love letter to nightlife. Needless to say, she loved parties and dancing, and she wanted listeners to love it as much as her.
Her voice had a cheekiness to it that made it one of a kind, but Alicia was clear from the start - this would be her only venture into disco music. Apparently, she simply said she wasn't interested in making a full album in the disco genre, even though producers made her a very generous offer.
"The Rapper" by The Jaggerz
Many people still believe that this band's name was a play on Mick Jagger's name, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The rock band from Pennsylvania released their hit song "The Rapper" right in the middle of Rolling Stones mania, in 1970, so it's not surprising people got confused at first.
However, the band explained that they chose the name after Pittsburgh slang word for a type of thorny bush. The hit song was a fun boogie with groovy electric guitar riffs that was only surpassed in popularity by "bridge Over Troubled Water", by Simon & Garfunkel. The Jaggerz wrote many other singles that made the Billboard Hot 100 charts, but they never topped them like "The Rapper".
"Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)" by Daddy Dewdrop
"Chick-A-Boom" is a song that everyone has heard at least once in their life. And if you haven't, you surely remember the lyrics: "Last night I had a crazy dream about a chick in a black bikini"..."she must be a magic genie". The hit song that reached number 9 on the US Billboard Pop chart in 1971, was performed by Dick Monda, better known by his fantastic moniker, Daddy Dewdrop. In the photo below, you can see Daddy Dewdrop in all his glory - with a huge mustache and a train conductor's hat.
As it turns out, Monda was a music producer for an animated TV series called the 'Groovy Goolies'. The famous "Chick-A-Boom" was originally written and recorded for the show, and producers had no idea it would become a chart-topping hit.