The 25 best indie songs of 1979

7 March 2025, 17:52

Let Radio X take you back to the era of Message In A Bottle, the Banshees, the Pretenders and One Step Beyond... with some of the biggest indie and rock tunes of 1979.

By Radio X

@RadioX

1. Skids - Into The Valley: release date 9th January 1979

   The Scottish new wave band featured Richard Jobson on vocals and future Big Country frontman Stuart Adamson on guitar. Taken from their debut album Scared To Dance, this was their biggest hit, making Number 10 in March 1979.

   

   The Skids - Into The Valley

2. Blondie - Heart Of Glass: release date 19th January 1979

   The New York band's disco classic was their first UK Number 1 single, remaining there for four weeks until Tragedy by the Bee Gees came along and stole its crown. Heart Of Glass was taken from the album Parallel Lines.

   

   Blondie - Heart Of Glass

3. Buzzcocks - Everybody's Happy Nowadays: release date 2nd March 1979

   A standalone single from the Manchester punks, released midway between their albums Love Bites and A Different Kind Of Tension. It reached Number 29 in the UK charts.

   

   Buzzcocks - Everybody's happy nowadays 1979

4. Siouxsie & The Banshees - The Staircase (Mystery): release date 23rd March 1979

   The Banshees' second single, released four months after their acclaimed debut album The Scream. The track features guitarist John McKay and drummer Kenny Morris, who would both quit the band acrimoniously later the same year.

   

   Siouxsie And The Banshees - The Staircase (Mystery) (Official Music Video)

5. The Undertones - Jimmy Jimmy: release date 20th April 1979

   The Northern Irish band's third single, after the classic debut Teenage Kicks and the commercial flop Get Over You. Jimmy Jimmy peaked at Number 16 in the charts and was included on the band's self-titled debut album, issued the following month.

   

   The Undertones - The Undertones - Jimmy Jimmy TOTP HD (2nd Appearance No 17) 17th May 1979.

6. The Damned - Love Song: release date 20th April 1979

   The original version of the pioneering punk band had come to a messy end in February 1978, but by April the following year, the line up of Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, Rat Scabies and bassist Algy Ward had resumed performing as The Damned and signed to the Chiswick label. This frantic tune was the first single under the new arrangement and was their first to break the Top 40; Love Song peaked at Number 20 on 22nd May 1979.

   

   The Damned 'Love Song', Top of the Pops 1979

7. Tubeway Army - Are "Friends" Electric? Release date 11th May 1979

   Powered by the eerie sounds of the Polymoog synthesiser, this was the big hit of the summer of '79, spending four weeks at the top in July, unti the Boomtown Rats stole its thunder with I Don't Like Mondays. Immediately afterwards, frontman Gary Numan dropped the Tubeway Army name and went solo - he'd be back at Number 1 in September the same year with Cars.

   

   Tubeway Army 'Are Friends Electric' TOTP (1979) HD

8. Squeeze - Up The Junction: release date 18th May 1979

   Deptford's Squeeze earned their second Number 2 hit in a row with this single, issued hot on the heels of the classic Cool For Cats. It remains one of the band's best loved songs, kicking off with the immortal couplet: "I never thought it would happen with me and the girl from Clapham."

   

   Squeeze - Up The Junction

9. The Dead Kennedys - California über Alles: released June 1979

   The debut single from the San Franciscan hardcore punk band fronted by Jello Biafra takes a satirical look at the Governor Of California, Jerry Brown. The track made Number 4 on the UK indie chart and later appeared on the Dead Kennedys' debut album Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables.

   

   Dead Kennedys - California Uber Alles - Official Music Video

10. The Knack - My Sharona: release date 18th June 1979

    The debut single from the Los Angeles power pop band topped the charts in the US and made Number 6 in the UK... but it remained The Knack's biggest hit.

    

    The Knack - My Sharona (Official Music Video)

11. The Cure - Boys Don't Cry: release date 29th June 1979

    Robert Smith's classic pop song famously failed to chart on its initial release - it was only after a well-known compilation of early Cure tracks was named after the tune that it became a live favourite and a reissued version would break the Top 30 in 1986.

    

    The Cure - Boys Don't Cry

12. Public Image Ltd - Death Disco: release date 29th June 1979

    An incredibly grim song from John Lydon about the death of his beloved mother, this track reached Number 20, leading to the group performing it on Top Of The Pops - sandwiched between Janet Kay's Silly Games and Breakfast In America by Supertramp.

    

    Public Image Limited - Death Disco

13. Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead: released August 1979

    The Northampton band effectively invented the whole Goth genre with this atmospheric tribute to the star of the 1930s version of Dracula. It was only available as a 12" as the track lasted over nine-and-a-half minutes!

    

    Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead (Studio, TOTP)

14. The Stranglers - Duchess: released 10th August 1979

    The first single to be taken from the London band's excellent album The Raven peaked at Number 14 on the UK charts.

    

    The Stranglers - Duchess

15. The Police - Message In A Bottle: release date 7th September 1979

    The lead single from the trio's second album Reggatta de Blanc was the first of the band's five Number 1 hits.

    

    The Police - Message In A Bottle (Official Music Video)

16. XTC - Making Plans For Nigel: release date 14th September 1979

    The Swindon art rock band's first single to break the Top 40, peaking at Number 17 and remaining on the chart for 11 weeks.

    

    XTC - Making Plans For Nigel

17. The Specials - Rudy, A Message To You: release date 12th October 1979

    The Coventry ska revivalists covered this 1967 rocksteady tune by Dandy Livingstone, taking it to Number 10 in the Autumn of '79. Produced by Elvis Costello, the track appeared on the band's self-titled debut album.

    

    The Specials - A Message To You Rudy (Official Music Video)

18. The Human League - Empire State Human: release date 19th October 1979

    Another sci-fi spectacular from the influential Sheffield electronica band, back in the days of their original line-up. Taken from the group's debut album Reproduction, Empire State Human failed to chart on release in 1979, but a reissue the following summer saw it creep into the bottom end of the Top 75. For the moment, commercial success for the Human League seemed elusive...

    

    The Human League - Empire State Human (Remastered 2003)

19. Talking Heads - Life During Wartime: release date 19th October 1979

    The first single from the brilliant Fear of Music album, this song's full title is actually Life During Wartime (This Ain't No Party...This Ain't No Disco...This Ain't No Foolin' Around). Enjoy the live version from the amazing concert film Stop Making Sense:

    

    Talking Heads - Life During Wartime (live)

20. The Tourists - I Only Want To Be With You: release date 26th October 1979

    Originally a hit for Dusty Springfield in 1964, this cover version featured Annie Lennox on vocals and would be The Tourists' biggest hit, peaking at Number 4. The group split in 1980, with Lennox and bandmate Dave Stewart forming Eurythmics shortly afterwards.

    

    The Tourists - I Only Want To Be With You (1979)

21. The Jam - Eton Rifles: release date 26th October 1979

    This politically-charged Paul Weller song was the only single to be released from The Jam's acclaimed fourth album Setting Sons. It was the Woking trio's first Top 10 hit, going on to earn Silver status with the BPI.

    

    The Jam - The Eton Rifles

22. Madness - One Step Beyond: release date 26th October 1979

    The second single by Camden's most famous sons followed The Prince (released in August 1979) and gave them the first of their seventeen Top 10 hits. The raucous One Step Beyond was also the title track of their Platinum-selling debut album.

    

    Madness - One Step Beyond (Official 4k Video)

23. Pretenders - Brass In Pocket: release date 9th November 1979

    Chrissie Hynde and co scored the first new Number 1 hit of the 1980s with this song, taken from their self-titled debut album.

    

    Pretenders - Brass In Pocket (Official Music Video)

24. Joy Division - Transmission: release date 16th November 1979

    Four months after the release of their peerless debut album Unknown Pleasures, the influential Manchester band released this outstanding track as their first "real" single. In September of 1979, they appeared on the BBC-2 programme Something Else to perform it.

    

    Joy Division - Transmission [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

25. The Clash - London Calling: release date 7th December 1979

    The punk band saw out the 70s with the confrontational title track of their third album, which peaked at Number 11 in January 1980.

    

    The Clash - London Calling (Official Video)