For reasons unknown to me, Someone at Billboard got the idiotic idea to rank just the top 50 songs for 1979 and combine those with a special edition of the top 50 Christmas songs of all time.

For the first time since 1970 when these year end countdowns began, Instrumentals were not eligible which meant that "Rise" by Herb Alpert wasn't included even though it spent at least 2 weeks at #1. When the 1979 countdown aired, Casey Kasem explained the no instrumental rule for that year but evidently neither he nor anyone at Billboard noticed that somehow "Music Box Dancer" by Frank Mills managed to sneak into the countdown.


50: THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA - CHARLIE DANIELS BAND
49: MUSIC BOX DANCER - FRANK MILLS
48: IN THE NAVY - THE VILLAGE PEOPLE
47: SHE BELIEVES IN ME - KENNY ROGERS
46: SHARING THE NIGHT TOGETHER - DR. HOOK
45: HE'S THE GREATEST DANCER - SISTER SLEDGE
44: HOLD THE LINE - TOTO
43: HEAVEN MUST HAVE SENT YOU - BONNIE POINTER
42: LADY - THE LITTLE RIVER BAND
41: LOTTA LOVE - NICOLETTE LARSON
40: THE GAMBLER - KENNY ROGERS
39: HEAVEN KNOWS - DONNA SUMMER
38: AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE - EARTH, WIND AND FIRE
37: I WAS MADE FOR DANCING - LEIF GARRETT
36: MAMA CAN'T BUY YOU LOVE - ELTON JOHN
35: FIGHT (THEME FROM "THE MAIN EVENT") - BARBRA STREISAND
34: I WANT YOU TO WANT ME - CHEAP TRICK
33: LOVE YOU INSIDE OUT - BEE GEES
32: I'LL NEVER LOVE THIS WAY AGAIN - DIONNE WARWICK
31: SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING - PEACHES & HERB
30: YOU CAN'T CHANGE THAT - RAYDIO
29: JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST - RANDY VAN WARMER
28: MY LIFE - BILLY JOEL
27: THE LOGICAL SONG - SUPERTRAMP
26: DON'T CRY OUT LOUD - MELISSA MANCHESTER
25: SHAKE YOUR BODY - THE JACKSONS
24: LEAD ME ON - MAXINE NIGHTENGALE
23: STUMBLIN' IN - SUZIE QUATRO AND CHRIS NORMAN
22: KNOCK ON WOOD - AMI STEWART
21: YOU DON'T BRING ME FLOWERS ANYMORE - BARBRA STREISAND AND NEIL DIAMOND
20: GOOD TIMES - CHIC
19: WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS
18: HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE
17: A LITTLE MORE LOVE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
16: TRAGEDY - THE BEE GEES
15: FIRE - THE POINTER SISTERS
14: MAKIN' IT - DAVID NAUGHTON
13: WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN - DR HOOK
12: MACARTHUR PARK - DONNA SUMMER
11: TOO MUCH HEAVEN - BEE GEES
10: SAD EYES - ROBERT JOHN
9: RING MY BELL - ANITA WARD
8: Y.M.C.A. - VILLAGE PEOPLE
7: HOT STUFF - DONNA SUMMER
6: I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR
5: REUNITED - PEACHES & HERB
4: DO 'YA THINK I'M SEXY - ROD STEWART
3: LE FREAK - CHIC
2: BAD GIRLS - DONNA SUMMER
1: MY SHARONA - THE KNACK