70s Songs: The 100 Biggest Hits by Year-End Chart
These 70s songs are the decade's 100 biggest hits, ranked by the Billboard Year-End Hot 100.
The longest run at No. 1 belongs to "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone, 10 weeks in 1977.
The Bee Gees reached No. 1 nine times, more than any other act.
Below the ranking sits every song story and playlist on this site, 84 stories and 7 playlists in all.
The artists behind some of the decade's biggest hits: Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Elton John, the Bee Gees, and Debby Boone.
Photo credits: Paul McCartney by Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0. Rod Stewart by Joe Bielawa, CC BY 2.0. Elton John, LA Times Photographic Collection at UCLA, CC BY 4.0. Bee Gees, public domain (NBC Television, 1977). Debby Boone by John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com, CC BY-SA 2.0. All via Wikimedia Commons. This composite includes a CC BY-SA 2.0 photo, so per ShareAlike terms this image is also available under CC BY-SA 2.0.
The 100 Biggest Hits, 1970 to 1979
Each year adds its top 10 from this site's Billboard chart files (see how the chart data is checked).
Tap a column heading to sort by song, artist, year or rank.
Press Play on any row and the list keeps going from there, one song after another.
Rows without a Play button have no official video yet.
| Play | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridge Over Troubled Water | Simon & Garfunkel | 1970 | 1 | Yes | |
| (They Long to Be) Close to You | The Carpenters | 1970 | 2 | Yes | |
| American Woman | The Guess Who | 1970 | 3 | Yes | |
| Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head | B.J. Thomas | 1970 | 4 | Yes | |
| War | Edwin Starr | 1970 | 5 | Yes | |
| Ain't No Mountain High Enough | Diana Ross | 1970 | 6 | Yes | |
| I'll Be There | The Jackson 5 | 1970 | 7 | Yes | |
| Get Ready | Rare Earth | 1970 | 8 | ||
| Let It Be | The Beatles | 1970 | 9 | Yes | |
| Band of Gold | Freda Payne | 1970 | 10 | ||
| Joy to the World | Three Dog Night | 1971 | 1 | Yes | |
| Maggie May / Reason to Believe | Rod Stewart | 1971 | 2 | Yes | |
| It's Too Late / I Feel the Earth Move | Carole King | 1971 | 3 | Yes | |
| One Bad Apple | The Osmonds | 1971 | 4 | Yes | |
| How Can You Mend a Broken Heart | Bee Gees | 1971 | 5 | Yes | |
| Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian) | Raiders | 1971 | 6 | Yes | |
| Go Away Little Girl | Donny Osmond | 1971 | 7 | Yes | |
| Take Me Home, Country Roads | John Denver | 1971 | 8 | ||
| Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) | The Temptations | 1971 | 9 | Yes | |
| Knock Three Times | Tony Orlando and Dawn | 1971 | 10 | Yes | |
| The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face | Roberta Flack | 1972 | 1 | Yes | |
| Alone Again (Naturally) | Gilbert O'Sullivan | 1972 | 2 | Yes | |
| American Pie | Don McLean | 1972 | 3 | Yes | |
| Without You | Harry Nilsson | 1972 | 4 | Yes | |
| The Candy Man | Sammy Davis Jr. | 1972 | 5 | Yes | |
| I Gotcha | Joe Tex | 1972 | 6 | ||
| Lean on Me | Bill Withers | 1972 | 7 | Yes | |
| Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me | Mac Davis | 1972 | 8 | Yes | |
| Brand New Key | Melanie | 1972 | 9 | Yes | |
| Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast | Wayne Newton | 1972 | 10 | ||
| Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree | Tony Orlando and Dawn | 1973 | 1 | Yes | |
| Bad, Bad Leroy Brown | Jim Croce | 1973 | 2 | Yes | |
| Killing Me Softly with His Song | Roberta Flack | 1973 | 3 | Yes | |
| Let's Get It On | Marvin Gaye | 1973 | 4 | Yes | |
| My Love | Paul McCartney & Wings | 1973 | 5 | Yes | |
| Why Me | Kris Kristofferson | 1973 | 6 | ||
| Crocodile Rock | Elton John | 1973 | 7 | Yes | |
| Will It Go Round in Circles | Billy Preston | 1973 | 8 | Yes | |
| You're So Vain | Carly Simon | 1973 | 9 | Yes | |
| Touch Me in the Morning | Diana Ross | 1973 | 10 | Yes | |
| The Way We Were | Barbra Streisand | 1974 | 1 | Yes | |
| Seasons in the Sun | Terry Jacks | 1974 | 2 | Yes | |
| Love's Theme | Love Unlimited Orchestra | 1974 | 3 | Yes | |
| Come and Get Your Love | Redbone | 1974 | 4 | ||
| Dancing Machine | The Jackson 5 | 1974 | 5 | ||
| The Loco-Motion | Grand Funk Railroad | 1974 | 6 | Yes | |
| TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) | MFSB & The Three Degrees | 1974 | 7 | Yes | |
| The Streak | Ray Stevens | 1974 | 8 | Yes | |
| Bennie and the Jets | Elton John | 1974 | 9 | Yes | |
| One Hell of a Woman | Mac Davis | 1974 | 10 | ||
| Love Will Keep Us Together | Captain & Tennille | 1975 | 1 | Yes | |
| Rhinestone Cowboy | Glen Campbell | 1975 | 2 | Yes | |
| Philadelphia Freedom | Elton John | 1975 | 3 | Yes | |
| Before the Next Teardrop Falls | Freddy Fender | 1975 | 4 | Yes | |
| My Eyes Adored You | Frankie Valli | 1975 | 5 | Yes | |
| Some Kind of Wonderful | Grand Funk Railroad | 1975 | 6 | ||
| Shining Star | Earth, Wind & Fire | 1975 | 7 | Yes | |
| Fame | David Bowie | 1975 | 8 | Yes | |
| Laughter in the Rain | Neil Sedaka | 1975 | 9 | Yes | |
| One of These Nights | Eagles | 1975 | 10 | Yes | |
| Silly Love Songs | Wings | 1976 | 1 | Yes | |
| Don't Go Breaking My Heart | Elton John & Kiki Dee | 1976 | 2 | Yes | |
| Disco Lady | Johnnie Taylor | 1976 | 3 | Yes | |
| December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) | The Four Seasons | 1976 | 4 | Yes | |
| Play That Funky Music | Wild Cherry | 1976 | 5 | Yes | |
| Kiss and Say Goodbye | The Manhattans | 1976 | 6 | Yes | |
| Love Machine | The Miracles | 1976 | 7 | Yes | |
| 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover | Paul Simon | 1976 | 8 | Yes | |
| Love Is Alive | Gary Wright | 1976 | 9 | ||
| A Fifth of Beethoven | Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band | 1976 | 10 | Yes | |
| Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) | Rod Stewart | 1977 | 1 | Yes | |
| I Just Want to Be Your Everything | Andy Gibb | 1977 | 2 | Yes | |
| Best of My Love | The Emotions | 1977 | 3 | Yes | |
| Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born) | Barbra Streisand | 1977 | 4 | Yes | |
| Angel in Your Arms | Hot | 1977 | 5 | ||
| I Like Dreamin' | Kenny Nolan | 1977 | 6 | ||
| Don't Leave Me This Way | Thelma Houston | 1977 | 7 | Yes | |
| (Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher | Rita Coolidge | 1977 | 8 | ||
| Undercover Angel | Alan O'Day | 1977 | 9 | Yes | |
| Torn Between Two Lovers | Mary MacGregor | 1977 | 10 | Yes | |
| Shadow Dancing | Andy Gibb | 1978 | 1 | Yes | |
| Night Fever | Bee Gees | 1978 | 2 | Yes | |
| You Light Up My Life | Debby Boone | 1978 | 3 | Yes | |
| Stayin' Alive | Bee Gees | 1978 | 4 | Yes | |
| Kiss You All Over | Exile | 1978 | 5 | Yes | |
| How Deep Is Your Love | Bee Gees | 1978 | 6 | Yes | |
| Baby Come Back | Player | 1978 | 7 | Yes | |
| (Love Is) Thicker Than Water | Andy Gibb | 1978 | 8 | Yes | |
| Boogie Oogie Oogie | A Taste of Honey | 1978 | 9 | Yes | |
| Three Times a Lady | Commodores | 1978 | 10 | Yes | |
| My Sharona | The Knack | 1979 | 1 | Yes | |
| Bad Girls | Donna Summer | 1979 | 2 | Yes | |
| Le Freak | Chic | 1979 | 3 | Yes | |
| Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? | Rod Stewart | 1979 | 4 | Yes | |
| Reunited | Peaches & Herb | 1979 | 5 | Yes | |
| I Will Survive | Gloria Gaynor | 1979 | 6 | Yes | |
| Hot Stuff | Donna Summer | 1979 | 7 | Yes | |
| Y.M.C.A. | Village People | 1979 | 8 | ||
| Ring My Bell | Anita Ward | 1979 | 9 | Yes | |
| Sad Eyes | Robert John | 1979 | 10 | Yes |
For the music without the list, Listen Now plays 70s hits nonstop.
The Top Song of Every Year
Each year-end No. 1 is the single that piled up the most chart points that year.
- 1970: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel
- 1971: "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night
- 1972: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack
- 1973: "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" by Tony Orlando and Dawn
- 1974: "The Way We Were" by Barbra Streisand
- 1975: "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain & Tennille
- 1976: "Silly Love Songs" by Wings
- 1977: "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" by Rod Stewart
- 1978: "Shadow Dancing" by Andy Gibb
- 1979: "My Sharona" by The Knack
Ballads won the early years, and disco and new wave took the last two.
Records in the Weekly Chart Data
"You Light Up My Life" held the top spot for 10 straight weeks, from mid-October to late December 1977.
No other 70s single stayed at No. 1 that long.
The next longest runs were eight weeks each.
- "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" by Rod Stewart
- "Night Fever" by the Bee Gees
Andy Gibb's "Shadow Dancing" followed with seven weeks.
The Bee Gees and Their Nine No. 1s
The Bee Gees topped the weekly chart with nine different songs between 1971 and 1979.
- "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"
- "Jive Talkin'"
- "You Should Be Dancing"
- "How Deep Is Your Love"
- "Stayin' Alive"
- "Night Fever"
- "Too Much Heaven"
- "Tragedy"
- "Love You Inside Out"
Every weekly chart-topper of the decade, with its run, is on 70s Number One Hits.
Every 70s Song Story on This Site
Each story covers who wrote the song, how it was made and how it charted.
They are listed by title, leaving out a leading "The" or bracketed words.
Songs A to D
- 25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago
- Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Diana Ross
- American Pie by Don McLean
- Annie's Song by John Denver
- Bad Girls by Donna Summer
- Bad, Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce
- Best of My Love by Eagles
- Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain by Willie Nelson
- Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
- Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind & Fire
- Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel
- (They Long to Be) Close to You by Carpenters
- Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd
- Copacabana by Barry Manilow
- Dancing Queen by ABBA
- Dreams by Fleetwood Mac
Songs E to I
- Flash Light by Parliament
- Georgia on My Mind by Willie Nelson
- Get on the Good Foot by James Brown
- Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! by ABBA
- Give Up the Funk by Parliament
- Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac
- Heartache Tonight by Eagles
- Hopelessly Devoted to You by Olivia Newton-John
- Hot Stuff by Donna Summer
- Hotel California by Eagles
- How Can You Mend a Broken Heart by Bee Gees
- How Deep Is Your Love by Bee Gees
- I Am Woman by Helen Reddy
- I Want You Back by Jackson 5
- I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton
- I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
- I'll Be There by Jackson 5
- If You Leave Me Now by Chicago
- In the Navy by Village People
- It's Too Late by Carole King
Songs J to M
- Jive Talkin' by Bee Gees
- Jolene by Dolly Parton
- Joy to the World by Three Dog Night
- Kashmir by Led Zeppelin
- Killer Queen by Queen
- Knowing Me, Knowing You by ABBA
- Last Dance by Donna Summer
- Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye
- Let's Stay Together by Al Green
- Living for the City by Stevie Wonder
- MacArthur Park by Donna Summer
- Mamma Mia by ABBA
- Mandy by Barry Manilow
- Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight & the Pips
- Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra
Songs N to S
- The Name of the Game by ABBA
- New Kid in Town by Eagles
- Night Fever by Bee Gees
- One of These Nights by Eagles
- Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac
- Rocket Man by Elton John
- Seasons in the Sun by Terry Jacks
- September by Earth, Wind & Fire
- Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder
- Somebody to Love by Queen
- Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin
- Stayin' Alive by Bee Gees
- Superstition by Stevie Wonder
Songs T to Z
- Take a Chance on Me by ABBA
- Take It Easy by Eagles
- Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver
- Telephone Line by Electric Light Orchestra
- That's the Way (I Like It) by KC and the Sunshine Band
- Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce
- Tiny Dancer by Elton John
- Tired of Being Alone by Al Green
- Too Much Heaven by Bee Gees
- Tragedy by Bee Gees
- Waterloo by ABBA
- We Will Rock You by Queen
- We've Only Just Begun by Carpenters
- What's Going On by Marvin Gaye
- Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
- Y.M.C.A. by Village People
- You and I by Rick James
- You Are the Sunshine of My Life by Stevie Wonder
- You Should Be Dancing by Bee Gees
- You're the One That I Want by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
Playlists You Can Play Here
Each playlist plays straight through, one song after another, from a single button.
- 70s Love Songs: 30 classics you can play in one list
- 70s Slow Songs: 30 ballads to play start to finish
- 70s Dance Songs: 30 tracks built for the floor
- 70s Party Songs: 30 dance floor hits
- 70s Road Trip Songs: 30 tracks for the open road
- 70s One Hit Wonders: 147 verified acts with one chart hit each
- 70s Christmas Songs: 14 holiday classics in order
Browse 70s music genres for songs by style, or go back to the Music of the 70s home page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote "You Light Up My Life"?
Joseph Brooks wrote it for the film You Light Up My Life.
The song won him the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 50th Academy Awards in 1978.
Debby Boone recorded the hit version in April 1977, and it was released on August 16, 1977.
What Grammy did Debby Boone win?
Debby Boone won Best New Artist at the 20th Annual Grammy Awards.
The other nominees were Foreigner, Andy Gibb, Stephen Bishop and Shaun Cassidy.
Gibb went on to finish first on the 1978 year-end chart, so she beat that year's top act to the award.
Where did "You Light Up My Life" finish on the year-end chart?
It placed No. 3 on the 1978 Year-End Hot 100, behind "Shadow Dancing" by Andy Gibb and "Night Fever" by the Bee Gees.
Its weeks at the top fell in late 1977, yet the 1977 year-end list leaves it out of its 100 places.
That is why it sits in the 1978 group of this ranking.
How many different songs reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 in the 70s?
253 different songs topped the weekly Hot 100 from 1970 to 1979, counted from this site's weekly chart data.
1974 was the busiest year, with 36 different songs holding No. 1 at some point.
1971 was the slowest, with 19.
Why do some songs in the list have no Play button?
This site only plays uploads from the artist's own channel or the record label.
For 30 of the 100 hits, no such upload of the original recording exists on YouTube yet, so those rows stay in the ranking without a player.
Sources
Chart ranks and weeks at No. 1 come from this site's Billboard year-end and weekly Hot 100 files.
