December 3 in Music History: The 1970s Number Ones
On December 3 in music history, a different song sat at number one in America in every year of the 1970s.
This page takes the Billboard Hot 100 week that contains December 3 for each year from 1970 to 1979.
Those ten songs spent 35 weeks at number one between them.
Four of them had just arrived, and two were duets by Barbra Streisand.
Play any of them from the table below.
Total weeks at number one for the song on top the week of December 3, one bar per year.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's weekly Billboard Hot 100 data.
December 3 in Music History, 1970 to 1979: Play the Ten Number Ones
Press Play on any row and the list keeps going, song after song, until you press Stop.
Tap a column heading to sort by song, artist, year, chart week or weeks at number one.
| Play | Chart week | The story | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I Think I Love You | The Partridge Family | 1970 | Nov 28 to Dec 4 | 2 of 3 | 3 | It was cut at United Western Recorders in Hollywood, with Hal Blaine on drums and Wes Farrell producing. | |
| Theme from Shaft | Isaac Hayes | 1971 | Nov 27 to Dec 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 | Isaac Hayes recorded the rhythm parts first, scored the rest of the film, then came back to finish the theme. | |
| Papa Was a Rollin' Stone | The Temptations | 1972 | Dec 2 to Dec 8 | 1 of 1 | 1 | The Undisputed Truth released it first, in May 1972, months before the Temptations' version. | |
| Top of the World | The Carpenters | 1973 | Dec 1 to Dec 7 | 1 of 2 | 2 | Lynn Anderson's cover reached number 2 on the country chart before the Carpenters put out their own single. | |
| I Can Help | Billy Swan | 1974 | Nov 30 to Dec 6 | 2 of 2 | 2 | Billy Swan played the organ part on a portable Farfisa that belonged to Memphis session player Bobby Emmons. | |
| Fly, Robin, Fly | Silver Convention | 1975 | Nov 29 to Dec 5 | 1 of 3 | 3 | Sylvester Levay and Stephan Prager wrote it, and it won the Grammy for Best R&B Instrumental Performance. | |
| Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) | Rod Stewart | 1976 | Nov 27 to Dec 3 | 3 of 8 | 8 | Tom Dowd produced it, and it was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama. | |
| You Light Up My Life | Debby Boone | 1977 | Dec 3 to Dec 9 | 8 of 10 | 10 | Kasey Cisyk recorded it first, for the soundtrack album of the 1977 film of the same title. | |
| You Don't Bring Me Flowers | Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond | 1978 | Dec 2 to Dec 8 | 1 of 2 | 2 | Louisville radio programmer Gary Guthrie spliced Diamond's and Streisand's solo recordings into a duet before they cut one together. | |
| No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) | Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer | 1979 | Dec 1 to Dec 7 | 2 of 2 | 2 | Gary Klein and Giorgio Moroder produced it, and the 12-inch version runs 11 minutes 43 seconds. |
Chart week is the Billboard Hot 100 week that contains December 3 that year.
Week of run says which week of the song's time at number one that was, like 8 of 10.
Chart weeks and weeks at number one come from this site's weekly Hot 100 file, and the story lines are credited in Sources.
The Short Answer: Who Was on Top Each Year
For December 3 in music history, a different record was number one in every year from 1970 to 1979.
That is the Hot 100 chart week that includes December 3.
Here is what the ten weeks show at a glance:
- The ten songs spent 35 weeks at number one in total.
- "You Light Up My Life" had the most weeks, with ten.
- "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" came next with eight.
- "I Think I Love You" and "Fly, Robin, Fly" had three each.
- "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" held number one for a single week.
- 4 of the ten songs were in their first week on top.
- 3 were in the middle of a longer run, and 3 were in their last week.
Want Your Own Week?
Try the Birthday #1 Song Finder to see which song was on top the week you were born.
It works for any 1970s birthday, not only December 3 in music history.
How the December 3 Week Was Picked
Billboard chart weeks do not line up with the calendar, so there is no single week called December 3.
This December 3 in music history page uses the weekly Hot 100 week that contains December 3 each year.
In 1977 that week began on December 3 itself, and in the other nine years it began one to six days before:
- 1970: the chart week of November 28, 1970, with "I Think I Love You" by The Partridge Family on top.
- 1971: the chart week of November 27, 1971, with "Theme from Shaft" by Isaac Hayes on top.
- 1972: the chart week of December 2, 1972, with "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" by The Temptations on top.
- 1973: the chart week of December 1, 1973, with "Top of the World" by The Carpenters on top.
- 1974: the chart week of November 30, 1974, with "I Can Help" by Billy Swan on top.
- 1975: the chart week of November 29, 1975, with "Fly, Robin, Fly" by Silver Convention on top.
- 1976: the chart week of November 27, 1976, with "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" by Rod Stewart on top.
- 1977: the chart week of December 3, 1977, with "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone on top.
- 1978: the chart week of December 2, 1978, with "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" by Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond on top.
- 1979: the chart week of December 1, 1979, with "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer on top.
Where the Numbers Come From
Chart weeks and weeks at number one come from the weekly Hot 100 file on this site.
The story line for each song is a fact from that song's Wikipedia page.
Anything that could not be confirmed against those sources was left out.
Nine of the ten runs were unbroken.
"You Don't Bring Me Flowers" was split by Chic's "Le Freak," so its week of run counts only its own weeks at number one.
For "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" the weekly file has eight chart weeks at number one, which matches Wikipedia's eight consecutive weeks.
Six Songs Also on the November 28 List
This is the real week of December 3, so every song on top that week is here.
Six of them are also on the November 28 in music history list, five days earlier.
Only 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1978 had a new number one by December 3.
Four songs also turn up on the December 12 in music history list: "Top of the World," "Fly, Robin, Fly," "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" and "You Light Up My Life."
December 3 in Music History, 1970 to 1972: A TV Family, Shaft and a Seven-Minute Single
December 3 in music history opened the decade with a song from a TV show.
Isaac Hayes was in his last week on top in 1971.
The Temptations got a single week of their own in 1972.
1970: "I Think I Love You" by The Partridge Family
"I Think I Love You" was recorded in 1970 at United Western Recorders in Hollywood, with Wes Farrell producing.
Billy Strange led the session and wrote the arrangement, and Hal Blaine played drums.
Wikipedia says the Bahler brothers, Ron Hicklin and Jackie Ward sang backing vocals, as they did on every later Partridge Family record.
The single also reached number one in Canada in November 1970 and in Australia in 1971.
This site's weekly data shows three weeks at number one, from November 21 to December 5, 1970.
The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" was on top before it, and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "The Tears of a Clown" came next.
So the chart week that contains December 3 was the second of three.
More bright radio hits of the decade are on the pop songs of the 70s list.
1971: "Theme from Shaft" by Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes recorded the rhythm parts of "Theme from Shaft" first, then scored the rest of the film before coming back to the theme.
Wikipedia says Hayes played the synthesized keyboard himself.
It reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart.
At the 1972 Grammy Awards, Hayes won Best Instrumental Arrangement for the theme and Best Original Score for the film.
The 1971 recording entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
This site's weekly data shows two weeks at number one, from November 20 to November 27, 1971.
Cher's "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" was on top before it, and Sly and the Family Stone's "Family Affair" came next.
So the chart week that contains December 3 was the second and last of two.
The song is number 89 on the 1971 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
It fits with the records on the 70s funk page.
1972: "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" by The Temptations
Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong wrote "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" in 1971.
The Undisputed Truth recorded it first, and Whitfield produced their version, released as a single in May 1972.
The Temptations' cover came out as a single in September 1972, edited down to about seven minutes.
Wikipedia says their version won three Grammy Awards in 1973, and it entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
This site's weekly data shows one week at number one, the chart week of December 2, 1972.
Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" was on top before it, and Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman" came next.
The song is number 100 on the 1973 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
More of the Motown sound is on the 70s soul music page.
December 3 in Music History, 1973 to 1975: The Carpenters, a Borrowed Organ and a Disco Instrumental
December 3 in music history in the middle of the decade has two new arrivals and one farewell.
The Carpenters and Silver Convention both reached number one that week.
Billy Swan was in his second and last week on top in 1974.
1973: "Top of the World" by Carpenters
Richard Carpenter wrote the music for "Top of the World," and John Bettis wrote the lyrics.
Lynn Anderson recorded it for an album also called Top of the World, and her version reached number 2 on the US country chart.
The Carpenters' own version came out as a single on September 17, 1973.
Wikipedia says it topped the US pop chart for two weeks in December 1973.
This site's weekly data shows two weeks at number one, from December 1 to December 8, 1973.
Ringo Starr's "Photograph" was on top before it, and Charlie Rich's "The Most Beautiful Girl" came next.
So the chart week that contains December 3 was the first of two.
The song is number 39 on the 1974 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
More of the duo's hits are on the Carpenters songs page.
1974: "I Can Help" by Billy Swan
Billy Swan recorded "I Can Help" in March 1974 at Young 'Un Sound in Murfreesboro, with Chip Young producing and engineering.
While writing it, Swan used a "Rock" preset on his Rhythm Master drum machine.
He played the keyboard part on a portable Farfisa organ that belonged to Memphis session musician Bobby Emmons.
Wikipedia says Young's German Shepherd puppy, Bowser, tugged on Swan's pants leg during the take.
Chip Young added the electric guitar solo after the main recording.
This site's weekly data shows two weeks at number one, from November 23 to November 30, 1974.
John Lennon's "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" was on top before it, and Carl Douglas's "Kung Fu Fighting" came next.
So the chart week that contains December 3 was the second and last of two.
The song is number 44 on the 1975 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
It sits well with the crossover hits on the 70s country songs list.
1975: "Fly, Robin, Fly" by Silver Convention
Sylvester Levay and Stephan Prager wrote "Fly, Robin, Fly," and Prager produced it.
It won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance.
This site's weekly data shows three weeks at number one, from November 29 to December 13, 1975.
KC and the Sunshine Band's "That's the Way (I Like It)" was on top before it and again after it.
So the chart week that contains December 3 was the first of three.
The song is number 14 on the 1976 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
Hear more of the sound on the disco music of the 70s page.
December 3 in Music History, 1976 to 1979: Rod Stewart, Debby Boone and Two Streisand Duets
December 3 in music history closed the decade with two long runs and two Barbra Streisand duets.
Rod Stewart was three weeks into eight, and Debby Boone was in her eighth week of ten.
Streisand sang with Neil Diamond in 1978 and with Donna Summer in 1979.
1976: "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" by Rod Stewart
Tom Dowd produced "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" for Rod Stewart's 1976 album A Night on the Town.
It was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama, and the final vocal was cut at Caribou Ranch.
The song entered the Hot 100 at number 81 on October 2, 1976.
It peaked at number 5 in the UK.
This site's weekly data shows eight weeks at number one, from November 13, 1976, to January 1, 1977.
Steve Miller Band's "Rock'n Me" was on top before it, and Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.'s "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)" came next.
So the chart week that contains December 3 was the third of eight.
The song is number 1 on the 1977 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
He is one of the voices on the 70s singers list.
1977: "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone
Joseph Brooks wrote "You Light Up My Life," and Kasey Cisyk recorded it first, for the soundtrack album of the 1977 film of the same title.
That soundtrack album peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200.
Debby Boone's single was certified platinum by the RIAA.
Wikipedia says her hit led to the 1978 Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
This site's weekly data shows ten weeks at number one, from October 15 to December 17, 1977.
Meco's "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" was on top before it, and the Bee Gees' "How Deep Is Your Love" came next.
So the chart week that contains December 3 was the eighth of ten.
The song is number 3 on the 1978 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
Find more ballads like it on the 70s love songs list.
1978: "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" by Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond wrote "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" with Alan and Marilyn Bergman.
It was meant to be the theme for Norman Lear's sitcom All That Glitters, but Lear changed the show's concept, so Diamond turned it into a full song.
Diamond released a solo version on his 1977 album I'm Glad You're Here with Me Tonight, and Streisand covered it on her 1978 album Songbird.
Louisville radio program director Gary Guthrie spliced the two solo tracks into a duet.
Columbia then had the pair record a new studio version together, released on October 17, 1978.
This site's weekly data shows two weeks at number one, in two separate stretches.
Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park" was on top before it, and the duet's first week was the chart week of December 2, 1978.
Chic's "Le Freak" took over the next week, the duet returned for the week of December 16, and then "Le Freak" came back, so the December 3 week was the first of the duet's two.
The song is number 21 on the 1979 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
More quiet records of the decade are on the slow songs of the 70s list.
1979: "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer
"No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" was recorded in Los Angeles in August 1979 at the Village Recorder.
Gary Klein and Giorgio Moroder produced it, and Harold Faltermeyer added production to Summer's 12-inch version.
The full song is on Streisand's album Wet, and an extended version is on Summer's On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II.
That 12-inch version runs 11 minutes 43 seconds, while the Wet album version runs 8:19.
The 7-inch single was certified platinum.
This site's weekly data shows two weeks at number one, from November 24 to December 1, 1979.
The Commodores' "Still" was on top before it, and Styx's "Babe" came next.
So the chart week that contains December 3 was the second and last of two.
More of her hits are on the Donna Summer page.
December 3 in Music History by the Numbers: Four New Arrivals and a Split Run
Ranking the ten songs of December 3 in music history by weeks at number one puts Debby Boone first and Rod Stewart second.
| Song | Artist | Year | Weeks at #1 | First week | Last week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| You Light Up My Life | Debby Boone | 1977 | 10 | October 15, 1977 | December 17, 1977 |
| Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) | Rod Stewart | 1976 | 8 | November 13, 1976 | January 1, 1977 |
| I Think I Love You | The Partridge Family | 1970 | 3 | November 21, 1970 | December 5, 1970 |
| Fly, Robin, Fly | Silver Convention | 1975 | 3 | November 29, 1975 | December 13, 1975 |
| Theme from Shaft | Isaac Hayes | 1971 | 2 | November 20, 1971 | November 27, 1971 |
| Top of the World | The Carpenters | 1973 | 2 | December 1, 1973 | December 8, 1973 |
| I Can Help | Billy Swan | 1974 | 2 | November 23, 1974 | November 30, 1974 |
| You Don't Bring Me Flowers | Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond | 1978 | 2 | December 2, 1978 | December 16, 1978 |
| No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) | Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer | 1979 | 2 | November 24, 1979 | December 1, 1979 |
| Papa Was a Rollin' Stone | The Temptations | 1972 | 1 | December 2, 1972 | December 2, 1972 |
Each box is one week at number one and the gold box is the week that contains December 3.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's weekly Billboard Hot 100 data.
Where December 3 Fell in Each Run
The weeks split three ways:
- 4 songs were in their first week at number one: "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone," "Top of the World," "Fly, Robin, Fly" and "You Don't Bring Me Flowers."
- "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" lasted only that one week.
- 3 were in the middle of a longer run: "I Think I Love You," "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" and "You Light Up My Life."
- 3 were in the last week of their run: "Theme from Shaft," "I Can Help" and "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)."
Test Your Own Memory
Could you have named all ten December 3 in music history number ones, from The Partridge Family in 1970 to Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer in 1979?
Other weeks have their own lists, including November 19 in music history, November 12 in music history, November 7 in music history, May 1 in music history, October 8 in music history, February 1 in music history, September 16 in music history, August 19 in music history, July 15 in music history, June 12 in music history, May 29 in music history, April 17 in music history, March 20 in music history, February 13 in music history and January 9 in music history.
For a quick game, the 70s Music Trivia Quiz deals ten new questions each round.
Every chart topper of the decade is on the 70s number one hits list.
More of the decade lives on the Music of the 70s home page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the number one song on December 3 in music history in the 1970s?
The Hot 100 number one for the week that includes December 3 changed every year. From 1970 to 1974 it was "I Think I Love You," "Theme from Shaft," "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone," "Top of the World" and "I Can Help." From 1975 to 1979 it was "Fly, Robin, Fly," "Tonight's the Night," "You Light Up My Life," "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" and "No More Tears."
Which song was number one the week of December 3, 1977?
Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life" was number one for the Hot 100 chart week that began December 3, 1977. That was the eighth of its ten weeks on top, a run that started October 15 and ended December 17, 1977, according to this site's weekly Hot 100 data.
How did Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond end up singing "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" together?
Both had recorded "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" as a solo song. Wikipedia says Louisville radio programmer Gary Guthrie spliced the two solo recordings into a duet, and Columbia then had the pair record a new studio version together, released October 17, 1978. Their duet reached number one for the chart week of December 2, 1978.
How can I find the number one song from my own birthday?
You can find the number one song from your birthday with the Birthday #1 Song Finder on this site. Enter a birthday from the 1970s and it shows the song that topped the Billboard Hot 100 that week, using the same weekly chart data as the ten songs on this page.
Why are so many of these songs also on the November 28 list?
November 28 and December 3 are five days apart, and in 1970, 1971 and 1976 they fall in the same Hot 100 chart week. Six songs appear on both lists. Only 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1978 had a new number one by December 3.
Related Posts
Sources
- I Think I Love You, Wikipedia, for United Western Recorders, Wes Farrell, Billy Strange, Hal Blaine, the backing singers and the Canada and Australia number ones.
- Theme from Shaft, Wikipedia, for the recording order, Hayes's keyboard, the UK peak, the two Grammys and the Grammy Hall of Fame.
- Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, Wikipedia, for the writers, the Undisputed Truth original, the seven-minute single, the three Grammys and the Grammy Hall of Fame.
- Top of the World (Carpenters song), Wikipedia, for the writers, Lynn Anderson's country version, the single release date and the December 1973 run.
- I Can Help, Wikipedia, for the Murfreesboro session, Chip Young, the drum machine, Bobby Emmons's Farfisa, Bowser and the guitar solo.
- Fly, Robin, Fly, Wikipedia, for the writers, the producer and the Grammy.
- Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright), Wikipedia, for Tom Dowd, A Night on the Town, Muscle Shoals, Caribou Ranch, the Hot 100 debut and the UK peak.
- You Light Up My Life (song), Wikipedia, for Kasey Cisyk, the soundtrack album, the platinum award and the Best New Artist Grammy.
- You Don't Bring Me Flowers, Wikipedia, for the writers, All That Glitters, Gary Guthrie's splice, the two solo albums and the October 17, 1978 release.
- No More Tears (Enough Is Enough), Wikipedia, for the Village Recorder session, the producers, Harold Faltermeyer, the albums, the 12-inch length and the platinum single.
- Billboard Hot 100, Wikipedia, for how the weekly chart used for number one runs works.