July 15 in Music History: The 1970s Number Ones
On July 15 in music history, the number one song in America changed with every year of the 1970s.
The Billboard Hot 100 chart week that contains July 15 had a different song on top in all ten years.
Those ten songs spent 33 weeks at number one between them.
You can play every one from the table below.
Each row also shows how far into its run the song was that week.
Total weeks at number one for the song on top the week of July 15, one bar per year.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's weekly Billboard Hot 100 data.
July 15 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mama Told Me (Not to Come) | Three Dog Night | 1970 | Jul 11 to Jul 17 | 1 of 2 | 2 | Randy Newman wrote it in 1966 for Eric Burdon's first solo album, and Three Dog Night's cover took it to number one. | |
| It's Too Late / I Feel the Earth Move | Carole King | 1971 | Jul 10 to Jul 16 | 4 of 5 | 5 | Toni Stern wrote the lyrics and Carole King the music, and Stern later said she wrote the words in a single day after her relationship with James Taylor ended. | |
| Lean on Me | Bill Withers | 1972 | Jul 15 to Jul 21 | 2 of 3 | 3 | Bill Withers wrote it after moving to Los Angeles and missing the community ethic of his hometown, the coal mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia. | |
| Will It Go Round in Circles | Billy Preston | 1973 | Jul 14 to Jul 20 | 2 of 2 | 2 | Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher wrote it, and it came from Preston's 1972 album Music Is My Life. | |
| Rock Your Baby | George McCrae | 1974 | Jul 13 to Jul 19 | 1 of 2 | 2 | The backing track was recorded in 45 minutes as a demo, and George McCrae was in the studio and added his falsetto vocals. | |
| Love Will Keep Us Together | Captain & Tennille | 1975 | Jul 12 to Jul 18 | 4 of 4 | 4 | Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield wrote it, and Sedaka admitted borrowing the main chord progression from the Beach Boys' "Do It Again." | |
| Afternoon Delight | Starland Vocal Band | 1976 | Jul 10 to Jul 16 | 1 of 2 | 2 | Bill Danoff wrote it after seeing a happy hour menu at Clyde's in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., that was titled "Afternoon Delights." | |
| Undercover Angel | Alan O'Day | 1977 | Jul 9 to Jul 15 | 1 of 1 | 1 | Alan O'Day called it a "nocturnal novelette," and it reached number one before an album to support it was released. | |
| Shadow Dancing | Andy Gibb | 1978 | Jul 15 to Jul 21 | 5 of 7 | 7 | Andy Gibb wrote it with his brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice, and Albhy Galuten co-wrote and produced it. | |
| Bad Girls | Donna Summer | 1979 | Jul 14 to Jul 20 | 1 of 5 | 5 | The idea came after one of Donna Summer's assistants was insulted by a police officer who thought she was a prostitute. |
Chart week is the Billboard Hot 100 week that contains July 15 that year.
Week of run says which week of the song's time at number one that was, like 2 of 4.
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 July 15 in music history, the number one song was a different record in every year from 1970 to 1979.
That is the Hot 100 chart week that includes July 15.
Here is what the ten weeks show at a glance:
- The ten songs spent 33 weeks at number one in total.
- "Shadow Dancing" had the most weeks, with seven, and "It's Too Late" and "Bad Girls" had five each.
- 5 of the ten songs were in their first week at number one that week, and only "Undercover Angel" had just that one week.
- 3 were somewhere in the middle of a longer run, and 2 were in the final week of their runs.
Want Your Own Week?
The Birthday #1 Song Finder does this for any 1970s birthday, not only July 15 in music history.
Enter the date and it shows the song that was on top that week.
How the July 15 Week Was Picked
Billboard chart weeks do not line up with the calendar, so there is no single week called July 15.
This July 15 in music history page takes the weekly Hot 100 week that contains July 15 in each year.
That week began on a different date each year:
- 1970: the chart week of July 11, 1970, with "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" by Three Dog Night on top.
- 1971: the chart week of July 10, 1971, with "It's Too Late / I Feel the Earth Move" by Carole King on top.
- 1972: the chart week of July 15, 1972, with "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers on top.
- 1973: the chart week of July 14, 1973, with "Will It Go Round in Circles" by Billy Preston on top.
- 1974: the chart week of July 13, 1974, with "Rock Your Baby" by George McCrae on top.
- 1975: the chart week of July 12, 1975, with "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain & Tennille on top.
- 1976: the chart week of July 10, 1976, with "Afternoon Delight" by Starland Vocal Band on top.
- 1977: the chart week of July 9, 1977, with "Undercover Angel" by Alan O'Day on top.
- 1978: the chart week of July 15, 1978, with "Shadow Dancing" by Andy Gibb on top.
- 1979: the chart week of July 14, 1979, with "Bad Girls" by 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.
All ten runs were unbroken, so "week of run" counts the weeks since the song first reached number one.
July 15 in Music History, 1970 to 1972: A Randy Newman Cover, a Carole King Breakup Song and a Slab Fork Anthem
The first three Julys of the decade brought a Three Dog Night cover, a Carole King album track that took over the radio and a Bill Withers song about friendship.
1970: "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" by Three Dog Night
Randy Newman wrote "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" in 1966, and Wikipedia says it was written for Eric Burdon's first solo album.
Eric Burdon & The Animals cut the first recording, and it appeared on their 1967 album Eric Is Here after a single planned for September 1966 was withdrawn.
Newman released his own version on the 1970 album 12 Songs, with mid-tempo piano and Ry Cooder's slide guitar.
Three Dog Night's cover topped the Hot 100 for two weeks in July 1970.
This site's weekly data shows those two weeks as July 11 and July 18, 1970.
So the chart week that contains July 15 was the first of two.
The song is number 11 on the 1970 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
More on the band is on the Three Dog Night songs page.
1971: "It's Too Late" by Carole King
Toni Stern wrote the lyrics and Carole King wrote the music for "It's Too Late."
Wikipedia says Stern later told author Sheila Weller that she wrote the lyrics in a single day, after her relationship with James Taylor ended.
The same page notes that this conflicts with obituaries written by her husband, Jerry Rounds.
It was recorded at A&M Studios in Hollywood, produced by Lou Adler and released as a single by Ode Records in April 1971.
This site's weekly Hot 100 file lists the number one as "It's Too Late / I Feel the Earth Move."
It shows five weeks at number one, from June 19 to July 17, 1971.
So the chart week that contains July 15 was the fourth of five.
The song is number 3 on the 1971 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
The full story is on the Carole King It's Too Late page.
1972: "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers
Bill Withers wrote and recorded "Lean on Me," and it was released in April 1972 as the lead single from his album Still Bill.
Wikipedia says he drew on his childhood in the coal mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, and wrote it after moving to Los Angeles and missing the strong community ethic of his hometown.
Members of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band played on the session, and a string section was added.
Withers recalled that the title phrase came while he was idly playing a small piano he had bought.
This site's weekly data shows three weeks at number one, from July 8 to July 22, 1972.
So the chart week that contains July 15 was the second of three.
The song is number 7 on the 1972 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
July 15 in Music History, 1973 to 1975: A Preston Piano Hit, a Disco Landmark and a Song Sedaka Wrote First
The middle of the decade brought a Billy Preston number one, a KC and the Sunshine Band production and a Captain & Tennille song with a Neil Sedaka past.
1973: "Will It Go Round in Circles" by Billy Preston
Wikipedia says Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher wrote "Will It Go Round in Circles."
It came from Preston's 1972 album Music Is My Life and was released as a single in March 1973.
Preston produced it and played piano and sang, and bassist Louis Johnson is among the musicians listed.
Wikipedia says it sold over a million copies.
This site's weekly data shows two weeks at number one, July 7 and July 14, 1973.
So the chart week that contains July 15 was the second and last.
The song is number 8 on the 1973 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1974: "Rock Your Baby" by George McCrae
Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch of KC and the Sunshine Band wrote and produced "Rock Your Baby."
Wikipedia calls it an early landmark recording of disco.
The backing track was recorded in 45 minutes as a demo, with Casey on keyboards, Finch on bass and drums and Jerome Smith on electric guitar.
The track was not originally meant for George McCrae, but he was in the studio at the time and added his falsetto vocals.
This site's weekly data shows two weeks at number one, July 13 and July 20, 1974.
So the chart week that contains July 15 was the first of two.
The song is number 38 on the 1974 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
The writers' own group is on the KC and the Sunshine Band songs page.
1975: "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain & Tennille
Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield wrote "Love Will Keep Us Together."
Wikipedia says Sedaka first recorded it in spring 1973 at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England, for his album The Tra-La Days Are Over.
Sedaka has admitted borrowing the main chord progression from the Beach Boys' "Do It Again."
The Captain & Tennille version spent four weeks at number one, starting June 21, 1975.
This site's weekly data agrees, with four weeks from June 21 to July 12, 1975.
So the chart week that contains July 15 was the fourth and last.
The song is number 1 on the 1975 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
July 15 in Music History, 1976 to 1979: A Happy Hour Menu, a Nocturnal Novelette, a Gibb Family Run and a Police Stop
The last four Julys brought the longest run on the list and a Donna Summer number one.
1976: "Afternoon Delight" by Starland Vocal Band
Band member Bill Danoff wrote "Afternoon Delight."
Wikipedia says it was inspired by a happy hour menu at Clyde's in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., titled "Afternoon Delights."
Danoff said he wanted something fun that hinted at sex, not an all-out sex song.
It was recorded in November 1975, released in April 1976 and produced by Milt Okun.
This site's weekly data shows two weeks at number one, July 10 and July 17, 1976.
So the chart week that contains July 15 was the first of two.
The song is number 12 on the 1976 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1977: "Undercover Angel" by Alan O'Day
Alan O'Day wrote "Undercover Angel."
Pacific Records released it as a single in February 1977, with "Just You" on the B-side.
It was later included on his 1977 album Appetizers, and Steve Barri and Michael Omartian produced it.
Wikipedia says O'Day called it a "nocturnal novelette."
It reached number one in the US before an album to support it was released.
This site's weekly data shows one week at number one, the chart week of July 9, 1977.
The song is number 9 on the 1977 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1978: "Shadow Dancing" by Andy Gibb
Andy Gibb wrote "Shadow Dancing" with his brothers Barry, Maurice and Robin, and Albhy Galuten co-wrote and produced it.
Barry Gibb arranged it, and Andy said, "we all wrote it, the four of us."
It was recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami between December 1977 and February 1978.
RSO Records released it in April 1978.
In July 1978, Barry, Robin and Maurice joined Andy onstage at a Miami concert.
It was the first time all four brothers performed together in concert.
Wikipedia says it spent seven weeks at number one, from June 17 to July 29, 1978.
This site's weekly data agrees, so the chart week that contains July 15 was the fifth of seven.
The song is number 1 on the 1978 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1979: "Bad Girls" by Donna Summer
Donna Summer co-wrote "Bad Girls" with Bruce Sudano, Joe "Bean" Esposito and Edward Hokenson of Brooklyn Dreams.
Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte produced it.
Wikipedia says the idea came after one of Summer's assistants was insulted by a police officer who thought she was a prostitute.
It was recorded in 1979 at Rusk Sound Studios in Los Angeles.
Casablanca founder Neil Bogart wanted Cher to have the song, but Summer refused.
This site's weekly data shows five weeks at number one, from July 14 to August 11, 1979.
So the chart week that contains July 15 was the first of five.
The song is number 2 on the 1979 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
The full story is on the Bad Girls page.
July 15 in Music History by the Numbers: Short Runs, Long Runs and Where Each Song Stood
Ranking the ten songs of July 15 in music history by weeks at number one shows how far one 1978 run stood above the rest.
| Song | Artist | Year | Weeks at #1 | First week | Last week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Dancing | Andy Gibb | 1978 | 7 | June 17, 1978 | July 29, 1978 |
| It's Too Late / I Feel the Earth Move | Carole King | 1971 | 5 | June 19, 1971 | July 17, 1971 |
| Bad Girls | Donna Summer | 1979 | 5 | July 14, 1979 | August 11, 1979 |
| Love Will Keep Us Together | Captain & Tennille | 1975 | 4 | June 21, 1975 | July 12, 1975 |
| Lean on Me | Bill Withers | 1972 | 3 | July 8, 1972 | July 22, 1972 |
| Mama Told Me (Not to Come) | Three Dog Night | 1970 | 2 | July 11, 1970 | July 18, 1970 |
| Will It Go Round in Circles | Billy Preston | 1973 | 2 | July 7, 1973 | July 14, 1973 |
| Rock Your Baby | George McCrae | 1974 | 2 | July 13, 1974 | July 20, 1974 |
| Afternoon Delight | Starland Vocal Band | 1976 | 2 | July 10, 1976 | July 17, 1976 |
| Undercover Angel | Alan O'Day | 1977 | 1 | July 9, 1977 | July 9, 1977 |
Each box is one week at number one and the gold box is the week that contains July 15.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's weekly Billboard Hot 100 data.
Where July 15 Fell in Each Run
The weeks split three ways:
- 5 songs were in their first week at number one: "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)," "Rock Your Baby," "Afternoon Delight," "Undercover Angel" and "Bad Girls."
- 3 were in the middle of a longer run: "It's Too Late," "Lean on Me" and "Shadow Dancing."
- 2 were in the last week of their runs: "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Love Will Keep Us Together."
Test Your Own Memory
Which of these ten July 15 in music history number ones would you have bet on?
The list runs from Three Dog Night in 1970 to Donna Summer in 1979.
Earlier weeks have their own lists, including 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, January 9 in music history, November 28 in music history and this week in music history for October 24.
The 70s Music Trivia Quiz has ten new questions each round.
For the whole decade at the top, see the 70s number one hits page.
More of the decade lives on the Music of the 70s home page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the number one song on July 15 in music history in the 1970s?
The number one song for the Hot 100 chart week that includes July 15 changed every year. It was "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" in 1970, "It's Too Late" in 1971, "Lean on Me" in 1972, "Will It Go Round in Circles" in 1973 and "Rock Your Baby" in 1974. Five more follow, ending with "Bad Girls" in 1979.
Which 70s number one song stayed on top the longest around July 15?
Andy Gibb's "Shadow Dancing" had the most weeks at number one of the ten songs, with seven in a row, according to this site's weekly Hot 100 data. Carole King's "It's Too Late" and Donna Summer's "Bad Girls" were next with five weeks each, and Captain & Tennille's "Love Will Keep Us Together" had four.
What was the number one song on July 15, 1978?
Andy Gibb's "Shadow Dancing" was number one for the Hot 100 chart week that began July 15, 1978. It was the fifth of its seven straight weeks at number one, according to this site's weekly Hot 100 data. It is also number one on the 1978 year-end Hot 100 in this site's data.
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 does the chart week change from year to year?
This site's weekly Hot 100 file dates each chart week from a Saturday, and that date moves each year. The week containing July 15 began July 15 in 1972 and 1978, July 14 in 1973 and 1979, July 13 in 1974, July 12 in 1975, July 11 in 1970, July 10 in 1971 and 1976 and July 9 in 1977.
Related Posts
Carole King It's Too Late
The five-week 1971 number one and the story behind its lyrics.
Read post
Sources
- Mama Told Me (Not to Come), Wikipedia, for the writer, the first recording, Newman's version and the 1970 number one.
- It's Too Late (Carole King song), Wikipedia, for the writers, the lyric account, the recording studio and the release.
- Lean on Me (Bill Withers song), Wikipedia, for the hometown origin, the session musicians and the piano story.
- Will It Go Round in Circles, Wikipedia, for the writers, the album, the release and the million sales.
- Rock Your Baby, Wikipedia, for the writers, the 45-minute demo and the falsetto vocals.
- Love Will Keep Us Together, Wikipedia, for the writers, Sedaka's first recording and the borrowed chord progression.
- Afternoon Delight, Wikipedia, for the writer, the happy hour menu and the recording and release dates.
- Undercover Angel (song), Wikipedia, for the writer, the release, the producers and the "nocturnal novelette" description.
- Shadow Dancing (song), Wikipedia, for the writers, the Miami recording, the seven weeks and the brothers' concert.
- Bad Girls (Donna Summer song), Wikipedia, for the co-writers, the police-stop origin and the Cher story.
- Billboard Hot 100, Wikipedia, for how the weekly chart used for number one runs works.