March 20 in Music History: The 1970s Number Ones
On March 20 in music history, the number one song in America changed with every year of the 1970s.
The Billboard Hot 100 chart week that contains March 20 had a different song on top in all ten years.
Those ten songs spent 35 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 March 20, one bar per year.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's weekly Billboard Hot 100 data.
March 20 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridge over Troubled Water | Simon & Garfunkel | 1970 | Mar 14 to Mar 20 | 3 of 6 | 6 | Paul Simon wrote it, Art Garfunkel sang lead, and it won Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 1971 Grammys. | |
| Me and Bobby McGee | Janis Joplin | 1971 | Mar 20 to Mar 26 | 1 of 2 | 2 | Kris Kristofferson wrote it, and Wikipedia calls Janis Joplin's version the second posthumously released number one single in US chart history. | |
| Heart of Gold | Neil Young | 1972 | Mar 18 to Mar 24 | 1 of 1 | 1 | Neil Young recorded it in Nashville with James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt on backing vocals, and Wikipedia calls it his only US number one. | |
| Killing Me Softly with His Song | Roberta Flack | 1973 | Mar 17 to Mar 23 | 4 of 5 | 5 | Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel wrote it, and Wikipedia says Lori Lieberman was inspired by a Don McLean performance in late 1971. | |
| Seasons in the Sun | Terry Jacks | 1974 | Mar 16 to Mar 22 | 3 of 3 | 3 | Rod McKuen wrote the English lyrics in 1963 for Jacques Brel's 1961 Belgian song "Le Moribond." | |
| Black Water | The Doobie Brothers | 1975 | Mar 15 to Mar 21 | 1 of 1 | 1 | Patrick Simmons wrote it and sings lead, and Wikipedia calls it the first of the Doobie Brothers' two number one singles. | |
| December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) | The Four Seasons | 1976 | Mar 20 to Mar 26 | 2 of 3 | 3 | Its first lyrics were about the 1933 repeal of Prohibition, and drummer Gerry Polci sings lead on the verses. | |
| Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born) | Barbra Streisand | 1977 | Mar 19 to Mar 25 | 3 of 3 | 3 | Barbra Streisand wrote the music and Paul Williams the lyrics, and it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. | |
| Night Fever | Bee Gees | 1978 | Mar 18 to Mar 24 | 1 of 8 | 8 | The Bee Gees had already written it when asked for a song called "Saturday Night," and they persuaded Robert Stigwood to rename the film Saturday Night Fever. | |
| I Will Survive | Gloria Gaynor | 1979 | Mar 17 to Mar 23 | 2 of 3 | 3 | Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris wrote it, and it was first released as the B-side of "Substitute." |
Chart week is the Billboard Hot 100 week that contains March 20 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 March 20 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 March 20.
Here is what the ten weeks show at a glance:
- The ten songs spent 35 weeks at number one in total.
- "Night Fever" had the longest run, with eight weeks, and "Bridge over Troubled Water" is second with six.
- 4 of the ten songs were in their first week at number one that week, and two of those had only that one week.
- 4 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 March 20 in music history.
Enter the date and it shows the song that was on top that week.
How the March 20 Week Was Picked
Billboard chart weeks do not line up with the calendar, so there is no single week called March 20.
This March 20 in music history page takes the weekly Hot 100 week that contains March 20 in each year.
That week began on a different date each year:
- 1970: the chart week of March 14, 1970, with "Bridge over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel on top.
- 1971: the chart week of March 20, 1971, with "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin on top.
- 1972: the chart week of March 18, 1972, with "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young on top.
- 1973: the chart week of March 17, 1973, with "Killing Me Softly with His Song" by Roberta Flack on top.
- 1974: the chart week of March 16, 1974, with "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks on top.
- 1975: the chart week of March 15, 1975, with "Black Water" by The Doobie Brothers on top.
- 1976: the chart week of March 20, 1976, with "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" by The Four Seasons on top.
- 1977: the chart week of March 19, 1977, with "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" by Barbra Streisand on top.
- 1978: the chart week of March 18, 1978, with "Night Fever" by Bee Gees on top.
- 1979: the chart week of March 17, 1979, with "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor 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.
Two of the runs were broken up by another song, so "week of run" counts only the weeks that song held number one.
March 20 in Music History, 1970 to 1972: A Grammy Sweep, a Posthumous Number One and a Nashville Folk-Rock Classic
The first three Marches of the decade brought a duo's farewell ballad, a singer's final hit and a country-rock record from Nashville.
1970: "Bridge over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel
Paul Simon wrote "Bridge over Troubled Water," and Art Garfunkel sang the lead vocal.
At the 13th Annual Grammy Awards in 1971, it won Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Wikipedia says it reached number one on February 28, 1970, and stayed there for six weeks.
This site's weekly data agrees, with six weeks from February 28 to April 4.
So the chart week that contains March 20 was the third of six.
The song is number 1 on the 1970 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
The full story is on the Bridge over Troubled Water page.
1971: "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin
Kris Kristofferson wrote "Me and Bobby McGee," and Fred Foster shares the writing credit.
Janis Joplin recorded it nine days before her death in October 1970, for the album Pearl.
The single came out on January 12, 1971.
Wikipedia calls it the second posthumously released number one single in US chart history.
This site's weekly data shows two weeks at number one, March 20 and March 27, 1971.
So the chart week that contains March 20 was the first of two.
The song is number 11 on the 1971 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1972: "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young
Neil Young recorded "Heart of Gold" at Quadrafonic Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, in February 1971.
James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt sang backing vocals, and they were in town for an appearance on Johnny Cash's television program.
Wikipedia calls it Young's only US number one single.
This site's weekly data shows one week at number one, the chart week of March 18, 1972.
The song is number 17 on the 1972 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
March 20 in Music History, 1973 to 1975: A Song Inspired by a Concert, a Belgian Import and a California Rock Hit
The middle of the decade brought a soul ballad with a famous origin story, a pop hit with French roots and a rock song about the Mississippi.
1973: "Killing Me Softly with His Song" by Roberta Flack
Charles Fox composed "Killing Me Softly with His Song," and Norman Gimbel wrote the lyrics.
Wikipedia says Lori Lieberman was inspired by a Don McLean performance in late 1971, and that Fox and Gimbel denied her a writing credit.
Roberta Flack's version came out in January 1973.
Wikipedia says it spent a total of five non-consecutive weeks at number one in February and March.
This site's weekly data lists the weeks of February 24, March 3, March 10, March 17 and March 31, 1973.
The O'Jays' "Love Train" held the top spot in between, for the week of March 24.
The chart week that contains March 20 was the fourth of the five.
The song is number 3 on the 1973 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1974: "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks
Wikipedia calls "Seasons in the Sun" an English-language adaptation of the 1961 Belgian song "Le Moribond" by Jacques Brel.
Rod McKuen wrote the English lyrics in 1963.
Terry Jacks's version reached number one on March 2, 1974, and held the top spot for three weeks, according to Wikipedia.
This site's weekly data agrees, with three weeks from March 2 to March 16.
So the chart week that contains March 20 was the third and last.
The song is number 2 on the 1974 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
The full story is on the Seasons in the Sun page.
1975: "Black Water" by the Doobie Brothers
Patrick Simmons wrote "Black Water" and sings the lead vocal.
It appears on the Doobie Brothers' 1974 album What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits.
Wikipedia calls it the first of the band's two number one singles, and says it topped the Hot 100 on the chart dated March 15, 1975.
This site's weekly data shows one week at number one, the chart week of March 15, 1975.
The song is number 16 on the 1975 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
March 20 in Music History, 1976 to 1979: Prohibition, an Oscar, a Soundtrack Giant and a Survivor
The last four Marches brought a song that began as a Prohibition tribute, a movie ballad, the longest run of the ten and a B-side that took over.
1976: "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" by the Four Seasons
Bob Gaudio and Judy Parker wrote "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)."
The first version was set in 1933, was titled "December 5th, 1933" and celebrated the repeal of Prohibition.
The band disliked those lyrics, so Parker wrote new ones.
Drummer Gerry Polci sings lead on the verses, while Frankie Valli handles the bridge sections.
It reached number one in the UK on February 21, 1976, and on the US Hot 100 on March 13, 1976, where it stayed three weeks.
This site's weekly data agrees, with three weeks from March 13 to March 27.
So the chart week that contains March 20 was the second of three.
The song is number 4 on the 1976 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1977: "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" by Barbra Streisand
Wikipedia says Barbra Streisand composed and performed the song, with lyrics by Paul Williams.
It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 49th Academy Awards.
At the 20th Grammys it won Song of the Year, tying with "You Light Up My Life."
It was Streisand's second Hot 100 number one, with three weeks on top.
This site's weekly data shows the weeks of March 5, March 12 and March 19, 1977.
So the chart week that contains March 20 was the third and last.
The song is number 4 on the 1977 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1978: "Night Fever" by the Bee Gees
The Bee Gees began recording "Night Fever" in April 1977 at the Château d'Hérouville in France and finished in September at Criteria Studios in Miami.
Robert Stigwood asked the group for a song called "Saturday Night" for the film, but they disliked the title and had already written "Night Fever."
They convinced him to use it and to rename the film Saturday Night Fever.
Wikipedia says the song debuted on the Hot 100 at number 76 and reached number one, where it stayed eight weeks.
This site's weekly data agrees, with eight weeks from March 18 to May 6, 1978.
So the chart week that contains March 20 was the first of eight.
The song is number 2 on the 1978 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
The full story is on the Night Fever page.
1979: "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor
Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris wrote "I Will Survive."
Wikipedia says it was released as the B-side to "Substitute," and DJs and radio stations later played that side instead.
The single spent three non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Hot 100.
This site's weekly data lists the weeks of March 10, March 17 and April 7, 1979.
The Bee Gees' Tragedy held the top spot in between, for the weeks of March 24 and March 31.
So the chart week that contains March 20 was the second of the three.
The song is number 6 on the 1979 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
The full story is on the I Will Survive page.
March 20 in Music History by the Numbers: Short Runs, Long Runs and Where Each Song Stood
Ranking the ten songs of March 20 in music history by weeks at number one shows how evenly the top spot was shared.
| Song | Artist | Year | Weeks at #1 | First week | Last week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Night Fever | Bee Gees | 1978 | 8 | March 18, 1978 | May 6, 1978 |
| Bridge over Troubled Water | Simon & Garfunkel | 1970 | 6 | February 28, 1970 | April 4, 1970 |
| Killing Me Softly with His Song | Roberta Flack | 1973 | 5 | February 24, 1973 | March 31, 1973 |
| Seasons in the Sun | Terry Jacks | 1974 | 3 | March 2, 1974 | March 16, 1974 |
| December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) | The Four Seasons | 1976 | 3 | March 13, 1976 | March 27, 1976 |
| Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born) | Barbra Streisand | 1977 | 3 | March 5, 1977 | March 19, 1977 |
| I Will Survive | Gloria Gaynor | 1979 | 3 | March 10, 1979 | April 7, 1979 |
| Me and Bobby McGee | Janis Joplin | 1971 | 2 | March 20, 1971 | March 27, 1971 |
| Heart of Gold | Neil Young | 1972 | 1 | March 18, 1972 | March 18, 1972 |
| Black Water | The Doobie Brothers | 1975 | 1 | March 15, 1975 | March 15, 1975 |
Each box is one week at number one, the gold box is the week that contains March 20, and a gap means another song held the top spot.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's weekly Billboard Hot 100 data.
Where March 20 Fell in Each Run
The weeks split three ways:
- 4 songs were in their first week at number one: "Me and Bobby McGee," "Heart of Gold," "Black Water" and "Night Fever."
- 4 were in the middle of a longer run: "Bridge over Troubled Water," "Killing Me Softly with His Song," "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" and "I Will Survive."
- 2 were in the last week of their runs: "Seasons in the Sun" and "Evergreen."
Test Your Own Memory
Which of these ten March 20 in music history number ones would you have bet on?
The list runs from a Grammy-sweeping ballad in 1970 to a disco survival anthem in 1979.
Earlier weeks have their own lists, including 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 March 20 in music history in the 1970s?
The number one song for the Hot 100 chart week that includes March 20 changed every year. It was "Bridge over Troubled Water" in 1970, "Me and Bobby McGee" in 1971, "Heart of Gold" in 1972, "Killing Me Softly with His Song" in 1973 and "Seasons in the Sun" in 1974. Five more follow, ending with "I Will Survive" in 1979.
Which 70s number one song stayed on top the longest around March 20?
The Bee Gees' "Night Fever" held the longest run of the ten songs, with eight weeks, according to this site's weekly Hot 100 data. It ran from March 18 to May 6, 1978. Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water" is second with six weeks, and Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly with His Song" is third with five.
What was the number one song on March 20, 1971?
Janis Joplin's "Me and Bobby McGee" was number one for the Hot 100 chart week that began March 20, 1971. It was the first of its two weeks at number one, according to this site's weekly Hot 100 data. Wikipedia calls it the second posthumously released number one single in US chart history, and it is number 11 on the 1971 year-end Hot 100.
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 March 20 began March 20 in 1971 and 1976, March 19 in 1977, March 18 in 1972 and 1978, March 17 in 1973 and 1979, March 16 in 1974, March 15 in 1975 and March 14 in 1970.
Related Posts
Sources
- Bridge over Troubled Water (song), Wikipedia, for the writer, the lead vocalist, the Grammys and the six weeks.
- Me and Bobby McGee, Wikipedia, for the writers, the recording, the release and the posthumous number one.
- Heart of Gold (Neil Young song), Wikipedia, for the recording, the backing vocalists and the only-number-one claim.
- Killing Me Softly with His Song, Wikipedia, for the writers, the Don McLean inspiration and the five non-consecutive weeks.
- Seasons in the Sun, Wikipedia, for the Brel original, the English lyrics and the three weeks.
- Black Water (song), Wikipedia, for the writer, the album and the first-number-one claim.
- December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night), Wikipedia, for the writers, the original Prohibition lyrics, the lead vocals and the three weeks.
- Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born), Wikipedia, for the writers, the Oscar, the Grammy and the three weeks.
- Night Fever, Wikipedia, for the recording, the title story and the eight weeks.
- I Will Survive, Wikipedia, for the writers, the B-side story and the three non-consecutive weeks.
- Billboard Hot 100, Wikipedia, for how the weekly chart used for number one runs works.