May 1 in Music History: The 1970s Number Ones

By Charlie · Published May 1, 2027

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On May 1 in music history, the number one song in America changed with every year of the 1970s.

The Billboard Hot 100 week that contains May 1 had a different song on top in all ten years.

Those ten songs spent 32 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 May 1, one bar per year.

Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's weekly Billboard Hot 100 data.

May 1 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.

Chart week is the Billboard Hot 100 week that contains May 1 that year.

Week of run says which week of the song's time at number one that was, like 3 of 6.

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 May 1 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 May 1.

Here is what the ten weeks show at a glance:

• The ten songs spent 32 weeks at number one in total.
• "Night Fever" had the most weeks, with eight.
• "Joy to the World" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" came next, with six each.
• "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" had four, and "ABC" and "TSOP" had two each.
• The other four songs held number one for a single week.
• 5 of the ten songs were in the first week of their run, 4 were in the middle and 1 was in the last week.

Want Your Own Week?

The Birthday #1 Song Finder does this for any 1970s birthday, not only May 1 in music history.

Enter the date and it shows the song that was on top that week.

How the May 1 Week Was Picked

Billboard chart weeks do not line up with the calendar, so there is no single week called May 1.

This May 1 in music history page uses the weekly Hot 100 week that contains May 1 each year.

In 1971 and 1976 that week began on May 1 itself, and in the other eight years it began a few days before:

• 1970: the chart week of April 25, 1970, with "ABC" by The Jackson 5 on top.
• 1971: the chart week of May 1, 1971, with "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night on top.
• 1972: the chart week of April 29, 1972, with "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack on top.
• 1973: the chart week of April 28, 1973, with "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando on top.
• 1974: the chart week of April 27, 1974, with "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" by MFSB and The Three Degrees on top.
• 1975: the chart week of April 26, 1975, with "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" by B. J. Thomas on top.
• 1976: the chart week of May 1, 1976, with "Let Your Love Flow" by The Bellamy Brothers on top.
• 1977: the chart week of April 30, 1977, with "Southern Nights" by Glen Campbell on top.
• 1978: the chart week of April 29, 1978, with "Night Fever" by Bee Gees on top.
• 1979: the chart week of April 28, 1979, with "Heart of Glass" by Blondie 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.

Three Songs You May Have Seen Before

Three of these ten songs are also on the April 17 in music history list.

"Joy to the World," "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Night Fever" were all still on top the week that contains May 1.

"Night Fever" is on the March 20 in music history list as well.

Every calendar date left now shares at least three songs with an earlier list, so they stay here.

May 1 in Music History, 1970 to 1972: The Jackson 5, Seven Voices and a Slow Folk Song

May 1 in music history opened the decade with a Jackson 5 single in its first week on top.

Next came a Three Dog Night singalong halfway through a six-week run.

Then came Roberta Flack, at the same point in a six-week run of her own.

1970: "ABC" by The Jackson 5

Motown's team The Corporation wrote and produced "ABC."

Wikipedia says it was recorded in December 1969.

The session musicians went uncredited, in line with Motown policy at the time.

It was also number one on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart for four weeks.

It was nominated for a Grammy, and it entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016.

This site's weekly data shows two weeks at number one, from April 25 to May 2, 1970.

The Beatles' "Let It Be" was on top just before it, and The Guess Who's "American Woman" came next.

So the chart week that contains May 1 was the first of two.

The song is number 15 on the 1970 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.

More of the group's hits are on the Jackson 5 songs page.

1971: "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night

Hoyt Axton wrote "Joy to the World."

Three Dog Night first released it on their fourth studio album, Naturally, in November 1970.

Wikipedia says all seven members of the band sang on the record, not only the three main vocalists.

Chuck Negron felt the band needed a "silly song" to help them work together again.

The RIAA certified the single Gold on April 9, 1971.

This site's weekly data shows six weeks at number one, from April 17 to May 22, 1971.

The Temptations' "Just My Imagination" was on top before it, and The Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar" came next.

So the chart week that contains May 1 was the third of six.

The song is number 1 on the 1971 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.

The full story is on the Joy to the World page.

1972: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack

Ewan MacColl wrote "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," and Peggy Seeger sang the original.

Roberta Flack recorded it in February 1969 for her debut album, First Take.

Wikipedia says her version was much slower than Seeger's.

The song won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

This site's weekly data shows six weeks at number one, from April 15 to May 20, 1972.

America's "A Horse with No Name" was on top before it, and The Chi-Lites' "Oh Girl" came next.

So the chart week that contains May 1 was the third of six.

The song is number 1 on the 1972 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.

Wikipedia says it topped Billboard's 1972 year-end list as well.

May 1 in Music History, 1973 to 1975: A Yellow Ribbon, the Soul Train Theme and a Very Long Title

May 1 in music history in the middle of the decade brought the top-selling single of 1973.

A TV theme followed in the last week of its run.

Then came a country crossover with a title of record length.

1973: "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando

Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown wrote "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree."

Wikipedia says Brown got the idea from a Pete Hamill newspaper column, after Reader's Digest reprinted it.

The single came out on February 19, 1973.

It sold 3 million records in the US in three weeks.

It was the top-selling single of 1973 in both the US and the UK.

This site's weekly data shows four weeks at number one, from April 21 to May 12, 1973.

Vicki Lawrence's "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" was on top before it.

Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" came next.

So the chart week that contains May 1 was the second of four.

The song is number 1 on the 1973 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.

1974: "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" by MFSB and The Three Degrees

Gamble and Huff wrote "TSOP" as the theme for the TV show Soul Train.

Wikipedia says Soul Train's Don Cornelius would not allow the single to name the show.

It came out in the US on February 6, 1974.

It was the first television theme song to reach number one on the Hot 100.

This site's weekly data shows two weeks at number one, from April 20 to April 27, 1974.

Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" was on top before it, and Grand Funk's "The Loco-Motion" came next.

So the chart week that contains May 1 was the second and last.

The song is number 7 on the 1974 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.

More of that Philadelphia sound is in 70s soul music.

1975: "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" by B. J. Thomas

Larry Butler and Chips Moman wrote the song, and B. J. Thomas recorded it.

Wikipedia says it debuted at number 99 on the Hot 100 on February 1, 1975.

It reached number one on April 26 and became Thomas's second number one single.

It also went to number one on the Hot Country Songs chart.

It was the longest title of any single to top the Hot 100 up to that time.

It won the 1976 Grammy for Best Country Song.

This site's weekly data shows one week at number one, the chart week of April 26, 1975.

The Elton John Band's "Philadelphia Freedom" was on top before it, and Tony Orlando and Dawn's "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" came next.

So the chart week that contains May 1 was the first and only one.

The song is number 18 on the 1975 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.

May 1 in Music History, 1976 to 1979: A Debut Duo, a Louisiana Memory, Night Fever and Blondie

May 1 in music history closed the decade with three one-week number ones.

The Bellamy Brothers and Glen Campbell each had a week, and so did Blondie.

In between, the Bee Gees were near the end of an eight-week run.

1976: "Let Your Love Flow" by The Bellamy Brothers

Larry E. Williams wrote "Let Your Love Flow," and Phil Gernhard and Tony Scotti produced it.

It was the debut single by the country duo the Bellamy Brothers.

They recorded it in late 1975, and it came out in January 1976.

Wikipedia says Neil Diamond's drummer suggested the song as right for the Bellamys.

It reached number one on the Hot 100 dated May 1, 1976, and spent five weeks on top in Germany.

This site's weekly data shows one week at number one, the chart week of May 1, 1976.

Johnnie Taylor's "Disco Lady" was on top before it, and John Sebastian's "Welcome Back" came next.

So the chart week that contains May 1 was the first and only one.

The song is number 36 on the 1976 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.

More crossover hits are on the 70s country songs list.

1977: "Southern Nights" by Glen Campbell

Allen Toussaint wrote and first recorded "Southern Nights."

Wikipedia says it came from his childhood memories of visiting relatives in the Louisiana backwoods.

When Glen Campbell heard Toussaint's version, he identified with the lyrics right away.

Campbell's record used a guitar lick he had learned from his friend Jerry Reed.

It reached number one on three separate US charts, including two weeks on the country chart.

This site's weekly data shows one week at number one, the chart week of April 30, 1977.

Thelma Houston's "Don't Leave Me This Way" was on top before it, and the Eagles' "Hotel California" came next.

So the chart week that contains May 1 was the first and only one.

The song is number 22 on the 1977 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.

1978: "Night Fever" by the Bee Gees

Barry Gibb sang lead on "Night Fever."

Billboard described its smooth falsetto lead over a jumping disco beat.

Wikipedia says its string intro was inspired by Percy Faith's "Theme from A Summer Place."

It replaced Andy Gibb's "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" at number one.

Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You" replaced it.

It also topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks, the group's third UK number one.

This site's weekly data shows eight weeks at number one, from March 18 to May 6, 1978.

So the chart week that contains May 1 was the seventh 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: "Heart of Glass" by Blondie

Debbie Harry and Chris Stein wrote "Heart of Glass," and Mike Chapman produced it.

Wikipedia says they wrote an early version called "Once I Had a Love" in 1974 and 1975.

The record was built around a Roland CR-78 drum machine.

For the single, Chapman remixed the track to push the bass drum further forward.

Wikipedia calls it one of the first rock and disco fusion hits.

This site's weekly data shows one week at number one, the chart week of April 28, 1979.

Amii Stewart's "Knock on Wood" was on top before it, and Peaches & Herb's "Reunited" came next.

So the chart week that contains May 1 was the first and only one.

The song is number 18 on the 1979 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.

Blondie's roots are covered in 70s punk rock.

May 1 in Music History by the Numbers: Long Runs, One-Week Stays and Where Each Song Stood

Ranking the ten songs of May 1 in music history by weeks at number one puts the Bee Gees' 1978 run on top.

Each box is one week at number one and the gold box is the week that contains May 1.

Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's weekly Billboard Hot 100 data.

Where May 1 Fell in Each Run

The weeks split three ways:

• 5 songs were in their first week at number one: "ABC," "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song," "Let Your Love Flow," "Southern Nights" and "Heart of Glass."
• "ABC" was the only one of those that stayed on top for a second week.
• 4 were in the middle of a longer run: "Joy to the World," "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" and "Night Fever."
• 1 was in the last week of its run: "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)."

Test Your Own Memory

Which of these ten May 1 in music history number ones would you have bet on?

The list runs from The Jackson 5 in 1970 to Blondie in 1979.

Other weeks have their own lists, including October 8 in music history, February 1 in music history, December 12 in music history, November 7 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, February 13 in music history, January 9 in music history and November 28 in music history.

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.

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