November 7 in Music History: The 1970s Number Ones
On November 7 in music history, the number one song in America changed with every year of the 1970s.
The Billboard Hot 100 chart week that contains November 7 had a different song on top in all ten years.
Those ten songs spent 30 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 November 7, one bar per year.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's weekly Billboard Hot 100 data.
November 7 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'll Be There | The Jackson 5 | 1970 | Nov 7 to Nov 13 | 4 of 5 | 5 | Four number ones in a row for the Jackson 5, written by Berry Gordy, Hal Davis, Bob West and Willie Hutch. | |
| Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves | Cher | 1971 | Nov 6 to Nov 12 | 1 of 2 | 2 | Cher's first solo number one in the United States and Canada, written by Bob Stone. | |
| I Can See Clearly Now | Johnny Nash | 1972 | Nov 4 to Nov 10 | 1 of 4 | 4 | Johnny Nash recorded it in London with members of the Fabulous Five Inc. | |
| Midnight Train to Georgia | Gladys Knight & the Pips | 1973 | Nov 3 to Nov 9 | 2 of 2 | 2 | Jim Weatherly first recorded it as "Midnight Plane to Houston." | |
| You Haven't Done Nothin' | Stevie Wonder | 1974 | Nov 2 to Nov 8 | 1 of 1 | 1 | The Jackson 5 sing background vocals, and the single came out the day before Nixon announced his resignation. | |
| Island Girl | Elton John | 1975 | Nov 1 to Nov 7 | 1 of 3 | 3 | The first single from Rock of the Westies. | |
| Rock'n Me | Steve Miller Band | 1976 | Nov 6 to Nov 12 | 1 of 1 | 1 | The second single from Fly Like an Eagle, with an intro Miller called a nod to Free. | |
| You Light Up My Life | Debby Boone | 1977 | Nov 5 to Nov 11 | 4 of 10 | 10 | Ten weeks at the top, a Hot 100 record at the time. | |
| You Needed Me | Anne Murray | 1978 | Nov 4 to Nov 10 | 1 of 1 | 1 | Randy Goodrum wrote it, and it won Anne Murray a Grammy, the first for a Canadian artist. | |
| Pop Muzik | M | 1979 | Nov 3 to Nov 9 | 1 of 1 | 1 | Robin Scott wrote and produced it and sang lead as M. |
Chart week is the Billboard Hot 100 week that contains November 7 that year.
Week of run says which week of the song's time at number one that was, such as 2 of 5.
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 November 7 in music history, the Hot 100 chart week that includes November 7, the number one song was a different record in every year from 1970 to 1979.
Here is what the ten weeks show at a glance:
- The ten songs spent 30 weeks at number one in total.
- "You Light Up My Life" had the longest run, with ten weeks starting October 15, 1977.
- 7 of the ten songs were in their first week at number one that week.
- 2 were somewhere in the middle of a longer run, and "Midnight Train to Georgia" was in the last week of its two.
Want Your Own Week?
The Birthday #1 Song Finder does this for any 1970s birthday.
Enter the date and it shows the song that was on top that week.
How the November 7 Week Was Picked
Billboard chart weeks do not line up with the calendar, so there is no single week called November 7.
This page takes the weekly Hot 100 week that contains November 7 in each year.
That week began on a different date each year:
- 1970: the chart week of November 7, 1970, with "I'll Be There" by The Jackson 5 on top.
- 1971: the chart week of November 6, 1971, with "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" by Cher on top.
- 1972: the chart week of November 4, 1972, with "I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash on top.
- 1973: the chart week of November 3, 1973, with "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight & the Pips on top.
- 1974: the chart week of November 2, 1974, with "You Haven't Done Nothin'" by Stevie Wonder on top.
- 1975: the chart week of November 1, 1975, with "Island Girl" by Elton John on top.
- 1976: the chart week of November 6, 1976, with "Rock'n Me" by Steve Miller Band on top.
- 1977: the chart week of November 5, 1977, with "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone on top.
- 1978: the chart week of November 4, 1978, with "You Needed Me" by Anne Murray on top.
- 1979: the chart week of November 3, 1979, with "Pop Muzik" by M 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.
November 7 in Music History, 1970 to 1972: A Family Act, a Singer and a Songwriter's Hit
The first three Novembers of the decade were led by a hit group, a solo star and a songwriter-singer.
1970: "I'll Be There" by the Jackson 5
"I'll Be There" was the Jackson 5's fourth number one in a row, after "I Want You Back," "ABC" and "The Love You Save."
Wikipedia credits Berry Gordy, Hal Davis, Bob West and Willie Hutch as its writers.
It ran five weeks at number one, from October 17 to November 14, and November 7 was the fourth.
The full story is on the I'll Be There Jackson 5 page.
More of their hits are collected on Jackson 5 Songs.
1971: "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" by Cher
Wikipedia calls "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" Cher's first solo number one in Canada and the United States.
Bob Stone wrote it, and Snuff Garrett produced it.
The RIAA certified the single gold for a million copies shipped in the United States.
It spent two weeks at number one, and the week of November 6 was the first.
1972: "I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash
Johnny Nash produced "I Can See Clearly Now" himself.
He recorded it in London with members of the Fabulous Five Inc.
Ray Charles covered the song on his 1977 album True to Life.
It topped the chart for four weeks, and November 4 was the first.
November 7 in Music History, 1973 to 1975: A Grammy Winner, a Jackson 5 Cameo and an Elton John Return
The middle of the decade brought a Grammy winner, a Stevie Wonder single and an Elton John return.
1973: "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight & the Pips
Jim Weatherly wrote "Midnight Train to Georgia," and he first recorded it as "Midnight Plane to Houston."
It was the group's first Hot 100 number one, according to Wikipedia.
It won the 1974 Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus.
It spent two weeks on top, and November 3 was the second and last.
The whole story is on Midnight Train to Georgia.
More of their records are on Gladys Knight Songs.
1974: "You Haven't Done Nothin'" by Stevie Wonder
"You Haven't Done Nothin'" came from Stevie Wonder's album Fulfillingness' First Finale.
The Jackson 5 sing background vocals on it.
Wikipedia notes the single was released on August 7, 1974, one day before Nixon announced his resignation.
It held the top for one week, starting November 2.
More of his records are on Stevie Wonder.
1975: "Island Girl" by Elton John
"Island Girl" was the first single from the Elton John album Rock of the Westies.
Wikipedia says it reached number one for three weeks on the Hot 100.
The same source says John has not performed it since 1990, with Rolling Stone's Andy Greene pointing to the lyrics as a likely reason.
November 1 was the first of its three weeks.
If you like Elton John, Elton John has his own page here.
November 7 in Music History, 1976 to 1979: Rock, a Record, a Ballad and a Synth-Pop Surprise
The last four Novembers brought the decade's longest run and a one-week hit from a new sound.
1976: "Rock'n Me" by the Steve Miller Band
"Rock'n Me" was the second single from Fly Like an Eagle, the band's ninth studio album.
Steve Miller said the song's intro was a nod to the English rock band Free.
It held number one for a single week, starting November 6, 1976.
1977: "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone
"You Light Up My Life" ran ten weeks at number one, from October 15 to December 17, 1977.
Wikipedia says that set a new Hot 100 record for most weeks at number one.
Joseph Brooks wrote it, and Kasey Cisyk first recorded it for the film's soundtrack.
November 5 was the fourth of the ten weeks.
The song is number 3 on the 1978 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1978: "You Needed Me" by Anne Murray
Randy Goodrum wrote "You Needed Me," and he described it as being about unconditional undeserved love.
Anne Murray won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, the first Grammy awarded to a Canadian artist.
It held the top for one week, starting November 4.
The song is number 63 on the 1978 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1979: "Pop Muzik" by M
Robin Scott wrote and produced "Pop Muzik" and sang lead as the band M.
Wikipedia says it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and also topped the Australian ARIA singles chart.
It spent one week at number one, starting November 3.
November 7 in Music History by the Numbers: Short Runs, Long Runs and Where Each Song Stood
Ranking the ten songs by weeks at number one shows how unevenly the top spot was shared.
| 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 |
| I'll Be There | The Jackson 5 | 1970 | 5 | October 17, 1970 | November 14, 1970 |
| I Can See Clearly Now | Johnny Nash | 1972 | 4 | November 4, 1972 | November 25, 1972 |
| Island Girl | Elton John | 1975 | 3 | November 1, 1975 | November 15, 1975 |
| Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves | Cher | 1971 | 2 | November 6, 1971 | November 13, 1971 |
| Midnight Train to Georgia | Gladys Knight & the Pips | 1973 | 2 | October 27, 1973 | November 3, 1973 |
| You Haven't Done Nothin' | Stevie Wonder | 1974 | 1 | November 2, 1974 | November 2, 1974 |
| Rock'n Me | Steve Miller Band | 1976 | 1 | November 6, 1976 | November 6, 1976 |
| You Needed Me | Anne Murray | 1978 | 1 | November 4, 1978 | November 4, 1978 |
| Pop Muzik | M | 1979 | 1 | November 3, 1979 | November 3, 1979 |
Each box is one week at number one, and the gold box is the week that contains November 7.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's weekly Billboard Hot 100 data.
Where November 7 Fell in Each Run
The weeks split three ways:
- 7 songs were in their first week at number one: "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves," "I Can See Clearly Now," "You Haven't Done Nothin'," "Island Girl," "Rock'n Me," "You Needed Me" and "Pop Muzik."
- 2 were in the middle of a longer run: "I'll Be There" and "You Light Up My Life."
- One, "Midnight Train to Georgia," was in the last week of its run.
Test Your Own Memory
Which of these ten would you have bet on?
An earlier week has its own list, 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 November 7 in music history in the 1970s?
The number one song for the Hot 100 chart week that includes November 7 changed every year. It was "I'll Be There" in 1970, "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" in 1971, "I Can See Clearly Now" in 1972, "Midnight Train to Georgia" in 1973 and "You Haven't Done Nothin'" in 1974. The list ends with "Island Girl," "Rock'n Me," "You Light Up My Life," "You Needed Me" and "Pop Muzik."
Which 70s number one song stayed on top the longest around November 7?
Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life" stayed on top the longest, with ten weeks at number one from October 15 to December 17, 1977, according to this site's weekly Hot 100 data. The chart week that contains November 7 was the fourth of those ten weeks.
What was the number one song on November 7, 1973?
Gladys Knight & the Pips' "Midnight Train to Georgia" was number one for the Hot 100 chart week of November 3 to 9, 1973. It was the second and last of its two weeks at the top, after a first week starting October 27. Jim Weatherly wrote the song and first recorded it as "Midnight Plane to Houston."
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 November 7 began November 7 in 1970, November 6 in 1971 and 1976, November 5 in 1977, November 4 in 1972 and 1978, November 3 in 1973 and 1979, November 2 in 1974 and November 1 in 1975.
Related Posts
Sources
- I'll Be There (Jackson 5 song), Wikipedia, for the writers, the run of number ones and the five-week run.
- Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves, Wikipedia, for the writer, the producer and Cher's first solo number one.
- I Can See Clearly Now, Wikipedia, for the London recording and the Ray Charles cover.
- Midnight Train to Georgia, Wikipedia, for the writer, the original title and the Grammy.
- You Haven't Done Nothin', Wikipedia, for the album, the Jackson 5 backing vocals and the release date.
- Island Girl, Wikipedia, for the album, the three weeks at number one and the live-performance note.
- Rock'n Me, Wikipedia, for the album, the single week at number one and the Free reference.
- You Light Up My Life (song), Wikipedia, for the ten-week record, the writer and the awards.
- You Needed Me, Wikipedia, for the writer and Anne Murray's Grammy.
- Pop Muzik, Wikipedia, for the writer, the producer and the chart positions.
- Billboard Hot 100, Wikipedia, for how the weekly chart used for number one runs works.