October 8 in Music History: The 1970s Number Ones
On October 8 in music history, the number one song in America changed with every year of the 1970s.
The Billboard Hot 100 week that contains October 8 had a different song on top in all ten years.
Those ten songs spent 27 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 October 8, one bar per year.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's weekly Billboard Hot 100 data.
October 8 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ain't No Mountain High Enough | Diana Ross | 1970 | Oct 3 to Oct 9 | 3 of 3 | 3 | Ashford and Simpson had Ross re-record the 1967 Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell duet, and it became her first solo number one. | |
| Maggie May / Reason to Believe | Rod Stewart | 1971 | Oct 2 to Oct 8 | 1 of 5 | 5 | Ray Jackson of Lindisfarne played the mandolin, and the album credited him only as "the mandolin player in Lindisfarne." | |
| Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me | Mac Davis | 1972 | Oct 7 to Oct 13 | 3 of 3 | 3 | Davis wrote it when the record company demanded he write a tune with a "hook." | |
| Half-Breed | Cher | 1973 | Oct 6 to Oct 12 | 1 of 2 | 2 | Cher recorded it on May 21, 1973, with Wrecking Crew session players, and it became her second solo US number one. | |
| I Honestly Love You | Olivia Newton-John | 1974 | Oct 5 to Oct 11 | 1 of 2 | 2 | Jeff Barry and Peter Allen wrote it, and it won Record of the Year at the 17th Grammy Awards. | |
| Fame | David Bowie | 1975 | Oct 4 to Oct 10 | 2 of 2 | 2 | John Lennon came up with the hook by singing "aim" over Carlos Alomar's guitar riff, and Bowie turned it into "Fame." | |
| Play That Funky Music | Wild Cherry | 1976 | Oct 2 to Oct 8 | 3 of 3 | 3 | Rob Parissi wrote it in about five minutes, after a club patron asked the rock band to play some funky music. | |
| Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band | Meco | 1977 | Oct 8 to Oct 14 | 2 of 2 | 2 | It was one of two Star Wars hits, with John Williams's own "Star Wars (Main Title)" in the Top 10 at the same time. | |
| Kiss You All Over | Exile | 1978 | Oct 7 to Oct 13 | 2 of 4 | 4 | Casey Kasem reported that writer Mike Chapman named Barry White's "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me" as his inspiration. | |
| Sad Eyes | Robert John | 1979 | Oct 6 to Oct 12 | 1 of 1 | 1 | It ended the six-week reign of The Knack's "My Sharona" at number one. |
Chart week is the Billboard Hot 100 week that contains October 8 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 October 8 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 October 8.
Here is what the ten weeks show at a glance:
- The ten songs spent 27 weeks at number one in total.
- "Maggie May" had the most weeks, with five, followed by "Kiss You All Over" with four.
- Three songs had three weeks each: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" and "Play That Funky Music."
- 4 of the ten songs were in the first week of their run, and 5 were in the last week.
- 1 was in the middle of a longer run.
Want Your Own Week?
The Birthday #1 Song Finder does this for any 1970s birthday, not only October 8 in music history.
Enter the date and it shows the song that was on top that week.
How the October 8 Week Was Picked
Billboard chart weeks do not line up with the calendar, so there is no single week called October 8.
This October 8 in music history page uses the weekly Hot 100 week that contains October 8 each year.
In nine of the ten years, that week began a few days before October 8:
- 1970: the chart week of October 3, 1970, with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Diana Ross on top.
- 1971: the chart week of October 2, 1971, with "Maggie May / Reason to Believe" by Rod Stewart on top.
- 1972: the chart week of October 7, 1972, with "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" by Mac Davis on top.
- 1973: the chart week of October 6, 1973, with "Half-Breed" by Cher on top.
- 1974: the chart week of October 5, 1974, with "I Honestly Love You" by Olivia Newton-John on top.
- 1975: the chart week of October 4, 1975, with "Fame" by David Bowie on top.
- 1976: the chart week of October 2, 1976, with "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry on top.
- 1977: the chart week of October 8, 1977, with "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" by Meco on top.
- 1978: the chart week of October 7, 1978, with "Kiss You All Over" by Exile on top.
- 1979: the chart week of October 6, 1979, with "Sad Eyes" by Robert John 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.
For those, "week of run" counts the weeks since the song first reached number one.
One run was split by another song: "Fame" in 1975.
For that one, it counts only the weeks the song itself held number one.
Two Songs You May Have Seen Before
Two of these ten songs are also on the this week in music history list for October 24.
"Maggie May" in 1971 and "Kiss You All Over" in 1978 were both still on top the week that contains October 24.
Every calendar date left now shares at least two songs with an earlier list, so they stay here.
October 8 in Music History, 1970 to 1972: A Motown Remake, a Mandolin and a Song With a Hook
October 8 in music history opened the decade with Diana Ross's first solo number one.
Next came the B-side that made Rod Stewart a solo star.
Then came a Mac Davis song written to order.
1970: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Diana Ross
Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson wrote "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in 1966.
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell had a top-20 hit with it in 1967.
Wikipedia says Ashford and Simpson had Ross re-record it in early 1970, after her first solo single.
Motown chief Berry Gordy did not like the record at first, and he hated the spoken-word passages.
It became Ross's first solo number one on the Hot 100.
This site's weekly data shows three weeks at number one, from September 19 to October 3, 1970.
So the chart week that contains October 8 was the third and last.
The song is number 6 on the 1970 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
The full story is in the Ain't No Mountain High Enough post.
1971: "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton wrote "Maggie May" for the 1971 album Every Picture Tells a Story.
Wikipedia says the song was recorded in just two takes in one session.
No cymbals could be found that day, so the cymbal crashes were overdubbed days later.
Ray Jackson of Lindisfarne played the mandolin.
The album credited him only as "the mandolin player in Lindisfarne."
This site's weekly data shows five weeks at number one, from October 2 to October 30, 1971.
Donny Osmond's "Go Away Little Girl" was on top just before it, and Cher's "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" came next.
So the chart week that contains October 8 was the first of five.
The song is number 2 on the 1971 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1972: "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" by Mac Davis
Country and pop singer-songwriter Mac Davis wrote and recorded "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me."
It came from his breakthrough album of the same name.
Wikipedia says he wrote it when the record company demanded a tune with a "hook."
It spent three weeks at number one on both the Hot 100 and the Easy Listening chart.
It also reached number 26 on the country chart.
This site's weekly data shows three weeks at number one, from September 23 to October 7, 1972.
So the chart week that contains October 8 was the third and last.
The song is number 8 on the 1972 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
October 8 in Music History, 1973 to 1975: Cher, a Grammy Ballad and a Lennon Hook
October 8 in music history in the middle of the decade brought Cher's second solo number one.
An Olivia Newton-John ballad followed.
Then David Bowie topped the Hot 100 for the first time.
1973: "Half-Breed" by Cher
Al Capps and Mary Dean wrote "Half-Breed."
Cher recorded it on May 21, 1973, at Larrabee Sound in Los Angeles.
Session musicians from the Wrecking Crew played on it.
It became Cher's second solo number one in the US and was certified Gold.
Wikipedia notes that she said in 2017 she would no longer perform it or wear its costume.
This site's weekly data shows two weeks at number one, from October 6 to October 13, 1973.
So the chart week that contains October 8 was the first of two.
The song is number 20 on the 1973 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1974: "I Honestly Love You" by Olivia Newton-John
Jeff Barry and Australian singer Peter Allen wrote "I Honestly Love You."
It was her first number one single in the United States and Canada.
Wikipedia says it reached number one in its eighth week on the Hot 100, the chart dated October 5, 1974.
At the 17th Grammy Awards, it won Record of the Year.
It also won Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female.
This site's weekly data shows two weeks at number one, from October 5 to October 12, 1974.
So the chart week that contains October 8 was the first of two.
It is number 97 on the 1974 year-end Hot 100 in this site's data.
Wikipedia says that ranking used only 11 of its 15 weeks on the chart.
More of her hits are on the Olivia Newton-John songs page.
1975: "Fame" by David Bowie
David Bowie, Carlos Alomar and John Lennon wrote "Fame."
It was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City in January 1975.
Wikipedia says Lennon came up with the hook by singing "aim" over Alomar's guitar riff.
Bowie turned it into "Fame," and it became his first number one on the Hot 100.
This site's weekly data shows September 20, 1975, then October 4, 1975.
Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy" was on top just before the first of those weeks.
John Denver's "I'm Sorry" held the week in between, and Neil Sedaka's "Bad Blood" came next.
So the chart week that contains October 8 was the second of two.
The song is number 8 on the 1975 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
Bowie's earlier years are covered in glam rock in the 70s.
October 8 in Music History, 1976 to 1979: A Bar Band, a Space Theme, Exile and the End of My Sharona
October 8 in music history closed the decade with a rock band playing funk.
A disco take on a movie theme followed.
Then came Exile, and a ballad that knocked off The Knack.
1976: "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry
Rob Parissi wrote "Play That Funky Music" for his band, Wild Cherry.
Wikipedia says the band was a hard rock cover act that found it hard to book shows in the disco era.
At a club in Pittsburgh, a patron asked if they would play some funky music.
Parissi wrote the song in about five minutes.
It was also number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart and was the group's only US Top 40 song.
This site's weekly data shows three weeks at number one, from September 18 to October 2, 1976.
So the chart week that contains October 8 was the third and last.
The song is number 5 on the 1976 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
Wild Cherry is one of the acts on the 70s one-hit wonders list.
1977: "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" by Meco
Meco recorded "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" for the album Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk.
Wikipedia says it hit number one on the Hot 100 on October 1, 1977, and held the spot for two weeks.
It was one of two hits built on music from the Star Wars movie.
The other was John Williams's "Star Wars (Main Title)," which reached the Top 10 at the same time.
The single was certified Platinum for two million units.
This site's weekly data shows two weeks at number one, from October 1 to October 8, 1977.
So the chart week that contains October 8 was the second and last.
The song is number 71 on the 1977 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
More of that sound is in disco music of the 70s.
1978: "Kiss You All Over" by Exile
Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn wrote "Kiss You All Over" for Exile's third album, Mixed Emotions.
Wikipedia says it was the first Exile song with founding member J.P. Pennington on lead vocals.
On a 1979 American Top 40 broadcast, Casey Kasem reported Chapman's inspiration.
It was Barry White's "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me."
Exile later moved to country music and had more than ten number one country hits.
This site's weekly data shows four weeks at number one, from September 30 to October 21, 1978.
So the chart week that contains October 8 was the second of four.
The song is number 5 on the 1978 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1979: "Sad Eyes" by Robert John
Robert John wrote and recorded "Sad Eyes," and it came out in April 1979.
George Tobin produced it, with Mike Piccirillo.
Wikipedia says it debuted on the Hot 100 on May 19 and reached the top the week of October 6.
That ended the six-week reign of The Knack's "My Sharona."
This site's weekly data shows one week at number one, the chart week of October 6, 1979.
So the chart week that contains October 8 was the first and only one.
Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" took over the next week.
The song is number 10 on the 1979 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
"My Sharona" tops the September 16 in music history list.
October 8 in Music History by the Numbers: Short Runs, Long Runs and Where Each Song Stood
Ranking the ten songs of October 8 in music history by weeks at number one puts Rod Stewart's 1971 run on top.
| Song | Artist | Year | Weeks at #1 | First week | Last week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maggie May / Reason to Believe | Rod Stewart | 1971 | 5 | October 2, 1971 | October 30, 1971 |
| Kiss You All Over | Exile | 1978 | 4 | September 30, 1978 | October 21, 1978 |
| Ain't No Mountain High Enough | Diana Ross | 1970 | 3 | September 19, 1970 | October 3, 1970 |
| Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me | Mac Davis | 1972 | 3 | September 23, 1972 | October 7, 1972 |
| Play That Funky Music | Wild Cherry | 1976 | 3 | September 18, 1976 | October 2, 1976 |
| Half-Breed | Cher | 1973 | 2 | October 6, 1973 | October 13, 1973 |
| I Honestly Love You | Olivia Newton-John | 1974 | 2 | October 5, 1974 | October 12, 1974 |
| Fame | David Bowie | 1975 | 2 | September 20, 1975 | October 4, 1975 |
| Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band | Meco | 1977 | 2 | October 1, 1977 | October 8, 1977 |
| Sad Eyes | Robert John | 1979 | 1 | October 6, 1979 | October 6, 1979 |
Each box is one week at number one and the gold box is the week that contains October 8.
A gap is a week another song was on top.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's weekly Billboard Hot 100 data.
Where October 8 Fell in Each Run
The weeks split three ways:
- 4 songs were in their first week at number one: "Maggie May," "Half-Breed," "I Honestly Love You" and "Sad Eyes."
- "Sad Eyes" was the only one of those with a single week on top.
- 1 was in the middle of a longer run: "Kiss You All Over."
- 5 were in the last week of their run: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me," "Fame," "Play That Funky Music" and "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band."
Test Your Own Memory
Which of these ten October 8 in music history number ones would you have bet on?
The list runs from Diana Ross in 1970 to Robert John in 1979.
Other weeks have their own lists, including February 1 in music history, December 12 in music history, November 7 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, 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the number one song on October 8 in music history in the 1970s?
The number one song for the Hot 100 chart week that includes October 8 changed every year. It was "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in 1970, "Maggie May" in 1971, "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" in 1972, "Half-Breed" in 1973 and "I Honestly Love You" in 1974. Five more follow, ending with "Sad Eyes" in 1979.
Which 70s number one song stayed on top the longest around October 8?
Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" had the most weeks at number one of the ten songs, with five, according to this site's weekly Hot 100 data. They ran from October 2 to October 30, 1971. Exile's "Kiss You All Over" was next with four weeks, from September 30 to October 21, 1978.
What was the number one song on October 8, 1977?
Meco's "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" was number one for the Hot 100 chart week that began October 8, 1977. It was the second and last week of its run at number one, according to this site's weekly Hot 100 data. It is number 71 on the 1977 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 October 8 began October 8 in 1977, October 7 in 1972 and 1978, October 6 in 1973 and 1979, October 5 in 1974, October 4 in 1975, October 3 in 1970 and October 2 in 1971 and 1976.
Related Posts
Sources
- Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Wikipedia, for the writers, the 1967 original, the 1970 remake, Berry Gordy's reaction and Ross's first solo number one.
- Maggie May, Wikipedia, for the writers, the album, the two-take session, the missing cymbals and Ray Jackson's mandolin credit.
- Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me, Wikipedia, for the album, the "hook" story and the Easy Listening and country chart runs.
- Half-Breed (song), Wikipedia, for the writers, the recording date, the Wrecking Crew, the Gold certification and Cher's 2017 statement.
- I Honestly Love You, Wikipedia, for the writers, the first US number one, the eighth-week climb, the Grammys and the year-end ranking note.
- Fame (David Bowie song), Wikipedia, for the writers, the Electric Lady session, Lennon's hook and the split run around "I'm Sorry."
- Play That Funky Music, Wikipedia, for Rob Parissi, the Pittsburgh club story, the soul chart and the band's only Top 40 song.
- Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band, Wikipedia, for the album, the October 1, 1977 start, John Williams's version and the Platinum certification.
- Kiss You All Over, Wikipedia, for the writers, the album, J.P. Pennington's lead vocal, the Barry White inspiration and the country move.
- Sad Eyes (Robert John song), Wikipedia, for the release, the producers, the chart debut and the end of the "My Sharona" run.
- Billboard Hot 100, Wikipedia, for how the weekly chart used for number one runs works.