September 16 in Music History: The 1970s Number Ones
On September 16 in music history, the number one song in America changed with every year of the 1970s.
The Billboard Hot 100 week that contains September 16 had a different song on top in all ten years.
Those ten songs spent 26 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 September 16, one bar per year.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's weekly Billboard Hot 100 data.
September 16 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| War | Edwin Starr | 1970 | Sep 12 to Sep 18 | 3 of 3 | 3 | Motown held back the Temptations' version as a single, so Edwin Starr re-recorded it, and it became his only number one. | |
| Go Away Little Girl | Donny Osmond | 1971 | Sep 11 to Sep 17 | 1 of 3 | 3 | Bobby Vee recorded it first in 1962, and Wikipedia calls it the first song to reach number one by two different artists. | |
| Black and White | Three Dog Night | 1972 | Sep 16 to Sep 22 | 1 of 1 | 1 | Pete Seeger made the first recording in 1956, and the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision inspired the song. | |
| Delta Dawn | Helen Reddy | 1973 | Sep 15 to Sep 21 | 1 of 1 | 1 | Alex Harvey wrote it about his mother, and producer Tom Catalano offered the vocal to Barbra Streisand before Helen Reddy. | |
| I Shot the Sheriff | Eric Clapton | 1974 | Sep 14 to Sep 20 | 1 of 1 | 1 | Bob Marley wrote it for the Wailers, and Clapton's cover is his only number one on the Hot 100. | |
| Rhinestone Cowboy | Glen Campbell | 1975 | Sep 13 to Sep 19 | 2 of 2 | 2 | The week of September 13 it topped the country chart and the Hot 100 at once, a first since "Big Bad John" in 1961. | |
| (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty | KC and the Sunshine Band | 1976 | Sep 11 to Sep 17 | 1 of 1 | 1 | Its B-side, "Boogie Shoes," became a hit on its own after it appeared on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. | |
| Best of My Love | The Emotions | 1977 | Sep 10 to Sep 16 | 4 of 5 | 5 | Maurice White and Al McKay of Earth, Wind & Fire wrote it, and it won a Grammy at the 20th Annual Grammy Awards. | |
| Boogie Oogie Oogie | A Taste of Honey | 1978 | Sep 16 to Sep 22 | 2 of 3 | 3 | It was the first certified Platinum single in Capitol Records history, and Janice-Marie Johnson sang lead while playing slap bass. | |
| My Sharona | The Knack | 1979 | Sep 15 to Sep 21 | 4 of 6 | 6 | Doug Fieger met 17-year-old Sharona Alperin, who inspired the song, and he said he wrote it in 15 minutes. |
Chart week is the Billboard Hot 100 week that contains September 16 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 September 16 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 September 16.
Here is what the ten weeks show at a glance:
- The ten songs spent 26 weeks at number one in total.
- "My Sharona" had the most weeks, with six, followed by "Best of My Love" with five.
- Three songs had three weeks each: "War," "Go Away Little Girl" and "Boogie Oogie Oogie."
- 5 of the ten songs were in their first week at number one that week, and four of them, "Black and White," "Delta Dawn," "I Shot the Sheriff" and "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty," 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 September 16 in music history.
Enter the date and it shows the song that was on top that week.
How the September 16 Week Was Picked
Billboard chart weeks do not line up with the calendar, so there is no single week called September 16.
This September 16 in music history page uses the weekly Hot 100 week that contains September 16 each year.
That week began on a different date each year:
- 1970: the chart week of September 12, 1970, with "War" by Edwin Starr on top.
- 1971: the chart week of September 11, 1971, with "Go Away Little Girl" by Donny Osmond on top.
- 1972: the chart week of September 16, 1972, with "Black and White" by Three Dog Night on top.
- 1973: the chart week of September 15, 1973, with "Delta Dawn" by Helen Reddy on top.
- 1974: the chart week of September 14, 1974, with "I Shot the Sheriff" by Eric Clapton on top.
- 1975: the chart week of September 13, 1975, with "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell on top.
- 1976: the chart week of September 11, 1976, with "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" by KC and the Sunshine Band on top.
- 1977: the chart week of September 10, 1977, with "Best of My Love" by The Emotions on top.
- 1978: the chart week of September 16, 1978, with "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey on top.
- 1979: the chart week of September 15, 1979, with "My Sharona" by The Knack 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: "Best of My Love" in 1977.
For that one, it counts only the weeks the song itself held number one.
September 16 in Music History, 1970 to 1972: A Protest Anthem, a Teen Idol Cover and a Children's Chorus
September 16 in music history opened the decade with a Motown protest song.
Next came a 13-year-old's cover of a Goffin and King standard.
Then came a Three Dog Night record with a children's chorus.
1970: "War" by Edwin Starr
Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong wrote "War" for Motown in 1969.
Whitfield first produced it with the Temptations on lead vocals.
Wikipedia says Motown held that version back as a single so as not to alienate the group's more conservative fans.
Edwin Starr volunteered to re-record it, and Whitfield rebuilt it around Starr's James Brown-influenced soul shout.
Starr's version was released in June 1970 and became his only number one.
Wikipedia says it replaced Bread's "Make It With You" and was knocked off by Diana Ross's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."
This site's weekly data shows three weeks at number one, from August 29 to September 12, 1970.
So the chart week that contains September 16 was the third and last.
The song is number 5 on the 1970 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1971: "Go Away Little Girl" by Donny Osmond
Gerry Goffin and Carole King wrote "Go Away Little Girl."
Bobby Vee recorded it first, on March 28, 1962.
Steve Lawrence took it to number one in January 1963.
Wikipedia calls it the first song, and one of only nine, to reach number one by two different artists.
Donny Osmond's version reached number one on September 11, 1971.
Wikipedia says Osmond was 13 when it was recorded, and the RIAA certified it gold on October 13, 1971.
This site's weekly data shows three weeks at number one, from September 11 to September 25, 1971.
So the chart week that contains September 16 was the first of three.
The song is number 7 on the 1971 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1972: "Black and White" by Three Dog Night
David I. Arkin and Earl Robinson wrote "Black and White" in 1954.
Pete Seeger made the first recording in 1956.
Wikipedia says the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision inspired the song.
Three Dog Night heard Greyhound's reggae version and covered it for the album Seven Separate Fools.
Danny Hutton sang lead, with a children's chorus adding voices.
This site's weekly data shows one week at number one, the chart week of September 16, 1972.
So the chart week that contains September 16 was the first and only one.
The song is number 63 on the 1972 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
More of the band is on the Three Dog Night songs page.
September 16 in Music History, 1973 to 1975: A Faded Southern Belle, a Reggae Cover and a Rhinestone Double
September 16 in music history in the middle of the decade brought a Helen Reddy country cover.
An Eric Clapton reggae cover followed.
Then Glen Campbell topped two charts at once.
1973: "Delta Dawn" by Helen Reddy
Larry Collins and Alex Harvey wrote "Delta Dawn."
Wikipedia says Harvey wrote it about his mother, who came from the Mississippi Delta.
Bette Midler made the first notable recording in 1972.
Tanya Tucker's version reached number six on the country chart that year.
Wikipedia says producer Tom Catalano first offered the vocal to Barbra Streisand, who refused, and then gave it to Reddy.
Reddy's single came out in June 1973, two days after Midler's.
This site's weekly data shows one week at number one, the chart week of September 15, 1973.
So the chart week that contains September 16 was the first and only one.
The song is number 14 on the 1973 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
More of her career is on the Helen Reddy songs page.
1974: "I Shot the Sheriff" by Eric Clapton
Bob Marley wrote "I Shot the Sheriff," and the Wailers released it in 1973 on the album Burnin'.
Wikipedia says Marley wanted to sing "I shot the police," but the government would have made a fuss.
Eric Clapton recorded a cover for his 1974 album 461 Ocean Boulevard.
Wikipedia says his version adds soft rock to the reggae sound.
It was Clapton's only number one on the Hot 100.
In 2003 his version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
This site's weekly data shows one week at number one, the chart week of September 14, 1974.
So the chart week that contains September 16 was the first and only one.
The song is number 76 on the 1974 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1975: "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell
Larry Weiss wrote and recorded "Rhinestone Cowboy" in 1974.
It did little as a single and peaked at number 71 in Australia.
Wikipedia says Campbell heard it on the radio in late 1974 and decided to learn it on an Australian tour.
His version was released on May 26, 1975, as the lead single and title track of his album.
The week of September 13, it topped the country chart and the Hot 100 at the same time.
Wikipedia says that was the first time a song had done that since Jimmy Dean's "Big Bad John" in November 1961.
This site's weekly data shows two weeks at number one, September 6 and September 13, 1975.
So the chart week that contains September 16 was the second and last.
The song is number 2 on the 1975 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
September 16 in Music History, 1976 to 1979: A Booty Shaker, a Split Run, a Slap Bass Debut and a Fifteen-Minute Song
September 16 in music history closed the decade with a KC and the Sunshine Band dance hit.
An Emotions record followed, then a disco debut and a power pop hit that lasted six weeks.
1976: "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" by KC and the Sunshine Band
KC and the Sunshine Band released it in 1976 on the album Part 3.
Wikipedia says it was their third number one on both the Hot 100 and the Hot Soul Singles chart.
The chorus has the word "shake" eight times.
Wikipedia says the song inspired people to "get off their can and get out there and do it."
The B-side was "Boogie Shoes."
That song became a hit on its own after it appeared on the 1977 Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.
This site's weekly data shows one week at number one, the chart week of September 11, 1976.
So the chart week that contains September 16 was the first and only one.
The song is number 26 on the 1976 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
More of the band is on the KC and the Sunshine Band songs page.
1977: "Best of My Love" by The Emotions
Maurice White and Al McKay of Earth, Wind & Fire wrote "Best of My Love."
White and Clarence McDonald produced it.
It was released on June 9, 1977, as the lead single from the Emotions' album Rejoice.
Wikipedia says it topped both the Hot 100 and the R&B chart.
It won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 20th Annual Grammy Awards.
Wikipedia says it spent five non-consecutive weeks at number one.
This site's weekly data shows August 20, August 27, September 3 and September 10, 1977, and then September 24.
Andy Gibb's "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" held number one for the week of September 17 in between.
So the chart week that contains September 16 was the fourth of five.
The song is number 3 on the 1977 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1978: "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey
"Boogie Oogie Oogie" was A Taste of Honey's debut single, from their 1978 debut album.
Wikipedia says it topped the pop, soul and disco charts in September 1978.
It became the first certified Platinum single in the history of Capitol Records.
Janice-Marie Johnson sang lead while playing the slap bass lines.
The group won the Grammy for Best New Artist on February 15, 1979.
This site's weekly data shows three weeks at number one, from September 9 to September 23, 1978.
So the chart week that contains September 16 was the second of three.
The song is number 9 on the 1978 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1979: "My Sharona" by The Knack
Berton Averre and Doug Fieger wrote "My Sharona," and Mike Chapman produced it.
It was released in 1979 as the debut single from the album Get the Knack.
Wikipedia says Fieger met 17-year-old Sharona Alperin, who inspired a two-month run of songwriting.
Fieger claimed he wrote the song in 15 minutes.
Wikipedia says it was Capitol's fastest gold debut single since the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in 1964.
This site's weekly data shows six weeks at number one, from August 25 to September 29, 1979.
So the chart week that contains September 16 was the fourth of six.
The song is number 1 on the 1979 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
September 16 in Music History by the Numbers: Short Runs, Long Runs and Where Each Song Stood
Ranking the ten songs of September 16 in music history by weeks at number one shows one 1979 run above the rest.
| Song | Artist | Year | Weeks at #1 | First week | Last week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| My Sharona | The Knack | 1979 | 6 | August 25, 1979 | September 29, 1979 |
| Best of My Love | The Emotions | 1977 | 5 | August 20, 1977 | September 24, 1977 |
| War | Edwin Starr | 1970 | 3 | August 29, 1970 | September 12, 1970 |
| Go Away Little Girl | Donny Osmond | 1971 | 3 | September 11, 1971 | September 25, 1971 |
| Boogie Oogie Oogie | A Taste of Honey | 1978 | 3 | September 9, 1978 | September 23, 1978 |
| Rhinestone Cowboy | Glen Campbell | 1975 | 2 | September 6, 1975 | September 13, 1975 |
| Black and White | Three Dog Night | 1972 | 1 | September 16, 1972 | September 16, 1972 |
| Delta Dawn | Helen Reddy | 1973 | 1 | September 15, 1973 | September 15, 1973 |
| I Shot the Sheriff | Eric Clapton | 1974 | 1 | September 14, 1974 | September 14, 1974 |
| (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty | KC and the Sunshine Band | 1976 | 1 | September 11, 1976 | September 11, 1976 |
Each box is one week at number one and the gold box is the week that contains September 16.
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 September 16 Fell in Each Run
The weeks split three ways:
- 5 songs were in their first week at number one: "Go Away Little Girl," "Black and White," "Delta Dawn," "I Shot the Sheriff" and "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty."
- 3 were in the middle of a longer run: "Best of My Love," "Boogie Oogie Oogie" and "My Sharona."
- 2 were in the last week of their runs: "War" and "Rhinestone Cowboy."
Test Your Own Memory
Which of these ten September 16 in music history number ones would you have bet on?
The list runs from Edwin Starr in 1970 to The Knack in 1979.
Earlier weeks have their own lists, including 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, 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 September 16 in music history in the 1970s?
The number one song for the Hot 100 chart week that includes September 16 changed every year. It was "War" in 1970, "Go Away Little Girl" in 1971, "Black and White" in 1972, "Delta Dawn" in 1973 and "I Shot the Sheriff" in 1974. Five more follow, ending with "My Sharona" in 1979.
Which 70s number one song stayed on top the longest around September 16?
The Knack's "My Sharona" had the most weeks at number one of the ten songs, with six, according to this site's weekly Hot 100 data. They ran from August 25 to September 29, 1979. The Emotions' "Best of My Love" had five weeks, split by one week of Andy Gibb's "I Just Want to Be Your Everything."
What was the number one song on September 16, 1972?
Three Dog Night's "Black and White" was number one for the Hot 100 chart week that began September 16, 1972. It was the first and only week of its run at number one, according to this site's weekly Hot 100 data. It is number 63 on the 1972 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 September 16 began September 16 in 1972 and 1978, September 15 in 1973 and 1979, September 14 in 1974, September 13 in 1975, September 12 in 1970, September 11 in 1971 and 1976 and September 10 in 1977.
Related Posts
Sources
- War (The Temptations song), Wikipedia, for the writers, the withheld Temptations single, Starr's re-recording, the release and the chart run.
- Go Away Little Girl, Wikipedia, for the writers, Bobby Vee's first recording, the two number ones and Osmond's gold certification.
- Black and White (Pete Seeger song), Wikipedia, for the writers, Seeger's recording, the Greyhound version and Three Dog Night's number one.
- Delta Dawn, Wikipedia, for the writers, Harvey's story, the Midler and Tucker versions and Reddy's single.
- I Shot the Sheriff, Wikipedia, for Marley's original, his explanation of the title and Clapton's cover.
- Rhinestone Cowboy, Wikipedia, for Weiss's recording, Campbell's release and the country and pop double at number one.
- (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty, Wikipedia, for the album, the third number one, the chorus and the B-side.
- Best of My Love (The Emotions song), Wikipedia, for the writers, the release, the Grammy and the five non-consecutive weeks.
- Boogie Oogie Oogie, Wikipedia, for the debut single, the chart toppings, the Platinum record and the Grammy.
- My Sharona, Wikipedia, for the writers, the producer, Sharona Alperin, the writing time and the gold record.
- Billboard Hot 100, Wikipedia, for how the weekly chart used for number one runs works.