Top Songs of 1973: The Year's Biggest Hits & Trends

The top songs of 1973 were led by a song about someone nervously heading home.

That someone wasn't sure they'd still be welcome.

Tony Orlando and Dawn's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" became 1973's defining hit.

It's a story-song about a man returning from prison.

He asks his love to signal her forgiveness with a ribbon tied around a tree.

Beyond that chart-topper, 1973 turned out to be an unusually deep year.

Two different artists each landed three songs on the year-end list.

A long stretch of legacy acts each scored two hits apiece.

This is a closer look at the songs and artists behind the top songs of 1973.

Hand-drawn Sketch Note infographic about the top songs of 1973, showing Tony Orlando and Dawn's number one hit Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree, Stevie Wonder and War each landing three year-end hits, and Tony Orlando and Dawn's second charting song Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose

Chart data: Billboard Year-End Hot 100, 1973.

Tony Orlando and Dawn Led the Top Songs of 1973

Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 named "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" the top song of 1973.

It wasn't a close call.

Written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown, the song tells a simple story.

A man comes home on a bus after serving time.

He asks the woman he loves to tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree in their yard.

That ribbon would mean she still wants him back.

That simple, hopeful image struck a chord well beyond the charts.

The song became the top-selling single of the year in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Tony Orlando and Dawn didn't stop at one hit either.

They also landed a second song on the year-end list at #34.

That song was "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose."

It made 1973 a genuine double win for the group.

Curious what else was topping the charts around this time?

Our Birthday #1 Song Finder pulls the exact number one hit for any date.

Stevie Wonder and War Tied for the Year's Busiest Artists

Tony Orlando and Dawn owned the top spot.

Two other acts were even busier across the rest of the chart.

Stevie Wonder and the band War each placed three separate songs on the 1973 year-end list.

That's more than any other artist landed that year.

Wonder's three hits showed off his range across the decade.

"You Are the Sunshine of My Life" — #19
"Superstition" — #26
"Higher Ground" — #62

He moved between warm romantic soul, sharp funk, and gospel-tinged uplift within the same busy stretch.

War's three hits leaned into the band's genre-blending sound.

"The Cisco Kid" — #55
"Gypsy Man" — #93
"The World Is a Ghetto" — #94

The band mixed funk, soul, and Latin influence into songs that felt distinct from everything else charting that year.

That kind of volume from two very different acts stands out.

It's part of what makes 1973 such a rich year to look back on.

A Top of the Chart Full of Range

Just beneath the number one hit, the top of the 1973 chart told a story of real stylistic variety.

Jim Croce's "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" landed at #2 for the year.

It brought his easygoing storytelling style to a massive audience.

Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly with His Song" came in at #3.

Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" landed at #4.

Each brought a completely different kind of soul to the upper reaches of the chart.

Paul McCartney & Wings rounded out the top five at #5 with "My Love."

They also charted a second time that year, at #56 with "Live and Let Die."

That kind of range is striking.

Folk-pop storytelling sat right alongside two of soul music's most iconic singles and a Bond theme.

It shows just how wide open the top songs of 1973 truly were.

A Long List of Two-Hit Artists

Beyond the acts at the very top, 1973 had an unusually long list of two-hit artists.

Each landed exactly two songs on the year-end chart.

Elton John
Gladys Knight & the Pips
The Carpenters
The Temptations
Steely Dan
Bette Midler
Gilbert O'Sullivan
The Edgar Winter Group
Paul Simon

That's nine different acts, on top of Paul McCartney & Wings and Tony Orlando and Dawn.

All of them repeated on the same year-end list.

That's a real sign of how competitive the pop landscape had become by this point in the decade.

That kind of competition is part of what makes the top songs of 1973 worth remembering.

See how 1973 compares to the year before it in our Top Songs of 1972 countdown.

Want to hear how these hits stack up against other years?

Our 70s Decade Wheel lets you spin through year by year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the number one song of 1973?

Tony Orlando and Dawn's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" was the top song of 1973.

That's according to Billboard's Year-End Hot 100.

The song tells the story of a man returning home from prison.

He asks his love to signal her forgiveness with a ribbon tied around a tree.

It became the top-selling single of the year in both the US and UK.

Which artists had the most songs on the 1973 year-end chart?

Stevie Wonder and the band War each placed three songs on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 for 1973.

That's more than any other act that year.

Wonder charted with "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," "Superstition," and "Higher Ground."

War charted with "The Cisco Kid," "Gypsy Man," and "The World Is a Ghetto."

Did Tony Orlando and Dawn have more than one hit in 1973?

Tony Orlando and Dawn did land more than one hit in 1973.

In addition to their number one hit, they also placed a second song on the year-end list at #34.

That song was "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose."

It gave the group two songs on the same year-end chart.

Which other major artists had big hits near the top of the 1973 chart?

Several major artists landed big hits near the top of the 1973 chart.

Jim Croce's "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" reached #2, and Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly with His Song" reached #3.

Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" landed at #4.

Paul McCartney & Wings' "My Love" rounded out the top five at #5.

Which artists landed exactly two hits on the 1973 year-end chart?

A long list of major acts each placed two songs on the 1973 year-end chart.

That list includes Elton John, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and The Carpenters.

It also includes The Temptations, Steely Dan, Bette Midler, Gilbert O'Sullivan, The Edgar Winter Group, and Paul Simon.

That reflects just how competitive the pop landscape had become by that point in the decade.