Top Songs of 1974: The Year's Biggest Hits & Trends

The top songs of 1974 were led by a movie theme.

That theme turned into one of the year's biggest cultural moments.

Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were" was written for the film of the same name.

That film starred Streisand and Robert Redford.

The song became the definitive number one hit of the year.

It went on to become the top-selling single of 1974.

Beyond that chart-topper, 1974 turned out to be an unusually generous year for multi-hit artists.

Four different acts each landed three songs on the year-end list.

This is a closer look at the songs and artists behind the top songs of 1974.

Hand-drawn Sketch Note infographic about the top songs of 1974, showing Barbra Streisand's number one hit The Way We Were, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Paul McCartney and Wings, and Jim Stafford each landing three year-end hits, and the instrumental Love's Theme reaching number 3

Chart data: Billboard Year-End Hot 100, 1974.

Barbra Streisand's Movie Theme Topped the Top Songs of 1974

Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 named "The Way We Were" the top song of 1974.

It arrived with a story already built in.

The song served as the theme for the 1973 film "The Way We Were."

That film starred Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford.

The song itself was written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman, with music by Marvin Hamlisch.

That connection to one of the year's biggest films helped push the song well past a typical chart run.

Movie themes didn't always translate into massive chart success in the 70s.

This one clearly did.

It went on to become the top-selling single of the entire year.

Curious what else was topping the charts around this time?

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

An Instrumental Cracked the Top Three

Right behind Streisand, the top of the 1974 chart showed off some real range in sound.

Terry Jacks' "Seasons in the Sun" landed at #2 for the year.

The Love Unlimited Orchestra's "Love's Theme" reached #3.

It's an entirely instrumental track with no vocals at all.

Redbone's "Come and Get Your Love" rounded out #4.

The Jackson 5's "Dancing Machine" took #5.

Both songs still sound like they belong on a dancefloor today.

Both leaned into the funkier, dance-ready sound that was starting to take over the charts.

Disco was still a few years from its full commercial takeover.

Songs like these hinted at exactly where the decade's back half was heading.

That stretch is striking: a somber ballad, a lush instrumental, and two dance-floor-ready hits, all landing back to back.

It's part of what makes 1974 such a genuinely varied year to look back on.

Four Artists Tied for the Year's Busiest

Beyond the very top of the chart, four different acts each landed exactly three songs that year.

That's more than any other artist managed on the 1974 year-end list.

Gladys Knight & the Pips charted three times.

"Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me" — #34
"I've Got to Use My Imagination" — #41
"On and On" — #69

Paul McCartney & Wings matched that with three hits of their own.

"Band on the Run" — #22
"Jet" — #77
"Helen Wheels" — #91

Jim Stafford rounded out the group with three novelty-leaning hits.

"Spiders and Snakes" — #16
"My Girl Bill" — #90
"Wildwood Weed" — #93

Elton John also landed three songs on the year-end list.

"Bennie and the Jets" — #9
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" — #72
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" — #78

Four acts, from soul to rock to novelty pop to glam, all hit the same mark that year.

None of them dominated the way a single breakout act might in other years.

Instead, the chart's middle stretch was shared out almost evenly among them.

That says a lot about how wide open the top songs of 1974 really were.

Olivia Newton-John's Early Crossover Signal

One more major name landed multiple hits on the 1974 year-end list, just short of that three-song mark.

Olivia Newton-John charted with "Let Me Be There" at #26 and "I Honestly Love You" at #97.

That's an early sign of the country-pop crossover sound she'd become known for throughout the rest of the decade.

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

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

See how 1974 compares to the year before it in our Top Songs of 1973 countdown.

A Prayer Set to Music Found Its Way onto the Pop Chart

Not every hit on the 1974 year-end list came from a familiar pop or rock act.

Australian nun Sister Janet Mead brought a rock-arranged version of "The Lord's Prayer" onto the year-end chart at #86.

It's an unusual crossover between religious music and mainstream pop radio.

Few charts before or since have made room for a sung prayer next to glam rock and disco-adjacent funk.

That kind of range is striking, a chart-topping movie theme and a sung prayer on the same list.

It shows just how unpredictable the top songs of 1974 could be.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the number one song of 1974?

Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were" was the top song of 1974 according to Billboard's Year-End Hot 100.

The song served as the theme for the 1973 film of the same name starring Streisand and Robert Redford.

It went on to become the best-selling single of the entire year.

Which artists had the most songs on the 1974 year-end chart?

Four artists tied for the most songs on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 for 1974, each landing three apiece.

Gladys Knight & the Pips, Paul McCartney & Wings, Jim Stafford, and Elton John all placed three songs.

Their hits spanned soul, rock, novelty pop, and glam, showing just how wide the chart's range was.

Was there an instrumental hit in 1974?

The Love Unlimited Orchestra's "Love's Theme" was a major instrumental hit in 1974.

It reached #3 on the year-end chart with no vocals at all.

That made it one of the biggest hits of the year built entirely around its orchestral arrangement.

Did Olivia Newton-John have more than one hit in 1974?

Olivia Newton-John did land more than one hit on the 1974 year-end chart.

She charted with "Let Me Be There" and "I Honestly Love You."

That's an early look at the country-pop crossover sound she'd carry through the rest of the decade.

Was there a religious song on the 1974 pop chart?

Australian nun Sister Janet Mead brought a rock-arranged version of "The Lord's Prayer" to the 1974 chart at #86.