The biggest 70s hits are the 1,000 songs on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 lists from 1970 to 1979, and every one of them is on this page.
Bee Gees and Elton John have the most of them, 12 songs each, and 999 of the 1,000 play right in the player above.
Pick one of 10 genre stations for free 70s radio that keeps rolling, or search the Jukebox Grid for one song.
How to Listen
Pick a station and press Play.
The video shows in the player above the controls, and the station plays that genre on shuffle, one song rolling into the next.
Or open the Jukebox Grid and find one song by title, artist, genre or year.
Every song plays as a YouTube video with YouTube's own controls, so you can pause, seek, turn on captions or go fullscreen.
Anything without a playable video shows as pending or unavailable in the Jukebox Grid.
How the Station Keeps Playing
Nothing plays until you press Play or pick a song.
After that, each song rolls into the next while the player is on screen.
If you scroll the player out of view or switch to another tab, the station waits between songs.
It carries on when the player is back on screen, or when you press Continue.
One Song at a Time
For a single pick, Random 70s Song draws one at random and the Mood Song Matcher finds one to fit how you feel.
What Counts as a Hit Here
At the end of every year, Billboard ranked the 100 biggest singles of that year, and those ten Year-End Hot 100 lists make up the whole catalog.
That gives 100 songs from each year, from Bridge Over Troubled Water at the top of 1970 to My Sharona at the top of 1979.
The runner-up spots hold some of the best-known records of the decade, like Night Fever by the Bee Gees at No. 2 for 1978 and Bad Girls by Donna Summer at No. 2 for 1979.
How the site handles this chart data is set out on the methodology page.
Where the Lists Live
The 100 biggest 70s hits sit in one playable list on the 70s Songs page.
Every weekly chart-topper of the decade is on the 70s Number One Hits page.
The groups behind the music are ranked on the 70s Bands page.
Every tool and list on the site starts from the Music of the 70s home page.
The Acts With the Most Songs
These are the acts with the most songs across the ten Year-End lists, counting songs credited to the act alone.
| Act | Songs in the catalog |
|---|---|
| Bee Gees | 12 |
| Elton John | 12 |
| The Carpenters | 11 |
| Stevie Wonder | 10 |
| Barry Manilow | 9 |
| Chicago | 8 |
| Olivia Newton-John | 8 |
| Electric Light Orchestra | 8 |
Duets and shared credits are left out of these counts, so the real totals for some acts run a little higher.
Six more acts have 7 songs each: The Jackson 5, Three Dog Night, Helen Reddy, Gladys Knight & the Pips, War, and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Most Year-End Top 10 Finishes
- Bee Gees: 4 songs in a year-end top 10.
- Rod Stewart, Elton John and Andy Gibb: 3 each.
- Nine more acts, Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand among them: 2 each.
How the Sound Shifted
Using this site's genre labels, the Soul station holds 29 songs from 1970 and only 5 from 1979.
Classic rock held steadier, with 24 songs in 1970 and between 12 and 18 in most years after.
The Stations at a Glance
Listen Now draws on 1,000 songs from Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 lists for 1970 to 1979, 100 songs from each year.
Each song is filed under one station, using this site's own genre labels.
All counts and chart positions below come straight from that list.
Pop Station
The widest net on the dial: melodic, polished singles from the decade's chart-topping vocalists and groups.
Soul Station
Vocal-driven soul and Motown-style records, from smooth ballads to uptempo cuts.
Soft Rock Station
Mellow, melodic rock and singer-songwriter hits that lean on harmony and warmth.
Classic Rock Station
Guitar-led rock and pop-rock staples from the decade's biggest rock acts.
Disco Station
Dance-floor records built on a steady beat, from early disco to the late-decade peak.
Country Station
Country and country-pop singles that also made the Billboard Hot 100.
Funk Station
Groove-first records built around bass lines, horns and rhythm.
Hard Rock Station
Heavier, louder guitar rock from the rock side of the chart.
R&B Station
Rhythm and blues records from across the decade, a small station with plenty of variety.
Prog Rock Station
Progressive and art-rock acts whose singles made the Hot 100, the smallest station.
Chart Facts From the Catalog
The artists with the most songs on these ten Year-End lists are Bee Gees (12), Elton John (12), The Carpenters (11), and Stevie Wonder (10).
The Year-End #1 for Every Year
| Year | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Bridge Over Troubled Water | Simon & Garfunkel |
| 1971 | Joy to the World | Three Dog Night |
| 1972 | The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face | Roberta Flack |
| 1973 | Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree | Tony Orlando and Dawn |
| 1974 | The Way We Were | Barbra Streisand |
| 1975 | Love Will Keep Us Together | Captain & Tennille |
| 1976 | Silly Love Songs | Wings |
| 1977 | Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) | Rod Stewart |
| 1978 | Shadow Dancing | Andy Gibb |
| 1979 | My Sharona | The Knack |
For the stories behind the songs, browse the year-by-year charts, the genre guides, the artist profiles and the song deep dives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Listen Now free?
Yes, there is no sign-up, no account and no charge.
What was the second-biggest hit of 1970?
(They Long to Be) Close to You by The Carpenters, right behind Bridge Over Troubled Water on the 1970 Year-End list.
What was the No. 2 song of 1976?
Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee, behind Silly Love Songs by Wings.
Which year has the most disco songs here?
1979, with 34 of that year's 100 songs on the Disco station, up from 5 in 1974.
Sources
The catalog is this site's Billboard Year-End Hot 100 file for 1970 to 1979, checked against the sources below.
