The Top Hits of the 1970's

[vince]

Since I did top 100’s of the 80’s I thought I would do the 70’s too. This is the Top 100 of the 70’s based on AT40’s ranking formula and correction index or what they likely would have come up with if they created their ranking formula 3 years earlier. Although #1 is no surprise, the rest of the countdown is different from AT40’s Top 50 of the 70’s ranking.

TOP 100 HITS of the 1970’s

Index
Points Pos. TITLE Artist (Year)

2.033 1 YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE Debby Boone (1977)
1.591 2 TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT (Gonna Be Alright) Rod Stewart (1976)
1.544 3 NIGHT FEVER The Bee Gees (1978)
1.484 4 HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE The Bee Gees (1977)
1.464 5 SHADOW DANCING Andy Gibb (1978)
1.459 6 LE FREAK Chic (1978)
1.456 7 I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING Andy Gibb (1977)
1.419 8 THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE Roberta Flack (1972)
1.416 9 JOY TO THE WORLD Three Dog Night (1971)
1.408 10 ALONE AGAIN (Naturally) Gilbert O'Sullivan (1972)
1.372 11 RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN' ON MY HEAD B. J. Thomas (1970)
1.324 12 I'LL BE THERE Jackson 5 (1970)
1.300 13 STAYIN' ALIVE The Bee Gees (1978)
1.294 14 MAGGIE MAY / REASON TO BELIEVE Rod Stewart (1971)
1.291 15 BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER Simon & Garfunkel (1970)
1.290 16 TIE A YELLOW RIBBON 'ROUND THE OLD OAK TREE Tony Orlando and Dawn (1973)
1.288 17 MY SHARONA The Knack (1979)
1.286 18 LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER The Captain and Tennille (1975)
1.281 19 AMERICAN PIE (Parts 1 and 2) Don McLean (1972)
1.280 20 THE WAY WE WERE Barbra Streisand (1974)
1.271 21 RHINESTONE COWBOY Glen Campbell (1975)
1.262 22 IT'S TOO LATE / I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE Carole King (1971)
1.249 23 BEST OF MY LOVE The Emotions (1977)
1.230 24 PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM The Elton John Band (1975)
1.226 25 SILLY LOVE SONGS Wings (1976)
1.218 26 LET'S GET IT ON Marvin Gaye (1973)
1.187 27 I THINK I LOVE YOU The Partridge Family (1970)
1.171 28 HOT STUFF Donna Summer (1979)
1.169 29 KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG Roberta Flack (1973)
1.165 30 (They Long To Be) CLOSE TO YOU The Carpenters (1970)
1.164 31 KNOCK THREE TIMES Dawn (1971)
1.147 32 A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN Walter Murphy & the Big Apple Band (1976)
1.143 33 PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC Wild Cherry (1976)
1.142 34 SEASONS IN THE SUN Terry Jacks (1974)
1.133 35 BAD GIRLS Donna Summer (1979)
1.131 36 DO YA THINK I'M SEXY? Rod Stewart (1979)
1.125 37 KISS YOU ALL OVER Exile (1978)
1.122 38 I WILL SURVIVE Gloria Gaynor (1979)
1.105 39 MY SWEET LORD / ISN'T IT A PITY George Harrison (1970)
1.104 40 MY LOVE Paul McCartney & Wings (1973)
1.104 41 YOU'RE SO VAIN Carly Simon (1973)
1.100 42 BENNIE AND THE JETS Elton John (1974)
1.090 43 Y.M.C.A. The Village People (1979)
1.087 44 LOVE THEME FROM "A STAR IS BORN" (Evergreen) Barbra Streisand (1977)
1.086 45 WITHOUT YOU Nilsson (1972)
1.075 46 HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART The Bee Gees (1971)
1.072 47 ONE BAD APPLE The Osmonds (1971)
1.071 48 LOVE IS THICKER THAN WATER Andy Gibb (1978)
1.068 49 I'M SORRY / CALYPSO John Denver (1975)
1.062 50 THE STREAK Ray Stevens (1974)
1.058 51 I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW Johnny Nash (1972)
1.047 52 INDIAN RESEVATION (The Lament Of the Cherokee Resevation Indian) The Raiders (1971)
1.046 53 KEEP ON TRUCKIN' Eddie Kendricks (1973)
1.045 54 DANCING MACHINE Jackson Five (1974)
1.045 55 CROCODILE ROCK Elton John (1973)
1.043 56 THE JOKER The Steve Miller Band (1974)
1.042 57 BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE A Taste Of Honey (1978)
1.033 58 REUNITED Peaches and Herb (1979)
1.032 59 MIDNIGHT TRAIN TO GEORGIA Gladys Knight And The Pips (1973)
1.025 60 BEFORE THE NEXT TEARDROP FALLS Freddy Fender (1975)
1.023 61 LOVE'S THEME Love Unlimited Orchestra (1974)
1.020 62 BAD, BAD LEROY BROWN Jim Croce (1973)
1.016 63 ONE OF THE THESE NIGHTS The Eagles (1975)
1.011 64 THAT'S THE WAY (I Like It) K.C. and the Sunshine Band (1975)
0.998 65 I GO CRAZY Paul Davis (1978)
0.997 66 BABY COME BACK Player (1978)
0.997 67 THE CANDY MAN Sammy Davis Jr. with the Mike Curb Congregation (1972)
0.997 68 I GOTCHA Joe Tex (1972)
0.993 69 BRAND NEW KEY Melanie (1972)
0.990 70 SHOW AND TELL Al Wilson (1974)
0.990 71 I WANT YOU BACK Jackson 5 (1970)
0.989 72 GO AWAY LITTLE GIRL Donny Osmond (1971)
0.989 73 LET IT BE The Beatles (1970)
0.989 74 ME AND MRS. JONES Billy Paul (1972)
0.988 75 DISCO DUCK (Part 1) Rick Dees and His Cast Of Idiots (1976)
0.986 76 FAMILY AFFAIR Sly And The Family Stone (1971)
0.985 77 T.S.O.P (The Sound Of Philadelphia) MFSB Featuring the Three Degrees (1974)
0.984 78 THEN CAME YOU Dionne Warwick and the Spinners (1974)
0.983 79 I WRITE THE SONGS Barry Manilow (1976)
0.982 80 WAR Edwin Starr (1970)
0.981 81 IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW Chicago (1976)
0.980 82 THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL Charlie Rich (1973)
0.979 83 ISLAND GIRL Elton John (1975)
0.978 84 FLY, ROBIN, FLY Silver Convention (Midland International) (1975)
0.977 85 ONE LESS BELL TO ANSWER The Fifth Dimension (1971)
0.976 86 KISS AND SAY GOODBYE The Manhattans (1976)
0.975 87 DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART Elton John and Kiki Dee (1976)
0.972 88 A HORSE WITH NO NAME America (1972)
0.969 89 THE TEARS OF A CLOWN Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (1970)
0.969 90 TOP OF THE WORLD Carpenters (1973)
0.968 91 AMERICAN WOMAN / NO SUGAR TONIGHT The Guess Who (1970)
0.967 92 LAUGHTER IN THE RAIN Neil Sedaka (1975)
0.964 93 LOVE MACHINE (Part 1) The Miracles (1976)
0.962 94 UNTIL YOU COME BACK TO ME (That's What I'm Gonna Do) Aretha Franklin (1974)
0.957 95 DECEMBER 1963 (Oh, What a Night) The Four Seasons (1976)
0.957 96 YOU HAVEN'T DONE NOTHIN' Stevie Wonder (1974)
0.956 97 THREE TIMES A LADY The Commodores (1978)
0.954 98 BRANDY (You're a Fine Girl) Looking Glass (1972)
0.953 99 DISCO LADY Johnnie Taylor (1976)
0.953 100 AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH Diana Ross (1970)

[dukelightning]

That makes the top 50 of the 70s that they did totally pathetic. Songs from it are sprinkled all the way down the lower half including Diana Ross at #100. Obviously Marvin Gaye and Roberta Flack from 1973 are songs that never should have been omitted as high as they are here. I suppose the only question about all the specials AT40 did over the years is which special was the second most inaccurate survey they did since the top 50 of the 70s has first place hands down. The newcomers of the 80s is in the running with all the artists missing from that one starting with Sheena Easton.

[vince]

It is hard to say for sure which AT40 special are inaccurate, but some of them do appear questionable. The "Top 40 of the Rock Era" from 1972 is missing "Tossin' And Turnin'" by Bobby Lewis which was #1 7 weeks in 1961 which makes the omission seem odd.

On the "Top 40 Newcomers of the 1980s So Far" special, I remember Casey saying acts who's first hit started their chart run in 1979 were not eligible. That explains the absence of Prince, John Mellencamp, and Pat Benatar, but not Sheena Easton. I think they should have included acts who's first hit peaked in the 80s even if the chart run began in 1979. That may have gotten Pat Benatar into the countdown.

On the "Top 40 Songs, March 1968 - March 1973", "Top 40 British Artists' Hits, Rock Era, 1955 - 1974", and "Top 40 Beatle Era Songs, 1964 - 1970", "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream was left out even though it had enough points based on the methodology used to compile those countdowns.

My guess is the statisticians compiling the special countdown were under pressure to meet a deadline and did not have much time to check their work. AT40's "The Top 50 Hits of the 1970s" does seem to go beyond just mistakes and it has the most oddities. If somebody does have AT40's paper work, if it even exists anymore, and is willing to scan and post, it may explain a lot of how these countdown were compiled.

[bestmusicexpert]

Vince, did you use each weeks chart position for points with bonus for each week at #1?

[vince]

Bestmusicexpert, for the Top 100 of the 70's that I compiled, I used AT40's formula with their correction factor. Only positions in the top 50 were counted and records were given top 10 and #1 bonus points. The Top 40 Songs, March 1968 - March 1973, the Top 40 British Hits, and Top 40 Beatle Era Hits all used the 70's standard formula, 100 points for #1, 99 points for #2, down to 1 point for #100 with an additional 100 points for each week at #1. No no correction factor was used and all positions on the Hot 100 were counted. I am not sure what methodology for the Top 40 of the Rock Era.