Top songs of 1976

What was the number one song of 1976?

The number one song of 1976 was “Silly Love Songs” by Wings, the top song on Billboard's year-end Hot 100 for 1976. It spent 5 weeks at number one on the weekly chart, starting with the chart dated May 22, 1976.

“Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” by Rod Stewart was number one for the most weeks of 1976: 7 of the year's 52 weekly charts, starting with the chart dated November 13, 1976.

Born in 1976? The birthday number one finder shows the song at number one in the exact week of your birthday, and the number one on every birthday since.

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1976, year-end Hot 100 of 1976).

How many songs reached number one in 1976?

26 songs reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976, across the year's 52 weekly charts.

Of the songs that first reached number one in 1976, “Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” by Rod Stewart stayed there longest: 8 weeks in total, from the chart dated November 13, 1976, with 1 of those weeks on charts dated after 1976.

Weeks at No. 1 counts every week the song spent at the top, including weeks in other years; the number in brackets is the weeks on charts dated 1976. Dates are chart issue dates.

Which artists had more than one number one in 1976?

Diana Ross was the only act with more than one number one in 1976, counting lead and featured credits: “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)” and “Love Hangover”.

What were the biggest songs of 1976?

The five biggest songs of 1976 on Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 were “Silly Love Songs” by Wings, “Don't Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John & Kiki Dee, “Disco Lady” by Johnnie Taylor, “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” by The Four Seasons and “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry.

The year-end chart ranks songs by how they performed on the weekly Hot 100 across Billboard’s chart year, so a song that peaked late in the year can rank lower than its weekly peak suggests, or count toward the next year’s list. The top 30 below show each song’s length where we could match the recording.

Numbers 31 to 100

31. “You Should Be Dancing” Bee Gees
32. “You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” Lou Rawls
33. “Golden Years” David Bowie
34. “Moonlight Feels Right” Starbuck
35. “Only Sixteen” Dr. Hook
36. “Let Your Love Flow” The Bellamy Brothers
37. “Dream Weaver” Gary Wright
38. “Turn the Beat Around” Vicki Sue Robinson
39. “Lonely Night (Angel Face)” Captain & Tennille
40. “All by Myself” Eric Carmen
41. “Love to Love You Baby” Donna Summer
42. “Deep Purple” Donny & Marie Osmond
43. “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)” Diana Ross
44. “Sweet Thing” Rufus
45. “That's the Way (I Like It)” KC and the Sunshine Band
46. “A Little Bit More” Dr. Hook
47. “Shannon” Henry Gross
48. “If You Leave Me Now” Chicago
49. “Lowdown” Boz Scaggs
50. “Show Me the Way” Peter Frampton
51. “Dream On” Aerosmith
52. “I Love Music” The O'Jays
53. “Say You Love Me” Fleetwood Mac
54. “Times of Your Life” Paul Anka
55. “Devil Woman” Cliff Richard
56. “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” Elvin Bishop
57. “Convoy” C. W. McCall
58. “Welcome Back” John Sebastian
59. “Sing a Song” Earth, Wind & Fire
60. “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” Tavares
61. “I'll Be Good to You” The Brothers Johnson
62. “Rock and Roll Music” The Beach Boys
63. “Shop Around” Captain & Tennille
64. “Saturday Night” Bay City Rollers
65. “Island Girl” Elton John
66. “Let's Do It Again” The Staple Singers
67. “Let 'Em In” Wings
68. “Baby Face” Wing and a Prayer Fife and Drum Corps
69. “This Masquerade” George Benson
70. “Evil Woman” Electric Light Orchestra
71. “Wham Bam” Silver
72. “I'm Easy” Keith Carradine
73. “Wake Up Everybody” Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
74. “Summer” War
75. “Let Her In” John Travolta
76. “Fox on the Run” Sweet
77. “Rhiannon” Fleetwood Mac
78. “Got to Get You into My Life” The Beatles
79. “Fanny (Be Tender with My Love)” Bee Gees
80. “Getaway” Earth, Wind & Fire
81. “She's Gone” Daryl Hall & John Oates
82. “Still the One” Orleans
83. “You're My Best Friend” Queen
84. “With Your Love” Jefferson Starship
85. “Slow Ride” Foghat
86. “Who'd She Coo?” Ohio Players
87. “The Boys Are Back in Town” Thin Lizzy
88. “Walk Away from Love” David Ruffin
89. “Baby, I Love Your Way (Live)” Peter Frampton
90. “Young Hearts Run Free” Candi Staton
91. “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” Neil Sedaka
92. “Money Honey” Bay City Rollers
93. “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)” Parliament
94. “Junk Food Junkie” Larry Groce
95. “Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again” Barry Manilow
96. “Rock and Roll All Nite (Live)” Kiss
97. “Disco Duck” Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots
98. “Take the Money and Run” Steve Miller Band
99. “Squeeze Box” The Who
100. “Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L.A.)” Glen Campbell

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1976, year-end Hot 100 of 1976).

What songs should go on a 1976 mix CD?

A 1976 mix that fits one 80-minute CD holds 19 of the year's biggest songs, opening with “I Write the Songs” by Barry Manilow and closing with “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry, for 78:21 of music.

We built it from the year-end top 30 and every number one of 1976, taking songs in year-end order until the disc was full, then sequenced it to follow the year: the number ones in the order they reached the top, with the year’s other big hits placed between them. With a 2-second gap before each track it runs 78:59, under the 79 minutes we fill a CD to.

Lengths are the recordings matched in Deezer’s catalog. Single edits, album versions and remasters can run a little longer or shorter, so check your own playlist before you burn it.

Turn 1976 into a CD. Send us this list, or your own 1976 songs, and we burn it to a real audio CD, test-play it and post it. It makes a good gift for a birth year, a graduation year or a wedding year.

To change the songs, paste the list into the playlist length calculator to keep it under 80 minutes, then print an insert with the CD case template. Our guide to making a mixtape covers sequencing, and nostalgic gift ideas has more ways to give a year as a present.

What was popular music like in the 1970s?

Popular music in the 1970s ran from singer-songwriters and soft rock to soul, funk and, by the end of the decade, disco. The Bee Gees, Donna Summer and Chic all reached number one with disco records in 1978 and 1979, while ballads and soft rock filled the charts between them.

From 1970 to 1979, 253 songs reached number one on the Hot 100, and 1 song stayed there for 10 weeks or more. Of those 253, “You Light Up My Life” by Debby Boone spent the most weeks at number one: 10 in total. Bee Gees had the most number ones that reached the top in these years, with 9. The typical number one of these years ran 3:40 (the median of the 229 with a known length).