Top songs of 1979

What was the number one song of 1979?

The number one song of 1979 was “My Sharona” by The Knack, the top song on Billboard's year-end Hot 100 for 1979. It spent 6 weeks at number one on the weekly chart, starting with the chart dated August 25, 1979.

“My Sharona” by The Knack was number one for the most weeks of 1979: 6 of the year's 52 weekly charts, starting with the chart dated August 25, 1979.

Born in 1979? 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 1979, year-end Hot 100 of 1979).

How many songs reached number one in 1979?

23 songs reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 1979. Counting “Le Freak”, which was already at number one when the year began, 24 songs held the top spot across the year's 52 weekly charts.

Of the songs that first reached number one in 1979, “My Sharona” by The Knack stayed there longest: 6 weeks in total, from the chart dated August 25, 1979.

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 1979. Dates are chart issue dates.

Which artists had more than one number one in 1979?

3 acts had more than one number one in 1979, counting lead and featured credits. Bee Gees and Donna Summer had the most, with 3 each.

• Bee Gees: “Too Much Heaven”, “Tragedy” and “Love You Inside Out”
• Donna Summer: “Hot Stuff”, “Bad Girls” and “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)”
• Chic: “Le Freak” and “Good Times”

What were the biggest songs of 1979?

The five biggest songs of 1979 on Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 were “My Sharona” by The Knack, “Bad Girls” by Donna Summer, “Le Freak” by Chic, “Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?” by Rod Stewart and “Reunited” by Peaches & Herb.

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. “Shake Your Groove Thing” Peaches & Herb
32. “I'll Never Love This Way Again” Dionne Warwick
33. “Love You Inside Out” Bee Gees
34. “I Want You to Want Me” Cheap Trick
35. “The Main Event/Fight” Barbra Streisand
36. “Mama Can't Buy You Love” Elton John
37. “I Was Made for Dancin'” Leif Garrett
38. “After the Love Has Gone” Earth, Wind & Fire
39. “Heaven Knows” Donna Summer and Brooklyn Dreams
40. “The Gambler” Kenny Rogers
41. “Lotta Love” Nicolette Larson
42. “Lady” Little River Band
43. “Heaven Must Have Sent You” Bonnie Pointer
44. “Hold the Line” Toto
45. “He's the Greatest Dancer” Sister Sledge
46. “Sharing the Night Together” Dr. Hook
47. “She Believes in Me” Kenny Rogers
48. “In the Navy” Village People
49. “Music Box Dancer” Frank Mills
50. “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” The Charlie Daniels Band
51. “Gold” John Stewart
52. “Goodnight Tonight” Wings
53. “We Are Family” Sister Sledge
54. “Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy” Bad Company
55. “Every 1's a Winner” Hot Chocolate
56. “Take Me Home” Cher
57. “Boogie Wonderland” Earth, Wind & Fire & The Emotions
58. “(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away” Andy Gibb
59. “What You Won't Do for Love” Bobby Caldwell
60. “New York Groove” Ace Frehley
61. “Sultans of Swing” Dire Straits
62. “I Want Your Love” Chic
63. “Chuck E.'s In Love” Rickie Lee Jones
64. “I Love the Nightlife” Alicia Bridges
65. “Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now” McFadden & Whitehead
66. “Lonesome Loser” Little River Band
67. “Renegade” Styx
68. “Love Is the Answer” England Dan & John Ford Coley
69. “Got to Be Real” Cheryl Lynn
70. “Born to Be Alive” Patrick Hernandez
71. “Shine a Little Love” Electric Light Orchestra
72. “I Just Fall in Love Again” Anne Murray
73. “Shake It” Ian Matthews
74. “I Was Made for Lovin' You” Kiss
75. “I Just Wanna Stop” Gino Vannelli
76. “Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)” GQ
77. “Ooo Baby Baby” Linda Ronstadt
78. “September” Earth, Wind & Fire
79. “Time Passages” Al Stewart
80. “Rise” Herb Alpert
81. “Don't Bring Me Down” Electric Light Orchestra
82. “Promises” Eric Clapton
83. “Get Used to It” Roger Voudouris
84. “How Much I Feel” Ambrosia
85. “Suspicions” Eddie Rabbitt
86. “You Take My Breath Away” Rex Smith
87. “How You Gonna See Me Now” Alice Cooper
88. “Double Vision” Foreigner
89. “Everytime I Think of You” The Babys
90. “I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)” Instant Funk
91. “Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough” Michael Jackson
92. “Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)” Robert Palmer
93. “Somewhere in the Night” Barry Manilow
94. “We've Got Tonight” Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
95. “Dance the Night Away” Van Halen
96. “Dancin' Shoes” Nigel Olsson
97. “The Boss” Diana Ross
98. “Sail On” Commodores
99. “I Do Love You” GQ
100. “Strange Way” Firefall

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1979, year-end Hot 100 of 1979).

What songs should go on a 1979 mix CD?

A 1979 mix that fits one 80-minute CD holds 16 of the year's biggest songs, opening with “Too Much Heaven” by Bee Gees and closing with “Sad Eyes” by Robert John, for 75:45 of music.

We built it from the year-end top 30 and every number one of 1979, 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 76:17, 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 1979 into a CD. Send us this list, or your own 1979 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).