Top songs of 1997

What was the number one song of 1997?

The number one song of 1997 was “Candle in the Wind 1997 / Something About the Way You Look Tonight” by Elton John, the top song on Billboard's year-end Hot 100 for 1997. It spent 14 weeks at number one on the weekly chart, starting with the chart dated October 11, 1997.

“Candle in the Wind 1997 / Something About the Way You Look Tonight” by Elton John was number one for the most weeks of 1997: 12 of the year's 52 weekly charts, starting with the chart dated October 11, 1997.

Born in 1997? 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 1997, year-end Hot 100 of 1997).

How many songs reached number one in 1997?

9 songs reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 1997. Counting “Un-Break My Heart”, which was already at number one when the year began, 10 songs held the top spot across the year's 52 weekly charts.

Of the songs that first reached number one in 1997, “Candle in the Wind 1997 / Something About the Way You Look Tonight” by Elton John stayed there longest: 14 weeks in total, from the chart dated October 11, 1997, with 2 of those weeks on charts dated after 1997.

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 1997. Dates are chart issue dates.

Which artists had more than one number one in 1997?

The Notorious B.I.G. was the only act with more than one number one in 1997, counting lead and featured credits: “Hypnotize” and “Mo Money Mo Problems”.

What were the biggest songs of 1997?

The five biggest songs of 1997 on Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 were “Candle in the Wind 1997 / Something About the Way You Look Tonight” by Elton John, “You Were Meant for Me / Foolish Games” by Jewel, “I'll Be Missing You” by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112, “Un-Break My Heart” by Toni Braxton and “Can't Nobody Hold Me Down” by Puff Daddy featuring Mase.

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. “G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T.” Changing Faces
32. “Honey” Mariah Carey
33. “I Believe in You and Me” Whitney Houston
34. “Da' Dip” Freak Nasty
35. “2 Become 1” Spice Girls
36. “All for You” Sister Hazel
37. “Cupid” 112
38. “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” Paula Cole
39. “Sunny Came Home” Shawn Colvin
40. “It's Your Love” Tim McGraw with Faith Hill
41. “Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit” Gina G
42. “Mouth” Merril Bainbridge
43. “All Cried Out” Allure featuring 112
44. “I'm Still in Love with You” New Edition
45. “Invisible Man” 98 Degrees
46. “Not Tonight” Lil' Kim featuring Da Brat, Left Eye, Missy Elliott and Angie Martinez
47. “Look into My Eyes” Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
48. “Get It Together” 702
49. “All by Myself” Celine Dion
50. “It's All Coming Back to Me Now” Celine Dion
51. “My Love Is the Shhh!” Somethin' for the People featuring Trina & Tamara
52. “Where Do You Go” No Mercy
53. “I Finally Found Someone” Barbra Streisand and Bryan Adams
54. “I'll Be” Foxy Brown featuring Jay-Z
55. “If It Makes You Happy” Sheryl Crow
56. “Never Make a Promise” Dru Hill
57. “When You Love a Woman” Journey
58. “Up Jumps da Boogie” Magoo and Timbaland
59. “I Don't Want To / I Love Me Some Him” Toni Braxton
60. “Everyday Is a Winding Road” Sheryl Crow
61. “Cold Rock a Party” MC Lyte
62. “Pony” Ginuwine
63. “Building a Mystery” Sarah McLachlan
64. “I Love You Always Forever” Donna Lewis
65. “Your Woman” White Town
66. “C U When U Get There” Coolio featuring 40 Thevz
67. “Change the World” Eric Clapton
68. “My Baby Daddy” B-Rock and the Bizz
69. “Tubthumping” Chumbawamba
70. “Gotham City” R. Kelly
71. “Last Night” Az Yet
72. “ESPN Presents The Jock Jam” Various Artists
73. “Big Daddy” Heavy D
74. “What About Us” Total
75. “Smile” Scarface featuring 2Pac and Johnny P.
76. “What's on Tonight” Montell Jordan
77. “Secret Garden” Bruce Springsteen
78. “The One I Gave My Heart To” Aaliyah
79. “Fly Like an Eagle” Seal
80. “No Time” Lil' Kim featuring Puff Daddy
81. “Naked Eye” Luscious Jackson
82. “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” Los del Río
83. “On & On” Erykah Badu
84. “Don't Wanna Be a Player” Joe
85. “I Shot the Sheriff” Warren G
86. “You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)” Brian McKnight featuring Mase
87. “Don't Cry for Me Argentina” Madonna
88. “Someone” SWV featuring Puff Daddy
89. “Go the Distance” Michael Bolton
90. “One More Time” Real McCoy
91. “Butta Love” Next
92. “Coco Jamboo” Mr. President
93. “Twisted” Keith Sweat
94. “Barbie Girl” Aqua
95. “When You're Gone / Free to Decide” The Cranberries
96. “Let Me Clear My Throat” DJ Kool
97. “I Like It” The Blackout All-Stars
98. “You're Makin' Me High / Let It Flow” Toni Braxton
99. “You Must Love Me” Madonna
100. “Let It Go” Ray J

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1997, year-end Hot 100 of 1997).

What songs should go on a 1997 mix CD?

A 1997 mix that fits one 80-minute CD holds 18 of the year's biggest songs, opening with “You Were Meant for Me / Foolish Games” by Jewel and closing with “Hard to Say I'm Sorry” by Az Yet featuring Peter Cetera, for 75:35 of music.

We built it from the year-end top 30 and every number one of 1997, 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 76:11, 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 1997 into a CD. Send us this list, or your own 1997 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 1990s?

Popular music in the 1990s was shaped by R&B, hip-hop, pop ballads and alternative rock, and by changes in how the Hot 100 was counted. The chart dated November 30, 1991 was the first Hot 100 compiled with Nielsen SoundScan sales data, and from the chart dated December 5, 1998, songs that were never released as a commercial single could chart.

From 1990 to 1999, 140 songs reached number one on the Hot 100, and 11 songs stayed there for 10 weeks or more. Of those 140, “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men spent the most weeks at number one: 16 in total. Mariah Carey had the most number ones that reached the top in these years, with 14. The typical number one of these years ran 4:24 (the median of the 121 with a known length).