10/28/2014
The Top 20 Billboard Hot 100 Hits of the1970sOne family dominated the Billboard Hot 100 in the '70s: the Gibb Brothers.
In honor of Billboard magazines 120th anniversary on Nov. 1, were revealing the top 20 Billboard Hot 100 hits from each decade since the 1960s (for a total of 120 songs). One family dominated the Billboard Hot 100 in the 70s: The Gibbs. The three brothers in the Bee Gees landed three of the top 20 hits of the decade, and Andy Gibb another brother had two more as a solo artist. The Gibb Brothers single-handedly account for 25 percent of the top twenty in the 70s. They didnt start in disco, but they changed with the times, and as a white group embracing the disco sound, they became an unstoppable commercial juggernaut. (Walter Murphy & the Big Apple Bands A Fifth of Beethoven, which appeared on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack alongside the Bee Gees mega-hits, also made it onto the top 20 list.) The Bee Gees werent the only act to have success with disco so did Chic, Donna Summer, the Emotions, and Gloria Gaynor meaning that the genre accounted for at least half of the decades biggest songs. The Top 20 Billboard Hot 100 Hits of the 1960s The 70s saw a lot more women on the upper reaches of the charts. While only one woman landed a top twenty hit in the 60s top twenty recap, seven ladies achieved that status in the 70s. Some of these were disco frontwomen, but more were balladeers: Debby Boone, Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon, and Roberta Flack. In contrast to the previous decade, there werent many big rock hits; The Knack and Paul McCartneys Wings were the only two, and Wings Silly Love Songs featured a pronounced bass groove that is basically disco. (The former Beatle had a fondness for that genre; see also his 1979 single Goodnight Tonight.) Paul McCartney Shares His Unreleased Recording with John Bonham Speaking of Paul McCartney, hes one of very few singers to appear in the top 20 in two consecutive decades. He made the list twice with the Beatles in the 60s and appeared on it again in the 70s with Wings. Marvin Gaye was the only singer to match McCartneys feat, with I Heard It Through the Grapevine in the 60s and his sensual classic Lets Get It On in the 70s. Paul McCartneys Top 10 Billboard Hits Check out the Spotify playlist of the top 20 below and read on to see when each hit peaked. If you missed the top 20 from the 60s, make sure to read that here. 1. You Light Up My Life Debby Boone 2. Tonights The Night (Gonna Be Alright) Rod Stewart 3. Le Freak Chic 4. How Deep Is Your Love Bee Gees 5. I Just Want To Be Your Everything Andy Gibb 6. Silly Love Songs Wings 7. Lets Get It On Marvin Gaye 8. Night Fever Bee Gees 9. Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando 10. Shadow Dancing Andy Gibb 11. Stayin Alive Bee Gees 12. Hot Stuff Donna Summer 13. Youre So Vain Carly Simon 14. Play That Funky Music Wild Cherry 15.My Sharona The Knack 16.Killing Me Softly With His Song Roberta Flack 17. Best Of My Love The Emotions 18. The Way We Were Barbra Streisand 19. A Fifth Of Beethoven Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band 20. I Will Survive Gloria Gaynor This top Billboard Hot 100 songs of each decade is ranked based on each titles performance on the Hot 100 through the chart dated Nov. 1, 2014. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. To ensure equitable representation of the biggest hits across multiple decades, time frames are weighted to account for fluctuating chart turnover rates due to different methodologies utilized. Daily newsletters straight to your inbox SubscribeRead More About
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