The Billboard Hot 100 of 1970 sounds like a decade trying on several identities at once. The Beatles were still reaching No. 1 even as their breakup became reality. Motown was introducing a new generation through the Jackson 5. Singer-songwriters, soul records, polished pop, heavy rock, television-created groups and country-flavored singles could all occupy the same chart. Looking only at the records that actually reached the top makes that variety impossible to miss.
This is not a ranking of the best songs of 1970, and it is not Billboard’s year-end list. Every record below reached No. 1 on the weekly U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at some point during the calendar year. They are presented in chart order, beginning with the song already on top as the new decade got underway and ending with a record whose run carried into 1971.
Howard Dee’s Take
When I think about 1970 radio, what stands out is how little it resembles the tidy version of the decade we sometimes create later. We remember classic-rock albums, but the singles chart was wider and stranger than that. A Burt Bacharach movie song could be followed by the Jackson 5, then a Dutch rock band, then Sly Stone. You did not have to choose one musical lane before turning on the radio.
I also love how many careers are caught at a turning point here. The Beatles are saying goodbye while the Jackson 5 are just beginning an astonishing run. Diana Ross is establishing herself alone. The Carpenters are defining a softer sound that will be everywhere for years. These No. 1s are not simply a pile of old hits; they are the sound of one musical era ending while another starts to take shape.
B.J. Thomas — “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”
Reached No. 1: January 3, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 4
The first No. 1 of the 1970s had already become familiar through Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” for the film, and B.J. Thomas gave it exactly the relaxed, slightly weathered delivery the song needed. The record is cheerful without pretending that trouble disappears; its optimism comes from deciding not to be defeated by it.
That light touch helped the single bridge the late 1960s and the new decade. Horns and orchestration are present, but Thomas never sounds buried beneath them. Four weeks at No. 1 made the song more than a soundtrack curiosity, and its melody has remained recognizable far beyond the movie. It was an unusually gentle way for the decade’s chart history to begin.
The Jackson 5 — “I Want You Back”
Reached No. 1: January 31, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 1
“I Want You Back” announced the Jackson 5 with almost absurd confidence. The bass line races, the piano and guitar snap into place, and Michael Jackson’s lead vocal sounds both youthful and completely in command. Motown’s Corporation writing-and-production team built a record that moves constantly while keeping the chorus simple enough to lodge in your head after one play.
The single had reached the summit by the end of January, making the group’s first major national hit a No. 1. More important for the story of 1970, it was only the beginning. Three additional Jackson 5 singles would reach the top before the year ended. Few debut years in pop history have ever produced that kind of sequence, and “I Want You Back” still sounds like the door flying open.
Shocking Blue — “Venus”
Reached No. 1: February 7, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 1
A Dutch band taking an English-language rock single to No. 1 in America was still unusual enough to feel like an event. “Venus,” written by guitarist Robbie van Leeuwen, rides a clipped guitar figure and an insistent beat, but Mariska Veres is the reason the record feels larger than its arrangement. Her vocal is cool, commanding and instantly identifiable.
The song’s directness helped it travel. There is no long instrumental setup and no complicated concept; the hook arrives quickly and keeps returning. Shocking Blue had a much broader European career than American chart history suggests, but in the United States “Venus” became their signature. Its later revival by Bananarama only confirmed how durable the underlying song was.
Sly & the Family Stone — “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” / “Everybody Is a Star”
Reached No. 1: February 14, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 2
Billboard treated both sides of this single together, and the pairing captures two sides of Sly & the Family Stone. “Thank You” is built on Larry Graham’s explosive slap bass, a sound that would echo through funk for years. “Everybody Is a Star” offers the warmer, communal side of the band, with its message that dignity is not reserved for celebrities.
The single arrived after the group’s Woodstock breakthrough and at the height of Sly Stone’s commercial power. Hearing the two songs as one chart entry also reminds us how differently singles could be measured in that era: both sides were receiving enough attention to share the No. 1 credit. Together they made one of the year’s most musically influential chart-toppers.
Simon & Garfunkel — “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
Reached No. 1: February 28, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 6
Six weeks at No. 1 made “Bridge Over Troubled Water” one of 1970’s dominant singles. Paul Simon wrote it, but Art Garfunkel’s soaring lead vocal turned the song into something almost hymn-like. The arrangement begins with piano and voice, then expands patiently until the final verse feels enormous without losing the intimacy of the opening.
There is a bittersweet historical layer to that success. The duo was nearing the end of its partnership even as the album and title song became career peaks. The record does not sound like a breakup document, though. It sounds reassuring and timeless, which is why it quickly moved beyond the specific moment and became one of the standards of the entire era.
The Beatles — “Let It Be”
Reached No. 1: April 11, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 2
By the time “Let It Be” reached No. 1, the Beatles were coming apart, which gave Paul McCartney’s song a meaning listeners could not avoid. Yet the recording itself is less about the band’s business troubles than about consolation. McCartney’s piano, the gospel-flavored harmonies and George Harrison’s guitar make it feel like a secular hymn.
It was remarkable that a group in the process of ending could still make the top of the American singles chart feel routine. “Let It Be” became one of the Beatles’ final No. 1 statements and one of McCartney’s most enduring compositions. In the context of 1970, it is impossible to hear without sensing a curtain beginning to fall.
The Jackson 5 — “ABC”
Reached No. 1: April 25, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 2
“ABC” proved that “I Want You Back” was no lucky first shot. The same Motown team sharpened the formula: brisk rhythm, layered vocals, classroom imagery and a chorus simple enough for children to sing but tight enough for adult radio. Michael Jackson’s phrasing already had the quickness and personality that would later define his solo records.
The single replaced the Beatles at No. 1, a chart handoff that looks symbolic in retrospect. One of the defining groups of the 1960s gave way to five brothers whose youngest singer would become one of the defining stars of the decades ahead. At the time, it was simply another irresistible Jackson 5 hit, and there were two more coming before Christmas.
The Guess Who — “American Woman” / “No Sugar Tonight”
Reached No. 1: May 9, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 3
Another double-sided No. 1 paired the hard, instantly recognizable riff of “American Woman” with Randy Bachman’s compact “No Sugar Tonight.” Burton Cummings’ vocal gives the title track its bite, while the flip side reveals the band’s melodic side without softening its rock foundation.
The Guess Who became the first Canadian rock band to score a U.S. No. 1 single, a milestone that mattered well beyond one record. “American Woman” has accumulated political interpretations for decades, though the band’s own explanations have been more spontaneous than programmatic. Whatever meaning a listener brings to it, that guitar figure remains one of 1970’s great radio openings.
Ray Stevens — “Everything Is Beautiful”
Reached No. 1: May 30, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 2
Ray Stevens is often remembered for novelty records, but “Everything Is Beautiful” showed a different side of his craft. A children’s chorus opens the song with “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” then Stevens moves into a message of tolerance and shared humanity. In 1970, that combination of gospel language and pop optimism connected with a large audience.
The record’s sincerity is what separates it from Stevens’ comic material. Its arrangement is broad and warm, designed for communal singing rather than a punch line. Two weeks at No. 1 gave him one of the biggest crossover moments of his career and added another unexpected sound to an already eclectic spring chart.
The Beatles — “The Long and Winding Road” / “For You Blue”
Reached No. 1: June 13, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 2
The Beatles’ final U.S. No. 1 was another two-sided chart entry. “The Long and Winding Road” centers on McCartney’s melancholy ballad, heard in its released form with Phil Spector’s orchestral overdubs, while George Harrison’s “For You Blue” offers a lighter, bluesy contrast on the reverse.
The timing made the title almost too perfect. The band had publicly split by then, so the song arrived as a farewell whether or not it had been written that way. Ending the Beatles’ American No. 1 history with a reflective McCartney ballad and a Harrison B-side is a reminder that their breakup did not stop the records from continuing to dominate radio.
The Jackson 5 — “The Love You Save”
Reached No. 1: June 27, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 2
Three singles into their national breakthrough, the Jackson 5 still had not missed the top. “The Love You Save” is busier and more rhythmically playful than its title suggests, with stop-and-go phrases, family harmonies and Michael delivering the warning lyric with the confidence of a much older singer.
The sequence was becoming historic: “I Want You Back,” “ABC” and “The Love You Save” all reached No. 1, and every one sounded built for immediate recognition. Motown had found a fresh pop-soul language around the brothers without making them sound interchangeable. By summer, the Jackson 5 were no longer newcomers; they were one of the biggest acts in America.
Three Dog Night — “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)”
Reached No. 1: July 11, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 2
Randy Newman wrote “Mama Told Me (Not to Come),” but Three Dog Night turned it into a theatrical piece of pop-rock. Cory Wells sings from the point of view of an overwhelmed guest at a wild party, and the clipped keyboard part gives the whole record a nervous, almost comic pulse.
Three Dog Night excelled at finding strong outside songs and giving them a distinctive vocal identity. This one became their first Hot 100 No. 1 and demonstrated that humor could work without reducing a record to novelty. The narrator’s discomfort is funny because the band plays the confusion straight, and the groove never stops pushing.
The Carpenters — “(They Long to Be) Close to You”
Reached No. 1: July 25, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 4
Burt Bacharach and Hal David had written “Close to You” years earlier, but the Carpenters found the version that made it a standard. Richard Carpenter’s arrangement is immaculate without feeling cold, and Karen Carpenter sings the melody with the calm, intimate tone that would make her one of the decade’s most recognizable voices.
Four weeks at No. 1 transformed the siblings from promising recording artists into major pop stars. The record also announced that softer music could dominate a chart increasingly associated in memory with hard rock. Karen’s vocal barely needs to rise above conversation level. That restraint was not weakness; it was the group’s signature strength.
Bread — “Make It with You”
Reached No. 1: August 22, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 1
David Gates’ “Make It with You” turned Bread into one of the defining soft-rock groups of the early 1970s. Acoustic guitar, understated rhythm and Gates’ light vocal give the record a private quality; nothing in the arrangement needs to announce itself loudly.
That softness was increasingly becoming a commercial force rather than a niche. Coming immediately after four weeks of the Carpenters, Bread’s week at No. 1 suggests how quickly the chart was making room for intimate, adult-oriented pop alongside Motown and rock. Gates would write many more hits, but this remained Bread’s only Hot 100 chart-topper.
Edwin Starr — “War”
Reached No. 1: August 29, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 3
Few protest records are as direct as “War.” Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong wrote the song, and Edwin Starr attacked it with a vocal that leaves no room for ambiguity. The famous call-and-response opening is not subtle, but subtlety was not the point. Against the continuing Vietnam War, the record put an antiwar message into one of Motown’s hardest grooves.
The Temptations had recorded the song first, but Starr’s version was built to stand alone as a single. Three weeks at No. 1 proved that a politically charged lyric could also be mass-market pop when the performance was this forceful. The record remains one of the clearest examples of social commentary and dance-floor power occupying the same three minutes.
Diana Ross — “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
Reached No. 1: September 19, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 3
Diana Ross’ solo remake of the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell hit did not simply copy the earlier version. Producer Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson rebuilt their song into an extended dramatic performance, using spoken passages, orchestration and a gradual rise toward the chorus.
The result gave Ross her first solo No. 1 only months after leaving the Supremes. That mattered: she was proving that her identity could survive outside the most successful female vocal group of the previous decade. The record’s scale suited the moment. Instead of sounding tentative about a new career, Ross sounded as though she had already arrived.
Neil Diamond — “Cracklin’ Rosie”
Reached No. 1: October 10, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 1
Neil Diamond had already written hits and established himself as a recording artist, but “Cracklin’ Rosie” gave him his first Hot 100 No. 1 as a performer. The song moves with a rolling, almost celebratory rhythm, rising into the kind of big chorus that would become central to Diamond’s concert identity.
The lyric’s references have inspired plenty of discussion, but on record the main attraction is momentum: acoustic strumming, handclap energy and Diamond’s increasingly forceful vocal. One week at the top was enough to confirm his move from successful songwriter-singer into full-scale pop star.
The Jackson 5 — “I’ll Be There”
Reached No. 1: October 17, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 5
After three fast, bright singles, “I’ll Be There” slowed the Jackson 5 down and revealed how much emotional range Michael Jackson already possessed. The ballad gives him room to stretch phrases while Jermaine answers with a warm supporting vocal. Motown’s arrangement is lush, but the brothers remain at the center.
Five weeks at No. 1 made it the group’s longest chart-topping run of 1970 and completed an extraordinary opening streak: their first four major singles all reached No. 1. The song also prevented the group from being boxed into bubblegum pop. They could sell a tender ballad just as convincingly as a dance record.
The Partridge Family — “I Think I Love You”
Reached No. 1: November 21, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 3
Television and pop music collided perfectly with “I Think I Love You.” The Partridge Family was a fictional family band on ABC, but the record was assembled by experienced studio musicians and anchored by David Cassidy’s lead vocal. Tony Romeo’s song understood exactly how to turn adolescent uncertainty into a massive chorus.
Three weeks at No. 1 showed the power television could exert on the singles market, but dismissing the hit as merchandising misses how well constructed it is. The arrangement builds cleanly, Cassidy sells the nervous lyric, and the hook is immediate. Manufactured pop still has to work as pop, and this one did.
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles — “The Tears of a Clown”
Reached No. 1: December 12, 1970
Weeks at No. 1: 2
“The Tears of a Clown” had been recorded years earlier before finally becoming an American single, which makes its late-1970 triumph especially satisfying. Stevie Wonder and Hank Cosby supplied the music; Smokey Robinson shaped the lyric around the image of a performer hiding heartbreak behind a smile.
The circus-bright instrumental figure and Robinson’s vulnerable vocal pull in opposite emotional directions, exactly as the lyric requires. After years of major Motown hits, the Miracles finally reached No. 1 on the Hot 100. The achievement came late in the group’s classic run, but the song sounded anything but tired.
George Harrison — “My Sweet Lord” / “Isn’t It a Pity”
Reached No. 1: December 26, 1970
Total Weeks at No. 1: 4
George Harrison ended 1970 on top with a double-sided single drawn from All Things Must Pass. “My Sweet Lord” paired spiritual longing with the slide-guitar sound that would become one of Harrison’s signatures, while “Isn’t It a Pity” offered a slower meditation on human failure and regret.
The four-week No. 1 run crossed the calendar boundary: the single first reached the summit on December 26, so only the opening week belonged to 1970; the remaining three chart weeks fell in January 1971. That distinction matters for a year-by-year series. Historically, the achievement was enormous either way. Harrison became the first former Beatle to top the U.S. Hot 100 as a solo artist, closing the year with proof that the group’s individual careers were already reshaping the new decade.
What Do the Number One Songs of 1970 Tell Us?
The biggest lesson is that 1970 was far more than the classic-rock version of 1970. The Hot 100 summit included Bacharach pop, Motown, psychedelic-funk, a towering folk-pop ballad, Beatles farewells, Canadian rock, inspirational pop, soft rock, protest soul, television pop and a spiritual solo record from George Harrison. No single genre owned the year.
The Jackson 5 Owned Their First Year
The Jackson 5’s four No. 1s are the year’s most startling pattern. “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There” were not spread across a long career; they arrived in one breathtaking introductory run. The first three showed how explosive the group could be, and the ballad proved they were not trapped by that formula. Michael Jackson was eleven years old when 1970 began, yet his voice was at the center of one of the strongest chart stories of the year.
The Old Decade and the New One Shared the Same Chart
The Beatles reached No. 1 twice as their partnership ended, while George Harrison closed the year with his first solo chart-topper. Diana Ross moved from the Supremes into a successful solo career. The Carpenters and Bread helped establish the softer pop sound that would become a major part of 1970s radio. In other words, the chart did not flip a switch on January 1. It documented a gradual handoff.
That is why these weekly No. 1s tell a different story from a modern playlist of songs we now consider “important.” Some records have grown in reputation, others have faded, but every one of these singles commanded the largest possible audience for at least one chart week. Taken together, they give us the year as listeners actually encountered it.
Which 1970 No. 1 Do You Remember Best?
Maybe one of these records was on the radio in the family car, on a jukebox, at a school dance, or spinning on a 45 you bought with your own money. Sometimes the memory attached to a song lasts even longer than the chart statistic.
Which No. 1 song from 1970 brings back the strongest memory for you?
