What was the top Billboard Hot 100 pop song the year you were born?
Records, 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs ...
(AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, FIle)
Warning: What you’re about to read may cause dancing, humming, all-out chorus belting, Google searching, YouTube binging, and the itch to do the Macarena.
What was the No. 1 song the year you were born? It’s one of the most unique treats that you specifically share with other people worldwide, and typically, the answer to the question helps shed light on the pop-cultural musings of the time.
Of course, it’s a safe bet multiple songs topped the charts in a specific year—the ’90s alone could be depicted as a cloud of Boyz II Men with a few scattered showers of Whitney Houston. So we’re looking at the pop songs with the longest run according to Billboard—which began the Hot 100 in 1958.
1958
(AP-PHOTO)
Domenico Modugno “Volare (Nel blu dipinto di blu)”
1959
(File Photo)
Johnny Horton “The Battle of New Orleans”
1960
(AP Photo)
Percy Faith “Theme from a Summer Place”
1961
(Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
Bobby Lewis “Tossin’ and Turnin'”
1962
(PA/PA Wire URN:21352385)
Mr. Acker Bilk “Stranger on the Shore”
1963
(File Photo)
Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs “Sugar Shack”
1964
(USA TODAY Network)
The Beatles “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
1965
(File Photo)
Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs “Wooly Bully”
1966
(AP Photo)
SSgt. Barry Sadler “The Ballad of the Green Berets”
1967
(AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
Lulu “To Sir with Love”
1968
(AP Photo/Louisa Buller)
The Beatles “Hey Jude”
1969
(AP Photo/Bikas Das)
The Archies “Sugar, Sugar”
1970
(AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Simon & Garfunkel “Bridge over Troubled Water”
1971
(AP Photo/Jason Miller)
Three Dog Night “Joy to the World”
1972
(AP Photo/Harold Filan)
Roberta Flack “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”
1973
(USA TODAY Network)
Dawn featuring Tony Orlando “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree”
1974
(AP Photo)
Barbra Streisand “The Way We Were”
1975
(AP Photo)
Captain & Tennille “Love Will Keep Us Together”
1976
(The Tennessean via USA TODAY NETWORK)
Paul McCartney and Wings “Silly Love Songs”
1977
(AP Photo)
Rod Stewart “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)”
1978
(1978 Press Photo Andy Gibb Performed At The Wisconsin State Fair)
Andy Gibb “Shadow Dancing”
1979
(AP Photo/Paul Warner)
The Knack “My Sharona”
1980
(AP Photo)
Tie: Blondie “Call Me” and Kenny Rogers “Lady”
1981
(AP Photo/Peter Kramer)
Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes”
1982
(AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Olivia Newton-John “Physical”
1983
(TORU YAMANAKA/AFP via Getty Images)
The Police “Every Breath You Take”
1984
(David Brewster/Star Tribune via AP)
Prince “When Doves Cry”
1985
(Fryderyk Gabowicz/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)
Wham! (featuring George Michael) “Careless Whisper”
1986
(AP Photo/Mark Avery)
Dionne and Friends “That’s What Friends Are For”
1987
(Michael Prengler/Special Contributor)
The Bangles “Walk Like an Egyptian”
1988
(AP Photo/Gillian Allen)
George Michael “Faith”
1989
(Fryderyk Gabowicz/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)
Tie: Janet Jackson “Miss You Much” and Phil Collins “Another Day in Paradise”
1990
(AP Photo/Sam Jones)
Wilson Phillips “Hold On”
1991
(FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You”
1992
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Boyz II Men “End of the Road”
1993
(Fryderyk Gabowicz/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)
Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You”
1994
(Fryderyk Gabowicz/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)
Ace of Base “The Sign”
1995
(AP Photo/Keystone/Michele Limina)
Coolio featuring LV “Gangsta’s Paradise”
1996
(AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau)
Los del Rio “Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix)”
1997
(AP Photo/Paul Hackett/POOL)
Elton John “Candle in the Wind 1997” and “Something About the Way You Look Tonight”
1998
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
Next “Too Close”
1999
(AP Photo/Christof Stache)
Cher “Believe”
2000
(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Faith Hill “Breathe”
2001
(Photo credit should read LUCY NICHOLSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Lifehouse “Hanging by a Moment”
2002
(Photo by Getty Images)
Nickelback “How You Remind Me”
2003
(Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
50 Cent “In da Club”
2004
(Photo by Mark Mainz/Getty Images)
Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris “Yeah!”
2005
(STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images)
Mariah Carey “We Belong Together”
2006
(Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
Daniel Powter “Bad Day”
2007
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Beyonce “Irreplaceable”
2008
(Photo by Ben Rose/Getty Images for Jingle Ball 2012)
Flo Rida featuring T-Pain “Low”
2009
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The Black Eyed Peas “Boom Boom Pow”
2010
(Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)
Kesha “Tik Tok”
2011
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Adele “Rolling in the Deep”
2012
(ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
Gotye featuring Kimbra “Somebody That I Used To Know”
2013
(Photo by Roger Kisby/Getty Images for iHeartradio)
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz “Thrift Shop”
2014
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Pharrell Williams “Happy”
2015
(Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY NETWORK)
Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk”
2016
(Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY NETWORK)
Justin Bieber “Love Yourself”
2017
(USA TODAY Network)
Ed Sheeran “Shape of You”
2018
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Drake “God’s Plan”
2019
(Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY)
Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road”
2020
(Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for dcp)
The Weeknd “Blinding Lights”
2021
(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Current frontrunner: BTS “Butter”
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