This Week in Music History: October 24 in the 1970s
This week in music history, the number one song in America changed with every year of the 1970s.
The Billboard Hot 100 chart week that contains October 24 had a different song on top in all ten years.
Those ten songs spent 35 weeks at number one between them.
You can play every one from the table below.
Each row also shows how far into its run the song was that week.
Total weeks at number one for the song on top the week of October 24, one bar per year.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's weekly Billboard Hot 100 data.
This Week in Music History, 1970 to 1979: Play the Ten Number Ones
Press Play on any row and the list keeps going, song after song, until you press Stop.
Tap a column heading to sort by song, artist, year, chart week or weeks at number one.
| Play | Chart week | The story | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I'll Be There | The Jackson 5 | 1970 | Oct 24 to Oct 30 | 2 of 5 | 5 | The Jackson 5's fourth number one in a row. | |
| Maggie May / Reason to Believe | Rod Stewart | 1971 | Oct 23 to Oct 29 | 4 of 5 | 5 | The B-side of "Reason to Believe" that radio flipped. | |
| My Ding-a-Ling | Chuck Berry | 1972 | Oct 21 to Oct 27 | 1 of 2 | 2 | A live recording from Coventry, England, and Chuck Berry's only number one. | |
| Angie | The Rolling Stones | 1973 | Oct 20 to Oct 26 | 1 of 1 | 1 | Lead single from Goats Head Soup, cut in Kingston, Jamaica. | |
| Nothing From Nothing | Billy Preston | 1974 | Oct 19 to Oct 25 | 1 of 1 | 1 | Billy Preston's second solo number one. | |
| Bad Blood | Neil Sedaka | 1975 | Oct 18 to Oct 24 | 2 of 3 | 3 | Elton John sings backing vocals, uncredited. | |
| If You Leave Me Now | Chicago | 1976 | Oct 23 to Oct 29 | 1 of 2 | 2 | Chicago's first number one, written and sung by Peter Cetera. | |
| You Light Up My Life | Debby Boone | 1977 | Oct 22 to Oct 28 | 2 of 10 | 10 | Ten weeks at the top, a Hot 100 record at the time. | |
| Kiss You All Over | Exile | 1978 | Oct 21 to Oct 27 | 4 of 4 | 4 | The strings were played on a synthesizer. | |
| Rise | Herb Alpert | 1979 | Oct 20 to Oct 26 | 1 of 2 | 2 | An instrumental written by Herb Alpert's nephew Randy and Andy Armer. |
Chart week is the Billboard Hot 100 week that contains October 24 that year.
Week of run says which week of the song's time at number one that was, such as 2 of 5.
Chart weeks and weeks at number one come from this site's weekly Hot 100 file, and the story lines are credited in Sources.
The Short Answer: Who Was on Top Each Year
For this week in music history, the Hot 100 chart week that includes October 24, the number one song was a different record in every year from 1970 to 1979.
Here is what the ten weeks show at a glance:
- The ten songs spent 35 weeks at number one in total.
- "You Light Up My Life" had the longest run, with ten weeks starting October 15, 1977.
- 5 of the ten songs were in their first week at number one that week.
- 4 were somewhere in the middle of a longer run, and "Kiss You All Over" was in the last week of its four.
Want Your Own Week?
The Birthday #1 Song Finder does this for any 1970s birthday.
Enter the date and it shows the song that was on top that week.
How the October 24 Week Was Picked
Billboard chart weeks do not line up with the calendar, so there is no single week called October 24.
This page takes the weekly Hot 100 week that contains October 24 in each year.
That week began on a different date each year:
- 1970: the chart week of October 24, 1970, with "I'll Be There" by The Jackson 5 on top.
- 1971: the chart week of October 23, 1971, with "Maggie May / Reason to Believe" by Rod Stewart on top.
- 1972: the chart week of October 21, 1972, with "My Ding-a-Ling" by Chuck Berry on top.
- 1973: the chart week of October 20, 1973, with "Angie" by The Rolling Stones on top.
- 1974: the chart week of October 19, 1974, with "Nothing From Nothing" by Billy Preston on top.
- 1975: the chart week of October 18, 1975, with "Bad Blood" by Neil Sedaka on top.
- 1976: the chart week of October 23, 1976, with "If You Leave Me Now" by Chicago on top.
- 1977: the chart week of October 22, 1977, with "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone on top.
- 1978: the chart week of October 21, 1978, with "Kiss You All Over" by Exile on top.
- 1979: the chart week of October 20, 1979, with "Rise" by Herb Alpert on top.
Where the Numbers Come From
Chart weeks and weeks at number one come from the weekly Hot 100 file on this site.
The story line for each song is a fact from that song's Wikipedia page.
Anything that could not be confirmed against those sources was left out.
This Week in Music History, 1970 to 1972: A Family Act, a Singer and a Live Novelty
The first three Octobers of the decade gave three very different sounds.
1970: "I'll Be There" by the Jackson 5
"I'll Be There" was the Jackson 5's fourth number one in a row, after "I Want You Back," "ABC" and "The Love You Save."
Wikipedia credits Berry Gordy, Hal Davis, Bob West and Willie Hutch as its writers.
It ran five weeks at number one, from October 17 to November 14, and October 24 was the second.
The full story is on the I'll Be There Jackson 5 page.
More of their hits are collected on Jackson 5 Songs.
1971: "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart
"Maggie May" started life as the B-side of "Reason to Believe."
Radio stations flipped the single and played "Maggie May" instead, and it became the bigger side.
Rod Stewart wrote it with Martin Quittenton.
It spent five weeks at number one in the United States, and October 23 was the fourth.
1972: "My Ding-a-Ling" by Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry's one number one on the Hot 100 was a live recording.
It was captured on February 3, 1972, at the Lanchester Arts Festival in Coventry, England.
The song itself is older than that night, since Dave Bartholomew wrote and first recorded it in 1952.
It topped the chart for two weeks, and October 21 was the first.
This Week in Music History, 1973 to 1975: Two One-Week Wonders and a Backing Vocal
The middle of the decade moved faster, with two songs that held the top for a single week.
1973: "Angie" by the Rolling Stones
"Angie" came out on August 20, 1973, as the lead single from Goats Head Soup.
The Stones recorded the album at Dynamic Sounds Studio in Kingston, Jamaica, in November and December 1972.
The credit reads Jagger and Richards, though Keith Richards later said the basic melody and the title were his.
Wikipedia calls it the band's seventh and next-to-last Hot 100 number one, ahead of "Miss You" in 1978.
It spent one week on top, starting October 20.
1974: "Nothing From Nothing" by Billy Preston
Billy Preston wrote "Nothing From Nothing" with Bruce Fisher.
It came from his album The Kids & Me and was released as a single on August 5, 1974.
It was his second solo number one, after "Will It Go Round in Circles" in 1973.
It held the top for one week, starting October 19.
1975: "Bad Blood" by Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka wrote "Bad Blood" with Phil Cody.
Elton John sings uncredited backing vocals on it.
The record stayed on top for three weeks, and the week of October 18 was the second.
Wikipedia calls it the most successful single of Sedaka's career.
If you like the Elton John connection, Elton John has his own page here.
This Week in Music History, 1976 to 1979: Ballads, a Record and an Instrumental
The last four Octobers brought the decade's biggest ballad run and a surprise at the end.
1976: "If You Leave Me Now" by Chicago
"If You Leave Me Now" was the first number one for Chicago.
Peter Cetera wrote it and sang lead, and the band took it to the top on October 23, 1976.
It stayed two weeks in the United States and three in the United Kingdom.
It also won two Grammys, including Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus.
The whole story is on If You Leave Me Now.
1977: "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone
"You Light Up My Life" ran ten weeks at number one, from October 15 to December 17, 1977.
Wikipedia says that set a new Hot 100 record for most weeks at number one.
Joseph Brooks wrote it, and Kasey Cisyk first recorded it for the film's soundtrack.
Brooks won a Grammy for Song of the Year and an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
The song is number 3 on the 1978 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
1978: "Kiss You All Over" by Exile
Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn wrote "Kiss You All Over," and Chapman produced it.
Chapman said he was inspired by Barry White's "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me."
The strings on the record are played on a synthesizer.
It held number one for four weeks from September 30, and October 21 was the last of them.
1979: "Rise" by Herb Alpert
"Rise" is an instrumental, written by Herb Alpert's nephew Randy "Badazz" Alpert with Andy Armer.
It was the title track of Alpert's 1979 album Rise.
It spent two weeks at number one, starting October 20.
Alpert had topped the Hot 100 before, in 1968, with a vocal, "This Guy's in Love with You."
The song is number 80 on the 1979 year-end Hot 100, in this site's year-end data.
This Week in Music History by the Numbers: Short Runs, Long Runs and Where Each Song Stood
Ranking the ten songs by weeks at number one shows how unevenly the top spot was shared.
| Song | Artist | Year | Weeks at #1 | First week | Last week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| You Light Up My Life | Debby Boone | 1977 | 10 | October 15, 1977 | December 17, 1977 |
| I'll Be There | The Jackson 5 | 1970 | 5 | October 17, 1970 | November 14, 1970 |
| Maggie May / Reason to Believe | Rod Stewart | 1971 | 5 | October 2, 1971 | October 30, 1971 |
| Kiss You All Over | Exile | 1978 | 4 | September 30, 1978 | October 21, 1978 |
| Bad Blood | Neil Sedaka | 1975 | 3 | October 11, 1975 | October 25, 1975 |
| My Ding-a-Ling | Chuck Berry | 1972 | 2 | October 21, 1972 | October 28, 1972 |
| If You Leave Me Now | Chicago | 1976 | 2 | October 23, 1976 | October 30, 1976 |
| Rise | Herb Alpert | 1979 | 2 | October 20, 1979 | October 27, 1979 |
| Angie | The Rolling Stones | 1973 | 1 | October 20, 1973 | October 20, 1973 |
| Nothing From Nothing | Billy Preston | 1974 | 1 | October 19, 1974 | October 19, 1974 |
Each box is one week at number one, and the gold box is the week that contains October 24.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's weekly Billboard Hot 100 data.
Where October 24 Fell in Each Run
The weeks split three ways:
- 5 songs were in their first week at number one: "My Ding-a-Ling," "Angie," "Nothing From Nothing," "If You Leave Me Now" and "Rise."
- 4 were in the middle of a longer run: "I'll Be There," "Maggie May," "Bad Blood" and "You Light Up My Life."
- One, "Kiss You All Over," was in the last week of its run.
Test Your Own Memory
Which of these ten would you have bet on?
The 70s Music Trivia Quiz has ten new questions each round.
For the whole decade at the top, see the 70s number one hits page.
More of the decade lives on the Music of the 70s home page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the number one song this week in music history in the 1970s?
The number one song for the Hot 100 chart week that includes October 24 was "I'll Be There" in 1970, "Maggie May" in 1971, "My Ding-a-Ling" in 1972, "Angie" in 1973 and "Nothing From Nothing" in 1974. It was "Bad Blood" in 1975, "If You Leave Me Now" in 1976, "You Light Up My Life" in 1977, "Kiss You All Over" in 1978 and "Rise" in 1979.
Which 70s number one song stayed on top the longest around October 24?
Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life" stayed on top the longest, with ten weeks at number one from October 15 to December 17, 1977, according to this site's weekly Hot 100 data. Wikipedia says that was a record for most weeks at number one on the Hot 100 at the time.
What was the number one song on October 24, 1975?
Neil Sedaka's "Bad Blood" was number one for the Hot 100 chart week of October 18 to 24, 1975. It was the second of three weeks at the top. Elton John sang uncredited backing vocals on the record, which Neil Sedaka wrote with Phil Cody.
How can I find the number one song from my own birthday?
You can find the number one song from your birthday with the Birthday #1 Song Finder on this site. Enter a birthday from the 1970s and it shows the song that topped the Billboard Hot 100 that week, using the same weekly chart data as the ten songs on this page.
Why does the chart week change from year to year?
This site's weekly Hot 100 file dates each chart week from a Saturday, and that date moves each year. The week containing October 24 began October 24 in 1970, October 23 in 1971 and 1976, October 22 in 1977, October 21 in 1972 and 1978, October 20 in 1973 and 1979, October 19 in 1974 and October 18 in 1975.
Related Posts
Sources
- I'll Be There (Jackson 5 song), Wikipedia, for the writers, the run of number ones and the five-week run.
- Maggie May, Wikipedia, for the B-side story, the writers and the five weeks at number one in the United States.
- My Ding-a-Ling, Wikipedia, for the Coventry recording and Dave Bartholomew's original.
- Angie (Rolling Stones song), Wikipedia, for the release date, the Kingston sessions and the writing credit.
- Nothing from Nothing, Wikipedia, for the writers, the album and Billy Preston's second number one.
- Bad Blood (Neil Sedaka song), Wikipedia, for the writers and the uncredited backing vocals.
- If You Leave Me Now, Wikipedia, for Chicago's first number one, the weeks at number one and the Grammys.
- You Light Up My Life (song), Wikipedia, for the ten-week record, the writer and the awards.
- Kiss You All Over, Wikipedia, for the writers, the producer and the synthesizer strings.
- Rise (Herb Alpert song), Wikipedia, for the writers, the album and Alpert's 1968 number one.
- Billboard Hot 100, Wikipedia, for how the weekly chart used for number one runs works.