List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1974 explained

These are the Billboard magazine Hot 100 number one hits of 1974.

That year, 25 acts earn their first number one song, such as Steve Miller Band, Al Wilson, Barbra Streisand, Love Unlimited Orchestra, Terry Jacks, John Denver, Blue Swede, MFSB, The Three Degrees, Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods, Gordon Lightfoot, The Hues Corporation, George McCrae, Paper Lace, Odia Coates, Eric Clapton, Barry White, Andy Kim, Olivia Newton-John, Dionne Warwick, The Spinners, Bachman–Turner Overdrive, Billy Swan, Carl Douglas, and Harry Chapin. John Lennon, having already hit number one with The Beatles, earns his first number one song as a solo act. John Denver was the only act to have more than one song reach number one, with two.

1974 is tied with 1975 for scoring the most Hot 100 number ones, 35 each. The year would have more number ones than 1975, at 36, if including "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce, which initially topped the Hot 100 on December 29, 1973, and stayed atop the chart to start 1974.

Chart history

style="background-color:#FFFF99"

The yellow background indicates the #1 song on Billboard's 1974 Year-End Chart of Pop Singles.

width=31		Issue date	Song	Artist(s)	Reference
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	313	January 5	"Time in a Bottle"	Jim Croce	^[1]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	314	January 12	"The Joker"	Steve Miller Band	^[2]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	315	January 19	"Show and Tell"	Al Wilson	^[3]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	316	January 26	"You're Sixteen"	Ringo Starr	^[4]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	317	February 2	bgcolor=#FFFF99 align="center"	"The Way We Were"	Barbra Streisand	^[5]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	318	February 9	"Love's Theme"	Love Unlimited Orchestra	^[6]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2	re	February 16	bgcolor=#FFFF99 rowspan="2" align="center"	"The Way We Were"	Barbra Streisand	^[7]
February 23	^[8]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=3	319	March 2	"Seasons in the Sun"	Terry Jacks	^[9]
March 9	^[10]
March 16	^[11]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	320	March 23	"Dark Lady"	Cher	^[12]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	321	March 30	"Sunshine on My Shoulders"	John Denver	^[13]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	322	April 6	"Hooked on a Feeling"	Blue Swede	^[14]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	323	April 13	"Bennie and the Jets"	Elton John	^[15]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2	324	April 20	"TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)"	MFSB and The Three Degrees	^[16]
April 27	^[17]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2	325	May 4	"The Loco-Motion"	Grand Funk	^[18]
May 11	^[19]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=3	326	May 18	"The Streak"	Ray Stevens	^[20]
May 25	^[21]
June 1	^[22]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	327	June 8	"Band on the Run"	Paul McCartney & Wings	^[23]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2	328	June 15	"Billy Don't Be a Hero"	Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods	^[24]
June 22	^[25]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	329	June 29	"Sundown"	Gordon Lightfoot	^[26]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	330	July 6	"Rock the Boat"	The Hues Corporation	^[27]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2	331	July 13	"Rock Your Baby"	George McCrae	^[28]
July 20	^[29]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2	332	July 27	"Annie's Song"	John Denver	^[30]
August 3	^[31]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	333	August 10	"Feel Like Makin' Love"	Roberta Flack	^[32]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	334	August 17	"The Night Chicago Died"	Paper Lace	^[33]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=3	335	August 24	"(You're) Having My Baby"	Paul Anka and Odia Coates	^[34]
August 31	^[35]
September 7	^[36]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	336	September 14	"I Shot the Sheriff"	Eric Clapton	^[37]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	337	September 21	"Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe"	Barry White	^[38]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	338	September 28	"Rock Me Gently"	Andy Kim	^[39]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2	339	October 5	"I Honestly Love You"	Olivia Newton-John	^[40]
October 12	^[41]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	340	October 19	"Nothing From Nothing"	Billy Preston	^[42]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	341	October 26	"Then Came You"	Dionne Warwick and The Spinners	^[43]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	342	November 2	"You Haven't Done Nothin'"	Stevie Wonder	^[44]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	343	November 9	"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet"	Bachman–Turner Overdrive	^[45]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	344	November 16	"Whatever Gets You thru the Night"	John Lennon	^[46]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2	345	November 23	"I Can Help"	Billy Swan	^[47]
November 30	^[48]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2	346	December 7	"Kung Fu Fighting"	Carl Douglas	^[49]
December 14	^[50]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	347	December 21	"Cat's in the Cradle"	Harry Chapin	^[51]
bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1	348	December 28	"Angie Baby"	Helen Reddy	^[52]

Number-one artists

List of number-one artists by total weeks at number one! Position! Artist! Weeks at No. 1

1	Barbra Streisand	3
	Terry Jacks
	Ray Stevens
	John Denver
	Paul Anka
	Odia Coates
7	MFSB	2
	The Three Degrees
	Grand Funk
	Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods
	George McRae
	Olivia Newton-John
	Billy Swan
	Carl Douglas
15	Jim Croce	1
	Steve Miller Band
	Al Wilson
	Ringo Starr
	Love Unlimited Orchestra
	Cher
	Blue Swede
	Elton John
	Paul McCartney & Wings
	Gordon Lightfoot
	The Hues Corporation
	Roberta Flack
	Paper Lace
	Eric Clapton
	Barry White
	Andy Kim
	Billy Preston
	Dionne Warwick
	The Spinners
	Stevie Wonder
	Bachman-Turner Overdrive
	John Lennon
	Harry Chapin
	Helen Reddy

See also

• 1974 in music
• List of Cash Box Top 100 number-one singles of 1974
• List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of the 1970s

Sources

• Fred Bronson's Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, 5th Edition
• Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2008, 12 Edition
• Joel Whitburn Presents the Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Seventies
• Additional information obtained can be verified within Billboard's online archive services and print editions of the magazine.

Notes and References

1. Web site: January 5, 1974. .
2. Web site: January 12, 1974. .
3. Web site: January 19, 1974. .
4. Web site: January 26, 1974. .
5. Web site: February 2, 1974. .
6. Web site: February 9, 1974. .
7. Web site: February 16, 1974. .
8. Web site: February 23, 1974. .
9. Web site: March 2, 1974. .
10. Web site: March 9, 1974. .
11. Web site: March 16, 1974. .
12. Web site: March 23, 1974. .
13. Web site: March 30, 1974. .
14. Web site: April 6, 1974. .
15. Web site: April 13, 1974. .
16. Web site: April 20, 1974. .
17. Web site: April 27, 1974. .
18. Web site: May 4, 1974. .
19. Web site: May 11, 1974. .
20. Web site: May 18, 1974. .
21. Web site: May 25, 1974. .
22. Web site: June 1, 1974. .
23. Web site: June 8, 1974. .
24. Web site: June 15, 1974. .
25. Web site: June 22, 1974. .
26. Web site: June 29, 1974. .
27. Web site: July 6, 1974. .
28. Web site: July 13, 1974. .
29. Web site: July 20, 1974. .
30. Web site: July 27, 1974. .
31. Web site: August 3, 1974. .
32. Web site: August 10, 1974. .
33. Web site: August 17, 1974. .
34. Web site: August 24, 1974. .
35. Web site: August 31, 1974. .
36. Web site: September 7, 1974. .
37. Web site: September 14, 1974. .
38. Web site: September 21, 1974. .
39. Web site: September 28, 1974. .
40. Web site: October 5, 1974. .
41. Web site: October 12, 1974. .
42. Web site: October 19, 1974. .
43. Web site: October 26, 1974. .
44. Web site: November 2, 1974. .
45. Web site: November 9, 1974. .
46. Web site: November 16, 1974. .
47. Web site: November 23, 1974. .
48. Web site: November 30, 1974. .
49. Web site: December 7, 1974. .
50. Web site: December 14, 1974. .
51. Web site: December 21, 1974. .
52. Web site: December 28, 1974. .