For many Americans, music is often associated with memories. Songs from the past can evoke powerful personal emotions and trigger vivid memories. The music of Woodstock can send one hurtling down memory lane, back to the 1960s; disco triggers recollection of the 1970s; and any number of new wave hits can take one back to the 1980s.

The music we associate with different periods is generally the most popular popular music of its respective time. Often this music can be distilled to a single song.

To identify the most popular song the year you were born, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed Billboard’s top-ranked singles on the Hot 100 going back to 1960. The year’s most popular song is the one that spent the most time in the No. 1 position that year.

Click here to see the most popular song the year you were born.
Click here to see our methodology.

The 1960s began with some runoff from the popular musical styles of the 1950s. The most popular song in 1960 was the instrumental version of “Theme from ‘A Summer Place’” by Percy Faith and his orchestra. Music fans soon moved on to listening to more rock music, including The Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

The top songs of the 1970s and 1980s featured a wide variety of musical styles, each of which encapsulates the feel of its year. In 1978, the Bee Gees’ “Night Fever” was a fitting summation of the age of disco. And there’s perhaps no song better to kick off the 1980s than Blondie’s enduring new wave hit “Call Me,” which sat at No. 1 for six weeks.

Tastes continued to change in the 1990s, shifting more towards R&B. This is evidenced by the inclusion of two Boyz II Men songs, as well as singles by Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and
Brandy & Monica in that decade. This trend largely continued throughout the aughts, yet expanding to include more rap and dance music. Artists include Nelly, 50 Cent, and Soulja Boy.

1960
> Song: Theme from ‘A Summer Place’
> Artist: Percy Faith
> Weeks at #1: 9
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

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1961
> Song: Tossin’ And Turnin’
> Artist: Bobby Lewis
> Weeks at #1: 7
> Copies of single sold: N/A

1962
> Song: I Can’t Stop Loving You
> Artist: Ray Charles
> Weeks at #1: 5
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

1963
> Song: Sugar Shack
> Artist: Jimmy Gilmer And The Fireballs
> Weeks at #1: 5
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

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1964
> Song: I Want To Hold Your Hand
> Artist: The Beatles
> Weeks at #1: 7
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

1965
> Song: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
> Artist: The Rolling Stones
> Weeks at #1: 4
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

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1966
> Song: The Ballad Of The Green Berets
> Artist: Sgt. Barry Sadler
> Weeks at #1: 5
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

1967
> Song: I’m A Believer
> Artist: The Monkees
> Weeks at #1: 7
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

1968
> Song: Hey Jude
> Artist: The Beatles
> Weeks at #1: 9
> Copies of single sold: 4 million

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1969
> Song: Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In
> Artist: The 5th Dimension
> Weeks at #1: 6
> Copies of single sold: 1 million

1970
> Song: Bridge Over Troubled Water
> Artist: Simon & Garfunkel
> Weeks at #1: 6
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

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1971
> Song: Joy To The World
> Artist: Three Dog Night
> Weeks at #1: 6
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

1972
> Song: Alone Again (Naturally)
> Artist: Gilbert O’Sullivan
> Weeks at #1: 6
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

1973
> Song: Killing Me Softly With His Song
> Artist: Roberta Flack
> Weeks at #1: 5
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

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1974
> Song: The Way We Were
> Artist: Barbra Streisand
> Weeks at #1: 3
> Copies of single sold: 1 million

1975
> Song: Love Will Keep Us Together
> Artist: Captain & Tennille
> Weeks at #1: 4
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

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1976
> Song: Tonight’s The Night (Gonna Be Alright)
> Artist: Rod Stewart
> Weeks at #1: 8
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

1977
> Song: You Light Up My Life
> Artist: Debby Boone
> Weeks at #1: 10
> Copies of single sold: 1 million

1978
> Song: Night Fever
> Artist: Bee Gees
> Weeks at #1: 8
> Copies of single sold: 1 million

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1979
> Song: My Sharona
> Artist: The Knack
> Weeks at #1: 6
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

1980
> Song: Call Me
> Artist: Blondie
> Weeks at #1: 6
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

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1981
> Song: Endless Love
> Artist: Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
> Weeks at #1: 9
> Copies of single sold: 1 million

1982
> Song: Ebony And Ivory
> Artist: Paul McCartney And Stevie Wonder
> Weeks at #1: 7
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

1983
> Song: Every Breath You Take
> Artist: The Police
> Weeks at #1: 8
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

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1984
> Song: Jump
> Artist: Van Halen
> Weeks at #1: 5
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

1985
> Song: We Are The World
> Artist: USA For Africa
> Weeks at #1: 4
> Copies of single sold: 4 million

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1986
> Song: That’s What Friends Are For
> Artist: Dionne Warwick & Friends
> Weeks at #1: 4
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

1987
> Song: Livin’ On A Prayer
> Artist: Bon Jovi
> Weeks at #1: 4
> Copies of single sold: 3 million

1988
> Song: Roll With It
> Artist: Steve Winwood
> Weeks at #1: 4
> Copies of single sold: 2 million

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1989
> Song: Miss You Much
> Artist: Janet Jackson
> Weeks at #1: 4
> Copies of single sold: 1 million

1990
> Song: Nothing Compares 2 U
> Artist: Sinead O’Connor
> Weeks at #1: 4
> Copies of single sold: 1 million

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1991
> Song: (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
> Artist: Bryan Adams
> Weeks at #1: 7
> Copies of single sold: 3 million

1992
> Song: End Of The Road
> Artist: Boyz II Men
> Weeks at #1: 13
> Copies of single sold: 1 million

1993
> Song: I Will Always Love You
> Artist: Whitney Houston
> Weeks at #1: 14
> Copies of single sold: 6 million

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1994
> Song: I’ll Make Love To You
> Artist: Boyz II Men
> Weeks at #1: 14
> Copies of single sold: 1 million

1995
> Song: Fantasy
> Artist: Mariah Carey
> Weeks at #1: 8
> Copies of single sold: 2 million

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1996
> Song: Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)
> Artist: Los Del Rio
> Weeks at #1: 14
> Copies of single sold: 4 million

1997
> Song: Candle In The Wind 1997/Something About The Way You Look Tonight
> Artist: Elton John
> Weeks at #1: 14
> Copies of single sold: 11 million

1998
> Song: The Boy Is Mine
> Artist: Brandy & Monica
> Weeks at #1: 13
> Copies of single sold: 2 million

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1999
> Song: Smooth
> Artist: Santana ft. Rob Thomas
> Weeks at #1: 12
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million

2000
> Song: Maria Maria
> Artist: Santana ft. The Product G&B
> Weeks at #1: 10
> Copies of single sold: 1 million

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2001
> Song: All For You
> Artist: Janet Jackson
> Weeks at #1: 7
> Copies of single sold: N/A

2002
> Song: Dilemma
> Artist: Nelly ft. Kelly Rowland
> Weeks at #1: 10
> Copies of single sold: N/A

2003
> Song: In Da Club
> Artist: 50 Cent
> Weeks at #1: 9
> Copies of single sold: 1 million

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2004
> Song: Yeah!
> Artist: Usher ft. Lil Jon & Ludacris
> Weeks at #1: 12
> Copies of single sold: 1 million

2005
> Song: We Belong Together
> Artist: Mariah Carey
> Weeks at #1: 14
> Copies of single sold: 4 million

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2006
> Song: SexyBack
> Artist: Justin Timberlake
> Weeks at #1: 7
> Copies of single sold: 5 million

2007
> Song: Crank That (Soulja Boy)
> Artist: Soulja Boy
> Weeks at #1: 7
> Copies of single sold: 3 million

2008
> Song: Low
> Artist: Flo Rida ft. T-Pain
> Weeks at #1: 10
> Copies of single sold: 3 million

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2009
> Song: I Gotta Feeling
> Artist: The Black Eyed Peas
> Weeks at #1: 14
> Copies of single sold: 8 million

2010
> Song: TiK ToK
> Artist: Ke$ha
> Weeks at #1: 9
> Copies of single sold: 5 million

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2011
> Song: We Found Love
> Artist: Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris
> Weeks at #1: 10
> Copies of single sold: 9 million

2012
> Song: Call Me Maybe
> Artist: Carly Rae Jepsen
> Weeks at #1: 9
> Copies of single sold: 10 million

2013
> Song: Blurred Lines
> Artist: Robin Thicke ft. T.I. + Pharrell
> Weeks at #1: 12
> Copies of single sold: 6 million

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2014
> Song: Happy
> Artist: Pharrell Williams
> Weeks at #1: 10
> Copies of single sold: 7 million

2015
> Song: Uptown Funk!
> Artist: Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
> Weeks at #1: 14
> Copies of single sold: 11 million

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2016
> Song: Closer
> Artist: The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey
> Weeks at #1: 12
> Copies of single sold: 7 million

2017
> Song: Despacito
> Artist: Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber
> Weeks at #1: 16
> Copies of single sold: 13.3 million

Methodology:

To determine the most popular song each year since 1960, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed Billboard Hot 100 rankings going back to August 1960. The song chosen to represent each year is the single that spent the most weeks in the No. 1 rank and – in the case of ties – spent the most time in the No. 2 and No. 3 ranks.

“Copies of single sold” refers to Certified Units as reported by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). These figures reflect record label shipments in the United States, as opposed to retail sales. They represent singles only and not the albums a single may have appeared on. In certain cases – especially with regards to older releases – sales may be underreported due to labels’ failure to request updated certification from the RIAA.

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