Songs are the soundtrack of our lives. A song can evoke a romance that ended with wedding bells or a broken heart, or call to mind a high school summer or an entire era. If you heard The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” for what seemed like a million times last year, for instance — and it was that ubiquitous — you’ll probably forever associate it with the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are other songs that you might not have heard for a decade or more but whose lyrics you still remember. There are songs, both old and new, that become so-called earworms that get stuck in your head — you keep hearing them and/or singing them to yourself whether you want to or not.
24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of the two most popular songs every year since 1970, based on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Some were hits so long ago that many of today’s listeners might never have heard them — for instance, “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree” or “Rhinestone Cowboy.” (For a musical history lesson, seethe most popular song the year you were born.)
Others became timeless classics. Even if you were born decades after the movie “Saturday Night Fever” opened, you’ll probably recognize the opening bars of “Stayin’ Alive” right away. And it wasn’t even the most popular song in 1978 — that honor was claimed by “Hot Child In The City.” (These are the 50 absolute best songs from the movies.)
Some of the more recent songs on our list are still getting plenty of airplay. Adele’s “Rolling In the Deep,” the most popular song of 2011, still gets played today. So do more recent mega-hits like “Happy” by Pharrell Williams (2014) and “Uptown Funk!” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars (2015). And of course there’s “Levitating” by Dua Lipa and DaBaby, the No. 1 hit of 2021 thus far — another song that some of us might long associate with these difficult times.
Click here to see the most popular song every year since 1970
To determine the most popular song every year since 1970, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data from the Billboard Hot 100 record chart, which has been the industry standard for measuring a song’s popularity since its inception in 1958. While the methodology has changed over the years, the current Hot 100 is computed based on radio airplay, retail and digital sales, and online streaming activity in the U.S.
To compile our list, we ranked the performance of a song within the year given, based on a custom score composed of its time spent and position on the Hot 100, with a week at No. 100 being worth one point, a week at No. 99 two points, and so on, up to a week at No. 1 worth 100 points. Any chart time spent by a song outside of the given year, either from consecutive years or a return to the charts years later, was excluded from the score.
1970
> Most popular song: Rare Earth – Get Ready
> Hot 100 debut: March 14, 1970
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 4
> Weeks on Hot 100: 20
> Runner-up song: Freda Payne – Band Of Gold
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1971
> Most popular song: The Raiders – Indian Reservation (The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian)
> Hot 100 debut: April 10, 1971
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 22
> Runner-up song: Rod Stewart – Maggie May/Reason To Believe
1972
> Most popular song: Joe Tex – I Gotcha
> Hot 100 debut: Jan. 22, 1972
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 2
> Weeks on Hot 100: 21
> Runner-up song: Roberta Flack – The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
1973
> Most popular song: Kris Kristofferson – Why Me
> Hot 100 debut: April 7, 1973
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 16
> Weeks on Hot 100: 38
> Runner-up song: Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando – Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree
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1974
> Most popular song: Redbone – Come And Get Your Love
> Hot 100 debut: Jan. 12, 1974
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 5
> Weeks on Hot 100: 23
> Runner-up song: Jackson 5 – Dancing Machine
1975
> Most popular song: Morris Albert – Feelings
> Hot 100 debut: June 21, 1975
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 6
> Weeks on Hot 100: 32
> Runner-up song: Glen Campbell – Rhinestone Cowboy
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1976
> Most popular song: Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band – A Fifth Of Beethoven
> Hot 100 debut: May 29, 1976
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 28
> Runner-up song: Gary Wright – Love Is Alive
1977
> Most popular song: Andy Gibb – I Just Want To Be Your Everything
> Hot 100 debut: April 23, 1977
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 31
> Runner-up song: Hot – Angel In Your Arms
1978
> Most popular song: Nick Gilder – Hot Child In The City
> Hot 100 debut: June 10, 1978
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 31
> Runner-up song: Bee Gees – Stayin’ Alive
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1979
> Most popular song: Robert John – Sad Eyes
> Hot 100 debut: May 19, 1979
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 27
> Runner-up song: Dionne Warwick – I’ll Never Love This Way Again
1980
> Most popular song: Blondie – Call Me
> Hot 100 debut: Feb. 16, 1980
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 25
> Runner-up song: Diana Ross – Upside Down
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1981
> Most popular song: Rick Springfield – Jessie’s Girl
> Hot 100 debut: March 28, 1981
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 32
> Runner-up song: Kim Carnes – Bette Davis Eyes
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1982
> Most popular song: John Cougar – Hurts So Good
> Hot 100 debut: April 24, 1982
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 2
> Weeks on Hot 100: 28
> Runner-up song: The Human League – Don’t You Want Me
1983
> Most popular song: Irene Cara – Flashdance…What A Feeling
> Hot 100 debut: April 2, 1983
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 25
> Runner-up song: Bonnie Tyler – Total Eclipse Of The Heart
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1984
> Most popular song: Tina Turner – What’s Love Got To Do With It
> Hot 100 debut: May 19, 1984
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 28
> Runner-up song: Phil Collins – Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
1985
> Most popular song: a-ha – Take On Me
> Hot 100 debut: July 13, 1985
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 27
> Runner-up song: Kool & The Gang – Cherish
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1986
> Most popular song: Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald – On My Own
> Hot 100 debut: March 22, 1986
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 23
> Runner-up song: Level 42 – Something About You
1987
> Most popular song: Debbie Gibson – Only In My Dreams
> Hot 100 debut: May 9, 1987
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 4
> Weeks on Hot 100: 28
> Runner-up song: Whitesnake – Here I Go Again
1988
> Most popular song: Taylor Dayne – I’ll Always Love You
> Hot 100 debut: June 11, 1988
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 3
> Weeks on Hot 100: 30
> Runner-up song: Breathe – Hands To Heaven
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1989
> Most popular song: Bette Midler – Wind Beneath My Wings (From “Beaches”)
> Hot 100 debut: March 4, 1989
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 29
> Runner-up song: Young M.C. – Bust A Move
1990
> Most popular song: Maxi Priest – Close To You
> Hot 100 debut: June 30, 1990
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 30
> Runner-up song: Wilson Phillips – Hold On
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1991
> Most popular song: Boyz II Men – Motownphilly
> Hot 100 debut: June 15, 1991
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 3
> Weeks on Hot 100: 24
> Runner-up song: Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
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1992
> Most popular song: Jon Secada – Just Another Day
> Hot 100 debut: April 18, 1992
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 5
> Weeks on Hot 100: 37
> Runner-up song: TLC – Baby-Baby-Baby
1993
> Most popular song: Tag Team – Whoomp! (There It Is)
> Hot 100 debut: May 29, 1993
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 2
> Weeks on Hot 100: 45
> Runner-up song: Jade – Don’t Walk Away
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1994
> Most popular song: Ace Of Base – The Sign
> Hot 100 debut: Jan. 1, 1994
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 41
> Runner-up song: Ace Of Base – Don’t Turn Around
1995
> Most popular song: Blues Traveler – Run-Around
> Hot 100 debut: March 25, 1995
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 8
> Weeks on Hot 100: 49
> Runner-up song: Dionne Farris – I Know
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1996
> Most popular song: The Tony Rich Project – Nobody Knows
> Hot 100 debut: Dec. 16, 1995
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 2
> Weeks on Hot 100: 47
> Runner-up song: Gin Blossoms – Follow You Down/Til I Hear It From You
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1997
> Most popular song: Jewel – Foolish Games/You Were Meant For Me
> Hot 100 debut: Nov. 30, 1996
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 2
> Weeks on Hot 100: 65
> Runner-up song: Duncan Sheik – Barely Breathing
1998
> Most popular song: Savage Garden – Truly Madly Deeply
> Hot 100 debut: Dec. 6, 1997
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 52
> Runner-up song: Next – Too Close
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1999
> Most popular song: 702 – Where My Girls At?
> Hot 100 debut: May 1, 1999
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 4
> Weeks on Hot 100: 42
> Runner-up song: Goo Goo Dolls – Slide
2000
> Most popular song: Faith Hill – Breathe
> Hot 100 debut: Nov. 6, 1999
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 2
> Weeks on Hot 100: 53
> Runner-up song: Joe – I Wanna Know
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2001
> Most popular song: Lifehouse – Hanging By A Moment
> Hot 100 debut: Feb. 10, 2001
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 2
> Weeks on Hot 100: 54
> Runner-up song: Train – Drops Of Jupiter (Tell Me)
2002
> Most popular song: Vanessa Carlton – A Thousand Miles
> Hot 100 debut: March 2, 2002
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 5
> Weeks on Hot 100: 41
> Runner-up song: The Calling – Wherever You Will Go
2003
> Most popular song: matchbox twenty – Unwell
> Hot 100 debut: March 22, 2003
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 5
> Weeks on Hot 100: 54
> Runner-up song: 3 Doors Down – When I’m Gone
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2004
> Most popular song: Usher Featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris – Yeah!
> Hot 100 debut: Jan. 10, 2004
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 45
> Runner-up song: Maroon 5 – This Love
2005
> Most popular song: Kelly Clarkson – Since U Been Gone
> Hot 100 debut: Dec. 18, 2004
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 2
> Weeks on Hot 100: 46
> Runner-up song: Mariah Carey – We Belong Together
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2006
> Most popular song: Natasha Bedingfield – Unwritten
> Hot 100 debut: Dec. 10, 2005
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 5
> Weeks on Hot 100: 42
> Runner-up song: The Fray – Over My Head (Cable Car)
2007
> Most popular song: Carrie Underwood – Before He Cheats
> Hot 100 debut: Sept. 16, 2006
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 8
> Weeks on Hot 100: 64
> Runner-up song: Gwen Stefani Featuring Akon – The Sweet Escape
2008
> Most popular song: Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love
> Hot 100 debut: March 1, 2008
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 39
> Runner-up song: Sara Bareilles – Love Song
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2009
> Most popular song: Lady Gaga – Poker Face
> Hot 100 debut: Jan. 3, 2009
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 40
> Runner-up song: Jason Mraz – I’m Yours
2010
> Most popular song: Train – Hey, Soul Sister
> Hot 100 debut: Oct. 17, 2009
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 3
> Weeks on Hot 100: 54
> Runner-up song: Lady Antebellum – Need You Now
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2011
> Most popular song: Adele – Rolling In The Deep
> Hot 100 debut: Dec. 25, 2010
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 65
> Runner-up song: Pitbull Featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer – Give Me Everything
2012
> Most popular song: Gotye Featuring Kimbra – Somebody That I Used To Know
> Hot 100 debut: Jan. 21, 2012
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 59
> Runner-up song: Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
2013
> Most popular song: Imagine Dragons – Radioactive
> Hot 100 debut: Aug. 18, 2012
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 3
> Weeks on Hot 100: 87
> Runner-up song: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz – Thrift Shop
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2014
> Most popular song: John Legend – All Of Me
> Hot 100 debut: Sept. 21, 2013
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 59
> Runner-up song: Pharrell Williams – Happy
2015
> Most popular song: Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk!
> Hot 100 debut: Nov. 29, 2014
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 56
> Runner-up song: Fetty Wap – Trap Queen
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2016
> Most popular song: The Chainsmokers Featuring Daya – Don’t Let Me Down
> Hot 100 debut: Feb. 27, 2016
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 3
> Weeks on Hot 100: 52
> Runner-up song: twenty one pilots – Stressed Out
2017
> Most popular song: Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You
> Hot 100 debut: Jan. 28, 2017
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 58
> Runner-up song: Bruno Mars – That’s What I Like
2018
> Most popular song: Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
> Hot 100 debut: Nov. 11, 2017
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 2
> Weeks on Hot 100: 51
> Runner-up song: Ed Sheeran – Perfect
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2019
> Most popular song: Post Malone & Swae Lee – Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse)
> Hot 100 debut: Nov. 3, 2018
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 53
> Runner-up song: Post Malone – Wow.
2020
> Most popular song: The Weeknd – Blinding Lights
> Hot 100 debut: Dec. 14, 2019
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 1
> Weeks on Hot 100: 85
> Runner-up song: Post Malone – Circles
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2021
> Most popular song (to Aug. 31): Dua Lipa Featuring DaBaby – Levitating
> Hot 100 debut: Oct. 17, 2020
> Peak Hot 100 position: No. 2
> Weeks on Hot 100: 42
> Runner-up song (to Aug. 31): The Weeknd & Ariana Grande – Save Your Tears
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