Songs serve as the soundtrack to our lives. You hear a melody and you’re instantly transported back to a time and a place in your past. Each year, one song rises to the top of the charts – and in your mind – and becomes instantly associated with a particular era, film, or artist. That’s true of the ones listed here. (These are the most popular hit singles of the 21st century.)
To identify the most popular song the year you were born, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the Billboard Hot 100 going back to January 1966. We looked at the song that peaked at #1 and spent the most amount of weeks on the chart. (Copies of each single sold come from the Recording Industry Association of America.)
Looking over the songs, many are from well-known artists still performing today. Frankie Valli hit the charts with “My Eyes Adored You” in 1975, and still plays concert halls. Others could be classified as one-hit wonders, typified by Nick Gilder’s 1979 catchy ditty “Hot Child in the City.” And has anyone heard from the Archies since 1969’s “Sugar, Sugar”?
One artist scored hits in consecutive years. The Weeknd dominated the charts for 74 weeks in 2021 with “Blinding Lights.” This year, his collaboration with Ariana Grande, “Save Your Tears,” has sold 3 million copies. Although not quite in consecutive years, Boyz II Men had chart-topping tunes in 1993 (“End Of The Road”) and 1995 (“I’ll Make Love to You”).
Click here to see the most popular song the year you were born.
It doesn’t hurt a song’s chances for hit status if it accompanied a popular movie. “Beaches,” the 1989 tearjerker, propelled Bette Midler’s “The Wind Beneath My Wings” to the top of the charts. Same goes for Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were” from the 1974 movie of the same name, and B.J. Thomas’s rendition of “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head,” from the 1970 classic “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” (These are the greatest songs from American movies.)
Click here to see the the most popular song the year you were born
1966
> Song: Lightnin’ Strikes
> Artist: Lou Christie
> Weeks at #1 7
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
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1967
> Song: Light My Fire
> Artist: The Doors
> Weeks at #1 15
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
1968
> Song: Love Is Blue (L’amour Est Bleu)
> Artist: Paul Mauriat And His Orchestra
> Weeks at #1 13
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
1969
> Song: Sugar, Sugar
> Artist: The Archies
> Weeks at #1 14
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
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1970
> Song: Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head
> Artist: B.J. Thomas
> Weeks at #1 13
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
1971
> Song: Indian Reservation (The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian)
> Artist: The Raiders
> Weeks at #1 7
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
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1972
> Song: The Candy Man
> Artist: Sammy Davis, Jr. with The Mike Curb Congregation
> Weeks at #1 8
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
1973
> Song: Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree
> Artist: Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando
> Weeks at #1 14
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
1974
> Song: The Way We Were
> Artist: Barbra Streisand
> Weeks at #1 13
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
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1975
> Song: My Eyes Adored You
> Artist: Frankie Valli
> Weeks at #1 6
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
1976
> Song: Venus
> Artist: Frankie Avalon
> Weeks at #1 24
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
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1977
> Song: I Just Want To Be Your Everything
> Artist: Andy Gibb
> Weeks at #1 17
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
1978
> Song: How Deep Is Your Love
> Artist: Bee Gees
> Weeks at #1 20
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
1979
> Song: Hot Child In The City
> Artist: Nick Gilder
> Weeks at #1 11
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
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1980
> Song: Do That To Me One More Time
> Artist: Captain & Tennille
> Weeks at #1 10
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
1981
> Song: Jessie’s Girl
> Artist: Rick Springfield
> Weeks at #1 14
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
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1982
> Song: Chariots Of Fire – Titles
> Artist: Vangelis
> Weeks at #1 7
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
1983
> Song: Baby, Come To Me
> Artist: Patti Austin A Duet With James Ingram
> Weeks at #1 10
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
1984
> Song: Total Eclipse Of The Heart
> Artist: Bonnie Tyler
> Weeks at #1 18
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
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1985
> Song: Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)
> Artist: Billy Ocean
> Weeks at #1 14
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
1986
> Song: Take On Me
> Artist: a-ha
> Weeks at #1 13
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
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1987
> Song: Here I Go Again
> Artist: Whitesnake
> Weeks at #1 14
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
1988
> Song: Red Red Wine
> Artist: UB40
> Weeks at #1 16
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
1989
> Song: Wind Beneath My Wings (From “Beaches”)
> Artist: Bette Midler
> Weeks at #1 15
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
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1990
> Song: Close To You
> Artist: Maxi Priest
> Weeks at #1 16
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
1991
> Song: I Don’t Have The Heart
> Artist: James Ingram
> Weeks at #1 15
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
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1992
> Song: All 4 Love
> Artist: Color Me Badd
> Weeks at #1 17
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
1993
> Song: End Of The Road (From “Boomerang”)
> Artist: Boyz II Men
> Weeks at #1 28
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
1994
> Song: The Sign
> Artist: Ace Of Base
> Weeks at #1 31
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
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1995
> Song: I’ll Make Love To You
> Artist: Boyz II Men
> Weeks at #1 31
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
1996
> Song: Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)
> Artist: Los Del Rio
> Weeks at #1 28
> Copies of single sold: 4 million
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1997
> Song: Un-Break My Heart
> Artist: Toni Braxton
> Weeks at #1 36
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
1998
> Song: Truly Madly Deeply
> Artist: Savage Garden
> Weeks at #1 46
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
1999
> Song: Too Close
> Artist: Next
> Weeks at #1 43
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
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2000
> Song: Smooth
> Artist: Santana Featuring Rob Thomas
> Weeks at #1 46
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
2001
> Song: With Arms Wide Open
> Artist: Creed
> Weeks at #1 21
> Copies of single sold: 2 million
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2002
> Song: How You Remind Me
> Artist: Nickelback
> Weeks at #1 34
> Copies of single sold: 0.5 million
2003
> Song: Get Busy
> Artist: Sean Paul
> Weeks at #1 21
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
2004
> Song: Yeah!
> Artist: Usher Featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris
> Weeks at #1 38
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
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2005
> Song: Goodies
> Artist: Ciara Featuring Petey Pablo
> Weeks at #1 27
> Copies of single sold: 3 million
2006
> Song: We Belong Together
> Artist: Mariah Carey
> Weeks at #1 36
> Copies of single sold: 4 million
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2007
> Song: SexyBack
> Artist: Justin Timberlake
> Weeks at #1 29
> Copies of single sold: 3 million
2008
> Song: Big Girls Don’t Cry
> Artist: Fergie
> Weeks at #1 30
> Copies of single sold: 1 million
2009
> Song: Viva La Vida
> Artist: Coldplay
> Weeks at #1 46
> Copies of single sold: 3 million
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2010
> Song: I Gotta Feeling
> Artist: The Black Eyed Peas
> Weeks at #1 54
> Copies of single sold: 10 million
2011
> Song: Rolling In The Deep
> Artist: Adele
> Weeks at #1 48
> Copies of single sold: 8 million
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2012
> Song: Party Rock Anthem
> Artist: LMFAO Featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock
> Weeks at #1 54
> Copies of single sold: 10 million
2013
> Song: Somebody That I Used To Know
> Artist: Gotye Featuring Kimbra
> Weeks at #1 45
> Copies of single sold: 14 million
2014
> Song: All Of Me
> Artist: John Legend
> Weeks at #1 30
> Copies of single sold: 14 million
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2015
> Song: Uptown Funk!
> Artist: Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars
> Weeks at #1 49
> Copies of single sold: 11 million
2016
> Song: See You Again
> Artist: Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth
> Weeks at #1 48
> Copies of single sold: 11 million
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2017
> Song: Cheap Thrills
> Artist: Sia Featuring Sean Paul
> Weeks at #1 30
> Copies of single sold: 8 million
2018
> Song: Shape Of You
> Artist: Ed Sheeran
> Weeks at #1 58
> Copies of single sold: 10 million
2019
> Song: Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse)
> Artist: Post Malone & Swae Lee
> Weeks at #1 42
> Copies of single sold: 11 million
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2020
> Song: Circles
> Artist: Post Malone
> Weeks at #1 50
> Copies of single sold: 4 million
2021
> Song: Blinding Lights
> Artist: The Weeknd
> Weeks at #1 74
> Copies of single sold: 10 million
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2022
> Song: Save Your Tears
> Artist: The Weeknd & Ariana Grande
> Weeks at #1 48
> Copies of single sold: 3 million
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