1970 was a weird year. Honestly, it was a mess. The sixties were technically over, but the hangover was everywhere. You had the Beatles breaking up, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin dying within weeks of each other, and the Vietnam War casting this massive, dark shadow over everything. But if you look at the Billboard top songs of 1970, you’d almost think the world was doing okay. Well, mostly.
It was a year of massive transitions. We shifted from the psychedelic fuzz of the late 60s into something much softer, but also much funkier. It’s the year that gave us "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "I'll Be There," but also "War" and "Get Ready." Music was the only thing keeping the vibe together while the culture was basically fracturing in real-time.
The Year of the Ballad (and the Breakup)
If you look at the year-end charts, Simon & Garfunkel absolutely dominated. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" wasn't just a hit; it was a monolith. It stayed at number one for six weeks. Paul Simon wrote it, but Art Garfunkel sang the hell out of it, and then, naturally, they broke up. That’s the 1970 theme: peak success followed by an immediate "we’re done."
The song itself is a masterclass in production. It starts with just a piano and grows into this massive orchestral wall of sound. People needed that back then. They needed a "silver girl" to sail by and some comfort in a year that felt like it was falling apart. It’s arguably the most famous of the Billboard top songs of 1970 because it tapped into a universal exhaustion.
Then you have "Let It Be" by The Beatles. Another anthem of acceptance. Another band calling it quits. It’s kinda poetic that the two biggest groups of the previous decade both peaked and perished right as 1970 kicked off.
Soul Took Over the Top Spot
While the folk-rockers were crying into their acoustic guitars, Motown was busy evolving. 1970 was arguably the year soul music became the definitive sound of the American mainstream. The Jackson 5 were basically a cheat code. They had four number-one hits in a single year: "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save," and "I'll Be There."
"I'll Be There" changed things. Before that, the Jackson 5 were seen as a high-energy bubblegum act. This song proved Michael Jackson—who was barely twelve—could handle a power ballad with more soul than most grown men. It spent five weeks at the top.
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But it wasn't all sweet. Edwin Starr’s "War" was a massive cultural moment. "War, huh, yeah! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing." It was blunt. It was loud. It was exactly what people were screaming in the streets. Seeing a song that overtly political hit the top of the Billboard charts tells you everything you need to know about the mood of the country.
The Rise of the Singer-Songwriter
We can’t talk about 1970 without mentioning the shift toward the solo artist. The era of the "band" as a singular unit was starting to fray, and the "poet with a guitar" was moving in.
- James Taylor hit it big with "Fire and Rain." It's a dark song about suicide and addiction, yet it became a radio staple.
- B.J. Thomas gave us "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," which feels like the polar opposite—sunny, light, and carefree.
- The Carpenters landed "(They Long to Be) Close to You." Karen Carpenter's voice was like velvet, and suddenly, "soft rock" was a legitimate force to be reckoned with.
Why 1970 Was Actually One of the Best Years for Music
People talk about 1967 or 1969, but 1970 was the year music got diverse. You could turn on the radio and hear "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" by Three Dog Night, which is basically a funky rock song about a bad party, followed by "Venus" by Shocking Blue.
The variety was insane.
Look at "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head." It won an Oscar. It was everywhere. It’s a song about staying positive when things go wrong, which, again, was the 1970 survival strategy. Then you had "American Woman" by The Guess Who. It was a Canadian band telling America to stay away. It was heavy, riff-driven, and it topped the US charts. The irony wasn't lost on anyone.
One of the most underrated aspects of the Billboard top songs of 1970 is the influence of George Harrison. "My Sweet Lord" came out at the very end of the year. It was the first solo number one by an ex-Beatle. It mixed slide guitar with Hare Krishna chants. It shouldn't have worked. It worked perfectly. It showed that the "Beatle magic" didn't die with the band; it just changed shape.
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The Records That Defined the Vibe
Let's get into the weeds of what was actually moving the needle.
"I'll Be There" by The Jackson 5 stayed at number one for five weeks. It was the best-selling single of the year for Motown.
"Get Ready" by Rare Earth was another weird one. It was a cover of a Temptations song, but played by a white rock band signed to a Motown subsidiary. It was raw, long, and had a drum solo. People loved it. It peaked at number four, proving that the lines between "rock" and "soul" were starting to blur in a really cool way.
And then there’s "Everything is Beautiful" by Ray Stevens. It’s a bit cheesy by today's standards, sure. But in May 1970, right after the Kent State shootings, a song about universal love was exactly what a lot of people were clinging to.
The Songs You Forgot Were Hits
We all remember the big ones, but some of the Billboard top songs of 1970 are kind of head-scratchers now.
- "The Love You Save" by The Jackson 5 (Wait, they had another one?)
- "Cracklin' Rosie" by Neil Diamond (The ultimate karaoke song started here.)
- "Candida" by Dawn (Tony Orlando before he got the "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" fame.)
- "Julie, Do Ya Love Me" by Bobby Sherman (Pure teen idol fodder.)
The Technical Shift in Sound
Something happened in the studio in 1970. The 8-track recorder was becoming standard, and 16-track was starting to show up. This meant the songs sounded bigger.
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Listen to "I Want You Back." The bass line is incredibly clear. Listen to the drums on "The Tears of a Clown" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. Everything is crisp. We were moving away from the "wall of sound" where everything was smashed together into a more separated, hi-fi experience. This transition is why 1970 records still sound pretty good on modern speakers compared to stuff from 1964.
How to Explore the 1970 Sound Today
If you want to actually understand why these songs mattered, you can't just look at a list. You have to hear the sequence.
First, listen to the Year-End Top 10.
Don't skip the ones you think are "old person music." There is a reason "Bridge Over Troubled Water" won Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the Grammys. It’s structurally perfect.
Check out the "Bubblegum" versus "Hard Rock" divide.
Compare "ABC" by the Jackson 5 with "All Right Now" by Free. Both were huge in 1970. One is pure pop perfection; the other is the blueprint for arena rock. The fact that both lived on the same chart is what makes this year so special.
Look at the one-hit wonders.
"Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum. It’s a Jewish guy singing about Jesus with a fuzzed-out electric guitar. It’s one of the most recognizable songs in history, and it was a massive hit in 1970. It perfectly captures that "spiritual but also kinda trippy" vibe of the era.
The Actionable Takeaway for Music Lovers
If you’re a songwriter, a producer, or just a nerd for history, the Billboard top songs of 1970 are a goldmine for study.
- Study the Arrangements: Notice how "Close to You" uses space. There’s a lot of "nothing" in that song, which makes Karen’s voice pop.
- Analyze the Lyrics: 1970 was the year lyrics became deeply personal. "Fire and Rain" isn't about a generic girl; it's about James Taylor’s actual life and struggles. Start writing about specific, messy things instead of generalities.
- Mix Genres: 1970 proved you could put a rock beat on a soul song (Rare Earth) or a gospel choir on a pop song (Simon & Garfunkel) and have a massive hit.
Start by building a playlist of the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 for 1970. Don't shuffle it. Play it in order and listen to the world change from January to December. You’ll hear a decade trying to find its voice, moving from the chaos of the 60s into the groove of the 70s. It’s a wild ride.