1973 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-Topper

The 1973 Billboard Number One Hits list captured a busy pop year where soul, soft rock, funk, country crossover, early glam, singer-songwriter ballads, and story songs all took turns at No. 1. Billy Paul opened the year with Me and Mrs. Jones, Dawn featuring Tony Orlando delivered the year’s biggest hit with Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree, Stevie Wonder scored two chart-toppers, and Jim Croce closed the year with the deeply poignant Time in a Bottle.

This page follows the Billboard Hot 100 issue dates for 1973, shown here as reader-friendly weekly date ranges. Because Billboard chart weeks can cross calendar years, this list begins with Billy Paul’s late-1972 carryover and continues into early 1974 with Jim Croce’s Time in a Bottle.

The Billboard Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs in the United States using radio airplay and sales. These are official Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 songs, not pop-only, adult-contemporary-only, R&B-only, country-only, rock-only, or “this one was definitely on every AM radio in the station wagon” rankings.

1973 Billboard Number One Hits by Week

December 17, 1972 – January 6, 1973: Me and Mrs. Jones – Billy Paul
January 7 – January 27, 1973: You’re So Vain – Carly Simon
January 28 – February 3, 1973: Superstition – Stevie Wonder
February 4 – February 24, 1973: Crocodile Rock – Elton John
February 25 – March 24, 1973: Killing Me Softly with His Song – Roberta Flack
March 25 – April 7, 1973: Love Train – The O’Jays
April 8 – April 14, 1973: The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia – Vicki Lawrence
April 15 – May 12, 1973: Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree – Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
May 13 – May 19, 1973: You Are the Sunshine of My Life – Stevie Wonder
May 20 – May 26, 1973: Frankenstein – The Edgar Winter Group
May 27 – June 23, 1973: My Love – Paul McCartney & Wings
June 24 – June 30, 1973: Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) – George Harrison
July 1 – July 14, 1973: Will It Go Round in Circles – Billy Preston
July 15 – July 28, 1973: Bad, Bad Leroy Brown – Jim Croce
July 29 – August 11, 1973: The Morning After – Maureen McGovern
August 12 – August 18, 1973: Touch Me in the Morning – Diana Ross
August 19 – September 1, 1973: Brother Louie – Stories
September 2 – September 8, 1973: Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye
September 9 – September 15, 1973: Delta Dawn – Helen Reddy
September 16 – September 22, 1973: Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye
September 23 – September 29, 1973: We’re an American Band – Grand Funk
September 30 – October 13, 1973: Half-Breed – Cher
October 14 – October 20, 1973: Angie – The Rolling Stones
October 21 – November 3, 1973: Midnight Train to Georgia – Gladys Knight & the Pips
November 4 – November 17, 1973: Keep On Truckin’ – Eddie Kendricks
November 18 – November 24, 1973: Photograph – Ringo Starr
November 25 – December 8, 1973: Top of the World – The Carpenters
December 9 – December 22, 1973: The Most Beautiful Girl – Charlie Rich
December 23, 1973 – January 5, 1974: Time in a Bottle – Jim Croce

Song-by-Song Notes on the 1973 Billboard No. 1 Hits

Me and Mrs. Jones – Billy Paul

Billy Paul opened the 1973 Billboard Hot 100 calendar with Me and Mrs. Jones, a late-1972 carryover from the Philadelphia soul scene. The song’s smooth arrangement, secret-romance lyric, and Paul’s controlled vocal made it one of the great soul ballads of the early 1970s.

Its cross-year run gave 1973 a soulful opening. The song was elegant, dramatic, and clearly not approved by anyone’s marriage counselor.

You’re So Vain – Carly Simon

Carly Simon spent three weeks at No. 1 with You’re So Vain, one of the most famous lyrical mystery songs in pop history. Its sharp vocal, memorable chorus, and long-running speculation about the song’s subject helped make it much bigger than a standard singer-songwriter hit.

The song became Simon’s only Hot 100 No. 1, but its cultural afterlife has been enormous. Few songs have inspired this much guessing, gossip, and mirror-checking.

Superstition – Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder reached No. 1 with Superstition, a funk classic from Talking Book. The song’s clavinet riff, horn arrangement, and groove made it one of Wonder’s most influential recordings.

Its one-week run was the first of two Stevie Wonder No. 1 hits in 1973. The chart stay was brief, but the riff has been clocking overtime ever since.

Crocodile Rock – Elton John

Elton John earned his first U.S. Hot 100 No. 1 with Crocodile Rock. The song’s 1950s and early-1960s rock-and-roll nostalgia, playful falsetto hook, and bright production made it one of his most radio-friendly early hits.

Its three-week run helped launch Elton’s long run of American chart dominance through the 1970s.

Killing Me Softly with His Song – Roberta Flack

Roberta Flack spent four weeks at No. 1 with Killing Me Softly with His Song. Her version turned the reflective ballad into one of the most elegant and emotionally controlled pop-soul recordings of the decade.

The song later won major Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year. It did not shout for attention; it quietly took over the room.

Love Train – The O’Jays

The O’Jays reached No. 1 with Love Train, one of the signature songs of Philadelphia soul. Produced by Gamble and Huff, the record paired a global unity message with a bright, irresistible groove.

Its two-week run gave the Philly soul movement one of its biggest pop-chart victories. All aboard, but please keep your platform shoes inside the train.

The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia – Vicki Lawrence

Vicki Lawrence reached No. 1 with The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, a Southern Gothic story song written by Bobby Russell. Lawrence was widely known for her work on The Carol Burnett Show, which helped make the hit especially surprising.

Its one-week run gave 1973 one of its darkest pop storylines: murder, betrayal, and a chorus you could still hum.

Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree – Dawn featuring Tony Orlando

Dawn featuring Tony Orlando spent four weeks at No. 1 with Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree, Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1973. The song told the story of a man returning home and looking for a yellow ribbon as a sign of welcome. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

The song became one of the decade’s most famous sentimental story-songs and later helped popularize yellow ribbons as public symbols of remembrance, welcome, and hope. It is extremely earnest, extremely catchy, and practically engineered to make bus passengers emotional.

You Are the Sunshine of My Life – Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder returned to No. 1 with You Are the Sunshine of My Life, also from Talking Book. The song’s warm melody and jazz-pop feel gave Wonder a very different kind of hit from the funk-driven Superstition.

Its one-week run made Wonder the only artist with two Hot 100 No. 1 songs in the 1973 issue date year.

Frankenstein – The Edgar Winter Group

The Edgar Winter Group reached No. 1 with Frankenstein, an instrumental rock track stitched together from edited studio sections. The title came from the way the recording was assembled, not from a literal monster theme.

Its one-week run gave 1973 one of its most unusual rock No. 1 hits. No lyrics, plenty of electricity, and just enough mad-scientist energy.

My Love – Paul McCartney & Wings

Paul McCartney & Wings spent four weeks at No. 1 with My Love. The romantic ballad became one of McCartney’s earliest major post-Beatles Hot 100 successes with Wings.

Its long run showed that McCartney’s 1970s chart power was not dependent on Beatles nostalgia alone. The man could still land a love song gently and directly at No. 1.

Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) – George Harrison

George Harrison reached No. 1 with Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth), a spiritually themed song from Living in the Material World. The single reflected Harrison’s ongoing interest in faith, peace, and devotional songwriting.

Its one-week run replaced Paul McCartney & Wings at No. 1, creating a notable former-Beatles handoff at the top of the Hot 100.

Will It Go Round in Circles – Billy Preston

Billy Preston spent two weeks at No. 1 with Will It Go Round in Circles, a funky, playful song built around its circular title idea. Preston had already worked with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, but this was his first solo Hot 100 chart-topper.

Its groove was loose, joyful, and very much in motion. The answer to the title was yes — it went round, then went straight to No. 1.

Bad, Bad Leroy Brown – Jim Croce

Jim Croce spent two weeks at No. 1 with Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, a humorous story song about a tough Chicago character who finally meets someone tougher. The song’s ragtime-pop feel and vivid lyric made it one of Croce’s signature recordings.

It became his first Hot 100 No. 1 during his lifetime. Sadly, Croce died in a plane crash later that year, making his late-1973 return to No. 1 with Time in a Bottle especially poignant.

The Morning After – Maureen McGovern

Maureen McGovern spent two weeks at No. 1 with The Morning After, the theme from the disaster film The Poseidon Adventure. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Its success showed how strongly movie ballads could perform on the Hot 100. In 1973, even a capsized ocean liner could float a No. 1 single.

Touch Me in the Morning – Diana Ross

Diana Ross reached No. 1 with Touch Me in the Morning, a dramatic pop-soul ballad. The song became one of her major solo hits after leaving The Supremes.

Its one-week run added another solo chart milestone to Ross’ already enormous Motown legacy.

Brother Louie – Stories

Stories reached No. 1 with Brother Louie, a cover of a song originally recorded by Hot Chocolate. The song’s interracial relationship storyline gave it a sharper social edge than many pop hits of the period.

Its two-week run turned the New York band into one of 1973’s memorable one-hit pop stories.

Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye reached No. 1 with Let’s Get It On, one of the most famous soul singles of the 1970s. The song’s sensual groove, vocal warmth, and relaxed confidence made it a landmark recording in romantic soul.

Its No. 1 run was interrupted by Helen Reddy’s Delta Dawn, then it returned for another week. That is a very strange handoff: Marvin Gaye seduction, country-pop storytelling, then Marvin again.

Delta Dawn – Helen Reddy

Helen Reddy reached No. 1 with Delta Dawn, a country-pop story song about a woman waiting for a lost lover. Tanya Tucker had already made the song a country hit, but Reddy’s version crossed into the pop mainstream.

Its one-week run gave Reddy another major Hot 100 success during her early-1970s peak.

We’re an American Band – Grand Funk

Grand Funk reached No. 1 with We’re an American Band, a hard-rock road anthem produced by Todd Rundgren. The song’s cowbell, tour-life lyric, and direct title helped make it the band’s defining radio hit.

Its one-week run gave Grand Funk its first Hot 100 No. 1. The title left little room for confusion.

Half-Breed – Cher

Cher spent two weeks at No. 1 with Half-Breed, one of her early-1970s dramatic identity songs. The record used a controversial and now-dated framing of mixed Native ancestry, which makes it a cultural artifact of its time as well as a chart hit.

Its success followed Cher’s earlier No. 1 Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves, continuing her run of theatrical story-driven singles.

Angie – The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones reached No. 1 with Angie, a ballad from Goats Head Soup. The song’s acoustic arrangement and melancholy vocal made it one of the band’s softer major hits.

Its one-week run showed that even one of rock’s biggest bands could top the chart with a wounded ballad rather than a swaggering rocker.

Midnight Train to Georgia – Gladys Knight & the Pips

Gladys Knight & the Pips spent two weeks at No. 1 with Midnight Train to Georgia. The song’s story of leaving Los Angeles dreams behind for home became one of the decade’s great soul recordings.

The Pips’ call-and-response backing vocals are practically part of the song’s architecture. They did not just support the story; they punched the ticket.

Keep On Truckin’ – Eddie Kendricks

Eddie Kendricks reached No. 1 with Keep On Truckin’, a long, groove-heavy soul and funk record. Kendricks had been a key voice in The Temptations, and this gave him a major solo Hot 100 victory.

Its two-week run helped show how former Motown group members could still find major solo success in the 1970s.

Photograph – Ringo Starr

Ringo Starr reached No. 1 with Photograph, co-written with George Harrison. The song became Starr’s first solo Hot 100 chart-topper and one of his most beloved solo recordings.

Its one-week run also gave former Beatles another major presence in the 1973 chart year, joining Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

Top of the World – The Carpenters

The Carpenters spent two weeks at No. 1 with Top of the World, a bright country-pop-leaning single written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis. The song had already become a country hit for Lynn Anderson before The Carpenters’ version topped the Hot 100.

Its cheerful tone made it one of the duo’s most enduring pop standards. Sometimes the title and chart position line up neatly.

The Most Beautiful Girl – Charlie Rich

Charlie Rich spent two weeks at No. 1 with The Most Beautiful Girl, a country-pop ballad that also topped the country chart. The song’s smooth vocal and crossover production brought Rich to a wide pop audience.

Its success capped a major year for country crossover on the Hot 100.

Time in a Bottle – Jim Croce

Jim Croce closed the 1973 Billboard Hot 100 year with Time in a Bottle, which carried into January 1974. The song gained new emotional force after Croce died in a plane crash on September 20, 1973.

Its posthumous run made it one of the most poignant No. 1 songs of the decade. A gentle song about time became a chart memorial almost by accident.

Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Stories of 1973

Tie a Yellow Ribbon Was Billboard’s Year-End No. 1

Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando was Billboard’s top Hot 100 song of 1973. It spent four weeks at No. 1 and became one of the decade’s most famous sentimental story-songs. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Stevie Wonder Was the Only Artist With Two No. 1 Songs

Stevie Wonder topped the Hot 100 with Superstition and You Are the Sunshine of My Life. The two songs showed very different sides of Talking Book: hard funk and warm jazz-pop romance.

Former Beatles Were Everywhere

Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr all reached No. 1 in 1973. John Lennon would follow in 1974, making the early 1970s a strong period for solo Beatles chart success.

Soul and R&B Had a Major Year

Billy Paul, Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, The O’Jays, Billy Preston, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Eddie Kendricks, and Charlie Rich all helped make 1973 one of the richer soul and crossover years of the decade.

Jim Croce’s Year Turned Tragic

Jim Croce reached No. 1 during his lifetime with Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, then returned posthumously with Time in a Bottle. His death in September 1973 turned his late-year chart success into one of the most emotional stories of the year.

1973 Billboard Number One Hits Trivia

Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1973.
Stevie Wonder was the only artist with two Hot 100 No. 1 songs in 1973.
You’re So Vain became Carly Simon’s only Hot 100 No. 1.
Crocodile Rock gave Elton John his first U.S. Hot 100 No. 1.
Frankenstein by The Edgar Winter Group was an instrumental rock No. 1.
Give Me Love replaced Paul McCartney & Wings’ My Love at No. 1, creating a former-Beatles handoff.
Let’s Get It On had an interrupted No. 1 run, with Delta Dawn briefly taking the top spot.
Photograph gave Ringo Starr his first solo Hot 100 No. 1.
Time in a Bottle closed 1973 and carried into 1974 after Jim Croce’s death.

Why the 1973 Billboard Number One Hits Matter

The 1973 Billboard Number One Hits list shows a pop chart packed with variety. Soul, singer-songwriter pop, country crossover, glam, funk, rock, soft ballads, and story songs all moved through No. 1 during the same year.

The year also had major career milestones: Elton John’s first U.S. No. 1, Carly Simon’s only No. 1, Stevie Wonder’s dual chart success, several former Beatles at the top, and Jim Croce’s bittersweet final chart chapter.

For chart fans, 1973 was a storytelling year: yellow ribbons, vain lovers, Southern crimes, midnight trains, bad Leroy Brown, truckin’ grooves, and a bottle full of time. The Hot 100 was basically a jukebox with a plot twist.