1978 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-Topper

The 1978 Billboard Number One Hits list was dominated by disco, movie soundtracks, soft rock, pop ballads, and one famous family’s astonishing chart power. The Bee Gees opened the year with How Deep Is Your Love, ruled the spring with Stayin’ Alive and Night Fever, helped fuel the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and watched Andy Gibb rule the summer with Shadow Dancing.

This page follows the Billboard Hot 100 issue dates for 1978, shown here as reader-friendly weekly date ranges. Because Billboard chart weeks can cross calendar years, this list begins with the Bee Gees’ late-1977 carryover and continues into early 1979 with Chic’s Le Freak.

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, disco-only, adult-contemporary-only, R&B-only, soundtrack-only, or “this was definitely playing under every mirror ball” rankings.

1978 Billboard Number One Hits by Week

December 25, 1977 – January 14, 1978: How Deep Is Your Love – Bee Gees
January 15 – February 4, 1978: Baby Come Back – Player
February 5 – March 4, 1978: Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees
March 5 – March 18, 1978: (Love Is) Thicker Than Water – Andy Gibb
March 19 – May 13, 1978: Night Fever – Bee Gees
May 14 – May 20, 1978: If I Can’t Have You – Yvonne Elliman
May 21 – June 3, 1978: With a Little Luck – Wings
June 4 – June 10, 1978: Too Much, Too Little, Too Late – Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams
June 11 – June 17, 1978: You’re the One That I Want – John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John
June 18 – August 5, 1978: Shadow Dancing – Andy Gibb
August 6 – August 12, 1978: Miss You – The Rolling Stones
August 13 – August 26, 1978: Three Times a Lady – Commodores
August 27 – September 9, 1978: Grease – Frankie Valli
September 10 – October 21, 1978: Boogie Oogie Oogie – A Taste of Honey
October 22 – October 28, 1978: Hot Child in the City – Nick Gilder
October 29 – November 4, 1978: You Needed Me – Anne Murray
November 5 – November 25, 1978: MacArthur Park – Donna Summer
November 26 – December 2, 1978: You Don’t Bring Me Flowers – Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond
December 3, 1978 – January 6, 1979: Le Freak – Chic

Song-by-Song Notes on the 1978 Billboard No. 1 Hits

How Deep Is Your Love – Bee Gees

The Bee Gees opened the 1978 Billboard Hot 100 calendar with How Deep Is Your Love, a late-1977 carryover from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. The song showcased the group’s softer side, built around close harmonies, romantic lyrics, and a smooth adult pop feel.

Its cross-year run helped set up one of the most dominant soundtrack years in pop history. The Bee Gees were not just on the chart in 1978; they were practically renting office space there.

Baby Come Back – Player

Player reached No. 1 with Baby Come Back, a polished soft rock hit that blended pop, soul, and adult-contemporary appeal. The song’s pleading chorus and smooth production made it a perfect late-1970s radio single.

Its three-week run gave the band its signature hit and one of the year’s strongest non-disco early chart moments.

Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees

The Bee Gees returned to No. 1 with Stayin’ Alive, one of the defining disco songs of all time. Its opening rhythm, falsetto vocal, and connection to John Travolta’s walk in Saturday Night Fever made it instantly iconic.

The song spent four weeks at No. 1 and became a cultural shorthand for disco itself. Few songs have ever made walking down a sidewalk look that confident.

(Love Is) Thicker Than Water – Andy Gibb

Andy Gibb reached No. 1 with (Love Is) Thicker Than Water, co-written with his brother Barry Gibb. The ballad continued Andy’s early solo success and showed how powerful the Gibb family’s songwriting and production sound had become.

Its two-week run arrived right between two Bee Gees chart-toppers, which says almost everything about 1978. The Gibb family was basically running a very successful pop-chart relay race.

Night Fever – Bee Gees

The Bee Gees spent eight weeks at No. 1 with Night Fever, the longest Hot 100 run of 1978. The song’s disco pulse, falsetto hook, and Saturday Night Fever connection made it one of the year’s defining singles.

Its dominance helped turn the soundtrack into a cultural phenomenon and made the Bee Gees the central sound of mainstream pop in 1978. If disco had a front desk that year, the Bee Gees were answering the phone.

If I Can’t Have You – Yvonne Elliman

Yvonne Elliman reached No. 1 with If I Can’t Have You, another major hit from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Written by the Bee Gees, the song gave Elliman her biggest pop-chart moment.

Its one-week stay at No. 1 made it the fourth chart-topper tied to the film’s soundtrack. That is not a soundtrack; that is a chart occupation.

With a Little Luck – Wings

Wings reached No. 1 with With a Little Luck, a soft, synth-touched pop single led by Paul McCartney. The song’s gentle melody and light production fit the smoother side of late-1970s pop radio.

Its two-week run gave McCartney another post-Beatles Hot 100 success. A little luck helped, but being Paul McCartney probably did not hurt.

Too Much, Too Little, Too Late – Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams

Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams reached No. 1 with Too Much, Too Little, Too Late, a romantic duet that brought Mathis back to the top of the pop chart decades after his first major success. Williams’ vocal added a fresh R&B-pop presence to the record.

Its one-week run was a strong adult-pop moment in a year otherwise remembered heavily for disco and soundtracks.

You’re the One That I Want – John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John reached No. 1 with You’re the One That I Want, the biggest single from Grease. The song’s playful duet energy and movie finale placement made it one of the most recognizable musical-film hits of the decade.

Its one-week Hot 100 run was short, but the song’s cultural life was enormous. Decades later, it still sounds like leather jackets, carnival lights, and extremely committed hair gel.

Shadow Dancing – Andy Gibb

Andy Gibb spent seven weeks at No. 1 with Shadow Dancing, Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1978. Written by Andy with Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, the song extended the family’s remarkable chart presence.

Its long summer run made Andy Gibb one of the year’s biggest solo stars. Between Andy and the Bee Gees, 1978 had enough Gibb energy to power several dance floors and possibly a small city.

Miss You – The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones reached No. 1 with Miss You, a disco-influenced rock single from Some Girls. The song’s groove, harmonica, and loose New York feel showed the band adapting to late-1970s dance culture without losing its own identity.

Its one-week run proved that even veteran rock acts could move with the disco moment. The Stones did not become disco, but they definitely borrowed the shoes.

Three Times a Lady – Commodores

Commodores spent two weeks at No. 1 with Three Times a Lady, a Lionel Richie-written ballad that became one of the group’s biggest crossover hits. The song’s gentle vocal and romantic mood pushed the band deeper into adult-pop territory.

Its success pointed directly toward Richie’s later solo career, where smooth ballads would become one of his strongest trademarks.

Grease – Frankie Valli

Frankie Valli reached No. 1 with Grease, the title song from the hit film. Written by Barry Gibb, the song tied the Grease movie phenomenon back to the Bee Gees’ songwriting universe.

Its two-week run gave Valli a major late-1970s solo hit and gave the year another soundtrack-driven No. 1. Barry Gibb’s fingerprints were all over 1978, sometimes even when the Bee Gees were not singing.

Boogie Oogie Oogie – A Taste of Honey

A Taste of Honey spent three weeks at No. 1 with Boogie Oogie Oogie, a disco-funk hit driven by bass, groove, and a simple dance-floor command. The group won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, helped by the song’s success.

The title did not need to explain much. It was a disco-era instruction manual with a bassline.

Hot Child in the City – Nick Gilder

Nick Gilder reached No. 1 with Hot Child in the City, a glam-influenced pop-rock single. Its sharp hook and urban edge helped it stand out from the disco and ballads surrounding it.

Its one-week run gave Gilder his biggest U.S. pop success and added a tougher rock-pop texture to the 1978 chart year.

You Needed Me – Anne Murray

Anne Murray reached No. 1 with You Needed Me, a tender country-pop ballad. The song crossed over from country and adult-contemporary audiences to the all-genre Hot 100.

Its one-week run gave Murray one of her most important American chart moments and showed how country-pop could still cut through during a disco-heavy year.

MacArthur Park – Donna Summer

Donna Summer spent three weeks at No. 1 with her disco version of MacArthur Park, originally made famous by Richard Harris in 1968. Summer’s version transformed the theatrical Jimmy Webb composition into a full dance-floor epic.

The cake in the rain survived another decade, this time with a disco beat. Pop history is strange, and sometimes deliciously overdramatic.

You Don’t Bring Me Flowers – Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond

Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond reached No. 1 with You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, a duet that grew partly from radio programmers combining their separate solo versions. Public response helped turn the pairing into an official duet.

Its one-week run made it one of the year’s most famous adult-pop ballads. Before mashups were normal, radio found a way to play matchmaker.

Le Freak – Chic

Chic closed the 1978 Billboard Hot 100 year with Le Freak, which carried into 1979 and returned to No. 1 after being interrupted by the Bee Gees. The song became one of the defining disco records of the late 1970s.

Its cross-year run made Chic a major bridge between 1978’s disco peak and 1979’s even more crowded dance-floor chart story. The decade was almost over, but disco still had plenty of glitter left in the carpet.

Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Stories of 1978

Shadow Dancing Was Billboard’s Year-End No. 1

Andy Gibb’s Shadow Dancing spent seven weeks at No. 1 and finished as Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1978. It gave Andy Gibb his biggest U.S. pop hit and added to the Gibb family’s historic chart year.

The Bee Gees and the Gibb Family Dominated

The Bee Gees reached No. 1 with How Deep Is Your Love, Stayin’ Alive, and Night Fever. Andy Gibb reached No. 1 with (Love Is) Thicker Than Water and Shadow Dancing, while Barry Gibb also wrote or co-wrote hits for Yvonne Elliman and Frankie Valli.

Saturday Night Fever Took Over the Hot 100

Saturday Night Fever produced four 1978 Hot 100 No. 1 songs: How Deep Is Your Love, Stayin’ Alive, Night Fever, and If I Can’t Have You. Few soundtracks have ever shaped a single chart year so strongly.

Grease Added Another Soundtrack Wave

You’re the One That I Want and Grease both reached No. 1 in 1978. Together with Saturday Night Fever, they made movie soundtracks one of the year’s biggest chart engines.

Disco Ruled, But Rock and Ballads Still Broke Through

Chic, Donna Summer, A Taste of Honey, Yvonne Elliman, and the Bee Gees made disco unavoidable, but The Rolling Stones, Wings, Player, Commodores, Anne Murray, and Barbra Streisand with Neil Diamond showed that pop ballads and rock still had room at No. 1.

1978 Billboard Number One Hits Trivia

Shadow Dancing by Andy Gibb was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1978.
Night Fever by the Bee Gees spent eight weeks at No. 1, the longest Hot 100 run of the year.
The Bee Gees had three 1978 Hot 100 No. 1 hits as artists: How Deep Is Your Love, Stayin’ Alive, and Night Fever.
Andy Gibb had two 1978 No. 1 hits: (Love Is) Thicker Than Water and Shadow Dancing.
Saturday Night Fever produced four 1978 No. 1 songs.
Grease produced two 1978 No. 1 songs: You’re the One That I Want and Grease.
Miss You showed The Rolling Stones adapting to disco without abandoning rock.
MacArthur Park gave Donna Summer her first Hot 100 No. 1.
Le Freak closed 1978 and returned to No. 1 in 1979.

Why the 1978 Billboard Number One Hits Matter

The 1978 Billboard Number One Hits list shows disco at its commercial peak. The Bee Gees, Andy Gibb, Yvonne Elliman, Chic, Donna Summer, A Taste of Honey, and film soundtracks made dance music central to the Hot 100.

The year also showed how powerful movie music had become. Saturday Night Fever and Grease did not just sell tickets; they sent multiple songs to No. 1 and shaped the sound of mainstream radio.

For chart fans, 1978 was a glitter-covered takeover: Bee Gees harmonies, Andy Gibb’s summer run, Travolta on two soundtracks, Donna Summer rising, Chic closing the year, and enough disco momentum to make the Hot 100 look like it needed a velvet rope.