Most popular song in 1972

The '70s didn't start in -- they started sometime around The tracks on our list of the Top 10 Songs of sound like they're products of the decade and not leftovers from the previous one. After the turbulent '60s -- the wars, the assassinations, the drugs, the sexual revolution and music's expanded playing field -- the '70s were kinda like a hangover, a bittersweet but not entirely clear reflection of what just happened. Artists began settling into grooves, and the songs that came out in , for the first time, took on their own identities, not just borrowed ones from another era.

• 10

  'Hello It's Me'

  Todd Rundgren

  Rundgren originally recorded 'Hello It's Me' with his group Nazz in On his third solo album, the excellent double LP 'Something/Anything?,' he reworked the ballad as a more soulful and upbeat number that became the centerpiece of the record and Rundgren's only Top 10 hit. The solo version is way better than the original band take, which was also released as a single.

• 9

  'Do It Again'

  Steely Dan

  Steely Dan's debut single turned the page on all of the lazily played psychedelic rock that album-oriented bands were churning out just a couple of years earlier. Consisting of musicians who had some serious jazz skills, Steely Dan didn't sound much like any other new groups in They were smart, studied, literate and disciplined. 'Do It Again' was one of their smoothest-sounding cuts, all rounded edges with a milky center.

• 8

  'Smoke on the Water'

  Deep Purple

  It includes one of the greatest guitar riffs of all time and a true story about a fire that delayed the recording of Deep Purple's sixth and bestselling album. But more than that, 'Smoke on the Water' is probably the most popular song attempted by first-time guitarists. Its opening chords have launched many young bands back in the day, and they still ring loud and clear today.

• 7

  'You Wear It Well'

  Rod Stewart

  'Every Picture Tells a Story' was such a huge hit for Stewart in (both the album and the song 'Maggie May' hit No. 1) that the singer and his band, including members of the Faces, repeated the formula for the followup LP, 'Never a Dull Moment.' 'You Wear It Well' is a delayed love letter to an ex, filled with a little regret and a whole lotta awesome, starting with that violin solo.

• 6

  'Rocket Man'

  Elton John

  Like David Bowie's 'Space Oddity,' 'Rocket Man' uses an outer-space analogy to voice the singer's growing isolation from family and friends. But unlike Bowie's song, the narrator of John's Top 10 hit (co-written by Bernie Taupin) doesn't sound entirely hopeless. It helps that John's warm performance injects some humanity into his lost spaceman.

• 5

  'All the Young Dudes'

  Mott the Hoople

  Before David Bowie gave them 'All the Young Dudes,' Mott the Hoople were a lumbering hard-rock band on the verge of splitting up. But the glam anthem transformed the group and gave them a second life, extending their career for a couple more years. After 'Dudes,' Mott the Hoople were revered as glam gods, all thanks to producer Bowie, who was having a very good year (see No. 3 on our list of the Top 10 Songs of ).

• 4

  'School's Out'

  Alice Cooper

  Alice Cooper was 24 years old when his timeless anthem about the last day of school was released. It immediately connected with teens across the country, hitting the Top And no wonder: Cooper's sinister excitement surges through the song. Plus, it includes one of the most inspired verses in rock history: "We got no class / And we got no principles / And we got no innocence / We can't even think of a word that rhymes." Brilliant.

• 3

  'Ziggy Stardust'

  David Bowie

  Bowie's reinvention from a tepid British folk-pop singer to a glam superstar began in , with the 'Hunky Dory' album. But it's on 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars,' a concept record about a rock 'n' roll savior from another planet, where the transformation takes hold (Bowie essentially became the character for the next couple of years). 'Ziggy Stardust' is the album's guitar-powered centerpiece, a summation of sorts of the LP's trippy narrative.

• 2

  'Heart of Gold'

  Neil Young

  Neil Young's only No. 1 single (only Top 10, in fact) from his only No. 1 album ('Harvest') was inspired by both a back injury and a trip to Nashville, where he recorded a handful of new acoustic songs with some local musicians. Unable to play an electric guitar, Young unplugged and wrote some stripped-down country-leaning songs. The success of both the song and album eventually prompted Young to switch musical gears from time to time -- a practice he continues to this day.

• 1

  'Tumbling Dice'

  The Rolling Stones

  Little surprise that the best album of yields the No. 1 track on our list of the Top 10 Songs of It was a pivotal year for the Stones, whose last three albums made them the biggest and best band on the planet. 'Exile on Main St.,' a troubled double record mired in druggy production and even more druggy group members, was their masterpiece. 'Tumbling Dice' is the album's most accessible cut, a bluesy shuffle spiked with a side of twang. It remains one of the Stones' most enduring songs and the gateway to one of the best albums ever made.

No.

Song

Artist

1

Superstition

Stevie Wonder

2

Papa Was A Rollin' Stone

Temptations

3

Smoke On The Water

Deep Purple

4

Lean On Me

Bill Withers

5

Heart Of Gold

Neil Young

6

Walk On The Wild Side

Lou Reed

7

You Are The Sunshine Of My Life

Stevie Wonder

8

If You Don't Know Me By Now

Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes

9

I'll Take You There

Staple Singers

10

Tumbling Dice

Rolling Stones

11

Love Train

O'Jays

12

You're So Vain

Carly Simon

13

Oh Girl

Chi-Lites

14

Take It Easy

Eagles

15

I'll Be Around

Spinners

16

Reeling In The Years

Steely Dan

17

Rocket Man

Elton John

18

School's Out

Alice Cooper

19

All The Young Dudes

Mott the Hoople

20

The Harder They Come

Jimmy Cliff

21

Back Stabbers

O'Jays

22

I Can See Clearly Now

Johnny Nash

23

Burning Love

Elvis Presley

24

I'm Still In Love With You

Al Green

25

Listen to the Music

Doobie Brothers

26

Alone Again (Naturally)

Gilbert O'Sullivan

27

Crocodile Rock

Elton John

28

Stuck In The Middle With You

Stealers Wheel

29

I Saw The Light

Todd Rundgren

30

Rock And Roll, Part 2

Gary Glitter

31

Me and Mrs. Jones

Billy Paul

32

Go All The Way

Raspberries

33

Do It Again

Steely Dan

34

Love And Happiness

Al Green

35

Ziggy Stardust

David Bowie

36

Superfly

Curtis Mayfield

37

Hello It's Me

Todd Rundgren

38

Time In A Bottle

Jim Croce

39

Could It Be I'm Falling In Love

Spinners

40

Starman

David Bowie

41

Use Me

Bill Withers

42

Summer Breeze

Seals and Crofts

43

Saturday In The Park

Chicago

44

Freddie's Dead

Curtis Mayfield

45

Old Man

Neil Young

46

Everything I Own

Bread

47

Ben

Michael Jackson

48

Frankenstein

Edgar Winter Group

49

Brandy

Looking Glass

50

(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Wanna Be Right

Luther Ingram

51

Why Can't We Live Together

Timmy Thomas

52

Rocky Mountain High

John Denver

53

Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard

Paul Simon

54

Highway Star

Deep Purple

55

Across th Street

Bobby Womack

56

Virginia Plain

Roxy Music

57

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

Al Green

58

It Never Rains in Southern California

Albert Hammond

59

Suffragette City

David Bowie

60

Doctor My Eyes

Jackson Browne

61

You Wear It Well

Rod Stewart

62

Ventura Highway

America

63

Pusherman

Curtis Mayfield

64

Dancing In The Moonlight

King Harvest

65

The Cisco Kid

War

66

Neither One of Us

Gladys Knight and the Pips

67

Whiskey In the Jar

Thin Lizzy

68

Ain't No Woman

Four Tops

69

The Guitar Man

Bread

70

Garden Party

Rick Nelson

71

Break Up To Make Up

Stylistics

72

Peaceful Easy Feeling

Eagles

73

Mother and Child Reunion

Paul Simon

74

The Jean Genie

David Bowie

75

Too Late To Turn Back Now

Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose

76

Suavecito

Malo

77

Free Ride

Edgar Winter Group

78

I Am Woman

Helen Reddy

79

Children Of the Revolution

T. Rex

80

Amie

Pure Prairie League

81

Get On The Good Foot

James Brown

82

Easy Livin'

Uriah Heep

83

Look What You Done For Me

Al Green

84

Day Dreaming

Aretha Franklin

85

Everybody Plays The Fool

Main Ingredient

86

Always on My Mind

Elvis Presley

87

Happy

Rolling Stones

88

I'm Stone In Love With You

Stylistics

89

I'd Love You To Want Me

Lobo

90

Top Of The World

Carpenters

91

The Needle and the Damage Done

Neil Young

92

Soul Makossa

Manu Dibango

93

Your Mama Don't Dance

Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina

94

Witchy Woman

Eagles

95

Song Sung Blue

Neil Diamond

96

The Cover of Rolling Stone

Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show

97

Sail Away

Randy Newman

98

The World Is A Ghetto

War

99

Operator

Jim Croce

You Ought To Be With Me

Al Green

20 more worth mentioning.

City of New Orleans

Arlo Guthrie

Melissa

Allman Brothers Band

Metal Guru

T. Rex

Will It Go Round In Circles

Billy Preston

Rock And Roll Lullaby

B.J. Thomas

Conquistador (live)

Procol Harum

America The Beautiful

Ray Charles

Hi, Hi, Hi

Wings

Trouble Man

Marvin Gaye

Starting All Over Again

Mel and Tim

You Don't Mess Around With Jim

Jim Croce

Thick As A Brick

Jethro Tull

Honky Cat

Elton John

Taxi

Harry Chapin

Walking In The Rain With The One I Love

Love Unlimited

Little Willy

The Sweet

I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock & Roll Band)

Moody Blues

Wildflower

Skylark

Nice To Be With You

Gallery

Troglodyte

Jimmy Castor Bunch

DigitalDreamDoor Editor Picks for

Brian's Choice: An unheralded great record from

*

Gypsy

Van Morrison

Lew's Choice:

*

Southbound Train

Crosby & Nash

Bruce's Choice:

*

Eddie's Love

Eddie Kendricks

Adam's Choice:

*

I Don't Know

Bill Withers

Brett's Choice:

*

Watch The Sunrise

Big Star

These are the BillboardHot number-one singles of

That year, 18 acts earned their first number one song, such as Don McLean, Al Green, Nilsson, Neil Young, America, Roberta Flack, The Chi-Lites, The Staple Singers, Sammy Davis Jr., Bill Withers, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Looking Glass, Mac Davis, Chuck Berry, Johnny Nash, Helen Reddy, and Billy Paul. Michael Jackson, having previously hit number one with The Jackson 5, also earns his first number one song as a solo act.

Indicates number-one single of

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Sources[edit]

References[edit]