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What Song Was the Number One Hit of the Year You Graduated From High School?

We were talking the other day about what song was the number one hit the year we graduated from high school. Thanks to Wikipedia we have the answer. For me the song was Shadow Dancing by Andy Gibb. I know. Sad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_Hot_100_chart_achievements_and_milestones

Hot 100 songs of the year: 1958-2009

1958 – “Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)” – Domenico Modugno
 
 
 
 
 
1959 – “The Battle of New Orleans” – Johnny Horton
 
 
 
 
 
1960 – “Theme from A Summer Place” – Percy Faith
 
 
 
 
 
1961 – “Tossin’ and Turnin’” – Bobby Lewis
 
 
 
 
 
1962 – “Stranger on the Shore” – Mr. Acker Bilk
 
 
 
 
 
1963 – “Sugar Shack” – Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs
 
 
 
 
 
1964 – “I Want to Hold Your Hand” – The Beatles
 
 
 
 
1965 – “Wooly Bully” – Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs
 
 
 
 
 
1966 – “Ballad of the Green Berets” – SSgt Barry Sadler
 
 
 
 
 
1967 – “To Sir With Love” – Lulu
 
 
 
 
 
1968 – “Hey Jude” – The Beatles
 
 
 
 
 
1969 – “Sugar, Sugar” – The Archies
 
 
 
 
 
1970 – “Bridge Over Troubled Water” – Simon & Garfunkel
 
 
 
 
 
1971 – “Joy to the World” – Three Dog Night
 
 
 
 
 
1972 – “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” – Roberta Flack
 
 
 
 
 
1973 – “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” – Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando
 
 
 
 
 
1974 – “The Way We Were” – Barbra Streisand
 
 
 
 
 
1975 – “Love Will Keep Us Together” – Captain & Tennille
 
 
 
 
 
1976 – “Silly Love Songs” – Wings
 
 
 
 
 
1977 – “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” – Rod Stewart
 
 
 
 
 
1978 – “Shadow Dancing” – Andy Gibb
Shadow Dancing” is a song by Andy Gibb that reached number one for seven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. According to Billboard’s Book Of Number One Hits, Gibb became the first solo artist in the history of the U.S. pop charts to have his first three singles hit the number-one spot. Additionally, “Shadow Dancing” was listed by Billboard as being the number one single of 1978. In addition the song peaked at number eleven on the soul chart.[1]

The song was written by Andy and his brothers (Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb) in Los Angeles, while the trio of brothers were working on the film Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. “And one night,” Andy would recall, “while we were relaxing, we sat down and we had to start getting tracks together for the album” (also titled Shadow Dancing, which would eventually hit #7 on the U.S. album charts). “So we literally sat down and in ten minutes, we had a group going, (singing) the chorus part. As it says underneath the song, we all wrote it, the four of us.”

While Andy Gibb would have three more Top 10 hits in the U.S., this would be his final chart-topping hit in America.

The song lists at #40 on Billboard’s All Time Top 100.

 
 
1979 – “My Sharona” – The Knack
 
My Sharona” is the debut single by The Knack, released in 1979 from their album Get the Knack. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart where it remained for six weeks and was #1 on Billboard’s Top Pop Singles of 1979 year-end chart. It was certified gold (one million units sold) by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Joe Ditzel

Joe Ditzel is a keynote speaker, humor writer, and really bad golfer. You can reach him via email at [email protected] as well as Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.

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