List of Billboard Easy Listening number ones of 1973
In 1973, Billboard magazine published a chart ranking the top-performing songs in the United States in the easy listening market. The chart, which in 1973 was entitled Easy Listening, has undergone various name changes and has been published under the title Adult Contemporary since 1996.[1] In 1973, 26 songs topped the chart based on playlists submitted by easy listening radio stations and sales reports submitted by stores.[1]
In the issue of Billboard dated January 6, 1973, the band Bread retained the number one position from the final chart of the previous year with "Sweet Surrender",[2] but the song held the top spot for only one further week before being replaced by "Been to Canaan" by Carole King. Helen Reddy had the highest total number of weeks at number one in 1973, spending two weeks in the top spot with "Delta Dawn" and four with "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)". The latter song tied with "All I Know" by Art Garfunkel for the year's longest unbroken run at number one. Reddy, the Carpenters, and Tony Orlando and Dawn were the only acts with more than one chart-topper during the year. Among acts to top the Easy Listening chart for the first time in 1973 was the English singer Elton John,[3] who would achieve consistent success on the chart for more than 40 years. By 2016 he held the records for both the greatest number of entries and the largest amount of number ones on the chart, and five years earlier Billboard had named him the most successful act of the listing's first 50 years.[4]
The final number one of the year was "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce, which moved into the top spot in the issue of Billboard dated December 30. It was a posthumous chart-topper for the singer, who had died in an airplane crash three months earlier.[5] The song also topped Billboard's pop singles chart, the Hot 100.[6] In the early 1970s there was considerable crossover between the two charts, and seven of 1973's other Easy Listening number ones also reached the top spot on the Hot 100: "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" by Tony Orlando and Dawn, "My Love" by Paul McCartney and Wings, "Touch Me in the Morning" by Diana Ross, "Delta Dawn" by Reddy, "The Most Beautiful Girl" by Charlie Rich, and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" by Stevie Wonder.[7] Rich's song also reached number one on the Hot Country Songs chart.[8]
Chart history
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Whitburn 2007, p. vi.
- ^ a b "Adult Contemporary chart for January 6, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ Whitburn 2002, p. 128.
- ^ Trust, Gary (June 13, 2016). "Elton John Charts Record-Extending 72nd Adult Contemporary Hit". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- ^ Liebig, Lorie (September 20, 2023). "Behind the Death of Jim Croce". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
- ^ Whitburn 2005, p. 161.
- ^ Whitburn 2005, p. 991.
- ^ Whitburn 1996, p. 267.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for January 13, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for January 20, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for January 27, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 3, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 10, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 17, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 24, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 3, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 10, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 17, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 24, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 31, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for April 7, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for April 14, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for April 21, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for April 28, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 5, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 12, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 19, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 24, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 26, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 2, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 9, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 16, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 18, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 23, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 30, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 7, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 14, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 21, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 28, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 4, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 11, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 18, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 25, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 1, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 8, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 15, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 22, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 29, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 6, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 13, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 20, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 27, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 3, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 10, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 26, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 17, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 24, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 1, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 8, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 15, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 18, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 22, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 29, 1973". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
Works cited
[edit]- Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. Watson-Guptill. ISBN 978-0-82308-289-6.
- Whitburn, Joel (2002). Joel Whitburn's Top Adult Contemporary, 1961–2001. Record Research Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-89820-149-9.
- Whitburn, Joel (2005). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 1955–2002. Record Research Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-89820-155-0.
- Whitburn, Joel (2007). Joel Whitburn Presents Billboard Top Adult Songs, 1961-2006. Record Research Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-89820-169-7.