3 of the Best Final No. 1 Hits of 1970s Disco

By the time the 80s rolled around with its synth-pop sensations and new wave bands, disco as a genre had mostly evaporated. However, throughout that brief era of time during which disco thrived, some of the most iconic hits of the decade emerged. With these No. 1’s, artists were definitely saving the best for last.

“Good Times” by Chic

In 1978, Chic dominated the disco scene with “Le Freak”, and then the next year, the duo closed out the disco era with this song.

“I wrote ‘Good Times’ the morning we recorded it,” Nile Rodgers, the guitarist of Chic, told Uncut Magazine of this song. “Bernard [Edwards, bassist] was a little late to the studio, but I’d already written out the charts for everybody in the band. We were playing when Bernard walked in. He asked the engineers, ‘What the hell is that?’ The engineer said, ‘I don’t know, something Nile wrote this morning.’ Whenever Bernard was late, he was like a puppy dog with his tail between his legs. Typically, what he and I do is we’d copy each other and then develop our parts after that…”

“Love You Inside Out” by Bee Gees

Featured on their album, Spirits Having Flown, “Love You Inside Out” was Bee Gees’ last No. 1 hit of nine. This made the group the 70s artist with more No. 1 hits than any other. This song is about a love that is all-consuming, where it seems that one partner is possibly more invested than the other.

“I ain’t no vision, I am the man / Who loves you inside and out / Backwards and forwards with / My heart hanging out / I love no other way / What am I gonna do if we lose that fire?”

“Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” by Rod Stewart

“Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” might have been Rod Stewart’s last and only No. 1, but man, what an epic No. 1 hit to have.

Lyrically, this song tells a tale of modern romance, as Carmine Appice, the drummer for the song, explained to SongFacts.

“This was a story of a guy meeting a chick in a club. At that time, that was a cool saying. If you listen to the lyrics, ‘She sits alone, waiting for suggestions, he’s so nervous…’ It’s the feelings of what was going on in a dance club. The guy sees a chick he digs, she’s nervous and he’s nervous and she’s alone and doesn’t know what’s going on, then they end up at his place having sex, and then she’s gone.”

Photo by: Fin Costello/Redferns