3 Hit Tracks That Knocked Your Favorite Song From the No. 1 Spot Back in 1970

The first year of the 1970s was a great one for rock and pop music. And we’re not just talking about The Beatles’ final album, Let It Be. A ton of great music and hit tracks topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the year 1970, and they had to usurp other songs to get there. Let’s take a walk down musical memory lane and explore some really great music that hit No. 1 in 1970!

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“Venus” by Shocking Blue

I have to admit, I still love this 1969 country-rock jam from Dutch outfit Shocking Blue. A lot of people in the early months of 1970 loved it too. This song became a No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 chart. It was also a No. 1 hit in numerous other countries across the globe. “Venus” hit No. 1 on February 7, 1970, and it had to take over the top spot from “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5. That song was also a pretty big hit in the UK, Ireland, Canada, and beyond.

“Let It Be” by The Beatles

Alright, it’s not exactly surprising that The Beatles are on this list. Throughout their career, the Fab Four scored 20 No. 1 hits on the Hot 100 chart and 35 Top 10 hits total. “Let It Be” was one of their last songs to chart, as the band called it quits after the release of this song’s album. “Let It Be” hit No. 1 just a few weeks after it was released, and it maintained that top spot for two weeks and stayed on the chart for 14 total weeks. To get there, the song had to knock down “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel from the top. That folk classic held the top spot for six weeks and stayed on the chart for a total of 14 weeks.

“Tears Of A Clown” by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

Remember this soul-pop jam from Smokey Robinson & The Miracles? “Tears Of A Clown” was one of the biggest hit tracks of the year, and it reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 in late 1970. It stayed at No. 1 for two weeks and remained on the chart for 16 weeks total. To nab that top spot, this jam had to beat “I Think I Love You” by The Partridge Family. That baroque pop song topped the Hot 100 for three weeks.

Photo by Roba Archive/United Archives via Getty Images

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