The 2 Artists Who Spent Five or More Weeks at No. 1 in 1970

After the 1960s ended, everyone needed a big exhale. It was a tumultuous, change-filled era with social upheaval, giant music festivals, and new songs and bands that changed the world. But as it turned out, things weren’t done when it came to the 1970s. There was more in the works and more revolution on the world’s hands.

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But what about the music? Who were the chart-toppers from the year the new decade began? That’s what we wanted to explore here. Perhaps strangely, there were only two acts who spent five or more weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. Indeed, below are those two bands who spent five or more weeks at No. 1.

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The Jackson 5 (10 Weeks)

It’s incredible to think about the musical career of Michael Jackson. Sure, you can have opinions on him and his life in any number of directions. But when you get down to the music, what he was able to achieve remains unparalleled. He would have been a Hall of Fame artist before he got his learner’s permit. And then he had perhaps the most successful solo career ever after that. It all started, though, with The Jackson 5. And in 1970 his family band was at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks, the only group (other than The Beatles) to have more than one song show up at No. 1 that year. In fact, The Jackson 5 had four songs that hit No. 1 (and The Beatles had two). Indeed, Michael and company hit the top spot with tracks like “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There.”

Simon & Garfunkel (6)

With blissful harmonies, the childhood friends turned chart-toppers Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel showed the world you didn’t just have to rock to be a major force in popular music. They weren’t a novelty act. They weren’t busting speakers and smashing guitars. Instead, they were presenting crisp, clear music to the masses and in turn, the masses at it up. And in 1970, the duo released their song “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” which stayed at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks. The emotive, emotional track remains simply a beautiful work of art today.

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