The Beatles have split, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin are dead, and culture is on the ropes in a year when the top two songs are accidental hits. Meanwhile, everything is political as taxpayer funding takes protest and activism mainstream, radical revolutionaries get violent and All in the Family debuts. But Singer-Songwriters, story songs, religion and nostalgia offer sanctuary to help soothe frayed nerves.

#1 Song of the Year   The top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Hot100 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year

Artists of the Year   The top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year

1. James Brown
2. Carpenters
3. Three Dog Night

Artist with Most Charting Songs   Artist(s) with the most Hot100 charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)

• James Brown (9)

Average #1 Artist Age   The average of how old artists who scored #1 Hot100 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1

• 25.9 years

#1 Songs   List of Hot100 #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1

1. George Harrison – My Sweet Lord (December ’70, 4 wks)
2. Dawn – Knock Three Times (January, 3 wks)
3. The Osmonds – One Bad Apple (February, 5 wks)
4. Janis Joplin – Me and Bobby McGee (March, 2 wks)
5. The Temptations – Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) (April, 2 wks)
6. Three Dog Night – Joy to the World (April, 6 wks)
7. The Rolling Stones – Brown Sugar (May, 2 wks)
8. The Honey Cone – Want Ads (June, 1 wk)
9. Carole King – It’s Too Late (June, 5 wks)
10. The Raiders – Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian) (July, 1 wk)
11. James Taylor – You’ve Got a Friend (July, 1 wk)
12. Bee Gees – How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (August, 4 wks)
13. Paul & Linda McCartney – Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey (September, 1 wk)
14. Donny Osmond – Go Away Little Girl (September, 3 wks)
15. Rod Stewart – Maggie May (October, 5 wks)
16. Cher – Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves (November, 2 wks)
17. Isaac Hayes – Theme from Shaft (November, 2 wks)
18. Sly & The Family Stone – Family Affair (December, 3 wks)