Top 100 Songs of 1972: The Year-End Chart

“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack was the biggest hit of 1972, finishing at No. 1 on the year-end Top 100 ahead of “Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O'Sullivan and “American Pie” by Don McLean. The year-end chart ranks the songs that performed best across the whole year, not just in a single week.

8 acts placed more than one song on the list, led by Al Green (3), Don Mclean (2), Nilsson (2), Bill Withers (2), Michael Jackson (2). None of the 100 songs was on the 1971 year-end list.

The 1970s: the sound of the era

Singer-songwriters and soft rock dominated the early 1970s, while funk, Philadelphia soul and finally disco took over the dance floor. The year-end charts of the decade are some of the most varied ever, mixing ballads, rock anthems, novelty hits and the Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever era.

Born in 1954? This was the year you turned 18. Tune the mixer to your year, or try today’s Name That Year game.

The full 1972 year-end Top 100

Source: Billboard’s year-end singles chart, as compiled on Wikipedia. Hey DJ 4U is an independent site, not affiliated with Billboard. ▶ plays the song in Hey DJ 4U; ♪ searches for it on Apple Music. Spotted an error? Tell us.