It was 50 years ago that Americans celebrated the two-hundredth anniversary of the United States, with bicentennial events happening the entire year of 1976.
The year of 1976 was also a transitional period for music in the U.S. With this edition of my musical musings, I will be counting down what I consider to be the best Top 40 singles from 50 years ago.
Top 40 remained the most popular radio format in 1976 with stations flourishing on both AM and FM frequencies. Album Oriented Rock (AOR) and country music radio stations also gained in popularity during the nation’s 200th anniversary.
The most popular music on Top 40 was dominated by guitar-driven classic rock, singer-songwriter pop, disco, R&B/Soul and smooth soft-rock (Now known as yacht rock). Plus, there were some huge country music crossover hits on Top 40 outlets during 1976.
In 1976, I lived in Virginia and was employed by AM/FM combo radio stations in Roanoke: WRIS 1410 and WJLM 93.5. From January to August 1976 both stations were mostly automated, simulcasting religious programing, and aired various live local and national sporting events.
Then in August of ’76, WJLM became a full-fledged live country music formatted station and I was the afternoon DJ during the rest of that year. I remained at WJLM for two more years until I moved to Harrisonburg, Virginia to attend James Madison University in August 1978.
While this article isn’t on the best county music songs from 50 years ago, below are some of my favorite singles that I played on WJLM during 1976.
- Together Again—Emmylou Harris
- Good Hearted Woman—Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson
- One Piece at a Time—Johnny Cash
- Say It Again—Don Williams
- El Paso City—Marty Robbins
- Golden Ring—George Jones & Tammy Wynette
- Rocky Mountain Music—Eddie Rabbit
- I’ll Get Over You—Crystal Gayle
- Faster Horses (The Cowboy and the Poet)—Tom T. Hall
- Sweet Dreams—Emmylou Harris
- If You’ve Got the Money I’ve Got the Time—Willie Nelson
- Let Your Love Flow—The Bellamy Brothers
- All I Can Do—Dolly Parton
- Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L.A.)—Glen Campbell
- The Roots of My Raising—Merle Haggard
Although I worked as a country DJ during 1976, I still was a rock music fan and listening to various Top 40 radio stations over the course of the year. In Roanoke, WROV 1240 AM was the main station where the current hits of 1976 were played.
Above Star Stevens audio link on WROV Roanoke during July 1976. Courtesy of WROV History Website/Pat Garrett.
With WROV being a low powered radio station with only 250 watts at night, the signal could not be heard outside of the Roanoke Valley. After sundown, I regularly heard Top 40 hits on WLS 890 Chicago, Illinois and WABC 770 New York, two clear-channel 50,000 watts AM stations in Virginia.
Above WLS 89 Chicago – John Landecker – August 6, 1976 – Radio Aircheck: Courtesy of Ellis Feaster.
There were also a couple of high-powered FM signals out of North Carolina that I could pick up in the Roanoke Valley and that I listened to on a regular basis. Those Top 40 stations were WRQK 98.7 Greensboro and WKZL 107.5 Winston-Salem, both having 100,000 watts of power.
Above WABC 77 New York – Ron Lundy – October 1976 – Radio Aircheck: Courtesy Ellis Feaster.
One other FM signal that I could occasionally hear in Roanoke in 1976 was Q94 (WRVA 94.5 FM) Richmond, Virginia. This powerhouse Top 40 station had 200,000 watts and its signal would come in the strongest during night time hours.
For the remaining portion of this message, I will be focusing on what I consider to be the most significant top 40 singles from 1976. The songs I feature were all national hits in the U.S.
As I surveyed the prominent hits from 50 years ago, this countdown is entirely based on my opinions. My selections are songs that I deem to be culturally, historically, aesthetically significant, meaningful or relevant.
For my countdown of best 1976 singles, I consulted two sources for my selections: Billboard and Cash Box magazines’ year-end top 100 singles charts for 1976. If a song wasn’t listed by either of the national music charts, it wasn’t eligible to be a part of the countdown.
On Billboard’s Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1976 listing, “Silly Love Songs” by Paul McCartney & Wings came in as the number 1 top-rated hit.
Cash Box Year-End Top 100 singles for 1976 selected “Disco Lady” by Johnnie Taylor as their number 1 biggest hit for that year.
Before I start my countdown of superfine singles, I want to share 10 of my favorite songs that were not ranked by either Cash Box or Billboard on their top 100 year-end charts for 1976.
- You are the Woman—Firefall
- That’ll Be the Day—Linda Ronstadt
- Stand Tall—Burton Cummings
- Shower the People—James Taylor
- If You Know What I Mean—Neil Diamond
- Over My Head—Fleetwood Mac
- Fly Away—John Denver & Olivia Newton-John
- Crazy on You—Heart
- The Tracks on My Tears—Linda Ronstadt
- Takin’ It to the Streets—The Doobie Brothers
Next up are songs I considered for the 1976 countdown but fell outside my top 25 selections. Singles are not ranked and are placed in a random order:
- I Love Music—The O ’Jays
- Summer—War
- Silly Love Song—Paul McCartney & Wings
- Sara Smile—Hall & Oates
- Baby I Love Your Way—Peter Frampton
- Rhiannon—Fleetwood Mac
- Play That Funky Music—Wild Cherry
- Don’t Go Breaking My Heart—Elton John & Kiki Dee
- Fooled Around and Fell in Love—Elvin Bishop
- Devil Woman—Cliff Richard
- With Your Love—Jefferson Starship
- Welcome Back—John Sebastian
- Times of Your Life—Paul Anka
- Rock ‘n’ Me—Steve Miller Band
- Love Hurts—Nazareth
- Beth—KISS
- 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover—Paul Simon
- Fool to Cry—The Rolling Stones
- Getaway—Earth Wind & Fire
- Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)—Rod Stewart
- Love Rollercoaster—The Ohio Players
- The Masquerade—George Benson
- All By Myself—Eric Carmen
- I Write the Songs—Barry Manilow
- Happy Days—Pratt & McClain
Without further ado, my 1976 best top 40 singles countdown begins:
30. You Should Be Dancing—The Bee Gees
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #1 Hot 100 (B), 31st Biggest Song of 1976 (B)
First song that launched the Bee Gees into disco music A catchy up-tempo track meant for dancing.
29. Magic Man—Heart
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #7 Top 100 (C), #9 Hot 100 (B), 80th Biggest Song of 1976 (C)
First top 10 hit by rock band Heart. Siblings Ann Wilson on lead vocals and Nancy Wilson playing guitar. From the “Dreamboat Annie” album.
28. You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)—Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #1 Hot 100 (B), #1 Top 100 (C), 27th Biggest Songs of 1976 (C)
Husband and wife team who formally were members of the 5th Dimension. The couple won a Grammy Award for “Best R&B Performance by a Duo/Group with Vocals” in 1977 for their hit.
27. Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)—Diana Ross
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #1 Hot 100 (B), #1 Top 100 (C), 43 Biggest Songs of 1976 (B)
From the 1975 “Mahogany” film in which Diana Ross stars. It was the third #1 hit single for the Motown singer-songwriter in the 70s as a solo artist.
26. I’d Really Love to See You Tonight—England Dan & John Ford Coley
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #2, Hot 100 (B), #4 Top 100 (C), 21st Biggest Song of 1976 (B)
Soft rock duo from Dallas, Texas. The summer of 1976 single was the duo’s first top 10 hit. England Dan was the younger brother of Seals & Crofts member Jim Seals.
25. Still the One—Orleans
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #5 Hot 100 (B), #6 Top 100 (C), 76th Biggest Songs of 1976 (C)
Written by Orleans band member John Hall, who was guitarist on the track. Larry Hoppen provided lead vocals on the second top 10 hit for the band formed in Woodstock, New York.
24. Sing a Song—Earth Wind & Fire
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #5 Hot 100 (B), 59th Biggest Song of 1976 (B)
Number 1 on Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart. Composed by Maurice White and Al McKay. The tune has an outstanding horn section.
23. If You Leave Me Now—Chicago
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #1 Hot 100 (B), #1 Top 100 (C), 14th Biggest song of 1976 (C)
Written by Chicago’s Peter Cetera. It became the band’s first #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100. The song won 2 Grammy Awards.
22. I’ll Be Good to You—The Brothers Johnson
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #3 Hot 100 (B), #7 Top 100 (C), 61st Biggest Song of 1977 (B)
Written by siblings George and Louis Johnson and produced by Quincy Jones. It was the debut hit from the Los Angeles, California funk/R&B band.
21. Right Back Where We Started From—Maxine Nightingale
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #1 Top 100 (C), #2 Hot 100 (B), 28th Biggest Song of 1976 (B)
British R&B soul singer Maxine Nightingale achieved two U.S. hits: Her 1976 single was an international smash. Then two years later, she scored with “Lead Me On.”
20. Do You Feel Like We Do—Peter Frampton
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #10 Hot 100 (B), #13 Top 100 (C), 99th Biggest Song of 1976 (C)
The single for this track was edited to just under 7 minutes so it would receive Top 40 airplay. The album version clocks in at 14 minutes long and was on the hot rotation with many AOR stations in 1976.
19. Golden Years—David Bowie
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box, #10 Hot 100 (B), #12 Top 100 (C), 33rd Biggest song of 1976 (B)
Lead single from David Bowie’s, 1976 “Station to Station” album. The British artist lays down an R&B/Funk groove on this tune.
18. Take the Money and Run—Steve Miller Band
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #11 Hot 100 (B), 98th Biggest Songs of 1976 (B)
Story song about bandits and a detective pursuing them. Guitar based rock song. The first of three hits from the legendary “Fly Like a Eagle” album.
17. You’re My Best Friend—Queen
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #9 Top 100 (C), #16 Hot 100 (B), 83rd Biggest Songs of 1976 (B)
Written by John Deacon, bassist for Queen. He wrote the pop ballad for his wife Veronica. Song from the 1975, “A Night at the Opera” album.
16. Fox on the Run—Sweet
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #5 Hot 100 (B), #5 Top 100 (C), 63rd Biggest Song of 1976 (C)
Power pop single from English Glam rock band. Became a world-wide hit and one of the biggest singles by Sweet in the U.S.
15. Strange Magic—Electric Light Orchestra
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #14 Hot 100 (B), #14 Top 100 (C), 77th Biggest Song of 1976 (C)
Written by Jeff Lynne and performed by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was originally released on their 1975 “Face the Music” album. Hook-laden tune with slide guitar riffs.
14. Take It to the Limit—Eagles
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #4 Hot 100 (B), #5 Top 100 (C), 25th Biggest Song of 1975 (B)
High tenor voice Randy Meisner distinctive harmonies. Was the third single from Eagles, “One of These Nights” album.
13. Moonlight Feels Right—Starbuck
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #2 Top 100 (C), #3 Hot 100 (B), 34th Biggest Songs of 1976 (B)
Atlanta Georgia band. Had 2 Top 40 hits in the U.S. “I Got to Know” peaked at #38 on Billboard Hot 100. Single is now considered yacht rock in 2026.
12. Dream Weaver—Gary Wright
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #1 Top 100 (C), #2 Hot 100 (B), 17th Biggest Song of 1976 (C)
All instrumentation was created using keyboards except for Jim Keltner’s percussion. Gary Wright was originally front man for English band Spooky Tooth.
11. Say That You Love Me—Fleetwood Mac
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box, #11 Hot 100 (B), #12 Top 100 (C), 53rd Biggest Song of 1976 (B)
Song written by British singer-songwriter Christine McVie for Fleetwood Mac’s 1975 self-titled album. It remains one of the band’s most recognizable songs.
10. She’s Gone—Hall and Oates
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #6 Top 100 (C), #7 Hot 100 (B), 57th Biggest Songs of 1976 (C)
The soul ballad is included on their 1973 album, “Abandoned Luncheonette.” Only reached #60 in 1973. Re-released in 1976 after Sara Smile” by the duo became a hit.
9. The Boys Are Back in Town—Thin Lizzy
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #12 Hot 100 (B), 87th Biggest Song of 1976 (B)
Irish Rock band formed in Dublin in 1969, Only top 40 hit in the U.S. Rolling Stone magazine: Rated the band’s best over-all single by many rock critics.
8. Got to Get You into My Life—The Beatles
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #3 Top 100 (C), #7 Hot 100 (B), 78th Biggest Song of 1976
First released as a track in 1966 on the Beatles “Revolver” album. Released 6 years after the Beatles broke up 1970. Paul McCartney on lead vocals.
7. Show me the Way—Peter Frampton
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #4 Top 100 (C), #6 Hot 100 (B), 35th Biggest Song of 1976 (C)
Biggest U.S. hit on from the “Frampton Comes Alive” album. Song features dynamic guitar playing and strong vocals.
6. Love is Alive—Gary Wright
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #2 Hot 100 (B), #3 Top 100 (C), 9th Biggest Songs of 1976 (B)
Musically all keyboards and drums. Second consecutive Wright single to peak at number 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
5. Lowdown—Boz Scaggs
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #1 Top 100 (C), #3 Hot 100 (B), 49th Biggest Song of 1976 (B)
Co-written by Boz Scaggs and David Paich, keyboardist from rock band Toto. “Lowdown” is categorized in multiple musical genres. R&B, Disco, Jazz, Pop and Yacht Rock. Won a Grammy Award for best R&B song.
4. Dream On—Aerosmith
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #6 Hot 100 (B), 51st Biggest Song of 1976 (B)
From self titled Aerosmith album. Song first released as single in 1973, peaking at #66 on Billboard Hot 100. When re-released in 1976, it was a huge hit on AOR and Top 40 radio. Became signature song for the band.
#59 in 1973. Re-released signature song
3. More Than a Feeling—Boston
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #4 Top 100 (C), #5 Hot 100 (B), 83rd Biggest Song of 1976 (C)
Arena rock band delivering a power ballad. Lead single from Boston’s 1976 self-titled debut album. An electric guitar-dominated rocker that is now considered classic rock.
2. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald—Gordon Lightfoot
Peak Positions on Billboard & Cash Box: #1 Top 100 (C), #2 Hot 100 (B), 22nd Biggest Songs of 1976 (C)
Folk rock ballad written by Gordon Lightfoot is based on an actual historical event. On November 10, 1975, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald ship sank during a storm on Lake Superior with the entire 29-man crew dying that day.
The song’s lyrics paints a haunting and poignant picture of the last voyage with the Great Lakes freighter. It became the biggest selling hit single for the Canadian singer-songwriter.
1. Bohemian Rhapsody—Queen
Peak Positions Billboard & Cash Box: #6 Top 100 (C), #9 Hot 100 (B), 18th Biggest Songs of 1976 (B)
Progressive rock opera written by Freddie Mercury. It is considered the signature song by the British band. Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004 and in 2022, the single was selected for the National Recording Registry.
Rolling Stone magazine ranks Queen’s song at #17 on the “500 Greatest Songs of All List” list. This six-minute suite is a masterpiece. Without a doubt, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is considered one of the greatest classic rock songs ever made and is my #1 top hit for 1976.
That wraps up what I consider to be my favorite and best top 40 hits for 1976. I completely understand that my listing of songs in this category was written from my point of view and is subjective.
If you were creating a similar register of excellent 1976 hits, your tabulation may be totally different. What do you consider to be best preeminent singles from 50 years ago? I hope you will comment below.
Listening to music from the golden age of Top 40 radio will always have a special place in my heart. I still cherish and fondly remember my favorite hit singles of 1976. Rock on!
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