Below is a list from Billboard magazine’s Top ear-End Hot 100 songs for 1978. Chart © by Billboard, a part of MRC Media and Info, a division of MRC. All Rights Reserved. Learn more about Billboard here.
Top 100 Songs of 1978
1Shadow Dancing – Andy Gibb
2You Light Up My Life – Debby Boone
3Stayin’ Alive – The Bee Gees
4Night Fever – The Bee Gees
5Kiss You All Over – Exile
6(Love Is) Thicker Than Water – Andy Gibb
7How Deep Is Your Love – The Bee Gees
8Boogie Oogie Oogie – A Taste Of Honey
9Baby Come Back – Player
10Three Times a Lady – The Commodores
11I Go Crazy – Paul Davis
12Grease – Frankie Valli
13You’re the One That I Want – John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
14Emotion – Samantha Sang
15Lay Down Sally – Eric Clapton
16Miss You – The Rolling Stones
17Just the Way You Are – Billy Joel
18With a Little Luck – Wings
19If I Can’t Have You – Yvonne Elliman
20Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) – Chic
21Feels So Good – Chuck Mangione
22Hot Child In the City – Nick Gilder
23Love Is Like Oxygen – The Sweet
24We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions – Queen
25Baker Street – Gerry Rafferty
26Can’t Smile Without You – Barry Manilow
27Too Much, Too Little, Too Late – Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams
28Dance With Me – Peter Brown
29Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad – Meat Loaf
30Jack and Jill – Raydio
31Take a Chance On Me – Abba
32Hopelessly Devoted to You – Olivia Newton-John
33Last Dance – Donna Summer
34You’re In My Heart (The Final Acclaim) – Rod Stewart
35The Closer I Get to You – Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
36Magnet and Steel – Walter Egan
37Dust In the Wind – Kansas
38Short People – Randy Newman
39Use Ta Be My Girl – The O’Jays
40Our Love – Natalie Cole
41Love Will Find a Way – Pablo Cruise
42An Everlasting Love – Andy Gibb
43Love Is in the Air – John Paul Young
44Goodbye Girl – David Gates
45Slip Slidin’ Away – Paul Simon
46The Groove Line – Heatwave
47Thunder Island – Jay Ferguson
More 53 Top Songs of 1978
- It’s a Heartache – Bonnie Tyler
- Sometimes When We Touch – Dan Hill
- Hot Blooded – Foreigner
- Imaginary Lover – Atlanta Rhythm Section
- Still the Same – Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
- My Angel Baby, Toby Beau
- Disco Inferno – The Trammps
- On Broadway – George Benson
- Come Sail Away – Styx
- (Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again – L.T.D.
- This Time I’m in It for Love – Player
- You Belong to Me – Carly Simon
- Here You Come Again – Dolly Parton
- Blue Bayou – Linda Ronstadt
- Peg – Steely Dan
- You Needed Me – Anne Murray
- Shame – Evelyn “Champagne” King
- Reminiscing – Little River Band
- Count On Me – Jefferson Starship
- Baby Hold On – Eddie Money
- Hey Deanie – Shaun Cassidy
- Summer Nights – John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
- What’s Your Name – Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue – Crystal Gayle
- Because the Night – Patti Smith
- Every Kinda People – Robert Palmer
- Copacabana (At the Copa) – Barry Manilow
- Always and Forever – Heatwave
- You and I – Rick James
- Serpentine Fire – Earth, Wind and Fire
- Sentimental Lady – Bob Welch
- Falling, LeBlanc and Carr
- Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood – Santa Esmeralda
- Bluer Than Blue – Michael Johnson
- Running On Empty – Jackson Browne
- Whenever I Call You “Friend” – Kenny Loggins
- Fool (If You Think It’s Over), Chris Rea
- Get Off – Foxy
- Sweet Talkin’ Woman – Electric Light Orchestra
- Life’s Been Good – Joe Walsh
- I Love the Nightlife – Alicia Bridges
- You Can’t Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On) – High Inergy
- It’s So Easy – Linda Ronstadt
- Native New Yorker – Odyssey
- Flashlight – Parliament
- Don’t Look Back – Boston
- Turn to Stone – Electric Light Orchestra
- I Can’t Stand the Rain – Eruption
- Ebony Eyes – Bob Welch
- The Name of the Game – Abba
- We’re All Alone – Rita Coolidge
- Hollywood Nights – Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
- Deacon Blues – Steely Dan
Need more great song suggestions for your Playlists?
No problem at all; check out the Best Songs About Clouds, the Best Songs about Friday, the Best Songs About Friendship, the Best Songs About Change, the Best Songs About Heroes, as well as the Best Songs About Magic for more quality song selections.
Top 100 Songs of 1978 – Final Thoughts
The top 100 songs of 1978 showcased a wide variety of music styles, from disco to rock to pop. Many of the songs on the list became instant classics and are still enjoyed today, such as “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees, “Grease” by Frankie Valli, and “Hot Blooded” by Foreigner.
The year also marked the debut of several artists who would go on to have long and successful careers, including the Police and Van Halen. Overall, the top 100 songs of 1978 represent a time of musical experimentation and diversity, reflecting the changing tastes of audiences during this era.