The Biggest Billboard Hit From the Year You Were Born

Curious what song ruled the charts the year you were born? Music has always been a time capsule for each generation, and Billboard's year-end Hot 100 offers a snapshot of the songs that dominated each chart year. This slideshow follows the No. 1 song on Billboard's year-end Hot 100 from 1958 through 2025. Because the 2026 year-end chart has not been published yet, the final slide is clearly marked as a current 2026 snapshot rather than a finished year-end result.

The list begins in 1958, the year Billboard launched the Hot 100. One important wrinkle: a year-end No. 1 is based on cumulative performance across Billboard's chart year, so a song can finish first for the year without ever reaching No. 1 on a weekly Hot 100. The "Weeks at No. 1" line below refers specifically to weeks spent atop the weekly Hot 100.

• Song: Domenico Modugno, “Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)”
• Genre: Traditional pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 5

• Song: Johnny Horton, “The Battle of New Orleans”
• Genre: Country / folk
• Weeks at No. 1: 6

• Song: Percy Faith And His Orchestra, “Theme From A Summer Place”
• Genre: Easy listening / orchestral pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 9

• Song: Bobby Lewis, “Tossin’ & Turnin’”
• Genre: R&B / rock and roll
• Weeks at No. 1: 7

• Song: Mr. Acker Bilk, “Stranger on the Shore”
• Genre: Easy listening / jazz
• Weeks at No. 1: 1

• Song: The Beach Boys, “Surfin’ U.S.A.”
• Genre: Surf rock / rock and roll
• Weeks at No. 1: 0 (peaked at No. 3)

• Song: The Beatles, “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
• Genre: Pop rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 7

• Song: Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, “Wooly Bully”
• Genre: Garage rock / rock and roll
• Weeks at No. 1: 0 (peaked at No. 2)

• Song: The Mamas & The Papas, “California Dreamin’”
• Genre: Folk rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 0 (peaked at No. 4)

• Song: Lulu, “To Sir With Love”
• Genre: Pop / soul
• Weeks at No. 1: 5

• Song: The Beatles, “Hey Jude”
• Genre: Pop rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 9

• Song: The Archies, “Sugar, Sugar”
• Genre: Bubblegum pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 4

• Song: Simon & Garfunkel, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
• Genre: Folk rock / gospel
• Weeks at No. 1: 6

• Song: Three Dog Night, “Joy to the World”
• Genre: Rock / pop rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 6

• Song: Roberta Flack, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”
• Genre: Soul / pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 6

• Song: Dawn feat. Tony Orlando, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree”
• Genre: Pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 4

• Song: Barbra Streisand, “The Way We Were”
• Genre: Pop / easy listening
• Weeks at No. 1: 3

• Song: Captain & Tennille, “Love Will Keep Us Together”
• Genre: Pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 4

• Song: Wings, “Silly Love Songs”
• Genre: Pop / soft rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 5

• Song: Rod Stewart, “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)”
• Genre: Soft rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 8

• Song: Andy Gibb, “Shadow Dancing”
• Genre: Disco
• Weeks at No. 1: 7

• Song: The Knack, “My Sharona”
• Genre: Power pop / rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 6

• Song: Blondie, “Call Me”
• Genre: New wave / rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 6

• Song: Kim Carnes, “Bette Davis Eyes”
• Genre: New wave / pop rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 9

• Song: Olivia Newton-John, “Physical”
• Genre: Pop / dance-pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 10

• Song: The Police, “Every Breath You Take”
• Genre: New wave / soft rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 8

• Song: Prince, “When Doves Cry”
• Genre: Pop / funk / rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 5

• Song: Wham!, “Careless Whisper”
• Genre: Pop / soul
• Weeks at No. 1: 3

• Song: Dionne & Friends (Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Elton John & Stevie Wonder), “That’s What Friends Are For”
• Genre: Pop / R&B
• Weeks at No. 1: 4

• Song: The Bangles, “Walk Like an Egyptian”
• Genre: New wave / pop rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 4

• Song: George Michael, “Faith”
• Genre: Pop rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 4

• Song: Chicago, “Look Away”
• Genre: Soft rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 2

• Song: Wilson Phillips, “Hold On”
• Genre: Pop / soft rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 1

• Song: Bryan Adams, “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”
• Genre: Soft rock / pop rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 7

• Song: Boyz II Men, “End of the Road”
• Genre: R&B / soul
• Weeks at No. 1: 13

• Song: Whitney Houston, “I Will Always Love You”
• Genre: Pop / R&B
• Weeks at No. 1: 14

• Song: Ace of Base, “The Sign”
• Genre: Pop / dance-pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 6

• Song: Coolio feat. L.V., “Gangsta’s Paradise”
• Genre: Hip-hop / gangsta rap
• Weeks at No. 1: 3

• Song: Los Del Río, “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)”
• Genre: Dance-pop / Latin pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 14

• Song: Elton John, “Candle in the Wind 1997” / “Something About the Way You Look Tonight”
• Genre: Pop / soft rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 14

• Song: Next, “Too Close”
• Genre: R&B
• Weeks at No. 1: 5

• Song: Cher, “Believe”
• Genre: Dance-pop / Eurodance
• Weeks at No. 1: 4

• Song: Faith Hill, “Breathe”
• Genre: Country pop / pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 0 (peaked at No. 2)

• Song: Lifehouse, “Hanging by a Moment”
• Genre: Alternative rock / post-grunge
• Weeks at No. 1: 0 (peaked at No. 2)

• Song: Nickelback, “How You Remind Me”
• Genre: Post-grunge / alternative rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 4

• Song: 50 Cent, “In Da Club”
• Genre: Hip-hop / gangsta rap
• Weeks at No. 1: 9

• Song: Usher feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris, “Yeah!”
• Genre: Crunk / R&B
• Weeks at No. 1: 12

• Song: Mariah Carey, “We Belong Together”
• Genre: R&B / pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 14

• Song: Daniel Powter, “Bad Day”
• Genre: Pop rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 5

• Song: Beyoncé, “Irreplaceable”
• Genre: R&B / pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 10

• Song: Flo Rida feat. T-Pain, “Low”
• Genre: Hip-hop / crunk
• Weeks at No. 1: 10

• Song: The Black Eyed Peas, “Boom Boom Pow”
• Genre: Electropop / hip-hop
• Weeks at No. 1: 12

• Song: Kesha, “Tik Tok”
• Genre: Electropop / dance-pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 9

• Song: Adele, “Rolling in the Deep”
• Genre: Soul / pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 7

• Song: Gotye feat. Kimbra, “Somebody That I Used to Know”
• Genre: Indie pop / art pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 8

• Song: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz, “Thrift Shop”
• Genre: Hip-hop
• Weeks at No. 1: 6

• Song: Pharrell Williams, “Happy”
• Genre: Soul / pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 10

• Song: Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk!”
• Genre: Funk-pop / boogie
• Weeks at No. 1: 14

• Song: Justin Bieber, “Love Yourself”
• Genre: Pop / acoustic pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 2

• Song: Ed Sheeran, “Shape of You”
• Genre: Pop / dancehall
• Weeks at No. 1: 12

• Song: Drake, “God’s Plan”
• Genre: Hip-hop / trap
• Weeks at No. 1: 11

• Song: Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, “Old Town Road”
• Genre: Country rap / trap
• Weeks at No. 1: 19

• Song: The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights”
• Genre: Synth-pop / new wave
• Weeks at No. 1: 4

• Song: Dua Lipa, “Levitating”
• Genre: Nu-disco / pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 0 (peaked at No. 2)

• Song: Glass Animals, “Heat Waves”
• Genre: Indie pop / psychedelic pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 5

• Song: Morgan Wallen, “Last Night”
• Genre: Country pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 16

• Song: Teddy Swims, “Lose Control”
• Genre: Soul / pop
• Weeks at No. 1: 1

• Song: Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile”
• Genre: Pop / pop-soul / soft rock
• Weeks at No. 1: 5

• Song: Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas”
• Genre: Country
• Weeks at No. 1: 21 and counting as of Sept. 9, 2026
• Status: Billboard's 2026 year-end Hot 100 has not been published yet; this is the current Hot 100 No. 1, not a final year-end winner.