Billboard Hot 100 Chart – Week of January 3, 1970

Billboard Hot 100 | Top 5 – Week of January 3, 1970

The first Billboard Hot 100 chart of the 1970s opened a brand-new musical decade with a mix of folk-pop, Motown soul, Southern rock, movie soundtrack hits, and singalong favorites. Even though the calendar had changed, many of the sounds that defined the late 1960s still dominated radio across America.

The week ending January 3, 1970 became the bridge between two legendary musical eras.

🎵 Top 5 Songs (January 3, 1970)

1. “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” – B.J. Thomas
   The smooth soundtrack hit climbed to #1 and became the first chart-topper of the 1970s.
2. “Leaving On A Jet Plane” – Peter, Paul & Mary
   The folk trio’s emotional farewell ballad remained near the top.
3. “Someday We’ll Be Together” – Diana Ross & The Supremes
   Motown’s historic farewell hit for Diana Ross stayed inside the Top 3.
4. “Down On The Corner/Fortunate Son” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
   CCR’s powerful double-sided single continued one of the era’s strongest chart runs.
5. “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” – Steam
   The unforgettable singalong anthem remained one of the biggest crossover hits of the season.

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The First #1 Song of the 1970s

The biggest story this week was B.J. Thomas reaching #1 with “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head.”

Featured in the hit film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the song gave the new decade a warm and optimistic beginning. Written by legendary songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David, the record stood apart from the heavier rock music dominating much of the late 1960s.

Its smooth melody and easygoing style made it one of the defining pop songs of the era.

At #2, Peter, Paul & Mary continued their successful run with “Leaving On A Jet Plane,” written by John Denver. The song represented one of the final major folk-pop hits before the 1970s shifted more heavily toward singer-songwriters and album-oriented rock.

Diana Ross & The Supremes remained at #3 with “Someday We’ll Be Together,” a historic Motown release that marked Diana Ross’s farewell before launching her solo career. The song had already earned its place in music history as the final #1 hit of the 1960s.

Creedence Clearwater Revival held strong at #4 with “Down On The Corner/Fortunate Son.” Few groups represented working-class American rock better than CCR during this period. “Fortunate Son” especially had become one of the defining protest songs of the Vietnam era.

Steam rounded out the Top 5 with “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye,” a song that transformed from a studio afterthought into one of the most recognizable crowd anthems ever recorded.

The Billboard Hot 100 for January 3, 1970 showed that while the decade had changed, the incredible diversity of late-1960s music still ruled America’s radios — from folk harmonies and Motown soul to Southern rock and movie soundtrack pop.