15 Biggest Summer Songs Of the 1970s

The ‘70s took the creative spark of ‘60s albums and ran wild with it—rock, R&B, and fresh new genres all pushed boundaries like never before. But even with all that experimentation, catchy singles still ruled the airwaves. From smooth AM radio grooves to bold disco anthems, the summer charts stayed hot with unforgettable hooks. This list rounds up the biggest pop hits from the summer months of the decade—skipping over some of the softer stuff from artists like Gilbert O’Sullivan and Donny Osmond to keep things lively.

1. “Grease” (Frankie Valli)
Frankie Valli’s “Grease” kicked off the soundtrack’s success in summer 1978 with a disco twist. While the movie leaned into ’50s nostalgia, this funky, dancefloor-ready anthem—written by Barry Gibb—brought the groove. It marked a comeback for Valli after his Four Seasons days and stood out among the hits from Sha Na Na and John Travolta that followed.

2. “Ring My Bell” (Anita Ward)
Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell” was first written for a kid and meant to be about a simple phone call. But when grown-up disco singer Anita Ward took it on, that catchy title suddenly sounded a whole lot more flirty. With its pulsing beat and playful vibe, the song turned into a summer hit full of double meaning—and disco magic.

3. “Boogie Oogie Oogie” (A Taste of Honey)
A Taste of Honey’s “Boogie Oogie Oogie” delivered one of disco’s fiercest guitar solos, with Hazel Payne channeling Ernie Isley vibes straight from “That Lady.” The song earned them a Grammy for Best New Artist, but their moment in the spotlight didn’t last. Despite its funk and flash, the band became one of many examples of the so-called Best New Artist curse.

4. “Indian Reservation” (The Raiders)
The early Seventies saw a wave of pop culture moments centered on Native American awareness, from PSAs to Oscar speeches. Riding that wave, The Raiders reworked a long-forgotten 1959 track into “Indian Reservation,” turning it into a powerful hit in 1971. Formerly known as Paul Revere and the Raiders, the band made the song a defining anthem of that moment.

5. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (Diana Ross)
In 1967, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” introduced the world to Ashford & Simpson’s songwriting magic. Just three years later, Diana Ross transformed it into a sweeping six-minute solo debut. With spoken word parts and big dramatic moments, it marked the powerful beginning of her post-Supremes career and gave the song a whole new life.

6. “Angel in Your Arms” (Hot)
Hot made a bold debut in 1977 with “Angel in Your Arms,” a song that stood out just as much as the trio behind it. With Gwen Owens, Cathy Carson, and Juanita Curiel representing three different backgrounds, they brought a unique energy to the R&B scene. Backed by Muscle Shoals pros Clayton Ivey and Terry Woodford, their country-flavored hit became an unexpected radio favorite.

7. “War” (Edwin Starr)
“War” was first meant for the Temptations, but its bold anti-Vietnam message was considered too controversial for them. So Motown gave it to Edwin Starr, whose fiery delivery turned it into a No. 1 hit in 1970. That same summer, the Temptations dropped the more cautious “Ball of Confusion.” Years later, Bruce Springsteen proved the song’s lasting power by reviving it as a Top 10 hit in 1986.

8. “Play That Funky Music” (Wild Cherry)
“Play That Funky Music” was an autobiographical song for Wild Cherry, who primarily played hard rock but began writing material to cater to audiences that increasingly wanted to hear disco and dance music. In 1990, the song was interpolated by Vanilla Ice for a top 10 hit of the same name, but like Queen and David Bowie, Wild Cherry initially received no songwriting credit from Robert Van Winkle.

9. “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” (Jim Croce)
Jim Croce’s biggest hit was inspired by a strong-willed lineman the folk singer met while in the Army. Unfortunately, the upbeat track’s success coincided with the singer’s own tragic end when Croce died in a Louisiana plane crash on September 20, 1973, just at the conclusion of the summer in which “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” had topped the charts.

10. “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” (Elton John & Kiki Dee)
A bubbly Motown pastiche, Elton John’s smash duet with Kiki Dee was one of his few Seventies hits without a John/Taupin writing credit. This, however, was something of a ruse: Elton and Bernie Taupin simply published the song under the playful pseudonyms Ann Orson and Carte Blanche.

11. “(They Long To Be) Close To You” (The Carpenters)
“(They Long To Be) Close To You” had a rocky start in the ’60s, with versions by Richard Chamberlain, Dionne Warwick, and even Burt Bacharach failing to chart high. But in 1970, The Carpenters gave the tune a fresh, heartfelt spin. Their soft harmonies and Karen Carpenter’s warm vocals turned it into a timeless classic and marked the beginning of their rise to pop stardom.

12. “I Feel the Earth Move” (Carole King)
Carole King ruled the summer of ’71 with her groundbreaking solo album Tapestry, which sat at the top of the charts from June to October. Its double A-side single “It’s Too Late”/“I Feel the Earth Move” also hit No. 1, with the energetic “I Feel the Earth Move” standing out as the feel-good, foot-stomping favorite of the season — and a defining track of the album’s massive success.

13. “Bad Girls” (Donna Summer)
Donna Summer brought the heat in 1979 with “Bad Girls,” a funky disco anthem that owned the summer airwaves. It spent five weeks at No. 1 during July and August, cementing her place as the season’s reigning diva. And she wasn’t done yet — earlier that year, “Hot Stuff” hit the top spot, and she ended the year strong with the Barbra Streisand duet “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough).”

14. “Best of My Love” (The Emotions)
The Emotions had been around since the late ’60s, releasing soulful albums on Stax/Volt with legends like Isaac Hayes and David Porter. But their big moment didn’t arrive until they switched to Columbia Records. That’s where Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire stepped in, co-writing and producing the upbeat smash “Best of My Love” — a joyful anthem that shot straight to No. 1.

15. “My Sharona” (The Knack)
The Knack frontman Doug Feiger’s muse and girlfriend, Sharona Alperin, both inspired and posed for the cover of the fastest-selling Capitol Records single since “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” In the era of disco and AM Gold, the media was ecstatic when its guitar pop topped the charts, but New Wave at Number One proved to be a rare occurrence in the ensuing years.