First vs Last No.1 Single of Each Decade in the US

In this article, we’ll be looking at the first and last number-one singles in the US for each decade. The goal is to see how much popular music has shifted or perhaps stayed the same over a ten-year span.

Although music charts have existed since the 1940s, our reference point here is the Billboard Hot 100, which was established in 1958 after the discontinuation of several earlier charts.

Note: This list only counts the first new number one singles in the US of each decade. For example, if a track tops the chart in the final week of December 1979 (or any earlier week in that year ) and continues into January 1980, it will be listed only as the last number one of the ’70s.

First & Last No.1 Single on the Billboard Hot 100 Each Decade

1960s

1960: “El Paso” – Marty Robbins
1969: “Someday We’ll Be Together” – Diana Ross & the Supremes

While the Billboard Hot 100 officially launched in 1958 (with Ricky Nelson’s “Poor Little Fool” as the first No.1), this list starts with the fresh slate of a new decade. In early January 1960, the No.1 single in the US was the western ballad “El Paso” by Marty Robbins.

The decade began with a country sound and saw the rise of rock and pop music as we know it, before ending with a Motown classic by the Supremes. “Someday We’ll Be Together” was the group’s twelfth and final chart-topper in the United States.

1970s

1970: “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” – B. J. Thomas
1979: “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” – Rupert Holmes

The 1970s, arguably the decade with the most timeless music, opened with the easy-listening hit “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” performed by B.J. Thomas, featuring beautiful lyrics by one of the greatest songwriting duos, Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

Amid the disco craze, the rise of new wave, and enduring pop and rock classics, the decade closed with Rupert Holmes’ playful “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)”. Beneath its humor, the track carried a lasting message about honesty and communication in relationships.

1980s

1980: “Please Don’t Go” – KC and the Sunshine Band
1989: “Another Day in Paradise” – Phil Collins

Disco-funk giants KC and the Sunshine Band opened the 1980s with the sentimental post-disco ballad “Please Don’t Go.” The song not only topped the Billboard Hot 100 but also reached No.1 in Australia and Canada. It was the band’s fifth and final US chart-topper, as they broke up shortly afterward and didn’t reunite until 1991.

Phil Collins closed the decade as the last artist to top both the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 in the 1980s, with his fourth studio album “…But Seriously” and its lead single “Another Day in Paradise.”

1990s

1990: “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” – Michael Bolton
1999: “Smooth” – Santana featuring Rob Thomas

Technically, Phil Collins topped the first two weeks of the new decade, but to avoid repetition and for novelty, Michael Bolton began a three-week run at No.1 on January 20 with his rendition of “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You.”

The ’90s may have started cautiously with a pop ballad, but the decade also saw the rise of hip hop, R&B, and the return of hard rock through grunge. So it’s no surprise that it ended with a twelve-week No.1 run by Latin rock icons Santana, who made a mainstream comeback with “Smooth,” featuring Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas.

2000s

2000: “What a Girl Wants” – Christina Aguilera
2009: “Empire State of Mind” – Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

The first new number one single in the United States in the new millennium was Christina Aguilera’s pop/R&B hit “What a Girl Wants.” This was Aguilera’s second consecutive Hot 100 chart-topper which also signaled a new era in mainstream pop.

In a true Naughties fashion, the decade closed with a cross-genre hit by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. “Empire State of Mind” followed the winning formula of a male rapper paired with a strong female R&B, pop, or soul vocalist, a style first popularized in the 1990s but perfected in the 2000s, dominating the charts throughout the decade.

2010s

2010: “Tik Tok” – Kesha
2019: “All I Want for Christmas Is You” – Mariah Carey

Similar to how the 1980s closed, the 2010s opened with an artist ruling both the Billboard 200 and the Hot 100 at the same time. Riding the fresh wave of electronic music, Kesha dominated the charts with her electropop and dance-pop anthem “Tik Tok” – the breakout single from her debut album “Animal”.

Despite the rise of electronic music, the evolution of hip hop, and the growing influence of world music, the 2010s closed out with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Amazingly, this was the first time the holiday classic went to No.1 in the US, 25 years after its release, and with that giving Mimi her 19th chart-topper.

2020s

2020: “The Box” – Roddy Ricch
2029: ????

Although it was technically the third chart-topper of the year, on January 18, Roddy Ricch kicked off the decade in style with “The Box”. The track went on an impressive eleven-week run at No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, showing that trap was here to stay.

Obviously the decade isn’t finished yet, so until 2029 arrives, 2024 temporarily takes the second slot for the 2020s. And at the half point of the decade in December 2024, it was none other than Mariah Carey topping the US charts once again with her timeless Christmas anthem “All I Want for Christmas”.