Billboard #1 Soul Songs Of 1978 Rankdown (COMPLETE)

[Soulsista]

Today's extra was the follow-up to his #1 soul hit "You And I". It peaked at #3 on the soul chart and almost hit the Top 40 on the Hot 100, peaking at #41. It was notably sampled in the remix to Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real".

Mary Jane - Rick James

[jenglisbe]

Feb 25, 2022 17:12:34 GMT -5 Soulsista said:

14. Our Love - Natalie Cole
#LisaRinna - 2
Ivy Leegue™ - 3
annoymous1 - 3
jenglisbe - 3

The taste jumped out!

As for "Got To Get You Into My Life" not even being top 10, and me being the only top 5 ranking...what in the entirety of the world?! That horn section is so fucking tight you'd cum in 20 seconds. Y'all can get all the fuck the way out!

[mamooshka]

Feb 25, 2022 19:24:49 GMT -5 🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 said:

Feb 25, 2022 17:27:43 GMT -5 Soulsista said:

13. Get Off - Foxy

Formed in Hialeah, Florida, Foxy had their biggest hit with "Get Off". It topped the soul chart and peaked inside the Top 10 on the Hot 100.

Totally undeserving. Y'all ain't got no rhythm whatsoever...rhythmless nation 😏

Interesting discovery for me. This funky outfit was the backing band for a hit by one of the whitest bands in the world. 'Voulez-Vous' was the only studio track by ABBA that was recorded outside of Sweden (in Miami, to be precise).

[Soulsista]

Welcome back!

We kick off the Top 10 and cross the 300-point mark with a song that has six Top 5s, three bottom 5s, and one perfect ranking.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Soul Class Of '78}gonecountry wyckyd ccarter1023 singingrulebritannia DJDaveMick69 rowellfarm490 Mirago mamooshka Ivy Leegue™ Private Dancer BB🌕 🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 aerodynamite back2blk Ky SHOOTER .indulgecountry Gonza'90 annoymous1 razorshark divasummer #LisaRinna jenglisbe samo🦕 Juanca Jay D83

[Soulsista]

10. The Closer I Get To You - Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway

Written by James Mtume and Reggie Lucas, "The Closer I Get To You" was the second duet by Roberta and Donny to top the soul chart, after 1972's "Where Is The Love". It was originally intended to be a solo single for Roberta, but her manager suggested that it be a duet. Donny at the time had been battling clinical depression and schizophrenia, which caused him and Roberta to record their parts separately. The song was a huge success, reaching the Top 5 on the Hot 100 and becoming Donny's biggest pop hit.

Sadly, Donny would pass away a few months later, having jumped from the 15th floor balcony of a hotel. Roberta dedicated "The Closer I Get To You" to him and announced that all the money made from the song would be donated to his family.

The song was notably covered by Luther Vandross and Beyonce in 2003.


Stats
Chart Entry: February 11, 1978
Peak Date: April 1, 1978
Weeks At #1: 2
Weeks In Top 10: 11
Weeks On Chart: 19
Hot 100 Peak: #2

Points: 318
Average: 10.77
Standard Deviation: 5.708 (8th highest)

.indulgecountry - 2
gonecountry - 3
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 4
annoymous1 - 4
Private Dancer - 5
#LisaRinna - 5

DJDaveMick69 - 6
Mirago - 6
Ivy Leegue™ - 6
divasummer - 6
Soulsista - 7
mamooshka - 10

ccarter1023 - 11
SHOOTER - 11
wyckyd - 12
back2blk - 14
Juanca - 14
singingrulebritannia - 15
rowellfarm490 - 15
Ky - 15

aerodynamite - 17
Gonza'90 - 17
jenglisbe - 17
BB🌕 - 19
razorshark - 19
samo🦕 - 20

Observing
Jay D83


A #1 will be lost with the next reveal. Five others will be losing a Top 5 while 10 others will shed a bottom 10.

[Soulsista]

9. Stuff Like That - Quincy Jones feat. Chaka Khan and Ashford & Simpson

Released from his Sounds...And Stuff Like That! album, "Stuff Like That" was the first of four soul charttoppers for Quincy as an artist, and hit the Top 40 on the Hot 100. An updated version was included on his 1995 album Q's Jook Joint with Chaka, Ashford & Simpson, Charlie Wilson, Brandy, and Ray Charles.

Apologies to Ky...


Stats
Chart Entry: May 20, 1978
Peak Date: July 1, 1978
Weeks At #1: 1
Weeks In Top 10: 9
Weeks On Chart: 20
Hot 100 Peak: #21

Points: 327
Average: 10.42
Standard Deviation: 5.293 (10th highest)

Ky - 1
samo🦕 - 2
.indulgecountry - 4
DJDaveMick69 - 5
aerodynamite - 5
Gonza'90 - 5

wyckyd - 6
mamooshka - 6
rowellfarm490 - 7
Juanca - 8
divasummer - 9
Mirago - 10

gonecountry - 11
singingrulebritannia - 11
#LisaRinna - 11
Soulsista - 12
razorshark - 13
ccarter1023 - 14
Ivy Leegue™ - 14
BB🌕 - 14
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 14

SHOOTER - 16
jenglisbe - 16
annoymous1 - 17
Private Dancer - 19
back2blk - 21

Observing
Jay D83


Another #1 goes down with the next reveal, taking with it six other Top 5s and seven bottom 10s.

[Soulsista]

8. Close The Door - Teddy Pendergrass

BABY-MAKIN' MUSIC ALERT!

"Close The Door" was the first release from Teddy's sophomore album Life Is a Song Worth Singing. It was the first of his three soul #1s and was his first Top 40 hit on the Hot 100. It's also been certified gold.

Apologies to back2blk...


Stats
Chart Entry: May 27, 1978
Peak Date: July 8, 1978
Weeks At #1: 2
Weeks In Top 10: 9
Weeks On Chart: 19
Hot 100 Peak: #25

Points: 343
Average: 9.81
Standard Deviation: 5.470 (9th highest)

back2blk - 1
SHOOTER - 3
Gonza'90 - 3
Private Dancer - 4
Soulsista - 5
singingrulebritannia - 5
Ivy Leegue™ - 5

rowellfarm490 - 6
BB🌕 - 7
.indulgecountry - 7
wyckyd - 8
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 9
Ky - 9
#LisaRinna - 9
gonecountry - 10
aerodynamite - 10
divasummer - 10

ccarter1023 - 12
samo🦕 - 12
jenglisbe - 13
DJDaveMick69 - 15
Mirago - 16
mamooshka - 17
razorshark - 17

Leave The Door Open:
annoymous1 - 21
Juanca - 21

Observing
Jay D83


The next reveal looked poised to finish in the Top 5...until the later lists came in. With eleven Top 5s, including a #1, and ten bottom 10s, it has the highest SD.

[gonecountry]

Baby- Making music alert is right. He's got a lot of love to give...

Teddy had a great voice. Always enjoyed his duet with Whitney "Hold Me", among others.

[Soulsista]

7. Flash Light - Parliament

"Flash Light" is one of Parliament's biggest hits, the first of their two soul charttoppers and peaked inside the Top 20 on the Hot 100. A million seller, it also helped their album Funkentelechy Vs. The Placebo Syndrome go platinum. According to The Houston Press, it's George Clinton's most sampled song.

Apologies to aerodynamite...


Stats
Chart Entry: January 28, 1978
Peak Date: March 4, 1978
Weeks At #1: 3
Weeks In Top 10: 12
Weeks On Chart: 20
Hot 100 Peak: #16

Points: 347
Average: 9.65
Standard Deviation: 6.782 (Highest)

aerodynamite - 1
gonecountry - 2
singingrulebritannia - 2
rowellfarm490 - 2
BB🌕 - 2
wyckyd - 3
Soulsista - 4
back2blk - 4
Mirago - 5
mamooshka - 5
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 5

SHOOTER - 6
Ivy Leegue™ - 8
Private Dancer - 9
Gonza'90 - 9

DJDaveMick69 - 11
annoymous1 - 14
razorshark - 14
jenglisbe - 14

Juanca - 16
divasummer - 17
ccarter1023 - 19
Ky - 19
.indulgecountry - 19
#LisaRinna - 20

samo🦕 - 21

Observing
Jay D83


The last song to miss the Top 5 has the 2nd lowest SD. Four Top 5s will go down, and only three of you will lose a bottom 10.

[Soulsista]

6. Use Ta Be My Girl - The O'Jays

From their So Full Of Love album, "Use Ta Be My Girl" was the last big pop hit for The O'Jays, peaking in the Top 5 on the Hot 100. This million-selling single was also their longest-running #1 on the soul chart.


Stats
Chart Entry: April 8, 1978
Peak Date: May 27, 1978
Weeks At #1: 5
Weeks In Top 10: 13
Weeks On Chart: 21
Hot 100 Peak: #4

Points: 357
Average: 9.27
Standard Deviation: 3.436 (2nd lowest)

DJDaveMick69 - 3
samo🦕 - 3
ccarter1023 - 4
divasummer - 5

Soulsista - 6
back2blk - 6
wyckyd - 7
#LisaRinna - 8
gonecountry - 9
singingrulebritannia - 9
BB🌕 - 9
annoymous1 - 9
jenglisbe - 9
rowellfarm490 - 10
Private Dancer - 10
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 10
SHOOTER - 10
Gonza'90 - 10

Mirago - 11
mamooshka - 11
Ky - 12
.indulgecountry - 12
Juanca - 12
Ivy Leegue™ - 15
razorshark - 15
aerodynamite - 16

Observing
Jay D83

[Soulsista]

The Top 5:

You And I - Rick James
Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste Of Honey
One Nation Under a Groove - Funkadelic
I'm Every Woman - Chaka Khan
Le Freak - Chic

Chic, Chaka, and Rick are back in the Top 5...will one of them take the crown? Or will Funkadelic or A Taste Of Honey snatch it from their clutches? And there's still a last place ranking out there, where will it end up?

Find out when the Billboard #1 Soul Songs Of 1978 Rankdown concludes tomorrow!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Soul Class Of '78}gonecountry wyckyd ccarter1023 singingrulebritannia DJDaveMick69 rowellfarm490 Mirago mamooshka Ivy Leegue™ Private Dancer BB🌕 🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 aerodynamite back2blk Ky SHOOTER .indulgecountry Gonza'90 annoymous1 razorshark divasummer #LisaRinna jenglisbe samo🦕 Juanca Jay D83

[Private Dancer]

BOOGIE OOGIE STILL IN!!!! COME ON TASTE OF HONEY!!! YESSS

[Soulsista]

Today's extra was the first charted single by a then-teenage singer born in The Bronx and raised in Philadelphia. It peaked at #7 on the soul chart and #9 on the Hot 100, and was notably covered by Zhané in 1994.

Shame - Evelyn "Champagne" King

[Soulsista]

This is it...the conclusion of the Billboard #1 Soul Songs Of 1978 Rankdown!

The first song leaving us has two #1s...and four bottom 10s.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Soul Class Of '78}gonecountry wyckyd ccarter1023 singingrulebritannia DJDaveMick69 rowellfarm490 Mirago mamooshka Ivy Leegue™ Private Dancer BB🌕 🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 aerodynamite back2blk Ky SHOOTER .indulgecountry Gonza'90 annoymous1 razorshark divasummer #LisaRinna jenglisbe samo🦕 Juanca Jay D83

[Soulsista]

5. You And I - Rick James

Born in Buffalo, New York, Rick got his start in various bands before joining the US Navy Reserve in an effort to avoid being drafted into the army. He eventually deserted and wound in Toronto, where he formed a band called The Mynah Birds which included Neil Young. They signed with Motown in 1966, but their momentum was short lived when Rick was taken into custody by the military and sentenced to a year behind bars.

After serving his prison sentence, he headed out west, joining various bands before forming his own, The Stone City Band. He signed again with Motown in the late '70s and released his debut album Come Get It! The first single, "You And I", topped the soul chart and reached the Top 20 on the Hot 100.

Apologies to wyckyd and #LisaRinna...


Stats
Chart Entry: May 20, 1978
Peak Date: July 22, 1978
Weeks At #1: 2
Weeks In Top 10: 11
Weeks On Chart: 22
Hot 100 Peak: #13

Points: 367
Average: 8.88
Standard Deviation: 4.676 (4th lowest)

wyckyd - 1
#LisaRinna - 1
mamooshka - 3
Mirago - 4
Ivy Leegue™ - 4

ccarter1023 - 6
Gonza'90 - 6
Juanca - 6
DJDaveMick69 - 7
rowellfarm490 - 8
BB🌕 - 8
aerodynamite - 8
samo🦕 - 8
Soulsista - 9
SHOOTER - 9
razorshark - 9
singingrulebritannia - 10
back2blk - 10

🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 11
Ky - 11
gonecountry - 12
jenglisbe - 12
.indulgecountry - 15

divasummer - 16
Private Dancer - 17
annoymous1 - 20

Observing
Jay D83


Three #1s will be lost with the next reveal. Eight others will shed a bottom 10.

[back2blk]

This will officially be a fire top 4!

[Soulsista]

4. One Nation Under a Groove - Funkadelic

"One Nation Under a Groove" was the first of two soul charttoppers by the other George Clinton-led funk band. It was also their only Top 40 hit on the Hot 100, making it their biggest hit. It was included as one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time and in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll.

Apologies to singingrulebritannia, rowellfarm490, and Mirago...


Stats
Chart Entry: August 19, 1978
Peak Date: September 30, 1978
Weeks At #1: 6
Weeks In Top 10: 16
Weeks On Chart: 25
Hot 100 Peak: #28

Points: 371
Average: 8.73
Standard Deviation: 5.855 (6th highest)

singingrulebritannia - 1
rowellfarm490 - 1
Mirago - 1
wyckyd - 2
aerodynamite - 2
BB🌕 - 3
SHOOTER - 4
Juanca - 4
razorshark - 5

mamooshka - 7
Ivy Leegue™ - 7
Private Dancer - 7
Ky - 7
Soulsista - 8
gonecountry - 8
jenglisbe - 8

back2blk - 11
#LisaRinna - 12
DJDaveMick69 - 14
.indulgecountry - 14
ccarter1023 - 15
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 15

annoymous1 - 16
samo🦕 - 17
Gonza'90 - 19
divasummer - 19

Observing
Jay D83

Two more #1s go down with the next reveal. Five bottom 10s will also bid farewell...and one of them is the final last place ranking.

[Private Dancer]

Please let Chaka be next to be out...

[Private Dancer]

Feb 25, 2022 22:41:04 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

Feb 25, 2022 17:12:34 GMT -5 Soulsista said:

14. Our Love - Natalie Cole
#LisaRinna - 2
Ivy Leegue™ - 3
annoymous1 - 3
jenglisbe - 3

The taste jumped out!

As for "Got To Get You Into My Life" not even being top 10, and me being the only top 5 ranking...what in the entirety of the world?! That horn section is so f**king tight you'd cum in 20 seconds. Y'all can get all the f**k the way out!

Hold up now...I'm just seeing these last few sentences and LMAO!!!

[Soulsista]

3. Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste Of Honey

Formed in Los Angeles, A Taste Of Honey honed their craft for years before signing with Capitol Records. Their first single, "Boogie Oogie Oogie", topped the soul, disco, and pop charts, and helped their self-title debut album go platinum. It was also Capitol's first single to be certified platinum, which at the time meant that 2 million copies had been shipped. The song helped A Taste Of Honey win a Grammy for Best New Artist.

Apologies to Private Dancer and 🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲...


Stats
Chart Entry: May 13, 1978
Peak Date: August 5, 1978
Weeks At #1: 1
Weeks In Top 10: 9
Weeks On Chart: 25
Hot 100 Peak: #1 (3 weeks)

Points: 422
Average: 6.77
Standard Deviation: 6.134 (4th highest)

Private Dancer - 1
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 1
Soulsista - 2
DJDaveMick69 - 2
Mirago - 2
SHOOTER - 2
divasummer - 2
back2blk - 3
Ky - 3
.indulgecountry - 3
singingrulebritannia - 4
mamooshka - 4
BB🌕 - 4
wyckyd - 5
ccarter1023 - 5
rowellfarm490 - 5
Juanca - 5

aerodynamite - 7
Gonza'90 - 8
Ivy Leegue™ - 10
samo🦕 - 10

Wallflowers:
annoymous1 - 13
#LisaRinna - 13
razorshark - 20
jenglisbe - 20
gonecountry - 22

Observing
Jay D83

[Soulsista]

vs.




One of these songs has the lowest SD. Which song will take the gold?

The final two will be revealed shortly!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Soul Class Of '78}gonecountry wyckyd ccarter1023 singingrulebritannia DJDaveMick69 rowellfarm490 Mirago mamooshka Ivy Leegue™ Private Dancer BB🌕 🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 aerodynamite back2blk Ky SHOOTER .indulgecountry Gonza'90 annoymous1 razorshark divasummer #LisaRinna jenglisbe samo🦕 Juanca Jay D83

[Soulsista]

But first, an extra. It was one of his 15 Top 10s on the soul chart, peaking at #2.

Your Sweetness Is My Weakness - Barry White

[#LisaRinna]

NOT wallflowers! lol

[Private Dancer]

Feb 22, 2022 22:02:58 GMT -5 Private Dancer said:

I'm Every Woman is going to win.


Bootzilla and which way is up will be the first one out.

Boogie Oogie probably #3

I told yall...

Chich song kinda overrated...I'm Every Woman is good but does not deserved to win

[Soulsista]

2. I'm Every Woman - Chaka Khan

While still performing with the band Rufus, Chaka cut a deal with Warner Bros. Records. Her first solo single, "I'm Every Woman", quickly shot to the top of the soul chart. Written by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, it also reached the Top 30 on the Hot 100 and helped her solo debut album Chaka go gold. It was covered by Whitney Houston for The Bodyguard soundtrack and was an international success.


Stats
Chart Entry: October 7, 1978
Peak Date: November 11, 1978
Weeks At #1: 3
Weeks In Top 10: 10
Weeks On Chart: 20
Hot 100 Peak: #21

Points: 486
Average: 4.31
Standard Deviation: 4.057 (3rd lowest)

Soulsista - 1
BB🌕 - 1
.indulgecountry - 1
Gonza'90 - 1
annoymous1 - 1
razorshark - 1
divasummer - 1
samo🦕 - 1
ccarter1023 - 2
mamooshka - 2
Ivy Leegue™ - 2
Private Dancer - 2
Ky - 2
rowellfarm490 - 3
Juanca - 3
gonecountry - 4
#LisaRinna - 4

singingrulebritannia - 6
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 6
back2blk - 7
SHOOTER - 7
jenglisbe - 7
DJDaveMick69 - 8
wyckyd - 10

aerodynamite - 12
Mirago - 17

Observing
Jay D83

---

And now, the #1...everyone had this in their Top 8!



1. Le Freak - Chic

"Le Freak" was the first pop and soul charttopper by this band fronted by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. It also topped the disco chart, hit #1 in four other countries, and reached the Top 10 in many more.

The story behind the song is quite interesting. According to Nile, he and Bernard had been invited to the infamous Studio 54 nightclub in NYC by Grace Jones. But when they got there, the doorman told them to "f**k off" and slammed the door in their faces. They decided to write a song based on that experience, with the "f**k off" line originally in it. The lyric was eventually changed to "freak out", and thus, "Le Freak" was born.

"Le Freak" was the lead single from Chic's sophomore album C'est Chic, and became the first song to hit #1 on the Hot 100 three separate times in the same run. It's also in the National Recording Registry.

Congrats to ccarter1023, mamooshka, and Ivy Leegue™ for a perfect Top 2!


Stats
Chart Entry: October 21, 1978
Peak Date: December 2, 1978
Weeks At #1: 5
Weeks In Top 10: 12
Weeks On Chart: 20
Hot 100 Peak: #1 (6 weeks)

Points: 514
Average: 3.23
Standard Deviation: 1.986 (Lowest)

gonecountry - 1
ccarter1023 - 1
DJDaveMick69 - 1
mamooshka - 1
Ivy Leegue™ - 1
SHOOTER - 1
back2blk - 2
Gonza'90 - 2
annoymous1 - 2
Juanca - 2
Soulsista - 3
singingrulebritannia - 3
Mirago - 3
🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 - 3
divasummer - 3
#LisaRinna - 3

wyckyd - 4
rowellfarm490 - 4
aerodynamite - 4
Ky - 4
samo🦕 - 4
BB🌕 - 5
jenglisbe - 5
.indulgecountry - 6
Private Dancer - 8
razorshark - 8

Observing
Jay D83


And that concludes the Billboard #1 Soul Songs Of 1978 Rankdown! Thanks to everyone who participated.

For all you '90s R&B lovers...1991 is on the way!

[Jay D83]

OMG the correct song, which would've been my #1 won! Kick ass top 5, y'all.

"Le Freak" is pants down the best disco song....EVER.

[singingrulebritannia]

Feb 27, 2022 13:05:03 GMT -5 Soulsista said:

3. Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste Of Honey
gonecountry - 22

Damn ok then you must have really hated my rankdown

Jun 21, 2020 20:03:29 GMT -5 singingrulebritannia said:

12
Boogie Oogie Oogie
A Taste Of Honey

gonecountry - 12

[Ivy Leegue™]

Wow. 5 perfect rankings for a rankdown full of songs I mostly didn't care about, LOL. My best showing yet! Some of these results were baffling (especially Our Love...), but the right top 2 made it, so yay! Thanks for another great rankdown, Soulsista!

[gonecountry]

Feb 27, 2022 14:04:18 GMT -5 singingrulebritannia said:

Feb 27, 2022 13:05:03 GMT -5 Soulsista said:

3. Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste Of Honey
gonecountry - 22

Damn ok then you must have really hated my rankdown

Jun 21, 2020 20:03:29 GMT -5 singingrulebritannia said:

12
Boogie Oogie Oogie
A Taste Of Honey

gonecountry - 12

singingrulebritannia I just went back and checked my submission for your Funk rankdown - which I did enjoy - I just really love 1978 R&B.  BOO could have been as high as 19 on my list, based upon the mood of the day.   My top 10 was never going to change.  Glad to see Parliament, the O'Jays and Funkadelic do so well.

Thanks Soulsista for another great rankdown!  Looking forward to 1991. 

[Gonza'90]

Great Top 2 Thanks for hosting Soulsista