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These are the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1972.
That year, 18 acts earned their first number one song, such as Don McLean, Al Green, Nilsson, Neil Young, America, Roberta Flack, The Chi-Lites, The Staple Singers, Sammy Davis Jr., Bill Withers, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Looking Glass, Mac Davis, Chuck Berry, Johnny Nash, Helen Reddy, and Billy Paul. Michael Jackson, having previously hit number one with The Jackson 5, also earns his first number one song as a solo act.
Chart history
thumb|[[Don McLean (pictured in 2012) scored a #1 hit with "American Pie" in 1972.]]
thumb|[[Roberta Flack's (pictured in 1995) "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" reached the top spot for six weeks and became the #1 song at year's end.]]
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;"
|+Key
|style="background-color:#FFFF99"|
|style="background-color:#FFFF99"|The yellow background indicates the #1 song on Billboards 1972 Year-End Chart of Pop Singles.
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! width=31|
!Issue date
!Song
!Artist(s)
!Reference
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2|265
|January 1
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"Brand New Key"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|Melanie
|align="center"|
|-
|January 8
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=4|266
|January 15
|align="center" rowspan="4"|"American Pie"
|align="center" rowspan="4"|Don McLean
|align="center"|
|-
|January 22
|align="center"|
|-
|January 29
|align="center"|
|-
|February 5
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1|267
|February 12
|align="center"|"Let's Stay Together"
|align="center"|Al Green
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=4|268
|February 19
|align="center" rowspan="4"|"Without You"
|align="center" rowspan="4"|Nilsson
|align="center"|
|-
|February 26
|align="center"|
|-
|March 4
|align="center"|
|-
|March 11
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1|269
|March 18
|align="center"|"Heart of Gold"
|align="center"|Neil Young
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=3|270
|March 25
|align="center" rowspan="3"|"A Horse with No Name"
|align="center" rowspan="3"|America
|align="center"|
|-
|April 1
|align="center"|
|-
|April 8
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=6|271
|April 15
|bgcolor=#FFFF99 align="center" rowspan="6"|"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"
|align="center" rowspan="6"|Roberta Flack
|align="center"|
|-
|April 22
|align="center"|
|-
|April 29
|align="center"|
|-
|May 6
|align="center"|
|-
|May 13
|align="center"|
|-
|May 20
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1|272
|May 27
|align="center"|"Oh Girl"
|align="center"|The Chi-Lites
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1|273
|June 3
|align="center"|"I'll Take You There"
|align="center"|The Staple Singers
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=3|274
|June 10
|align="center" rowspan="3"|"The Candy Man"
|align="center" rowspan="3"|Sammy Davis Jr.
|align="center"|
|-
|June 17
|align="center"|
|-
|June 24
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1|275
|July 1
|align="center"|"Song Sung Blue"
|align="center"|Neil Diamond
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=3|276
|July 8
|align="center" rowspan="3"|"Lean on Me"
|align="center" rowspan="3"|Bill Withers
|align="center"|
|-
|July 15
|align="center"|
|-
|July 22
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=4|277
|July 29
|align="center" rowspan="4"|"Alone Again (Naturally)"
|align="center" rowspan="4"|Gilbert O'Sullivan
|align="center"|
|-
|August 5
|align="center"|
|-
|August 12
|align="center"|
|-
|August 19
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1|278
|August 26
|align="center"|"Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)"
|align="center"|Looking Glass
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2|re
|September 2
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"Alone Again (Naturally)"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|Gilbert O'Sullivan
|align="center"|
|-
|September 9
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1|279
|September 16
|align="center"|"Black and White"
|align="center"|Three Dog Night
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=3|280
|September 23
|align="center" rowspan="3"|"Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me"
|align="center" rowspan="3"|Mac Davis
|align="center"|
|-
|September 30
|align="center"|
|-
|October 7
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1|281
|October 14
|align="center"|"Ben"
|align="center"|Michael Jackson
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2|282
|October 21
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"My Ding-a-Ling"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|Chuck Berry
|align="center"|
|-
|October 28
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=4|283
|November 4
|align="center" rowspan="4"|"I Can See Clearly Now"
|align="center" rowspan="4"|Johnny Nash
|align="center"|
|-
|November 11
|align="center"|
|-
|November 18
|align="center"|
|-
|November 25
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1|284
|December 2
|align="center"|"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"
|align="center"|The Temptations
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=1|285
|December 9
|align="center"|"I Am Woman"
|align="center"|Helen Reddy
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=3|286
|December 16
|align="center" rowspan="3"|"Me and Mrs. Jones"
|align="center" rowspan="3"|Billy Paul
|align="center"|
|-
|December 23
|align="center"|
|-
|December 30
|align="center"|
|-
|}
Number-one artists
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of number-one artists by total weeks at number one
! Position
! Artist
! Weeks at No. 1
|-
| rowspan=2| 1
| Roberta Flack
| rowspan=2| 6
|-
| Gilbert O'Sullivan
|-
| rowspan=3| 3
| Don McLean
| rowspan=3| 4
|-
| Nilsson
|-
| Johnny Nash
|-
| rowspan=5| 6
| America
| rowspan=5| 3
|-
| Sammy Davis Jr.
|-
| Bill Withers
|-
| Mac Davis
|-
| Billy Paul
|-
| rowspan=2| 11
| Melanie
| rowspan=2| 2
|-
| Chuck Berry
|-
| rowspan=10| 13
| Al Green
| rowspan=10| 1
|-
| Neil Young
|-
| The Chi-Lites
|-
| The Staple Singers
|-
| Neil Diamond
|-
| Looking Glass
|-
| Three Dog Night
|-
| Michael Jackson
|-
| The Temptations
|-
| Helen Reddy
|}
See also
- 1972 in music
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of the 1970s
Sources
- Fred Bronson's Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, 5th Edition ()
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2008, 12 Edition ()
- Joel Whitburn Presents the Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Seventies ()
- Additional information obtained can be verified within Billboard's online archive services and print editions of the magazine.