Disco peaks, then collapses mid-year after a “Disco Sucks” riot in Chicago, New Wave breaks out with “My Sharona,” and the rest of the year is a mostly Disco-free grab bag on the Hot100. Diva Donna Summer and Michael Jackson weather the backlash, and KC & The Sunshine Band scores with a Ballad, but The Village People, Chic and The Bee Gees vanish, Story Songs make a comeback and Rod Stewart is second-guessing his brazen Disco gambit.

#1 Song of the Year   The top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Hot100 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year

Artists of the Year   The top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year

1. Donna Summer
2. Chic
3. Kenny Rogers

Artist with Most Charting Songs   Artist(s) with the most Hot100 charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)

• 7-WAY TIE: Donna Summer/Chic/Earth, Wind and Fire/Village People/Peaches & Herb/Olivia Newton-John/ABBA (4)

Average #1 Artist Age   The average of how old artists who scored #1 Hot100 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1

• 31.3 years

#1 Songs on the Weekly Hot100   List of Hot100 #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1

1. Chic – Le Freak (December ’78, 6 wks)
2. Bee Gees – Too Much Heaven (January, 2 wks)
3. Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? (February, 4 wks)
4. Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive (March, 3 wks)
5. Bee Gees – Tragedy (March, 2 wks)
6. The Doobie Brothers – What a Fool Believes (April, 1 wk)
7. Amii Stewart – Knock on Wood (April, 1 wk)
8. Blondie – Heart of Glass (April, 1 wk)
9. Peaches & Herb – Reunited (May, 4 wks)
10. Donna Summer – Hot Stuff (June, 3 wks)
11. Bee Gees – Love You Inside Out (June, 1 wk)
12. Anita Ward – Ring My Bell (June, 2 wks)
13. Donna Summer – Bad Girls (July, 5 wks)
14. Chic – Good Times (August, 1 wk)
15. The Knack – My Sharona (August, 6 wks)
16. Robert John – Sad Eyes (October, 1 wk)
17. Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough (October, 1 wk)
18. Herb Alpert – Rise (October, 2 wks)
19. M – Pop Muzik (November, 1 wk)
20. Eagles – Heartache Tonight (November, 1 wk)
21. Commodores – Still (November, 1 wk)
22. Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer – No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (November, 2 wks)
23. Styx – Babe (December, 2 wks)
24. Rupert Holmes – Escape (The Pina Colada Song) (December, 3 wks)
25. KC & The Sunshine Band – Please Don’t Go (January ’80, 1 wk)