Biggest Singles 1978
The UK's Top 40 best-performing singles in 1978 are listed below. They are ordered by their Chart Measured Performance (CHAMP) scores. A single's peak position and the month it peaked are also provided. The Bee Gees and The Boomtown Rats have their best performing singles of the Golden Years (1977-85). Le Freak (No. 17) is Atlantic Records' biggest selling single to date (7 million copies worldwide) but remarkably it is not the best performing No. 7 (see 1984). Darts have three entries in our year-end chart with their three No. 2 singles. Dreadlock Holiday (No. 10) is the biggest reggae hit of the Golden Years, while the Smurf Song is the biggest novelty record.
➀ – ➈ NME peak position (if different from official chart)
| Peak Month | Peak | CHAMP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RIVERS OF BABYLON / BROWN GIRL IN THE RING Boney M | May | 1 | 3,196 |
| 2 | YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANTJohn Travolta And Olivia Newton-John | June | 1 | 2,930 |
| 3 | NIGHT FEVERThe Bee Gees | April | 1 | 1,868 |
| 4 | SUMMER NIGHTSJohn Travolta And Olivia Newton-John | September | 3 | 1,846 |
| 5 | THREE TIMES A LADYThe Commodores | August | 1 | 1,639 |
| 6 | SMURF SONGFather Abraham And The Smurfs | June | 2 | 1,554 |
| 7 | RAT TRAPThe Boomtown Rats | November | 1 | 1,515 |
| 8 | WUTHERING HEIGHTSKate Bush | March | 1 | 1,445 |
| 9 | TAKE A CHANCE ON MEABBA | February | 1 | 1,424 |
| 10 | MATCHSTALK MEN AND MATCHSTALK CATS AND DOGSBrian And Michael | April | 1➃ | 1,408 |
| 11 | DREADLOCK HOLIDAY10cc | September | 1 | 1,361 |
| 12 | DENISBlondie | March | 2➀ | 1,305 |
| 13 | LOVE'S UNKINDDonna Summer | January† | 3➁ | 1,294 |
| 14 | SUBSTITUTEClout | August | 2 | 1,289 |
| 15 | BAKER STREETGerry Rafferty | March | 3➁ | 1,283 |
| 16 | MARY'S BOY CHILDBoney M | December† | 1 | 1,244 |
| 17 | COME BACK MY LOVEDarts | March | 2 | 1,237 |
| 18 | LE FREAKChic | December† | 7➄ | 1,206 |
| 19 | DA 'YA' THINK I'M SEXY?Rod Stewart | December† | 1 | 1,199 |
| 20 | BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIEA Taste Of Honey | August | 3 | 1,174 |
| 21 | DANCIN' IN THE CITYMarshall Hain | July | 3 | 1,171 |
| 22 | WISHING ON A STARRose Royce | March | 3➁ | 1,164 |
| 23 | UPTOWN TOP RANKINGAlthia And Donna | February | 1 | 1,128 |
| 24 | TOO MUCH TOO LITTLE TOO LATEJohnny Mathis And Deniece Williams | May | 3➁ | 1,126 |
| 25 | FIGAROBrotherhood Of Man | February | 1➁ | 1,122 |
| 26 | IT'S A HEARTACHEBonnie Tyler | January† | 4➂ | 1,095 |
| 27 | NEVER LET HER SLIP AWAYAndrew Gold | May | 5➁ | 1,093 |
| 28 | THE BOY FROM NEW YORK CITYDarts | June | 2 | 1,086 |
| 29 | TOO MUCH HEAVENThe Bee Gees | December† | 3➃ | 1,081 |
| 30 | IF YOU CAN'T GIVE ME LOVESuzi Quatro | April | 4➁ | 1,042 |
| 31 | SANDYJohn Travolta | November | 2➂ | 1,031 |
| 32 | RASPUTINBoney M | October | 2 | 1,019 |
| 33 | IT'S RAININGDarts | September | 2 | 1,015 |
| 34 | A TASTE OF AGGROThe Barron Knights | December† | 3 | 1,002 |
| 35 | DON'T IT MAKE MY BROWN EYES BLUECrystal Gayle | January† | 5 | 976 |
| 36 | ANNIE'S SONGJames Galway | July | 3➃ | 962 |
| 37 | I WONDER WHYShowaddywaddy | April | 2➀ | 958 |
| 38 | JILTED JOHNJilted John | September | 4➄ | 953 |
| 39 | MR. BLUE SKYElectric Light Orchestra | February | 6➄ | 947 |
| 40 | LUCKY STARSDean Friedman | October | 3 | 946 |
Chart © Wow Vinyl 2023
➀ – ➈ NME peak position (if different from official chart)
† Part of the chart run was in 1977 or 1979, which has been included in calculating the CHAMP score