Biggest Singles 1978
The UK's Top 40 best-performing singles in 1978 are listed below. 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.
Singles are ordered by their Chart Measured Performance (CHAMP) scores. A single's peak position and the month it peaked are also provided.
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 TRAP ⏹The 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 STREET ⏹Gerry 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 SKY ⏹Electric Light Orchestra | February | 6➄ | 947 |
| 40 | LUCKY STARSDean Friedman | October | 3 | 946 |
Chart © Wow Vinyl 2025
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
⏹ Featured on The Wall for 1978