Number One In '75
Did you know that back in 1975, a shark movie was the biggest film in the world and people were excited to get a rock as a gift (yes, a literal rock)? Like it or not, these were the songs, shows, movies, books, and even toys that were number one back in 1975. And while some have stood the test of time—others were probably forgotten by 1976. How many of them do you remember?
Number One Movie (Box Office)
Movie: Jaws
If Universal Pictures kept their box office returns in a boat—they needed a bigger one after the release of Jaws. Often referred to as the first blockbuster, Jaws wasn't just the highest grossing movie of the year in 1975, it was the highest grossing movie of all time (until Star Wars came along in 1977).
Jaws (1975) - Quint Is Devoured Scene (9/10) | Movieclips, Movieclips
Number One Toy
Toy: Pet Rock
The best-selling toy of 1975 was the Pet Rock. The rock came in a box with ventilation holes and sat on a bed of straw (you know, just like a pet carrier).
Hempdiddy (talk), Wikimedia Commons
Number One Song (Billboard)
Song: :"Love Will Keep Us Together" (Captain & Tennille)
Throughout 1975, there were a bunch of songs that spent time atop the coveted Billboard Hot 100 chart. But only one song held that number one spot for four weeks. After all was said and done,
Number One Song (UK Singles Chart)
Song: "Bye Bye Baby" (The Bay City Rollers)
Across the pond—Scottish pop rock band The Bay City Rollers had the biggest single of the year in the UK. "Bye Bye Baby" spent six weeks at the top of the UK Singles chart in 1975 (the most of any one song that year).
Bay City Rollers - Bye Bye Baby 1975 HD, Filo Vranov
Number One TV Show (Ratings)
Show:
All in the Family was a top 10 show for seven of its nine seasons and is one of only three shows to ever be number one in the Nielsen ratings for five consecutive TV seasons—the 1974-75 season being one of them (the 1975-76 season was one as well—for those looking to cover the entirety of 1975).
All In The Family UNSCRIPTED! - Archie makes Mike laugh, Curb Your Meemz
Number One Non-Comedy TV Show (Ratings)
Show:
The 1974-75 television season was a sitcom goldmine—with the top seven highest-rated shows of the season being comedies. But coming in at number eight was The Waltons, making it the highest-rated non-comedy series of the year. "Goodnight, John-Boy".
The Waltons - The Search (1975) Lost in the Woods, Sofia M.
Number One Fiction Book (NY Times)
Book: Centennial (James A Michener)
James A Michener's saga of the West, Centennial, spent the first five weeks of 1975 atop the New York Times best-sellers list. Then after a week off, it came back for 11 more weeks at number one.
University of Texas at Arlington News Service Photograph Collection, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Movie (Academy Awards)
Movie: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Jaws did pick up a Best Picture nomination at the 48th Academy Awards, but it was One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) deemed the top movie of 1975.
Number One Movie (BAFTA)
Movie:
Considered by many to be the second most prestigious film awards—after the Oscars—the British Academy Film Awards handed out their Best Film statue to Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
ELLEN BURSTYN in ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (1974) Directed by Martin Scorsese, Darwin Pictures
Number One Movie (Cahiers Du Cinéma)
Movie: Barry Lyndon
In 2007, the famous, and highly-respected French film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma put out a list of the 100 greatest films of all time (based on votes from 78 film critics and film historians). The highest ranked film from 1975 was Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon (it ranked in 67th position on the list).
Barry Lyndon (1975) Original Trailer [FHD], HD Retro Trailers
Number One Airline
Airline: Pan American World Airways
After almost going bankrupt, Pan Am came back hard and that resilience earned them "Airline of the Year" honors in 1975.
Ted Quackenbush, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Football Team
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
Led by Quarterback Terry Bradshaw and that infamous Steel Curtain defense, the Pittsburgh Steelers won four Super Bowls in the 1970s. The one they won on January 12, 1975 was their first (beating the Minnesota Vikings 16-6).
And since technically most of that season was actually played in 1974, we want to also point out that the Steelers won the next Super Bowl as well (beating the Cowboys 21–17).
Malcolm Emmons, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Musical Artist (Singles)
Artist: Elton John
Elton John spent a cumulative seven weeks at number one on the Hot 100 in 1975, with three songs: "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (two weeks), "Philadelphia Freedom" (two weeks), and "Island Girl" (three weeks). Captain & Tennille and Neil Sedaka tied for second with four weeks each.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Musical Artist (Albums)
Artist: Elton John
Like he did with the Hot 100, Elton John also ruled the roost on the Billboard 200 album charts. He had three albums reach number one in 1975 for a total of 15 weeks at the top: "Elton John's Greatest Hits" (five weeks), "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" (seven weeks), and "Rock of the Westies" (three weeks).
CBS Television Uploaded by We hope at en. wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Album (Billboard)
Album: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (Elton John)
While Elton John's Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy and Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti both spent six straight weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart in 1975—Captain Fantastic came back for a seventh non-consecutive week later in the year to give it the most weeks in the top spot.
And while a Brit was ruling the American charts in 1975, it was an American group leading the way in Britain. ..
Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy (First Union Center, Philadelphia 1998), Elton John
Number One Album (UK Album Chart)
Album: The Best of the Stylistics (The Stylistics)
American soul group The Stylistics didn't hit number one in the States, but their The Best of the Stylistics album did reach number one in the UK. And along with a five-week streak at the top, the album had two separate two-week stints at number one—for a total of nine weeks in the poll position.
I Can't Give You Anything - The Stylistics (1975) HD, PS Cesar
Number One Performance Of "A Chorus Line" (Broadway)
After workshopping it off-Broadway, the musical A Chorus Line premiered on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on July 25, 1975.
Donaldson Collection, Getty Images
Number One Nonfiction Book (NY Times)
Book:
Although criticized for supposed factual inaccuracies, Charles Berlitz's nonfiction book did much to popularize the theories (conspiracy and otherwise) regarding the now-famed Bermuda Triangle.
Meg McNamara, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Comedy TV Show (Emmys)
Show: The Mary Tyler Moore Show
All in the Family won the ratings but Emmy voters decided that The Mary Tyler Moore Show was the best comedy on television at both the 1975 and 1976 Primetime Emmy Awards.
Number One Drama TV Show (Emmys)
Show:
Because of how TV seasons overlap two calendar years, we wanted to mention the Outstanding Drama Series winner at both the 1975 and 1976 Emmys. Upstairs, Downstairs took it home in May of 1975 and Police Story won the award at the 1976 ceremony.
Upstairs Downstairs trailer, AcornMediaUS
Number One Critic (Pulitzer)
Critic: Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1975—becoming the first film critic to ever win the award.
Rebert (Roger Ebert), Wikimedia Commons
Number One Album (Sales: USA)
Album: Elton John's Greatest Hits (Elton John)
And just to put a final cherry on top of the sundae that was Elton John's amazing 1975—to go along with all the number one songs and albums, he also had the best-selling album in America that year. Elton John's Greatest Hits was certified diamond for US sales of more than 10 million copies.
Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Album (Sales: Worldwide)
Album:
Elton John might've had the best selling album in America in 1975—but around the world it was Pink Floyd who had the best-selling album that year. Wish You Were Here (the band's follow-up to their masterpiece, The Dark Side of the Moon) sold upwards of around 23 million copies across the globe.
Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Actress: Isabelle Adjani
French actress Isabelle Adjani was 20 years old when she received her first Best Actress Oscar nomination that year, for her performance in the film The Story of Adele H. It made her, at the time, the youngest woman ever nominated in that category.
The Story of Adele H (1975) - Trailer | French, Allusion to Shadow
Number One Oldest Acting Winner (Academy Awards)
Actor: George Burns
George Burns was 80 years old when he won his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in 1975's The Sunshine Boys. That made him the oldest person to win an acting award—a record he held until 1989 when Jessica Tandy won Best Actress in 1989 (Driving Miss Daisy).
Knock, Knock, Knock - The Sunshine Boys (75), Luke Hansen
Number One Kids Book
Book:
This was the first book in the Little Critter series.
Little Critters Just For You By Mercer Mayer, Children's Storybook Readings
Number One Baseball Team
Team: Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Boston Red Sox four games to three in the 1975 Fall Classic—in what Sam Miller of ESPN called the best World Series ever.
1975 WS Gm7: Reds tie game on Rose's two-out single, MLB
Number One Album (Grammys)
Album: Still Crazy After All These Years (Paul Simon)
Featuring four top 40 hits—including the number one track 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover—Still Crazy After All These Years earned Simon both an Album of the Year Grammy as well as one for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
Nationaal Archief, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Album (Rolling Stone Magazine)
Album: Blood on the Tracks (Bob Dylan)
Rolling Stone magazine has called Blood on the Tracks the best album of 1975: "Bob Dylan shocked the world with Blood on the Tracks, the album where he sang in a fiery new adult voice — a man in pain, brooding over lost love, as he rambles on down the road".
Chris Hakkens, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Album (Paste Magazine)
Album: Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen)
While Paste Magazine ranked Blood on the Tracks as the sixth best album of 1975, they have called Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run the best album of that year: "The most cohesive rock and roll album ever made, Born to Run turned Bruce Springsteen into a superstar for the rest of his life".
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run (Official Video), Bruce Springsteen
Artist: Natalie Cole
The daughter of Nat King Cole, Nathalie Cole became the first African American recipient of the Best New Artist Grammy in 1975. 16 years later, she would become the first African American woman to win Album of the Year.
NBC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Female Artist
Artist: Janis Ian
Singer-songwriter Janis Ian had a great year in 1975. Not only did she take home the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female (for her song "At Seventeen")—But her album Between the Lines also hit number one on the Billboard 200 album charts.
Number One Hockey Team
Team: Philadelphia Flyers
The 1974-75 NHL season culminated in May of 1975 with the Philadelphia Flyers defeating the Buffalo Sabres in six games. While it was an American team that won—that flyers team was the last Stanley Cup championship team to be composed solely of Canadian players.
Memories: Flyers win Stanley Cup to make history, NHL
Number One Director (Academy Awards)
Director: Milos Forman
With the Academy deeming One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest the best film of the year, they also agreed that the director of said film, Milos Forman, was the best director of 1975.
Number One Play (Tony Awards)
Play: Equus
The story of a young man who has a pathological religious fascination with horses won the Tony for Best Play at the 29th Tony Awards on April 20, 1975. Two years later, it was made into a movie, directed by Sidney Lumet.
Number One Musical (Tony Awards)
Musical: The Wiz
AKA The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz, this play took home seven Tony Awards that year. And in a very fun fact sort of way—the 1978 film version of The Wiz was directed by Sidney Lumet (who, as we just discussed, had turned Equus into a movie the year prior).
The Wiz (1975; Original Broadway Cast Footage), MrMusical 6
Story: The Fall of Saigon
While there were many big events that happened that year, it's hard to argue that there was anything bigger than the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975—an event that marked the end of the Vietnam War.
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U. S. Navy, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Actor (Awards)
Actor: Jack Nicholson
For his performance in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Nicholson didn't just win the Oscar—he also took home a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and was named the best actor by the National Board of Review, the National Society of Film Critics Awards, and the New York Film Critics Circle Awards. Oh yeah, he also won Best Foreign Actor at the David di Donatello Awards (the Italian Oscars).
Number One Actress (Awards)
Actress: Louise Fletcher
While she didn't win as many awards as her co-star Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher's performance in Cuckoo's Nest did lead to her winning Best Actress at the Oscars, the Golden Globes, and the BAFTAs.
Los Angeles Times, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Basketball Team
Team: Golden State Warriors
Decades before Steph Curry and the gang won their titles, future Hall of Famer Rick Barry led the 1974-75 Golden State Warriors to an NBA Championship—defeating Washington in four straight games in the finals. Barry was also named Finals MVP.
Number One Country Song (Billboard)
Song: "Rhinestone Cowboy" (Glen Campbell)
Only one song spent more than two weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1975. You guessed it—"Rhinestone Cowboy" spent three non-consecutive weeks at number one that year.
Glen Campbell - Rhinestone Cowboy, Glen Campbell
Number One Country Artist (Billboard)
Artist: Merle Haggard
Haggard didn't have any songs spend more than two weeks on the Hot Country Singles chart in 1975, but he did spend five weeks in the top spot with four different songs throughout the year.
Freddy Fender also spent five weeks at number one. But he did it with three songs, not four—so we gave Haggard the nod on this one.
Country Music Association, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Country Song (Grammys)
Song: "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" (BJ Thomas)
The Grammy for Best Country Song of 1975 went to "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song". Besides the awesome title, the track hit number one on both the Hot Country Singles and the Billboard Hot 100 charts in '75.
And speaking of that title. ..
B. J. Thomas Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song, Jerry L. Farris (jfneon)
Number One Longest Number One Song Title (Billboard)
Song: "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song " (BJ Thomas)
At 10 words (including parentheticals), "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" became the longest title of any single to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart, up to that time.
B.J. Thomas - Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song (1975) (HD), NVNCBL
Number One Supermodel
Supermodel: Margaux Hemingway
In 1975, Time magazine named Margaux Hemingway one of the "New Beauties" and put her on the cover. Hemingway also signed a million-dollar contract as the face of Fabergé's Babe perfume (an unprecedented number at the time).
IPPA photographer, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Football Player (MVP)
Player: Fran Tarkenton
One of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Fran Tarkenton of the Minnesota Vikings won the NFL MVP Award in 1975—leading his team to a 12–2 record (they started 10-0) and the top spot in the Central Division.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Comedy Movie (Box Office)
Movie: The Rocky Horror Picture Show or Shampoo
The Rocky Horror Picture Show was the second highest grossing film of the year. But, if you don't consider this horror comedy film enough of a comedy, we also included the fifth highest grosser that year, Shampoo (starring Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, and Goldie Hawn).
Number One British Movie In The United States (Box Office)
Movie:
One of the greatest comedies of all time, Monty Python and the Holy Grail grossed more at the American box office than any other British film in 1975.
Monty Python & the Holy Grail -
Number One Documentary (Academy Awards)
Documentary: The Man Who Skied Down Everest
As the film's title suggests, this great documentary looks at Yuichiro Miura—a Japanese alpinist who skied down Mount Everest in 1970. The film was also preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2010.
The Man Who Skied Down Everest (Full Oscar-Winning Documentary), Wonder
Number One Baseball Player (MVP)
Player: Fred Lynn and Joe Morgan
Boston Red Sox center fielder Fred Lynn was named American League MVP in 1975 and Joe Morgan of the Cincinnati Reds took home the National League MVP award.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Episode Of Saturday Night Live
The very first episode of Saturday Night Live aired on October 11, 1975.
The Wolverines - Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live
Number One Saturday Night Live Host
Host: George Carlin
George Carlin hosted that first episode of SNL—but didn't appear in any sketches (per his request).
Monologue: George Carlin on Football and Baseball - SNL, Saturday Night Live
Number One Saturday Night Live Musical Guest
Musical Guests: Janis Ian & Billy Preston
The musical guests on that first episode were Janis Ian & Billy Preston. Preston performed "Nothing from Nothing" and "Fancy Lady". Janis Ian performed "At Seventeen" and "In the Winter".
David Hume Kennerly, Wikimedia Commons
Number One African American SNL Host
Host: Richard Pryor
Arguably the best standup alive in 1975, Richard Pryor was the first African American to host Saturday Night Live—which he did on December 13, 1975 (the show's seventh episode).
Word Association - Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live
Number One Male Tennis Player
Player: Arthur Ashe
The winner of three other tournaments in 1975 to go along with his victory at Wimbledon that year, Arthur Ashe was named the ATP Player of the Year.
Bogaerts, Rob / Anefo, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Female Tennis Player
Player: Chris Evert
Evert won 15 singles tournaments in 1975 as well as both the French Open and the US Open. She was also the inaugural WTA number one and ended as the year-end number one as well.
Original: Los Angeles Times Derivative work: Danyele, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Disco Song
Song: "The Hustle" (Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony)
Both the song and the dance took over pop culture in the summer of 1975. "The Hustle" was a number one hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles charts. It also hit number one in Canada and number three in the UK.
Over 1 million copies of the single were sold and the track even picked up a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.
Van McCoy - The Hustle (Official Music Video) [HD], Reservoir Recordings
Number One Movie Star (Movie Earnings)
Star: Robert Shaw
Robert Shaw was in three movies in 1975—and in total, those three movies brought in a total (adjusted for inflation) box office of $2.73 billion, making him the number one movie star that year (based on box office). Now, to be fair, we should point out that one of those films was
If you look at the top three movie stars on the 1975 list they are: Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, and Roy Scheider (all of whom were in Jaws).
Jaws (1975) - The Indianapolis Speech Scene (7/10) | Movieclips, Movieclips
Number One Movie Star (Theater Owners)
Star: Robert Redford
Putting box office aside, a poll of theater owners ranked the top 10 movie stars of 1975 and according to that poll, it was Robert Redford who was the biggest movie star going.
For the curious among you: Barbra Streisand was number two and Al Pacino came in third.
SDASM Archives, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Movie Star (Salary)
Star: Steve McQueen & Paul Newman
In 1975, Steve McQueen and Paul Newman starred in The Towering Inferno and both actors were paid $1 million and 10% of the gross.
The Towering Inferno Trailer, eigayokoku1212
Number 1 Richest Person In The World
Person: J Paul Getty
By 1957, Getty was already the wealthiest living American—and in 1966, the Guinness Book of Records called him the world's wealthiest private citizen (worth around $1.2 billion). He remained the world's richest person in 1975—by then, his worth was up around the $6 billion mark.
Los Angeles Daily News, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Basketball Player (MVP)
Player: Bob McAdoo
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the NBA MVP Award in 1974 and 1976. But in 1975, it went to the center for the Buffalo Braves, Bob McAdoo.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
Number One Hockey Player (MVP)
Player: Bobby Clarke
The 1975 NHL MVP Award (AKA the Hart Memorial Trophy) went to Philadelphia Flyers center Bobby Clarke.
Bruce Bisping, Wikimedia Commons
Number One American State (Population)
State: California
The population of the United States back in 1975 was approximately 216 million—and the most populous state in the union was (as it is today) California (27.3 million).
Number One Country (Population)
Country: China
In 2025, India is the most populous country in the world. However, back in 1975, that title belonged to China and its 916,116,793 people.
Number One Physicists (Nobel Prize)
Physicists: Niels Bohr, Ben Roy Mottelson, Leo James Rainwater
These three were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for "the discovery of the connection between collective motion and particle motion in atomic nuclei and the development of the theory of the structure of the atomic nucleus based on this connection".
Number One Poet (Nobel Prize)
Poet: Eugenio Montale
Italian poet Eugenio Montale was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1975, for "his distinctive poetry which, with great artistic sensitivity, has interpreted human values under the sign of an outlook on life with no illusions".
Peter P. McKann, Wikimedia Commons
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