List of Hot Soul Singles number ones of 1978

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by Billboard that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. In 1978, it was published under the title Hot Soul Singles. During that year, 22 different singles topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations and surveys of retail sales outlets.[1]

George Clinton (pictured in later life) topped the chart in 1978 as the leader of two groups, Parliament and Funkadelic.

Three acts which formed part of George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic collective, known for its eclectic mix of funk and psychedelic rock and its use of science fiction imagery, topped the chart in 1978.[2] In the issue of Billboard dated March 4, Parliament reached number one for the first time with "Flash Light".[3] After three weeks in the top spot the single was displaced by "Bootzilla" by Bootsy's Rubber Band, led by bass guitarist Bootsy Collins, one of the collective's principal members.[4] Finally, in September, Funkadelic gained its first chart-topper with "One Nation Under a Groove (Part 1)".[5] Both Parliament and Funkadelic featured largely the same musicians, with the different names reflecting differing styles of music.[6][7] "One Nation Under a Groove (Part 1)" was the year's longest-running chart-topper, spending six weeks at number one. The track is regarded as a classic of the funk genre and was included on a list of 500 songs that shaped rock and roll compiled by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[8]

Several other acts gained the first soul number ones of their respective careers in 1978, beginning in the issue of Billboard dated January 7 when Con Funk Shun topped the chart with "Ffun".[9] In February, both Stargard and Enchantment reached number one for the first time with "Theme Song from 'Which Way Is Up'" and "It's You That I Need" respectively.[10] Both Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams topped the chart for the first time when they collaborated on "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" in April, and Quincy Jones, a successful producer, composer and band leader since the 1950s, gained his first chart-topping soul single in his own right with "Stuff Like That".[11] Later in the year, Teddy Pendergrass achieved his first solo number one after having been previously successful as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, and Rick James, A Taste of Honey and Foxy all reached the top of the chart for the first time.[12] The year's final chart-topper "Le Freak" was another debut number one, as Chic reached the top spot for the first time in the issue of Billboard dated December 2 and stayed there for the remainder of the year.[13] The song is regarded as a classic of the disco genre and was selected in 2018 for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant."[14]

Chart history
Bootsy Collins (pictured in later life) topped the chart as the leader of Bootsy's Rubber Band and also as a member of both Parliament and Funkadelic.
Rick James topped the chart with "You and I".
Chaka Khan (pictured in later life) had her first solo number one in 1978 with "I'm Every Woman".
"Stuff Like That" was a chart-topper for Quincy Jones (pictured in later life).
Key
Billboard ranked "Serpentine Fire" by Earth, Wind & Fire as the best-charting soul single of 1978.[15] It spent seven weeks at number 1 in 1977 but never reached number 1 in 1978.
Issue date Title Artist(s) Ref.
January 7 "Ffun" Con Funk Shun [16]
January 14 [17]
January 21 "Our Love" Natalie Cole [18]
January 28 [19]
February 4 "Theme Song from 'Which Way Is Up'" Stargard [20]
February 11 [21]
February 18 "Too Hot ta Trot" The Commodores [22]
February 25 "It's You That I Need" Enchantment [23]
March 4 "Flash Light" Parliament [24]
March 11 [25]
March 18 [26]
March 25 "Bootzilla" Bootsy's Rubber Band [27]
April 1 "The Closer I Get to You" Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway [28]
April 8 [29]
April 15 "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams [30]
April 22 [31]
April 29 [32]
May 6 [33]
May 13 "Take Me to the Next Phase (Part 1)" The Isley Brothers [34]
May 20 [35]
May 27 "Use ta Be My Girl" The O'Jays [36]
June 3 [37]
June 10 [38]
June 17 [39]
June 24 [40]
July 1 "Stuff Like That" Quincy Jones [41]
July 8 "Close the Door" Teddy Pendergrass [42]
July 15 [43]
July 22 "You and I" Rick James [44]
July 29 [45]
August 5 "Boogie Oogie Oogie" A Taste Of Honey [46]
August 12 "Three Times a Lady" The Commodores [47]
August 19 [48]
August 26 "Get Off" Foxy [49]
September 2 [50]
September 9 "Holding On (When Love Is Gone)" L.T.D. [51]
September 16 [52]
September 23 "Got to Get You into My Life" Earth, Wind & Fire [53]
September 30 "One Nation Under a Groove (Part 1)" Funkadelic [54]
October 7 [55]
October 14 [56]
October 21 [57]
October 28 [58]
November 4 [59]
November 11 "I'm Every Woman" Chaka Khan [60]
November 18 [61]
November 25 [62]
December 2 "Le Freak" Chic [63]
December 9 [64]
December 16 [65]
December 23 [66]
December 30 [67]

See also
  • List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1978

References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (1996). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942-1995. Record Research Incorporated. p. xii. ISBN 9780898201154.
  2. Kellman, Andy. "George Clinton Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (1988). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942-1988. Record Research Incorporated. p. 330. ISBN 9780898201154.
  4. Wynn, Ron. "Bootsy Collins Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (1988). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942-1988. Record Research Incorporated. p. 162. ISBN 9780898201154.
  6. Bush, John. "Parliament Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  7. Bush, John. "Funkadelic Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  8. "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll By Song (N–P)". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  9. Whitburn, Joel (1988). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942-1988. Record Research Incorporated. p. 98. ISBN 9780898201154.
  10. Whitburn, Joel (1988). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942-1988. Record Research Incorporated. pp. 138, 388. ISBN 9780898201154.
  11. Whitburn, Joel (1988). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942-1988. Record Research Incorporated. pp. 228, 278, 444. ISBN 9780898201154.
  12. Whitburn, Joel (1988). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942-1988. Record Research Incorporated. pp. 157, 217, 324, 401. ISBN 9780898201154.
  13. Whitburn, Joel (1988). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942-1988. Record Research Incorporated. p. 85. ISBN 9780898201154.
  14. "National Recording Registry Reaches 500". Library of Congress. March 21, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
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  53. "R & B Chart for September 23, 1978". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  54. "R & B Chart for September 30, 1978". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
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