List of number-one singles of 1974 (Canada)

RPM was a Canadian music magazine that published the best-performing singles chart in Canada from 1964 to 2000. In 1974, thirty-four singles reached number one in Canada. The first number one single was "The Most Beautiful Girl" by the American country singer Charlie Rich, which reached number one in December 1973, and the last was "Kung Fu Fighting" by the Jamaican singer Carl Douglas. Twenty acts had their first number-one on the chart, such as Terry Jacks (formerly of the Poppy Family), Barbra Streisand, Love Unlimited Orchestra, Jim Stafford, John Denver, David Essex, MFSB, the Three Degrees, Grand Funk Railroad, Marvin Hamlisch, Paul McCartney and Wings, Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods, The Hues Corporation, George McCrae, Paul Anka, Eric Clapton, Cat Stevens, Olivia Newton-John, the First Class and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. Six Canadian acts, Terry Jacks, Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray, Andy Kim, Paul Anka and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, had one number-one song each in the chart that year.

Terry Jacks, formerly of the band The Poppy Family, reached number one for four weeks with "Seasons in the Sun", which became the number-one year-end single for 1974

The longest-running number-one and best-performing single of the year was a version of "Seasons in the Sun" recorded by Terry Jacks, formerly of the Poppy Family, which spent four weeks at number one from the week of January 26 to the week of February 16. English rock musician Elton John had the most weeks at number one and the most number-one singles, totalling five weeks with "Bennie and the Jets", "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and "The Bitch Is Back". Gordon Lightfoot, Bachman–Turner Overdrive and Bobby Vinton had a total of three weeks each at number one with "Sundown", "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" and "My Melody of Love" respectively. American folk singer-songwriter Jim Croce had two weeks at number one with the posthumous hit "Time in a Bottle", which was released as a single after his death in a plane crash in 1973. Nine acts, Anne Murray, John Denver, MFSB, the Three Seasons, Grand Funk Railroad, The Hues Corporation, Eric Clapton, Cat Stevens and Carl Douglas, also had two weeks each at number one.

Chart history

Key

The yellow background indicates the #1 song on RPM's year-end top 200 singles chart of 1974. [1]

Elton John totalled five weeks at number one with "Bennie and the Jets", "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and "The Bitch Is Back".

Barbra Streisand charted her first Canada number-one single with "The Way We Were".

Gordon Lightfoot (pictured in 2009) spent three weeks in June 1974 at number one with "Sundown", his second number-one after "If You Could Read My Mind".

Chart history

Issue date	Title	Artist(s)	Ref.
January 5[A]	"The Most Beautiful Girl"	Charlie Rich
January 12	"Time in a Bottle"	Jim Croce	[2]
January 19			[3]
January 26	"Seasons in the Sun"	Terry Jacks	[4]
February 2			[5]
February 9			[6]
February 16			[7]
February 23	"The Way We Were"	Barbra Streisand	[8]
March 2	"Love's Theme"	Love Unlimited Orchestra	[9]
March 9	"Spiders & Snakes"	Jim Stafford	[10]
March 16	"A Love Song"	Anne Murray	[11]
March 23			[12]
March 30	"Rock On"	David Essex	[13]
April 6	"Sunshine on My Shoulders"	John Denver	[14]
April 13	"Bennie and the Jets"	Elton John	[15]
April 20			[16]
April 27	"TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)"	MFSB featuring The Three Degrees	[17]
May 4 [B]
May 11	"The Loco-Motion"	Grand Funk	[18]
May 18			[19]
May 25	"The Entertainer"	Marvin Hamlisch	[20]
June 1	"The Streak"	Ray Stevens	[21]
June 8	"Band on the Run"	Paul McCartney and Wings	[22]
June 15	"Sundown"	Gordon Lightfoot	[23]
June 22			[24]
June 29			[25]
July 6	"Billy Don't Be a Hero"	Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods	[26]
July 13	"Rock the Boat"	The Hues Corporation	[27]
July 20			[28]
July 27	"Rock Your Baby"	George McCrae	[29]
August 3	"Annie's Song"	John Denver	[30]
August 10	"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"	Elton John	[31]
August 17			[32]
August 24	"Feel Like Makin' Love"	Roberta Flack	[33]
August 31	"(You're) Having My Baby"	Paul Anka	[34]
September 7	"I Shot the Sheriff"	Eric Clapton	[35]
September 14			[36]
September 21	"Rock Me Gently"	Andy Kim	[37]
September 28	"Another Saturday Night"	Cat Stevens	[38]
October 5	"I Honestly Love You"	Olivia Newton-John	[39]
October 12	"Beach Baby"	The First Class	[40]
October 19	"Another Saturday Night"	Cat Stevens	[41]
October 26	"You Haven't Done Nothin'"	Stevie Wonder	[42]
November 2	"The Bitch Is Back"	Elton John	[43]
November 9	"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet"	Bachman–Turner Overdrive	[44]
November 16			[45]
November 23			[46]
November 30	"My Melody of Love"	Bobby Vinton	[47]
December 7			[48]
December 14			[49]
December 21	"Kung Fu Fighting"	Carl Douglas	[50]
December 28			[51]

See also

• List of RPM number-one easy listening singles of 1974
• List of RPM number-one country singles of 1974
• List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1974
• List of Cashbox Top 100 number-one singles of 1974

Notes

1. Due to a week's break in publication for the 1973/1974 Christmas and New Year period, the week of January 5 is inferred.
2. No issue was published for May 4, so this week is inferred.