A song usually owns a single moment. It climbs the chart, fades, and becomes a marker for a particular year. A small group of songs refuse to stay put, and they return to the top years later in new voices or new arrangements.
Some of these comebacks came from covers, one from a tragedy, and one from a calendar quirk. Here are eight songs that hit No. 1 in at least two different decades, with the chart named in each case.
All I Want for Christmas Is You, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey’s holiday song came out in 1994, yet it didn’t top the Billboard Hot 100 until December 2019. That put its first No. 1 in the 2010s, a quarter century after release.
It has come back to the summit in the holiday seasons since, which carries it into the 2020s. Streaming is the main reason, because seasonal songs now return to the chart every year instead of vanishing after New Year’s Day.
Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
On the UK Singles Chart, Queen’s six minute epic reached No. 1 in late 1975 and stayed there for many weeks. That made it a defining hit of the 1970s.
It returned to No. 1 in early 1992, after Freddie Mercury’s death in November 1991. Its second run belongs to the 1990s, and it shows how a song can be reborn through public mourning and a new audience.
Lean on Me, Bill Withers and Club Nouveau
Bill Withers took “Lean on Me” to No. 1 on the Hot 100 in the summer of 1972. It was a plain, hymn-like song built around a simple piano part.
In 1987, the group Club Nouveau recorded a polished R&B version with a modern beat, and it also reached No. 1. Same song, same chart, and a gap of about fifteen years.
The Locomotion, Little Eva and Grand Funk
Little Eva’s “The Locomotion” topped the Hot 100 in 1962. She was a babysitter for songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King, and the song was written with her in mind.
In 1974, the rock band Grand Funk, also known as Grand Funk Railroad, took its own version to No. 1. That moved the song from the 1960s into the 1970s, and from girl group pop to hard rock.
Venus, Shocking Blue and Bananarama
The Dutch band Shocking Blue reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 with “Venus” in early 1970. Its guitar riff and Mariska Veres’s vocal gave it a distinct sound.
Bananarama revived it in 1986 with a glossy dance pop arrangement from the production team Stock Aitken Waterman. It went to No. 1 in the United States, so the song led the chart in both the 1970s and the 1980s.
Please Mr. Postman, The Marvelettes and The Carpenters
The Marvelettes’ record reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 in late 1961. It is widely remembered as the first No. 1 for the Motown label.
The Carpenters turned it into a slower, smoother pop recording, and it topped the chart in early 1975. Between those two hits, the Beatles also recorded it on their 1963 album, though their version wasn’t a US single.
Lady Marmalade, Labelle and the Moulin Rouge Collaboration
Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade” went to No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1975. It was a flashy disco and funk record with a French language chorus.
In 2001, Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa and Pink, joined by Missy Elliott, recorded a remake for the film Moulin Rouge. It also reached No. 1, which gave the song chart toppers in the 1970s and the 2000s.
Do They Know It’s Christmas?, Band Aid
The charity single was first recorded in 1984 to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia, and it went to No. 1 in the UK. Its release helped set the pattern for later all star benefit records.
It returned to the top in 1989 with Band Aid II and again in 2004 with Band Aid 20. These were new recordings of the same song, so it led the UK chart in the 1980s and the 2000s.
