Pop and Rock Chart Archive
and Music Encyclopedia

All Instrumental Top 20 Songs

November 1973 to June 2014
Dec 1959
through
Jun 1962
Sep 1962
through
Oct 1966
Oct 1966
through
Jun 1973
Nov 1973
through
present
Hit Rock
Instrumentals

Tune Timeline chronological list
Related features and top pop hits below

red # = weekly rock chartblue # = pop chart

1 Space Race 8   Nov 1973  
  Billy Preston  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

2 Love's Theme 1   Jan 1974  
  Love Unlimited Orchestra  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

3 TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia) 2   Apr 1974  
  MFSB Featuring The Three Degrees  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

4 Tubular Bells 11   Apr 1974  
  Mike Oldfield  
    YouTube    

5 The Entertainer 2   May 1974  
  Marvin Hamlisch  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

6 Machine Gun 20   Jul 1974  
  Commodores  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

7 Pick Up The Pieces 1   Feb 1975  
  AWB  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

8 Satin Soul 18   Apr 1975  
  Love Unlimited Orchestra  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

9 Express 4   Apr 1975  
  B.T. Express  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

10 Hijack 12   May 1975  
  Herbie Mann  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

11 The Hustle 1   Jul 1975  
  Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

12 Dynomite 10   Jul 1975  
  Tony Camillo's Bazuka  
    YouTube    

13 The Rockford Files 9   Aug 1975  
  Mike Post  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

14 Brazil 16   Oct 1975  
  The Ritchie Family  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

15 The Homecoming 16   Feb 1976  
  Hagood Hardy  
    YouTube    

16 Theme From S.W.A.T. 1   Feb 1976  
  Rhythm Heritage  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

17 Movin' 12   Jun 1976  
  Brass Construction  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

18 A Fifth Of Beethoven 1   Sep 1976  
  Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

19 Nadia's Theme (The Young And The Restless) 8   Nov 1976  
  Barry De Vorzon And Perry Botkin, Jr.  
    YouTube    

20 Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky) 20   May 1977  
  Maynard Ferguson  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

21 Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky) 2   Jun 1977  
  Bill Conti  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

22 Star Wars Main Title 16   Aug 1977  
  The London Symphony Orchestra with John Williams conductor  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

23 Star Wars Theme Cantina Band 4   Oct 1977  
  Meco  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

24 Theme From Close Encounters Of The Third Kind   Feb 1978  
  John Williams  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

25 Feels So Good 3   May 1978  
  Chuck Mangione  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

26 Music Box Dancer 3   Apr 1979  
  Frank Mills  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

27 Rise 1   Sep 1979  
  Herb Alpert  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

28 Give It All You Got 15   Mar 1980  
  Chuck Mangione  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

29 Empire Strikes Back (Medley) Darth Vader/Yoda's Theme 19   Aug 1980  
  Meco  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

30 The Theme From Hill Street Blues 7   Nov 1981  
  Mike Post Featuring Larry Carlton  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

31 Hooked On Classics 7   Jan 1982  
  The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

32 Chariots Of Fire - Titles 1   Apr 1982  
  Vangelis  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

33 Sleepwalk 11   Apr 1982  
  Larry Carlton  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

34 Axel F 2   Jun 1985  
  Harold Faltermeyer  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

35 Miami Vice Theme 1   Oct 1985  
  Jan Hammer  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

36 Love Theme From St. Elmo's Fire 12   Nov 1985  
  David Foster  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

37 Songbird 3   Jul 1987  
  Kenny G  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

38 Silhouette 10   Dec 1988  
  Kenny G  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

39 Lily Was Here 11   Jul 1991  
  David A. Stewart Introducing Candy Dulfer  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

40 Forever In Love 14   Mar 1993  
  Kenny G  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

41 Theme From Mission: Impossible 7 5   Jun 1996  
  Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen  
    YouTube    

42 Southampton 11   Mar 1998  
  James Horner  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

43 Auld Lang Syne (The Millennium Mix) 10   Dec 1999  
  Kenny G  
    YouTube download at Amazon  


There were no pop top 20 instrumentals after 1999 -- not one. Here are the only three top 30 instrumentals from 2000 on:

44 Sandstorm 28   Aug 2001  
  Darude  
    YouTube    

45 E 25   Apr 2003  
  Drunkenmunky  
    YouTube download at Amazon  

46 Axel F (The Frog Song) 21   Aug 2005  
  Crazy Frog  
    YouTube download at Amazon  



Dec 1959
through
Jun 1962
Sep 1962
through
Oct 1966
Oct 1966
through
Jun 1973
Nov 1973
through
present
Hit Rock
Instrumentals
Related Features for All Instrumental Top 20 Songs:
back to top



Top 100 Instrumental Songs

Overall top 100 best instrumental songs 1960-2015 in popularity order

Top Instrumentals, 1980-2014

1Chariots Of Fire - Titles
 Vangelis
2Miami Vice Theme
 Jan Hammer
3Axel F
 Harold Faltermeyer
4Theme From Mission: Impossible
 Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen
5Songbird
 Kenny G
6Southampton
 James Horner
7Axel F (The Frog Song)
 Crazy Frog
8Hooked On Classics
 The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
9Auld Lang Syne (The Millennium Mix)
 Kenny G
10The Theme From Hill Street Blues
 Mike Post Featuring Larry Carlton
11E
 Drunkenmunky
12Lily Was Here
 David A. Stewart Introducing Candy Dulfer
13Sleepwalk
 Larry Carlton
14Forever In Love
 Kenny G
15Sandstorm
 Darude

Instrumental Downloads

Click on the album covers to go
15 best instrumental songs of the 1950s and 1960s. 12 of these were top 20 songs. The other three were big instrumentals too.
 
18 best instrumental songs of the 1960s. 12 are original top 20 songs listed here. The other 7 were all top 20 near miss songs.
 
18 pop-soul best instrumental songs of the 1960s. 15 of these are original top 20 hits listed here. The other three were very popular too.
 
18 best instrumental songs of the 1970s. 14 of these best instrumentals are original top 20 hits listed here.

Explore and Find More

Home Page
One Hit Wonders
Rock of the Eighties
Rock of the Nineties
Rock of the 2000's