What are your top 5 Billboard top 10 songs of the 1970"s?

@rwp2694 -- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The song ain’t perfect. But I forgive the tune’s & Harris’ performance their excesses. I appreciate the recording’s sheer romantic sweep and ardor. And the tune’s B section not only makes for a lovely interlude to the dramatics of the opening & closing sections, its lyrics are decidedly eloquent...skillfully just south of maudlin.

edcyn...It's okay; I'm not dinging it...liked it myself, grandiosity and all. Plenty to appreciate, as you say. But just saying it wasn't 70's.  Trivia questions: Harris hit the charts with MacArthur not long after "making hay" in the leading role in what movie?  The park is located in what U.S. city?  

Hey sns...Good catch on the Stealer's Wheel.

rwp -- Richard Harris actually enjoyed quite a successful film career. I loved Man in the Wilderness. And, of course, MacArthur Park is in L.A.  I'd take my high school girlfriend there.  The tune "MacArthur Park" made me a confirmed Jimmy Webb fan, even if it did make my rock-and-roll bandmates believe I'd lost my sanity.  I actually saw Jimmy Webb perform live at the Troubadour. Terrible voice, but could that guy play cocktail lounge style piano... 

My list is taken solely from songs that reached #1 on Billboard in the 70s. I mean if it didn’t reach #1, how great could it be? (just kidding, sort of)

So I excluded the ultra catchy one hit wonders such as Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting, Paper Lace - The Night Chicago Died, Bo Donaldson, The Heywoods - Billy, Don’t Be a Hero, and Looking Glass - Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) (this one was tough to exclude) simply because I don’t want to reward groups with one ultra catchy song.

I also excluded the overly sentimental such as Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water, Roberta Flack - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Olivia Newton-John - I Honestly Love You, David Soul - Don’t Give Up on Us, Debby Boone - You Light Up My Life, and Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond - You Don’t Bring Me Flowers because they’re just too syrupy.

And last I excluded the novelty songs such as Three Dog Night - Joy to the World, Sammy Davis Jr. - Candy Man, Ray Stevens - The Streak, and C. W. McCall - Convoy.

Having excluded about half the #1 songs (I was just giving examples), this is what I came up with:

Diana Ross - Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (powerful stuff)

Don McLean - American Pie (technically not a one hit wonder and probably the best overall song of the decade).

Gladys Knight & the Pips - Midnight Train to Georgia (I can sing and dance the Pips parts including pulling the train whistle chain)

Captain & Tennille - Love Will Keep Us Together (a happy, not syrupy love song)

Manfred Mann’s Earth Band - Blinded by the Light (it should be against the law to play this without the instrumental bridge)

Extremely difficult to leave out songs like Rich Girl, Philadelphia Freedom, Hotel California, and Escape (The Pina Colada Song) but choices had to be made.