This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1972.

Specific locations

Specific genres

Events

Bands formed

Bands disbanded

Albums released

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Release date unknown

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1972.

Top 40 Chart hit singles

Other Chart hit singles

• "Been to Canaan" – Carole King • "Beg, Steal or Borrow" – The New Seekers • "Ben" – Michael Jackson • "Best Thing" – Styx • "Betcha by Golly, Wow" – The Stylistics • "Black and White" – Three Dog Night • "Black Dog"- Led Zeppelin • "Blockbuster!"- Sweet • "A Brand New Song" – Cliff Richard • "Brand New Key" – Melanie • "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" – Looking Glass • "Burning Love" – Elvis Presley • "California Man" – The Move • "The Candy Man" – Sammy Davis Jr. • "Can't You Hear the Song?" – Wayne Newton • "Children of the Revolution" – T.Rex • "Circles" – The New Seekers • "The Cisco Kid" – War • "City of New Orleans" – Arlo Guthrie • "Clair" – Gilbert O'Sullivan • "Clean Up Woman" – Betty Wright • "Coconut" – Harry Nilsson • "Changes" – David Bowie • "Come What May (Après Toi)" – Vicky Leandros • "Conquistador" – Procol Harum • "Cotton Jenny" – Anne Murray • "The Cover of the Rolling Stone" – Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show • "Crazy Horses" – The Osmonds • "Crocodile Rock" – Elton John • "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast" – Wayne Newton • "Danny's Song" – Anne Murray • "Day After Day" – Badfinger • "Day by Day" – Godspell • "The Day I Found Myself" – Honey Cone • "Day Dreaming" – Aretha Franklin • "Diary" – Bread • "Do It Again" – Steely Dan • "Doctor My Eyes" – Jackson Browne • "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" – James Taylor • "Don't Say You Don't Remember" – Beverly Bremers • "Drowning in the Sea of Love" – Joe Simon • "Down by the Lazy River" – The Osmonds • "Easy Livin'" – Uriah Heep • "Elected" – Alice Cooper • "Everybody Plays the Fool" – The Main Ingredient • "Ev'ry Day of My Life" – Bobby Vinton • "Everything I Own" – Bread • "Eye Level" – Simon Park Orchestra • "Family Affair" – Sly & the Family Stone • "The Family of Man" – Three Dog Night • "Feel the Need in Me" – The Detroit Emeralds • "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Roberta Flack • "Floy Joy" – Supremes • "Footstompin' Music" – Grand Funk Railroad • "Forever Autumn" – Vigrass & Osborne • "Freddie's Dead (Theme From Superfly)" – Curtis Mayfield • "Garden Party" – Rick Nelson • "Geronimo's Cadillac" – Michael Martin Murphey • "Get on the Good Foot pt.1" – James Brown • "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" – Wings • "Go All the Way" – Raspberries • "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues" – Danny O'Keefe • "Goodbye to Love" – The Carpenters • "Got to Be There" – Michael Jackson • "Gudbuy T'Jane" – Slade • "The Guitar Man" – Bread • "The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA" – Donna Fargo • "Happy" – The Rolling Stones • "Happy the Man" – Genesis • "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" – John Lennon & Yoko Ono, the Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir • "He Is Your Brother" – ABBA • "Heart of Gold" – Neil Young • "Hi, Hi, Hi"/"C Moon" – Wings • "Highway Star" – Deep Purple • "Hold Her Tight" – The Osmonds • "Hold Your Head Up" – Argent • "Honky Cat" – Elton John • "Hot Rod Lincoln" – Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen • "How Do You Do" – Mouth & MacNeal • "Hurting Each Other" – The Carpenters • "I Am Woman" – Helen Reddy • "I Believe in Music" – Gallery • "I Can See Clearly Now" – Johnny Nash • "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" – Jackie Wilson • "I Gotcha" – Joe Tex • "I Need You" – America • "I Saw The Light" – Todd Rundgren • "I Wanna Be Where You Are" – Michael Jackson • "I Wanna Be With You" – Raspberries • "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" – The New Seekers • "I'd Love You to Want Me" – Lobo • "I'll Be Around" – The Spinners • "I'll Take You There" – The Staple Singers • "I'm Still in Love with You" – Al Green • "I'm Stone in Love with You" – The Stylistics • "I've Been Lonely for So Long" – Frederick Knight • "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right" – Luther Ingram • "If You Don't Know Me by Now" – Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes • "I'll Make You Music" – Beverly Bremers • "Immigration Man" – Crosby & Nash • "In the Rain" – The Dramatics • "Isn't Life Strange" – The Moody Blues • "It Never Rains in Southern California" – Albert Hammond • "It's Going to Take Some Time" – The Carpenters • "Jesus" – Cliff Richard • "Jesus Is Just Alright" – The Doobie Brothers • "John, I'm Only Dancing" – David Bowie • "Join Together" – The Who • "Joy" – Apollo 100 • "Jump into the Fire" – Harry Nilsson • "Jungle Fever" – The Chakachas (Roland Kluger under an assumed group name) • "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" – The 5th Dimension • "Layla" – Derek and the Dominos • "Lean on Me" – Bill Withers • "Legend in Your Own Time" – Carly Simon • "Let's Stay Together" – Al Green • "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" – Robert John • "Listen to the Music" – The Doobie Brothers • "Living in Harmony" – Cliff Richard • "Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)" – The Hollies • "Look What You Done for Me" – Al Green • "Looking Through the Eyes of Love" – The Partridge Family • "Loop di Love" – Shag [Jonathan King under a pseudonym] • "Speak Softly Love (Love Theme from The Godfather)" – Andy Williams • "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" – Slade • "Mary Had a Little Lamb" – Wings • "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" – Paul Simon • "Me and Mrs. Jones" – Billy Paul • "Metal Guru" – T.Rex • "Mother and Child Reunion" – Paul Simon • "Motorcycle Mama" – Sailcat • "Mouldy Old Dough" – Stavely Makepeace Enterprises dba "Lieutenant Pigeon" (classic Dortmund Breakbeat track) • "My Ding-a-Ling" – Chuck Berry • "Never Been to Spain" – Three Dog Night • "Nice to Be With You" – Gallery • "Nights in White Satin" – The Moody Blues • "No One to Depend On" – Santana • "Oh Girl" – The Chi-Lites • "Old Man" – Neil Young • "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show" – Honey Cone • "Operator" – Jim Croce • "Outa-Space" – Billy Preston • "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" – The Temptations • "Paper Plane" – Status Quo • "People Need Love" – ABBA • "Pieces of April" – Three Dog Night • "Precious and Few" – Climax • "Puppy Love" – Donny Osmond • "Reelin' In the Years" – Steely Dan • "Respect Yourself" – The Staple Singers • "Roadrunner"- Jonathan Richman • "Rock and Roll Part 1 + 2" – Gary Glitter • "Rock Me Baby" – Sacha Distel (dubbed) • "Rocket Man" – Elton John • "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" – Johnny Rivers • "Rockin' Robin" – Michael Jackson • "Rock & Roll Soul" – Grand Funk Railroad • "Rolling Stone" - Suzi Quatro • "Roundabout" – Yes • "Run Run Run" – Jo Jo Gunne • "Run to Me" – Bee Gees • "Saturday in the Park" – Chicago • "School's Out" – Alice Cooper • "Scorpio" – Dennis Coffey & The Detroit Guitar Band • "Sealed With A Kiss" – Bobby Vinton • "Seaside Shuffle" – Terry Dactyl & the Dinosaurs • "She is Just Kind of a Girl" – Byorn&Benny • "Signs" – The Drifters • "Silver Machine" – Hawkwind • "Simone" – England Dan & John Ford Coley • "Slippin' into Darkness" – War • "Small Beginnings" – Flash • "Solid Gold Easy Action" – T.Rex • "Someday Never Comes" – Creedence Clearwater Revival • "Something's Wrong with Me" – Austin Roberts • "Song Sung Blue" – Neil Diamond • "Spaceman" – Harry Nilsson • "Speak to the Sky" – Rick Springfield • "Starman" – David Bowie • "Starting All Over Again" – Mel & Tim • "Stay with Me" – Faces • "Suavecito" – Malo • "Sugar Daddy" – The Jackson 5 • "Summer Breeze" – Seals and Crofts • "Sunshine" – Jonathan Edwards • "Superstition" – Stevie Wonder • "Sweet Seasons" – Carole King • "Sweet Surrender" – Bread • "Sylvia's Mother" – Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show • "Take It Easy" – Eagles • "Take Me Bak 'Ome" – Slade • "Taxi" – Harry Chapin • "Telegram Sam" – T.Rex • "That's When the Music Takes Me – Neil Sedaka • "Thunder and Lightning" – Chi Coltrane • "Tight Rope" – Leon Russell • "Tiny Dancer" – Elton John • "Together Let's Find Love" – The 5th Dimension • "Too Late to Turn Back Now" – Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose • "Top of the World" – The Carpenters (in Japan; it became a hit in the U.S. and the UK the following year) • "Traveling in the Dark" – Mountain • "The Jean Genie" – David Bowie • "Troglodyte (Cave Man)" – Jimmy Castor Bunch • "Trouble Man" – Marvin Gaye • "Tumbling Dice" – The Rolling Stones • "Two Divided by Love" – The Grass Roots • "Use Me" – Bill Withers • "Ventura Highway" – America • "Vincent" – Don McLean • "Virginia Plain" – Roxy Music • "Walkin' in the Rain With the One I Love" – Love Unlimited • "The Way of Love" – Cher • "We Can Make it Together" – Steve and Eydie featuring The Osmonds • "We're Free" – Beverly Bremers • "Where Is the Love?" – Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway • "Without You" – Harry Nilsson • "Witchy Woman" – Eagles • "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" – John Lennon • "You Are Everything" – The Stylistics • "You Don't Mess Around with Jim" – Jim Croce • "You Ought to be With Me" – Al Green • "You Turn Me On I'm a Radio" – Joni Mitchell • "You Want It, You Got It" – The Detroit Emeralds • "You Wear It Well" – Rod Stewart • "You're So Vain" – Carly Simon • "Your Mama Don't Dance" – Loggins and Messina

Notable singles

Other Notable singles

Published popular music

Other notable songs (world)

Classical music

Opera

Jazz

Musical theater

Musical films

Musical television productions

Births

Deaths

Awards

Grammy Awards

Country Music Association Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

Leeds Piano Competition