List of Billboard Adult Contemporary number ones of 1997

Adult Contemporary is a chart published by Billboard ranking the top-performing songs in the United States in the adult contemporary music (AC) genre. In 1997, 10 different songs topped the chart in 52 issues of the magazine, based on weekly airplay data from radio stations compiled by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems.

Toni Braxton (pictured in 2009) spent the first 14 weeks of the year at number one with "Un-Break My Heart".

In the year's first issue of Billboard, "Un-Break My Heart" by Toni Braxton moved up to number one, displacing the final chart-topper of 1996, "When You Love a Woman" by the band Journey.[1] Braxton's song held the top spot for 14 consecutive weeks, the year's longest unbroken run at number one, before being displaced by Celine Dion's recording of the 1975 song "All by Myself". In May, Bob Carlisle, an artist most associated with the contemporary Christian music scene, achieved an unexpected crossover hit and spent seven weeks at number one on the AC listing with "Butterfly Kisses";[2] despite being an Adult Contemporary number one and also charting in other genres, it remains his only song to appear on any of Billboard's charts.[3] The song did not appear on the magazine's all-genre chart, the Hot 100, because it was serviced to radio but not available as a physical single; at the time only songs which were physically released were eligible to appear on the Hot 100.[4]

In the fall, LeAnn Rimes spent 11 weeks at number one with "How Do I Live", the second-longest run at number one in 1997. The song had been written for the soundtrack of the film Con Air, but after Rimes had recorded her version of the song, film company executives changed their minds and asked Trisha Yearwood to record it for the soundtrack instead. Rimes and her record label decided to release her version as a single anyway, with the result that both versions of the song went on sale at the same time in May 1997.[5] While Yearwood's recording achieved some success, it was eclipsed by the version recorded by Rimes, which went on to sell more than 3 million copies.[6] The year's final Adult Contemporary chart-topper was "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" by Elton John, which reached number one in the issue of Billboard dated November 22 and held the top spot for the remainder of the year. The song was released as a double A-sided single with "Candle in the Wind 1997", the singer's tribute to his close friend Diana, Princess of Wales, who had died in August of the same year.[7] Because the Adult Contemporary chart is based on airplay of individual songs, the two tracks charted separately and "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" went all the way to number one while "Candle in the Wind 1997" peaked at number two.[8] The double-sided release went on to become one of the biggest-selling singles of all time, with recorded sales of over 30 million copies.[9][10]

Chart history
"Sunny Came Home" was a chart-topper for Shawn Colvin.
American rock band Chicago topped the chart for the first time since 1988 with their song "Here in My Heart", which spent one week at number one.
"How Do I Live" by LeAnn Rimes spent 11 consecutive weeks at number one.
American singer Michael Bolton’s song "Go the Distance" spent a total of three weeks at number one on the chart.
Elton John ended the year atop the chart with "Something About the Way You Look Tonight".
Key
Indicates best-performing AC song of 1997[11]


Issue date Title Artist(s) Ref.
January 4 "Un-Break My Heart" Toni Braxton [1]
January 11 [12]
January 18 [13]
January 25 [14]
February 1 [15]
February 8 [16]
February 15 [17]
February 22 [18]
March 1 [19]
March 8 [20]
March 15 [21]
March 22 [22]
March 29 [23]
April 5 [24]
April 12 "All by Myself" Celine Dion [25]
April 19 [26]
April 26 [27]
May 3 "For the First Time" Kenny Loggins [28]
May 10 [29]
May 17 "You Were Meant for Me" Jewel [30]
May 24 "Butterfly Kisses" Bob Carlisle [31]
May 31 [32]
June 7 [33]
June 14 [34]
June 21 [35]
June 28 [36]
July 5 [37]
July 12 "Here in My Heart" Chicago [38]
July 19 "Go the Distance" Michael Bolton [39]
July 26 [40]
August 2 [41]
August 9 "Sunny Came Home" Shawn Colvin [42]
August 16 [43]
August 23 [44]
August 30 [45]
September 6 "How Do I Live" LeAnn Rimes [46]
September 13 [47]
September 20 [48]
September 27 [49]
October 4 [50]
October 11 [51]
October 18 [52]
October 25 [53]
November 1 [54]
November 8 [55]
November 15 [56]
November 22 "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" Elton John [57]
November 29 [58]
December 6 [59]
December 13 [60]
December 20 [61]
December 27 [62]

References
  1. "Adult Contemporary: January 4, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  2. Bush, John. "Bob Carlisle Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  3. "Bob Carlisle". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  4. Molanphy, Chris (August 1, 2013). "How The Hot 100 Became America's Hit Barometer". NPR. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  5. Dunkerley, Beville (January 6, 2015). "Flashback: LeAnn Rimes, Trisha Yearwood Make Awkward Grammy History". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  6. McCarthy, Amy (August 28, 2019). "Top 5 LeAnn Rimes Songs". The Boot. Townsquare Media. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  7. Myers, Justin (August 25, 2017). "Elton John's Candle in the Wind 1997 20 years on - the tribute to Princess Diana that is the UK's biggest selling single of all time". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  8. "Elton John Candle in the Wind 1997 Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  9. Holden, Stephen. "Elton John". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  10. "60th anniversary of the charts: 30 bestselling singles". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  11. "Billboard Adult Contemporary Year End, 1997" (PDF). Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  12. "Adult Contemporary: January 11, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  13. "Adult Contemporary: January 18, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  14. "Adult Contemporary: January 25, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  15. "Adult Contemporary: February 1, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  16. "Adult Contemporary: February 8, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  17. "Adult Contemporary: February 15, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  18. "Adult Contemporary: February 22, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  19. "Adult Contemporary: March 1, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  20. "Adult Contemporary: March 8, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  21. "Adult Contemporary: March 15, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  22. "Adult Contemporary: March 22, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  23. "Adult Contemporary: March 29, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  24. "Adult Contemporary: April 5, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  25. "Adult Contemporary: April 12, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  26. "Adult Contemporary: April 19, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  27. "Adult Contemporary: April 26, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  28. "Adult Contemporary: May 3, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  29. "Adult Contemporary: May 10, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  30. "Adult Contemporary: May 17, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  31. "Adult Contemporary: May 24, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  32. "Adult Contemporary: May 31, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  33. "Adult Contemporary: June 7, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  34. "Adult Contemporary: June 14, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  35. "Adult Contemporary: June 21, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  36. "Adult Contemporary: June 28, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  37. "Adult Contemporary: July 5, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  38. "Adult Contemporary: July 12, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  39. "Adult Contemporary: July 19, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  40. "Adult Contemporary: July 26, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  41. "Adult Contemporary: August 2, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  42. "Adult Contemporary: August 9, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  43. "Adult Contemporary: August 16, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  44. "Adult Contemporary: August 23, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  45. "Adult Contemporary: August 30, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  46. "Adult Contemporary: September 6, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  47. "Adult Contemporary: September 13, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  48. "Adult Contemporary: September 20, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  49. "Adult Contemporary: September 27, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  50. "Adult Contemporary: October 4, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  51. "Adult Contemporary: October 11, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  52. "Adult Contemporary: October 18, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  53. "Adult Contemporary: October 25, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  54. "Adult Contemporary: November 1, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  55. "Adult Contemporary: November 8, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  56. "Adult Contemporary: November 15, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  57. "Adult Contemporary: November 22, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  58. "Adult Contemporary: November 29, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  59. "Adult Contemporary: December 6, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  60. "Adult Contemporary: December 13, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  61. "Adult Contemporary: December 20, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  62. "Adult Contemporary: December 27, 1997". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2019.

See also
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