The 1st Single Appearing At # 1 on 3 Separate Times
“Aaahh freak out! Le Freak, see’est Chic Freak Out!” these lyrics were inescapable in the late 70s. Disco/Funk group, Chic, created a Disco classic with Le Freak. This song made a astonishing achievement in 1978-1979. It was the first single to hit # 1 on three separate occasions. Le Freak was the third biggest song on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles for 1978. The single had an amazing run just in the top 10 alone. This unique occurrence happened 30 years ago in December, 1978.
So what was “Le Freak” all about? What made this song such a classic 70s hit? Well, the song pulled you in with the guitar hooks, the drumbeats laced with soul and funk sounds. How about the lyrics? According the Chic founder/leader, Nile Rodgers: “After being denied access to the famous and popular ‘70s New York City Studio 54 on New Years Eve in 1977, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards wrote “Le Freak” in response.”
What happened was Disco star Grace Jones invited them to the club but she did not put them on the list. Rodgers and Edwards wrote the song as a response to the rude doorman who would not let them in. To make matters worse was the fact that Chic’s music got played at Studio 54!
Nile Rodgers originally composed, “Fuck Off” for the main chorus! I wonder how that could have been edited for radio and commercial single releases. The song later was rewritten with the more appropriate, “Freak Out” in the lyrics. Interestingly, the lyrics have references to Studio 54, “Come on Down to the 54.”
So let’s get to the chart action. The single was already a hit in the Disco clubs and Le Freak held the # 1 position on the Disco/Dance Club Play chart for 7 weeks. Le Freak entered the Billboard Hot 100 Singles on October 28th of 1978 at # 82. Here is the how the chart movement went: 82-70-54-37-6. The single made an huge leap from 37 to 6! A jump like that was very rare and quite fascinating. From # 6 position, Le Freak went to 4 and finally # 1 on its seventh week on December 9th, 78′.
Le Freak spent 1 week at # 1 but it would not be the final time. Then Barbara Streisand came back for a second week at # 1. This type of chart move not that unusual for a second go at # 1. Le Freak still held on to its bullet while You Don’t Bring Me Flowers regained its bullet.
Then on December 23rd, “Le Freak” went back to # 1 for a second time. This time for 2 weeks. Streisand went down to # 3. Meanwhile, the Bee Gees “Too Much Heaven”, inched up to # 2.
So now it’s 1979 and the Bee Gees make it to # 1 with Too Much Heaven. Le Freak was still holding on to its bullet (star). Chic was not giving up and looked determined to get higher up! Although the top 4 songs moved around and traded places, the top 4 positions had the same songs from December 23, 1978 to January 13, 1979. These were Chic “Le Freak”, Bee Gees “Too Much Heaven”, Barbara Streisand & Neil Diamond “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” and Billy Joel “My Life.” This goes show how tight the chart action was during this time.
2 Weeks later on January 20th, Chic did what was thought to be impossible. Chic’s, “Le Freak” went back to # 1 for a third time! This is the first time a single on the Billboard Hot 100 hit # 1 on 3 different times. Le Freak was certified Platinum for sales surpassing well over 2 million copies a week earlier.
Le Freak stayed 3 more weeks at Number One into February of 1979. Chic’s “Le Freak” spent a total 6 non consecutive weeks at # 1. So Le Freak was the # 1 single in 3 different months as well. This was a ground breaking accomplishment for a single. Le Freak went on to spend 15 weeks in the top 10, 11 of those weeks spent in the top 5. Le Freak was the third biggest overall song on the Billboard Top 40 for 1978. Le Freak spent 19 weeks in the top 40 and 25 overall weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles. Chic stopped distributing the song so consumers could purchase their full album appropriately titled C’est Chic. This song has such a cultural significance that is was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress.
Oh, Chic gained access into the notorious Studio 54! Even Le Freak received a lot of play at the 54. Way to go, Chic for your chart accomplishment 30 years ago in the Disco era.
Billboard Chart Rewind 
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