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| By location |
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| By genre |
| By topic |
| List of years in music |
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| (table) |
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1972.
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | American Gothic | David Ackles | - |
| 5 | Waka/Jawaka | Frank Zappa | - |
| 7 | The Harder They Come | Jimmy Cliff | Soundtrack |
| 10 | Chicago V | Chicago | - |
| Son of Schmilsson | Harry Nilsson | - | |
| 11 | Super Fly | Curtis Mayfield | Soundtrack |
| 20 | Long John Silver | Jefferson Airplane | - |
| Straight Shooter | James Gang | - | |
| 21 | I Can See Clearly Now | Johnny Nash | - |
| Never a Dull Moment | Rod Stewart | - | |
| The Slider | T. Rex | - | |
| 27 | All Directions | The Temptations | - |
| Flying High Together | Smokey Robinson & The Miracles | - | |
| – | Seven Separate Fools | Three Dog Night | - |
| Toulouse Street | The Doobie Brothers | - | |
| The Academy in Peril | John Cale | - | |
| Captain Beyond | Captain Beyond | - | |
| Feel Good | Ike & Tina Turner | - | |
| Exercises | Nazareth | - | |
| Foghat | Foghat | - | |
| Music Is the Message | Kool & the Gang | - | |
| Saint Dominic's Preview | Van Morrison | - | |
| Moods | Neil Diamond | - | |
| Someplace Else Now | Lesley Gore | - | |
| Sparks | Sparks | Debut under final name | |
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Back Stabbers | The O'Jays | - |
| Elf | Elf | - | |
| 2 | Jazz at Santa Monica Civic '72 | Ella Fitzgerald | Live |
| 4 | Ben | Michael Jackson | - |
| 7 | America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song | Johnny Cash | - |
| 15 | Full Circle | The Doors | - |
| Rock of Ages | The Band | Live | |
| 25 | Everybody's in Show-Biz | The Kinks | Double LP; one studio, one live |
| Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes | Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes | - | |
| 28 | 'Ot 'n' Sweaty | Cactus | - |
| 31 | Styx | Styx | - |
| - | And the Hits Just Keep on Comin' | Michael Nesmith | - |
| Free Will | Gil Scott-Heron | - | |
| Irrlicht | Klaus Schulze | - | |
| Live at the Paramount | The Guess Who | Live | |
| Roy Buchanan | Roy Buchanan | - | |
| Smokin' O.P.'s | Bob Seger | - | |
| Zeit | Tangerine Dream | - | |
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Close to the Edge | Yes | [5] |
| All the Young Dudes | Mott the Hoople | - | |
| 9 | Summer Breeze | Seals and Crofts | - |
| 15 | Foxtrot | Genesis | - |
| Below the Salt | Steeleye Span | - | |
| Phoenix | Grand Funk Railroad | - | |
| Rocky Mountain High | John Denver | - | |
| 26 | Live Full House | The J. Geils Band | Live |
| 27 | Catch Bull at Four | Cat Stevens | - |
| 29 | Glorified Magnified | Manfred Mann's Earth Band | - |
| - | Vol. 4 | Black Sabbath | - |
| At Home with Their Greatest Hits | The Partridge Family | Compilation | |
| Bandstand | Family | - | |
| Bright Phoebus | Lal and Mike Waterson | - | |
| Give It Up | Bonnie Raitt | - | |
| Ladies Love Outlaws | Waylon Jennings | - | |
| My Time | Boz Scaggs | - | |
| Nervous on the Road | Brinsley Schwarz | - | |
| Rolling Thunder | Mickey Hart | - | |
| Sandy | Sandy Denny | - | |
| Solomon's Seal | Pentangle | - | |
| Squawk | Budgie | - | |
| Tequila Sunrise | David Clayton-Thomas | - | |
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Octopus | Gentle Giant | UK |
| Separate Ways | Elvis Presley | Compilation | |
| 8 | Trouble Man | Marvin Gaye | Soundtrack |
| 9 | Hot August Night | Neil Diamond | Live |
| 11 | More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies) | The Rolling Stones | Compilation |
| 15 | Piledriver | Status Quo | - |
| 22 | Made in Japan | Deep Purple | Live |
| - | Across 110th Street | Bobby Womack and J.J. Johnson | Soundtrack |
| The Grand Wazoo | Frank Zappa | - | |
| Gypsy Cowboy | New Riders of the Purple Sage | - | |
| It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad) | Merle Haggard | - | |
| Pleasure | Ohio Players | - | |
| R.E.O./T.W.O. | REO Speedwagon | - | |
| The Sweet's Biggest Hits | Sweet | Compilation | |
| Who's Gonna Play This Old Piano? | Jerry Lee Lewis | - | |
The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1972.
| # | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Don McLean | "American Pie" | 1972 | | US Billboard 1 for 19 weeks, Canada RPM 1 for 5 weeks, New Zealand 1 for 3 weeks, Australia 1 for 5 weeks, UK 2 for 16 weeks |
| 2 | Harry Nilsson | "Without You" | 1972 | | UK 1 for 20 weeks, Australia 1 for 5 weeks, US Billboard 1 for 19 weeks, New Zealand 1 for 2 weeks |
| 3 | Hot Butter | "Popcorn" | 1972 | | Holland 1 for 15 weeks, France 1 for 5 weeks, Switzerland 1 for 17 weeks, Norway 1 for 20 weeks, Germany 1 for 5 months, UK 5 for 19 weeks, US Billboard 9 for 18 weeks |
| 4 | Neil Young | "Heart of Gold" | 1972 | | US Billboard 1 for 14 weeks, Canada 1 for 12 weeks, France 2 for 8 weeks, Norway 4 for 11 weeks, Germany 4 for 4 months, |
| 5 | The Moody Blues | "Nights in White Satin" | 1972 | | US Billboard 2 for 18 weeks, Canada 2 for 12 weeks, France 1 for 9 weeks, Holland 2 for 14 weeks, |
| Song title | Artist(s) | Release date(s) | US | UK | Highest chart position | Other Chart Performance(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "10538 Overture" | Electric Light Orchestra | June 1972 | n/a | 9 | 9 (United Kingdom) | 24 (Netherlands [Dutch Top 40]) |
| "A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done" | Sonny & Cher | February 1972 | 8 | n/a | 3 (Canada) | See chart entry performance |
| "A Horse with No Name" | America | January 1972 | 1 | 3 | 1 (Canada, Finland, United States) | See chart performance entry |
| "Ain't Understanding Mellow" | Jerry Butler and Brenda Lee Eager | January 1970 | 21 | n/a | 21 (United States) | 3 (U.S. Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles) |
| "All the Young Dudes" | Mott the Hoople | July 1972 | 37 | 3 | 3 (United Kingdom) | 4 (Ireland) - 13 (New Zealand) - 31 (Canada) - 32 (U.S. Record World) - 34 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) |
| "Alone Again (Naturally)" | Gilbert O'Sullivan | February 1972 | 1 | 3 | 1 (Canada, France, United States) | See chart performance entry |
| "Amazing Grace" | Pipes and Drums and Military Band of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards | April 1972 | n/a | 1 | 1 (Australia, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, United Kingdom) | n/a |
| "America" | Simon & Garfunkel | July 1972 | 97 | 25 | 25 (United Kingdom) | n/a |
| "American Pie" | Don McLean | January 1972 | 1 | 2 | 1 (Australia, Canada, New Zealand) | See chart performance entry [1971 single release overlapped into 1972] |
| "Anticipation" | Carly Simon | January 1972 | 13 | n/a | 9 (Canada) | 3 (U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 10 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 64 (Australia) |
| "Baby Blue" | Badfinger | March 1972 | 14 | n/a | 3 (Malaysia) | 7 (Canada) - 9 (New Zealand, U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 12 (U.S. Record World Top 100) - 14 (Sweden) - 16 (Australia) - 18 (South Africa) - 30 (West Germany) |
| Song title | Artist(s) | Release date(s) | Other Chart Performance(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Starman" | David Bowie | April 1972 | See chart performance entry |
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