# List of RPM number-one easy listening singles of 1976

In 1976, RPM magazine published a chart for top-performing singles in the easy listening/middle-of-the-road categories in Canada. The chart, entitled Pop Music Playlist from January to May and MOR Playlist for the rest of 1976, has undergone numerous name changes, becoming Adult Oriented Playlist in 1977, Contemporary Adult in 1981 and finally Adult Contemporary in 1984 until the magazine's final publication in November 2000. In 1976, forty-one singles reached number one in the chart, which contains 50 positions. The first number-one in 1976 was "Something Better to Do" by English-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, continuing from the 1975 charts, and the last was "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" by English musician Elton John. Twenty acts have their first number-one in the chart in 1976: Neil Sedaka, George Baker Selection, Paul Simon (formerly of Simon & Garfunkel), Eric Carmen (formerly of the Raspberries), the THP Orchestra, Gary Wright, the Bellamy Brothers, Maxine Nightingale, John Sebastian (formerly of the Lovin' Spoonful), Henry Gross, Wings, Johnny Cash, Starbuck, Enrico Farino, Kiki Dee, England Dan & John Ford Coley, War, Patsy Gallant, ABBA, Engelbert Humperdinck and Burton Cummings (formerly of the Guess Who). Five Canadian acts, the THP Orchestra, Enrico Farino, Gordon Lightfoot, Patsy Gallant and Burton Cummings had at least one number-one that year.
The longest-running single of the year was "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by the Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, which spent four weeks at number one on the chart. Three acts had totalled three weeks at number one, including Captain & Tennille, Barry Manilow and Elton John.

## Chart history

Chart history :
| Issue date | Title | Artist(s) |
| January 3 | "Something Better to Do" | Olivia Newton-John |
| January 10 | "I Write the Songs" | Barry Manilow |
| January 17 | "Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L.A.)" | Glen Campbell |
| January 24 | "Let It Shine" | Olivia Newton-John |
| January 31 | "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" | Neil Sedaka |
| February 7 | "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" | Neil Sedaka |
| February 14 | "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" | Neil Sedaka |
| February 21 | "Paloma Blanca" | George Baker Selection |
| February 28 | "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" | Paul Simon |
| March 6 | "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" | Paul Simon |
| March 13 | "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" | Paul Simon |
| March 20 | "All by Myself" | Eric Carmen |
| March 27 | "Lonely Night (Angel Face)" | Captain & Tennille |
| April 3 | "Fanny (Be Tender with My Love)" | Bee Gees |
| April 10 | "Theme from S.W.A.T." | THP Orchestra |
| April 17 | "Dream Weaver" | Gary Wright |
| April 24 | "There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)" | The Carpenters |
| May 1 | "Let Your Love Flow" | The Bellamy Brothers |
| May 8 | "Right Back Where We Started From" | Maxine Nightingale |
| May 15 | "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again" | Barry Manilow |
| May 22 | "Welcome Back Kotter" | John Sebastian |
| May 28 | "Welcome Back Kotter" | John Sebastian |
| June 5 | "Shannon" | Henry Gross |
| June 12 | "Silly Love Songs" | Wings |
| June 19 | "Shop Around" | Captain & Tennille |
| June 26 | "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" | Eric Carmen |
| July 3 | "One Piece at a Time" | Johnny Cash |
| July 10 | "Moonlight Feels Right" | Starbuck |
| July 17 | "Get Closer" | Seals & Crofts |
| July 24 | "Let Me Love You Forever" | Enrico Farino |
| July 31 | "I Need to Be in Love" | The Carpenters |
| August 7 | "If You Know What I Mean" | Neil Diamond |
| August 14 | "Another Rainy Day in New York City" | Chicago |
| August 21 | "Let 'Em In" | Wings |
| August 28 | "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" | Elton John and Kiki Dee |
| September 4 | "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" | England Dan & John Ford Coley |
| September 11 | "Shower the People" | James Taylor |
| September 18 | "Summer" | War |
| September 25 | "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" | Gordon Lightfoot |
| October 2 | "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" | Gordon Lightfoot |
| October 9 | "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" | Gordon Lightfoot |
| October 16 | "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" | Gordon Lightfoot |
| October 23 | "From New York to L.A." | Patsy Gallant |
| October 30 | "From New York to L.A." | Patsy Gallant |
| November 6 | "Fernando" | ABBA |
| November 13 | "Muskrat Love" | Captain & Tennille |
| November 20 | "Ciao Ciao Bambina" | Enrico Farino |
| November 27 | "This One's for You" | Barry Manilow |
| December 4 | "After the Lovin'" | Engelbert Humperdinck |
| December 11 | "Stand Tall" | Burton Cummings |
| December 18 | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | Elton John |
| December 25 | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | Elton John |