#1 Song In 1997 ✦ Premium Quality

To determine the number one song of 1997, one must first decide how to measure such a thing. In the United States, the year ended with the inescapable groove of "Something About the Way You Look Tonight"/"Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John. In the United Kingdom, the charts were dominated by the ominous, pulsing bass of "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans. Though stylistically universes apart—one a somber orchestral ballad, the other a sampling-heavy hip-hop elegy—both tracks shared a singular, defining DNA: they were monuments to grief.

*Toni Braxton’s “Un-Break My Heart” started its run in Nov 1996 but spent 11 weeks at #1 through Feb 1997. Some count it as a 1997 #1. #1 song in 1997

According to Billboard (which weights airplay + sales over the full calendar year): To determine the number one song of 1997,