TV passes 50% of households, Ike ends the Korean War, Playboy debuts and the Supreme Court tackles school segregation in a year of positive thinking and aggressive envelope-pushing, but Pop doubles down on its proven formulas with lusher strings, Country/Western covers and even barking dogs! Meanwhile, girls are ordering “Eddie Fishers” at soda fountains, boys are sleuthing out R&B in the ‘hood and a New York DJ has to eat a record after it’s a leftfield hit.
#1 Song of the YearThe top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year
Les Paul & Mary Ford – Vaya Con Dios (May God Be with You)
Artists of the YearThe top three artists based on all charted songs that spent most of their chart runs in the year
Perry Como
Joni James
Les Paul & Mary Ford
Artist with Most Charting SongsArtist(s) with the most charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)
Joni James (8)
Average #1 Artist AgeThe average of how old artists who scored #1 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1
32.0
#1 SongsList of #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1
Joni James – Why Don’t You Believe Me (December ’52, 5 wks)
Perry Como with The Ramblers – Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes (January, 5 wks)
Teresa Brewer – Till I Waltz Again with You (February, 6 wks)
Patti Page – The Doggie in the Window (March, 7 wks)
Percy Faith & His Orchestra feat. Felicia Sanders – Song from “Moulin Rouge” (Where Is Your Heart) (May, 9 wks)
Eddie Fisher feat. Sally Sweetland – I’m Walking Behind You (July, 3 wks)
Les Paul & Mary Ford – Vaya Con Dios (May God Be with You) (August, 11 wks)
The Ames Brothers – You, You, You (October, 7 wks)
#1 Song of the YearThe top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Hot100 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year
Black Eyed Peas – “I Gotta Feeling”
Artists of the YearThe top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year
Artist with Most Charting SongsArtist(s) with the most Hot100 charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)
TIE: Glee Cast (25)
Average #1 Artist AgeThe average of how old artists who scored #1 Hot100 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1
28.9 years
#1 SongsList of Hot100 #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1
T.I. feat. Rihanna – Live Your Life (October ’08, 6 wks)
Britney Spears – Womanizer (October ’08, 1 wk)
Beyonce – Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (December ’08, 4 wks)
Lady Gaga feat. Colby O’Donis – Just Dance (January, 3 wks)
Kelly Clarkson – My Life Would Suck Without You (February, 2 wks)
Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent – Crack a Bottle (February, 1 wk)
Country crossover surges, Pop is migrating from AM to FM and the charts are a mishmash the year before MTV changes the game. Meanwhile, the Iran hostages are free, Reagan takes office and Americans are choosing confidence and optimism over ’70s malaise, strapping on their Walkmans, hitting the gym and getting “Physical.” And there’s a new spotlight on the dark side of fandom after John Lennon and the President are shot just months apart, Lennon fatally.
#1 Song of the YearThe top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Hot100 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year
Olivia Newton-John – Phyiscal
Artists of the YearThe top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year
Daryl Hall & John Oates
REO Speedwagon
Sheena Easton
Artist with Most Charting SongsArtist(s) with the most Hot100 charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)
4-WAY TIE: Neil Diamond/Diana Ross/REO Speedwagon/Don McLean (4)
Average #1 Artist AgeThe average of how old artists who scored #1 Hot100 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1
33.1 years
#1 SongsList of Hot100 #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1
John Lennon – (Just Like) Starting Over (December ’80, 5 wks)
Blondie – The Tide Is High (January, 1 wk)
Kool & The Gang – Celebration (February, 2 wks)
Dolly Parton – 9 to 5 (February, 2 wks)
Eddie Rabbitt – I Love a Rainy Night (February, 2 wks)
REO Speedwagon – Keep on Loving You (March, 1 wk)
Blondie – Rapture (March, 2 wks)
Daryl Hall & John Oates – Kiss on My List (April, 3 wks)
A synthy Swedish Reggae-lite outfit is the first act since the Bee Gees to land three of the year’s top hits the year before the internet explodes, but the Pop Diva space delivers big hits and adds a new A-lister. Meanwhile, the first #1 by an unsigned act is a song from a GenX-defining movie, and ever-smoother R&B Vocal Groups prevail on radio and the Hot100 offering an antidote, for the time being, to aggressive Gangsta Rap.
#1 Song of the YearThe top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Hot100 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year
Boyz II Men – I’ll Make Love to You
Artists of the YearThe top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year
Ace of Base
Mariah Carey
Janet Jackson
Artist with Most Charting SongsArtist(s) with the most Hot100 charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)
TIE: Janet Jackson/Ace of Base (4)
Average #1 Artist AgeThe average of how old artists who scored #1 Hot100 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1
26.6 years
#1 SongsList of Hot100 #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1
Janet Jackson – Again (December ’93, 2 wks)
Mariah Carey – Hero (December ’93, 4 wks)
Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart & Sting – All for Love (January, 3 wks)
Celine Dion – The Power of Love (February, 4 wks)
Ace of Base – The Sign (March, 6 wks)
R. Kelly – Bump N’ Grind (April, 4 wks)
All-4-One – I Swear (May, 11 wks)
Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories – Stay (August, 3 wks)
Boyz II Men – I’ll Make Love to You (August, 14 wks)
Ini Kamoze – Here Comes the Hotstepper (December, 2 wks)
Pop’s ADHD year as hits churn faster than ever on radio and the charts, Frank Sinatra scores his last top 10 weeks after his daughter Nancy scores her first, and John Lennon sparks a Beatles backlash with his “bigger than Jesus” comment, clearing the field for The Monkees’ debut. Meanwhile, Garage Bands stomp, Motown and Detroit surge, Vaudeville makes a comeback, and three of the year’s top 10 acts are Folk-Rock newcomers. But the year’s biggest hit is a pro-military anthem by an Army medic as Vietnam escalates.
#1 Song of the YearThe top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Hot100 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year
SSgt Barry Sadler – The Ballad of the Green Berets
Artists of the YearThe top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year
The Beatles
The Lovin’ Spoonful
The Rolling Stones
Artist with Most Charting SongsArtist(s) with the most Hot100 charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)
The Beatles (8)
Average #1 Artist AgeThe average of how old artists who scored #1 Hot100 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1
25.7 years
#1 SongsList of Hot100 #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1
Simon & Garfunkel – The Sounds of Silence (January, 2 wks)
The Beatles – We Can Work It Out (January, 3 wks)
Petula Clark – My Love (February, 2 wks)
Lou Christie – Lightnin’ Strikes (February, 1 wk)
Nancy Sinatra – These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ (February, 1 wk)
Barry Sadler – The Ballad of the Green Berets (March, 5 wks)
The Righteous Brothers – (You’re My) Soul and Inspiration (April, 3 wks)
The Young Rascals – Good Lovin’ (April, 1 wk)
The Mamas & The Papas – Monday, Monday (May, 3 wks)
Percy Sledge – When a Man Loves a Woman (May, 2 wks)
The Rolling Stones – Paint It, Black (June, 2 wks)
The Beatles – Paperback Writer (June, 2 wks)
Frank Sinatra – Strangers in the Night (July, 1 wk)
Tommy James & The Shondells – Hanky Panky (July, 2 wks)
The Troggs – Wild Thing (July, 2 wks)
The Lovin’ Spoonful – Summer in the City (August, 3 wks)
Donovan – Sunshine Superman (September, 1 wk)
The Supremes – You Can’t Hurry Love (September, 2 wks)
The Association – Cherish (September, 3 wks)
Four Tops – Reach Out I’ll Be There (October, 2 wks)
? & The Mysterians – 96 Tears (October, 1 wk)
The Monkees – Last Train to Clarksville (November, 1 wk)
Johnny Rivers – Poor Side of Town (November, 1 wk)
The Supremes – You Keep Me Hangin’ On (November, 2 wks)
The New Vaudeville Band – Winchester Cathedral (December, 3 wks)
It’s settle or scramble in the third year of the Petrillo musicians’ strike: Decca and Capitol churn out hit after hit but Victor and Columbia dig in, reissue old stuff and record their Singers a capella. Bing Crosby on Decca has his best year ever, Louis Jordan becomes the first R&B crossover act and king of Billboard‘s new Jukebox chart, and a single movie musical launches five of the year’s top 10 hits.
#1 Song of the YearThe top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year
Bing Crosby – Swinging on a Star
Artists of the YearThe top three artists based on all charted songs that spent most of their chart runs in the year
Bing Crosby
The Mills Brothers
Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra
Artist with Most Charting SongsArtist(s) with the most charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)
Bing Crosby (12)
Average #1 Artist AgeThe average of how old artists who scored #1 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1
37.8
#1 SongsList of #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1
Glen Gray & His Casa Loma Orchestra, vocal Eugenie Baird – My Heart Tells Me (Should I Believe My Heart?) (January, 5 wks)
Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra, vocal Kitty Kallen – Besame Mucho (March, 8 wks)
The Merry Macs – Mairzy Doats (March, 3 wks)
Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians, vocal Skip Nelson & The Lombardo Trio – It’s Love-Love-Love (April, 2 wks)
Bing Crosby – San Fernando Valley (May, 2 wks)
Bing Crosby – I Love You (May, 4 wks)
Harry James & His Orchestra, vocal Dick Haymes – I’ll Get by (As Long as I Have You) (June, 6 wks)
Bing Crosby – I’ll Be Seeing You (July, 3 wks)
Bing Crosby – Swinging on a Star (August, 10 wks)
Mills Brothers – You Always Hurt the One You Love (October, 2 wks)
One of the most depressing years in American history kicks off with a pair of somber hymns topping the charts, the second of which is a Beatles song that hits #1 the day after Paul McCartney leaves the band. The Jackson 5’s first four singles hit #1, The Carpenters debut, protest songs chart big after Kent State, and a new made-for-TV sitcom act comes complete with a #1 debut and the era’s top Teen heartthrob.
#1 Song of the YearThe top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Hot100 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year
B.J. Thomas – Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head
Artists of the YearThe top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year
Neil Diamond
The Jackson 5
The Guess Who
Artist with Most Charting SongsArtist(s) with the most Hot100 charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)
TIE: Neil Diamond/James Brown (7)
Average #1 Artist AgeThe average of how old artists who scored #1 Hot100 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1
24.3 years
#1 SongsList of Hot100 #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1
Diana Ross & The Supremes – Someday We’ll Be Together (December ’69, 1 wk)
B.J. Thomas – Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head (January, 4 wks)
The Jackson 5 – I Want You Back (January, 1 wk)
The Shocking Blue – Venus (February, 1 wk)
Sly & the Family Stone – Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (February, 2 wks)
Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water (February, 6 wks)
The Beatles – Let It Be (April, 2 wks)
The Jackson 5 – ABC (April, 2 wks)
The Guess Who – American Woman (May, 3 wks)
Ray Stevens – Everything Is Beautiful (May, 2 wks)
The Beatles – The Long and Winding Road (June, 2 wks)
The Jackson 5 – The Love You Save (June, 2 wks)
Three Dog Night – Mama Told Me (Not to Come) (July, 2 wks)
Carpenters – (They Long to Be) Close to You (July, 4 wks)
Bread – Make It with You (August, 1 wk)
Edwin Starr – War (August, 3 wks)
Diana Ross – Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (September, 3 wks)
Neil Diamond – Cracklin’ Rosie (October, 1 wk)
The Jackson 5 – I’ll Be There (October, 5 wks)
The Partridge Family – I Think I Love You (November, 3 wks)
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – The Tears of a Clown (December, 2 wks)
Napster is the final nail in the coffin of the Pop single as the Airplay and Sales charts diverge, but Post-Grunge bands are scoring major Hot100 hits and Alternative is the new Mainstream in Rock. Meanwhile, Mary J. Blige and Janet Jackson are single again and ready to hit the club and get crunk, Ja Rule’s J.Lo “Murder remixes” are completely different songs and Alicia Keys sweeps the Grammys her first year on the charts.
#1 Song of the YearThe top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year
Mary J. Blige – Family Affair
Artists of the YearThe top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year
Destiny’s Child
Ja Rule
112
Artist with Most Charting SongsArtist(s) with the most charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)
Jay-Z (5)
Average #1 Artist AgeThe average of how old artists who scored #1 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1
27.2 years
#1 SongsList of #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1
Shaggy feat. Ricardo “RikRok” Ducent – It Wasn’t Me (February, 2 wks)
OutKast – Ms. Jackson (February, 1 wk)
Joe feat. Mystikal – Stutter (February, 4 wks)
Crazy Town – Butterfly (March, 2 wks)
Shaggy feat. Rayvon – Angel (March, 1 wk)
Janet – All for You (April, 7 wks)
Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya & Pink – Lady Marmalade (June, 5 wks)
Usher – U Remind Me (July, 4 wks)
Destiny’s Child – Bootylicious (August, 2 wks)
Alicia Keys – Fallin’ (August, 6 wks)
Jennifer Lopez feat. Ja Rule – I’m Real (September, 5 wks)
Hip-Hop affirms and solidifies its pop culture supremacy with “the Kiki Challenge,” Emo Rap and seven of the year’s top ten hits after Billboard updates the Hot100 to reflect the dominance of on-demand streaming. Meanwhile, Trump-era media narratives dramatically reshape the Pop ecosystem as they reverberate beyond politics and pervade downstream culture.
#1 Song of the YearThe top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Hot100 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year
Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls like You
Artists of the YearThe top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year
Post Malone
Drake
Cardi B
Artist with Most Charting SongsArtist(s) with the most Hot100 charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)
Drake (26)
Average #1 Artist AgeThe average of how old artists who scored #1 Hot100 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1
27.6 years
#1 SongsList of Hot100 #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1
Post Malone feat. 21 Savage – Rockstar (October ’17, 8 wks)
Ed Sheeran – Perfect (December ’17, 5 wks)
Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug – Havana (January, 1 wk)
Drake – God’s Plan (February, 11 wks)
Drake – Nice for What (April, 8 wks)
Childish Gambino – This Is America (May, 2 wks)
Post Malone feat. Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho (June, 1 wk)
XXXTENTACION – Sad! (June, 1 wk)
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin – I Like It (July, 1 wk)
Drake – In My Feelings (July, 10 wks)
Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B – Girls like You (September, 7 wks)
Racial integration is a Cold War imperative so Silent Generation Teens oblige by launching Black R&B records onto the Pop charts for the first time, amplified by Todd Storz’s new Top40 radio format. Meanwhile, songs and sounds from abroad fill the airwaves, a “womens song” conquers the charts, Eddie Fisher and Rosemary Clooney each score two of the year’s top ten hits, Sinatra is back in the Top 5, and it’s Mambo fever!
#1 Song of the YearThe top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year
Kitty Kallen – Little Things Mean a Lot
Artists of the YearThe top three artists based on all charted songs that spent most of their chart runs in the year
Eddie Fisher
Rosemary Clooney
Patti Page
Artist with Most Charting SongsArtist(s) with the most charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)
Eddie Fisher (7)
Average #1 Artist AgeThe average of how old artists who scored #1 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1
30.6
#1 SongsList of #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1
Eddie Fisher – Oh! My Papa (O Mein Papa) (January, 7 wks)
Doris Day – Secret Love (March, 2 wks)
Jo Stafford – Make Love to Me! (March, 5 wks)
Perry Como – Wanted (April, 7 wks)
Kitty Kallen – Little Things Mean a Lot (June, 10 wks)
