Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs
Encyclopedia
The Billboard Hot 100 50 Year Anniversary Charts are historical charts from the Billboard
Hot 100's first 50 years, August 1958 through July 2008. "Alfred Music" publishing house, saluted the 50th, by publishing the "Hot 100 50th Anniversary Songbook."
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard Magazine
. The primary songs chart - the Hot 100
(top 100 singles) factor in airplay, as well as music sales in all relevant formats. Billboard is considered the foremost authority worldwide in music charts
, and the rankings have gained a following among the general public.
On January 4, 1936, Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade
. The first music popularity chart was calculated in July 1940. A variety of song charts followed, which were eventually consolidated into the Hot 100 by mid-1958. The Hot 100 currently combines single
sales, radio airplay
and digital downloads
.
to track sales of singles, albums, videos and DVDs. This system registers sales when the product is purchased at the cash register of SoundScan-enabled stores.
Billboard also uses a system called Broadcast Data Systems
, or BDS, to track radio airplay. Each song has an "acoustic fingerprint
" which, when played on a "BDS capable radio station", is detected. These detections are added up every week among all radio stations to determine airplay points. Arbitron
statistics are also factored in to give "weight" to airplay based on audience size and time-of-day.
Starting in 2005, Billboard allowed paid digital downloads from digital music stores such as Apple iTunes
to chart with or without the help of radio airplay.
songs.
The "50th Anniversary" chart is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100
. The artist chart utilizes the same methodology, with weighted points applied to all titles charted by each artist during that 50-year span. They are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at number one earning the greatest value and weeks at number one hundred earning the least.
Hot 100's 50th Anniversary award relative points for every week that a title spent on the chart, regardless of rank. For the Hot 100's 50th Anniversary, Billboard's charts department ensured a more balanced representation of hits from all 50 years, by analyzing the length of chart runs in earlier decades, as well as the average weeks that titles spent in the top 10 and at number one. Weights for earlier spans were then formulated, to compensate for the shorter chart runs that titles experienced before the 1991 conversion to precise and objective sales and radio data from Nielsen Music.
Prior to December 1998, songs did not appear on the Billboard Hot 100 until a retail single became available (which, incidentally, is why hits like Led Zeppelin
's "Stairway to Heaven
" and No Doubt
's "Don't Speak
" never appeared on the Hot 100). In earlier years, retail singles came to market fairly early in a song's life-usually shortly after, or even before, a song came to radio.
However, during the 1990s, when labels would strategize number-one chart bows by significant hits, the retail release of some priority singles were withheld until radio audience reached maximum levels. Although some of these songs spent significant numbers of weeks at number one or in the top ten, the delay of the sales component ultimately shortened the spans these songs would spend on the chart. With the new methodology rewarding points for a song's entire chart run, rather than confining points to weeks spent in the top ten, the shorter chart lives recorded by the songs that debuted at number one impact their all-time standings.
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100's first 50 years, August 1958 through July 2008. "Alfred Music" publishing house, saluted the 50th, by publishing the "Hot 100 50th Anniversary Songbook."
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard Magazine
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
. The primary songs chart - the Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
(top 100 singles) factor in airplay, as well as music sales in all relevant formats. Billboard is considered the foremost authority worldwide in music charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, and the rankings have gained a following among the general public.
On January 4, 1936, Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade
Hit parade
A hit parade is a ranked list of the most popular recordings at a given point in time, usually determined by sales and/or airplay. The term originated in the 1930s; Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade on January 4, 1936...
. The first music popularity chart was calculated in July 1940. A variety of song charts followed, which were eventually consolidated into the Hot 100 by mid-1958. The Hot 100 currently combines single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
sales, radio airplay
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...
and digital downloads
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
.
Criteria for modern chart position
Currently, Billboard utilizes a system called Nielsen SoundScanNielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
to track sales of singles, albums, videos and DVDs. This system registers sales when the product is purchased at the cash register of SoundScan-enabled stores.
Billboard also uses a system called Broadcast Data Systems
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, better known as BDS, is a service that tracks monitored radio, television and internet airplay of songs based on the number of spins and detections...
, or BDS, to track radio airplay. Each song has an "acoustic fingerprint
Acoustic fingerprint
An acoustic fingerprint is a condensed digital summary, deterministically generated from an audio signal, that can be used to identify an audio sample or quickly locate similar items in an audio database....
" which, when played on a "BDS capable radio station", is detected. These detections are added up every week among all radio stations to determine airplay points. Arbitron
Arbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
statistics are also factored in to give "weight" to airplay based on audience size and time-of-day.
Starting in 2005, Billboard allowed paid digital downloads from digital music stores such as Apple iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
to chart with or without the help of radio airplay.
Criteria used for "Billboard 50th Anniversary" chart position
The songs in the "50th Anniversary" charts had to appear on the Hot 100 in order to be counted. This may create some confusion (for example: many great country artists and songs are not on the "50th Anniversary" chart because, while very popular on the country charts they didn't cross over to the Hot 100). Also, keep in mind the Hot 100 started in August 1958 so any prior songs are not listed, including some popular Elvis PresleyElvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
songs.
The "50th Anniversary" chart is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The artist chart utilizes the same methodology, with weighted points applied to all titles charted by each artist during that 50-year span. They are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at number one earning the greatest value and weeks at number one hundred earning the least.
Hot 100's 50th Anniversary award relative points for every week that a title spent on the chart, regardless of rank. For the Hot 100's 50th Anniversary, Billboard's charts department ensured a more balanced representation of hits from all 50 years, by analyzing the length of chart runs in earlier decades, as well as the average weeks that titles spent in the top 10 and at number one. Weights for earlier spans were then formulated, to compensate for the shorter chart runs that titles experienced before the 1991 conversion to precise and objective sales and radio data from Nielsen Music.
Prior to December 1998, songs did not appear on the Billboard Hot 100 until a retail single became available (which, incidentally, is why hits like Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's "Stairway to Heaven
Stairway to Heaven
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band's untitled fourth studio album . The song, running eight minutes and two seconds, is composed of several sections, which...
" and No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
's "Don't Speak
Don't Speak
"Don't Speak" is a song by the American rock band No Doubt. It was released in 1996 as the third single from the band's third studio album, Tragic Kingdom...
" never appeared on the Hot 100). In earlier years, retail singles came to market fairly early in a song's life-usually shortly after, or even before, a song came to radio.
However, during the 1990s, when labels would strategize number-one chart bows by significant hits, the retail release of some priority singles were withheld until radio audience reached maximum levels. Although some of these songs spent significant numbers of weeks at number one or in the top ten, the delay of the sales component ultimately shortened the spans these songs would spend on the chart. With the new methodology rewarding points for a song's entire chart run, rather than confining points to weeks spent in the top ten, the shorter chart lives recorded by the songs that debuted at number one impact their all-time standings.
Complete list of "Billboard 50th Anniversary" charts
- All-Time Hot 100 top songs|All-Time Hot 100 Top Songs
- All-Time top artists|All-Time Top Artists
- All-Time top Latin songs|All-Time Top Latin Songs
- All-Time top country songs|All-Time Top Country Songs
- All-Time top R&B/Hip-Hop songs|All-Time Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
- All-Time top rock songs|All-Time Top Rock Songs
- Hot 100 songs of the year: 1958-2007|Hot 100 Songs of the Year: 1958-2007
- Every No. 1 song: 1958-2008|Every No. 1 Song: 1958-2008
- Songs with the most weeks at No. 1|Song With the Most Weeks at No. 1
- One-Hit wonders|One-Hit Wonders
- Most weeks at No. 1 by artist|Most Weeks at No. 1 By Artist
- Most Hot 100 hits by artist|Most Hot 100 Hits By Artist
- Most No. 2 hits without reaching No. 1 by artist|Most No. 2 Hits Without Reaching No. 1 By Artist
- Songs with the most weeks at No. 2 without reaching No. 1|Most Weeks at No. 2 Without Reaching No. 1 By Title
- Same songs to hit No. 1 by two different artists|Same Songs To Hit No. 1 By Two Different Artists
- Most No. 1s by artist (All-Time)|Most No. 1s By Artist (All-Time)
See also
- Billboard Year-End No. 1 song of the year list
- Billboard most weeks at number one list