A History of Pop Music, Year-by-Year
Get your countdown on! Each music/talk episode of the Chartcrush Top Ten Countdown Show is a deep dive into a year in Pop music and culture through the prism of the top 10 hits of the year according to our exclusive rankings based on Billboard’s weekly charts. But unlike Billboard’s own year-end rankings from years past, ours “correct the record” by counting every song’s full chart run and using the same consistent method to rank every year, 1940 to the present.
The one-hour radio program is broadcast weekly on select radio stations in the U.S., many on the Pacifica Radio Network, and episodes are also streamable on-demand on Spotify and/or Mixcloud.
This Week on Pacifica Radio: 1944
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..
Our Latest Shows
- Chartcrush 1944 Is Live
It’s Bing Crosby’s best year ever and Louis Jordan is the jukebox king as Decca and Capitol settle with the musicians union and get a clear shot at the charts. Learn more on Chartcrush 1944!
- Chartcrush 2001 Is Live
Napster finishes off the Pop single for good, but Post-Grunge hits make Alt the new Mainstream in Rock, and newly single R&B Divas hit the club and get crunk! Learn more on Chartcrush 2001!
- Chartcrush 2018 Is Live
Hip-Hop affirms its dominance as Billboard retools the Hot100 for the streaming era and Trump-era narratives reverberate beyond politics to reshape pop culture. Learn more on Chartcrush 2018!
- Chartcrush 1954 Is Live
Racial integration is a Cold War imperative so Teens oblige by launching Black R&B records onto the Pop charts, amplified by the brand new Top40 radio format. Learn more on Chartcrush 1954!
- Chartcrush 1983 Is Live
MTV breaks its Rock format to air Michael Jackson vids under threat by CBS and accusations of racism, and becomes Pop’s new gravitational center post-AM Top40. Learn more on Chartcrush 1983!
- Chartcrush 1962 Is Live
It’s Twistmania as the Silent Generation peaks culturally, Girl Groups surge, Ray Charles goes Country and The 4 Seasons make Doo Wop a commercial juggernaut. Learn more on Chartcrush 1962!
- Chartcrush 1995 Is Live
Politics lurches right, Madonna reins it in and Mariah goes Hip-Hop as Billboard names a Gangsta Rap song #1 on the year, but where is the Theme from Friends? Learn more on Chartcrush 1995!
- Chartcrush 1979 Is Live
Disco peaks, then collapses after Rock fans riot in Chicago, New Wave breaks out with “My Sharona” and Pop is a mostly Disco-free grab bag heading into the 80s. Learn more on Chartcrush 1979!
- Chartcrush 1946 Is Live
Hays Code decency standards permeate showbiz and Big Bands throw in the towel the year after WW2, but Singers, Sweet Bands and songwriters shine on the charts. Learn more on Chartcrush 1946!
- Chartcrush 2010 Is Live
Pop amps up as the music biz chases will.i.am’s “bubble” and the Recession spawns the biggest Dance boom since Disco, starring Gaga, Taio, Usher… and Auto-Tune! Learn more on Chartcrush 2010!
- Chartcrush 1959 Is Live
Teen Idols and Folk surge as Congress takes aim at Rock ‘n Roll DJs and Payola, and a plane crash in Iowa claims three major stars on “the day the music died.” Learn more on Chartcrush 1959!
- Chartcrush 2007 Is Live
Online piracy tanks CD sales and the last big box music chain goes under, but Ringtones, ad deals, iTunes and Myspace are lifelines for the flailing music biz. Learn more on Chartcrush 2007!
- Chartcrush 1965 Is Live
It’s the “Eve of Destruction” and young Boomers “(Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” as Vietnam widens the generation gap and Motown hits become Civil Rights anthems. Learn more on Chartcrush 1965!
- Chartcrush 1971 Is Live
The Beatles have split and Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin are dead, but Singer-Songwriters soothe frayed nerves as militant activism and protest go mainstream. Learn more on Chartcrush 1971!
- Chartcrush 1997 Is Live
Lilith Fair galvanizes women in music while the late ’90s Pop boom begins, two shocking deaths inspire massive tribute singles and Rock newcomers conquer radio. Learn more on Chartcrush 1997!
- Chartcrush 1986 Is Live
Whitney Houston blitzes the charts as Hip-Hop, Glam Metal and The Bangles score big and music’s benefit streak peaks with a #1 charity single for AIDS research. Learn more on Chartcrush 1986!
- Chartcrush 2013 Is Live
Billboard adds YouTube to the Hot100 and bloggers recoil at “incorrect” fan-propelled hits, but JT is back, Folk booms, Katy Roars and Miley gets her twerk on! Learn more on Chartcrush 2013!
- Chartcrush 1951 Is Live
It’s Crooners unleashed as ethnic sounds score, Mitch Miller starts a genre gold rush mining Country for Pop hits, and the year’s #1 record taps deep anxieties. Learn more on Chartcrush 2004!
- Chartcrush 2004 Is Live
Atlanta and Crunk ‘n B rule the year every #1 song is by a Black artist, Usher Confesses and scores big, and everyone’s shaking it like a Polaroid picture. Learn more on Chartcrush 2004!
- Chartcrush 1989 Is Live
Euro-Disco and Paula Abdul arrive as the Cold War ends, Teen Pop peaks, Milli Vanilli lip-syncs and some of Boomerdom’s top acts score their final big hits. Learn more on Chartcrush 1989!
- Chartcrush 1960 Is Live
The payola scandal chills Rock on the radio and adult genres surge with LPs outselling singles, but Elvis is out of the Army and everyone’s doing “The Twist!” Learn more on Chartcrush 1960!
- Chartcrush 2016 Is Live
Trump v. Hillary politicizes Pop like never before as streaming reverses the music biz’s 15-year free-fall from filesharing and Dancehall/Trophouse sounds rule. Learn more on Chartcrush 2016!
- Chartcrush 1947 Is Live
Big Band Swing is all but extinct, but the record biz prospers as nostalgia sweeps the nation, makes Al Jolson cool again, and lifts a record from 1933 to #1. Learn more on Chartcrush 1947!
- Chartcrush 1992 Is Live
Crossover becomes the norm as Billboard takes the charts digital, but Michael Jackson finds Pop’s new sweet spot and Boyz II Men set a new bar for weeks at #1. Learn more on Chartcrush 1992!
- Chartcrush 1975 Is Live
Elton John can do no wrong but big chart acts move in bold directions and Disco dancing emerges as a preferred escape from economic hardship and ’70s “malaise.” Learn more on Chartcrush 1975!
- Chartcrush 1956 Is Live
Elvis Presley rules the charts and personifies Rock ‘n Roll as teens buy millions of 45s, top-40 radio explodes and Seeburg launches the 200-selection jukebox. Learn more on Chartcrush 1956!
- Chartcrush 2000 Is Live
Boy Bands, Britney v. Christina and Latin Pop carry over into the new millennium, but Rock is back, Destiny’s Child redefines R&B, and Country scores big. Learn more on Chartcrush 2000!
- Chartcrush 1982 Is Live
The Walkman fuels a fitness craze but dooms music on AM as Top 40 moves to FM. MTV subs triple and launch a “Second British Invasion” of New Wave and Synthpop. Learn more on Chartcrush 1982!
- Chartcrush 1967 Is Live
It’s Flower Power and Hippies in California; urban riots everywhere else as Sgt. Pepper’s launches Album Rock and The Monkees take over TV and the Pop charts. Learn more on Chartcrush 1967!
- Chartcrush 2019 Is Live
Edgy, genre-bending Pop marks Gen-Z’s arrival via TikTok and streaming hits 50% of music biz revenue as BigCulture™ #resistance to Trump/MAGA enters beast mode. Learn more on Chartcrush 2019!
