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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 Year   The top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year

Artists of the Year   The top three artists based on all charted songs that spent most of their chart runs in the year

1. Bing Crosby
2. The Mills Brothers
3. Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra

Artist with Most Charting Songs   Artist(s) with the most charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)

• Bing Crosby (12)

Average #1 Artist Age   The average of how old artists who scored #1 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1

• 37.8

#1 Songs   List 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

1. Glen Gray & His Casa Loma Orchestra, vocal Eugenie Baird – My Heart Tells Me (Should I Believe My Heart?) (January, 5 wks)
2. Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra, vocal Kitty Kallen – Besame Mucho (March, 8 wks)
3. The Merry Macs – Mairzy Doats (March, 3 wks)
4. Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians, vocal Skip Nelson & The Lombardo Trio – It’s Love-Love-Love (April, 2 wks)
5. Bing Crosby – San Fernando Valley (May, 2 wks)
6. Bing Crosby – I Love You (May, 4 wks)
7. Harry James & His Orchestra, vocal Dick Haymes – I’ll Get by (As Long as I Have You) (June, 6 wks)
8. Bing Crosby – I’ll Be Seeing You (July, 3 wks)
9. Bing Crosby – Swinging on a Star (August, 10 wks)
10. Mills Brothers – You Always Hurt the One You Love (October, 2 wks)
11. Dinah Shore – I’ll Walk Alone (November, 6 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 Year   The top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Hot100 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year

Artists of the Year   The top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year

1. Neil Diamond
2. The Jackson 5
3. The Guess Who

Artist with Most Charting Songs   Artist(s) with the most Hot100 charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)

• TIE: Neil Diamond/James Brown (7)

Average #1 Artist Age   The average of how old artists who scored #1 Hot100 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1

• 24.3 years

#1 Songs   List 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

1. Diana Ross & The Supremes – Someday We’ll Be Together (December ’69, 1 wk)
2. B.J. Thomas – Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head (January, 4 wks)
3. The Jackson 5 – I Want You Back (January, 1 wk)
4. The Shocking Blue – Venus (February, 1 wk)
5. Sly & the Family Stone – Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (February, 2 wks)
6. Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water (February, 6 wks)
7. The Beatles – Let It Be (April, 2 wks)
8. The Jackson 5 – ABC (April, 2 wks)
9. The Guess Who – American Woman (May, 3 wks)
10. Ray Stevens – Everything Is Beautiful (May, 2 wks)
11. The Beatles – The Long and Winding Road (June, 2 wks)
12. The Jackson 5 – The Love You Save (June, 2 wks)
13. Three Dog Night – Mama Told Me (Not to Come) (July, 2 wks)
14. Carpenters – (They Long to Be) Close to You (July, 4 wks)
15. Bread – Make It with You (August, 1 wk)
16. Edwin Starr – War (August, 3 wks)
17. Diana Ross – Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (September, 3 wks)
18. Neil Diamond – Cracklin’ Rosie (October, 1 wk)
19. The Jackson 5 – I’ll Be There (October, 5 wks)
20. The Partridge Family – I Think I Love You (November, 3 wks)
21. 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 Year   The top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year

Artists of the Year   The top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year

1. Destiny’s Child
2. Ja Rule
3. 112

Artist with Most Charting Songs   Artist(s) with the most charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)

• Jay-Z (5)

Average #1 Artist Age   The average of how old artists who scored #1 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1

• 27.2 years

#1 Songs   List 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

1. Shaggy feat. Ricardo “RikRok” Ducent – It Wasn’t Me (February, 2 wks)
2. OutKast – Ms. Jackson (February, 1 wk)
3. Joe feat. Mystikal – Stutter (February, 4 wks)
4. Crazy Town – Butterfly (March, 2 wks)
5. Shaggy feat. Rayvon – Angel (March, 1 wk)
6. Janet – All for You (April, 7 wks)
7. Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya & Pink – Lady Marmalade (June, 5 wks)
8. Usher – U Remind Me (July, 4 wks)
9. Destiny’s Child – Bootylicious (August, 2 wks)
10. Alicia Keys – Fallin’ (August, 6 wks)
11. Jennifer Lopez feat. Ja Rule – I’m Real (September, 5 wks)
12. Mary J. Blige – Family Affair (November, 6 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 Year   The top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Hot100 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year

Artists of the Year   The top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year

1. Post Malone
2. Drake
3. Cardi B

Artist with Most Charting Songs   Artist(s) with the most Hot100 charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)

• Drake (26)

Average #1 Artist Age   The average of how old artists who scored #1 Hot100 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1

• 27.6 years

#1 Songs   List 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

1. Post Malone feat. 21 Savage – Rockstar (October ’17, 8 wks)
2. Ed Sheeran – Perfect (December ’17, 5 wks)
3. Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug – Havana (January, 1 wk)
4. Drake – God’s Plan (February, 11 wks)
5. Drake – Nice for What (April, 8 wks)
6. Childish Gambino – This Is America (May, 2 wks)
7. Post Malone feat. Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho (June, 1 wk)
8. XXXTENTACION – Sad! (June, 1 wk)
9. Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin – I Like It (July, 1 wk)
10. Drake – In My Feelings (July, 10 wks)
11. Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B – Girls like You (September, 7 wks)

MTV breaks its Rock format to air Michael Jackson’s Thriller videos under threat from CBS and accusations of racism, and becomes Pop’s new gravitational center after the Walkman kills off AM Top40. Meanwhile, Adult Contemporary is in transition from Country Pop to Smooth R&B, a daytime soap propels a song to #1, British and Aussie acts dominate the Hot100, and “the world’s biggest Rock band” scores the year’s top hit, then breaks up.

#1 Song of the Year   The top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Hot100 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year

Artists of the Year   The top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year

1. Michael Jackson
2. Culture Club
3. Lionel Richie

Artist with Most Charting Songs   Artist(s) with the most Hot100 charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)

• Michael Jackson (5)

Average #1 Artist Age   The average of how old artists who scored #1 Hot100 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1

• 31.7 years

#1 Songs   List 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

1. Men at Work – Down Under (January, 4 wks)
2. Toto – Africa (February, 1 wk)
3. Patti Austin with James Ingram – Baby, Come to Me (February, 2 wks)
4. Michael Jackson – Billie Jean (March, 7 wks)
5. Dexys Midnight Runners – Come on Eileen (April, 1 wk)
6. Michael Jackson – Beat It (April, 3 wks)
7. David Bowie – Let’s Dance (May, 1 wk)
8. Irene Cara – Flashdance…What a Feeling (May, 6 wks)
9. Police – Every Breath You Take (July, 8 wks)
10. Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (September, 1 wk)
11. Michael Sembello – Maniac (September, 2 wks)
12. Billy Joel – Tell Her About It (September, 1 wk)
13. Bonnie Tyler – Total Eclipse of the Heart (October, 4 wks)
14. Kenny Rogers duet with Dolly Parton – Islands in the Stream (October, 2 wks)
15. Lionel Richie – All Night Long (All Night) (November, 4 wks)
16. Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson – Say Say Say (December, 6 wks)

Politics lurches to the right and Madonna reins it in, but Mariah Carey goes Hip-Hop and Billboard names a Gangsta Rap song #1 on the year. Meanwhile, Hootie & The Blowfish are ubiquitous on radio, Jam Bands thrive, Euro-Dance crosses over and… chart dysfunction! as The Rembrandts’ “I’ll Be There for You (Theme from Friends)” becomes the first #1 Airplay hit barred from the Hot100 for not being out on a single.

#1 Song of the Year   The top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Billboard Radio Songs entries that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year

Artists of the Year   The top three artists based on all charted songs (on the Billboard Radio Songs chart) during the calendar year

1. Hootie & The Blowfish
2. TLC
3. Boyz II Men

Artist with Most Charting Songs   Artist(s) with the most charting songs on the Billboard Radio Songs chart during the year (song count in parentheses)

• TIE: TLC/Green Day (4)

Average #1 Artist Age   The average of how old artists who scored #1 Billboard Radio Songs hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1

• 30.1 years

#1 Songs   List of Billboard Radio Songs #1's 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

1. Boyz II Men – On Bended Knee (December ’94, 11 wks)
2. Madonna – Take a Bow (February, 9 wks)
3. Dionne Farris – I Know (April, 7 wks)
4. Boyz II Men – Water Runs Dry (June, 1 wk)
5. The Rembrandts – I’ll Be There for You (June, 8 wks)
6. Seal – Kiss from a Rose (August, 10 wks)
7. Mariah Carey – Fantasy (October, 7 wks)

Disco peaks, then collapses mid-year after a “Disco Sucks” riot in Chicago, New Wave breaks out with “My Sharona,” and the rest of the year is a mostly Disco-free grab bag on the Hot100. Diva Donna Summer and Michael Jackson weather the backlash, and KC & The Sunshine Band scores with a Ballad, but The Village People, Chic and The Bee Gees vanish, Story Songs make a comeback and Rod Stewart is second-guessing his brazen Disco gambit.

#1 Song of the Year   The top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Hot100 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year

Artists of the Year   The top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year

1. Donna Summer
2. Chic
3. Kenny Rogers

Artist with Most Charting Songs   Artist(s) with the most Hot100 charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)

• 7-WAY TIE: Donna Summer/Chic/Earth, Wind and Fire/Village People/Peaches & Herb/Olivia Newton-John/ABBA (4)

Average #1 Artist Age   The average of how old artists who scored #1 Hot100 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1

• 31.3 years

#1 Songs on the Weekly Hot100   List 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

1. Chic – Le Freak (December ’78, 6 wks)
2. Bee Gees – Too Much Heaven (January, 2 wks)
3. Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? (February, 4 wks)
4. Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive (March, 3 wks)
5. Bee Gees – Tragedy (March, 2 wks)
6. The Doobie Brothers – What a Fool Believes (April, 1 wk)
7. Amii Stewart – Knock on Wood (April, 1 wk)
8. Blondie – Heart of Glass (April, 1 wk)
9. Peaches & Herb – Reunited (May, 4 wks)
10. Donna Summer – Hot Stuff (June, 3 wks)
11. Bee Gees – Love You Inside Out (June, 1 wk)
12. Anita Ward – Ring My Bell (June, 2 wks)
13. Donna Summer – Bad Girls (July, 5 wks)
14. Chic – Good Times (August, 1 wk)
15. The Knack – My Sharona (August, 6 wks)
16. Robert John – Sad Eyes (October, 1 wk)
17. Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough (October, 1 wk)
18. Herb Alpert – Rise (October, 2 wks)
19. M – Pop Muzik (November, 1 wk)
20. Eagles – Heartache Tonight (November, 1 wk)
21. Commodores – Still (November, 1 wk)
22. Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer – No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (November, 2 wks)
23. Styx – Babe (December, 2 wks)
24. Rupert Holmes – Escape (The Pina Colada Song) (December, 3 wks)
25. KC & The Sunshine Band – Please Don’t Go (January ’80, 1 wk)

Hays Code decency standards permeate showbiz as local “blue-nose brigades” police nightclubs, a federal sin tax targets dancing establishments and It’s a Wonderful Life hits theaters. Most Jazz Big Bands dissolve and leave the charts to Pop Singers and “Sweet Bands,” but a Black vocal group scores the year’s top hit, and Great American Songbook legends shine on records.

#1 Song of the Year   The top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year

Artists of the Year   The top three artists based on all charted songs that spent most of their chart runs in the year

1. Perry Como
2. Bing Crosby
3. Frank Sinatra

Artist with Most Charting Songs   Artist(s) with the most charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)

• Bing Crosby (12)

Average #1 Artist Age   The average of how old artists who scored #1 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1

• 36.1

#1 Songs   List 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

1. Freddy Martin & His Orchestra, vocal Clyde Rogers – Symphony (January, 2 wks)
2. Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra, vocal Vaughn Monroe & Norton Sisters – Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (January, 5 wks)
3. Betty Hutton – Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief (March, 2 wks)
4. Frankie Carle & His Orchestra, vocal Marjorie Hughes – Oh! What It Seemed to Be (March, 8 wks)
5. Perry Como – Prisoner of Love (May, 5 wks)
6. Ink Spots – The Gypsy (May, 10 wks)
7. Perry Como – Surrender (August, 1 wk)
8. Eddy Howard & His Orchestra, vocal Eddy Howard – To Each His Own (August, 9 wks)
9. Frank Sinatra – Five Minutes More (September, 3 wks)
10. Frankie Carle & His Orchestra, vocal Marjorie Hughes – Rumors Are Flying (October, 8 wks)
11. Kay Kyser & His Orchestra, vocal Michael Douglas – Ole Buttermilk Sky (December, 1 wk)
12. Bing Crosby with The Ken Darby Singers – White Christmas (December, 1 wk)

Pop amps up, the Tea Party ramps up, and the Great Recession spawns the most epic Dance boom since ’70s Disco starring Gaga, Taio, Usher… and Auto-Tune! Eminem is back big, and will.i.am’s “bubble” philosophy permeates the charts and even wins over critics, many of whom get political on the eve of social media’s gatekeeper-busting democratization of pop culture.

#1 Song of the Year   The top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Hot100 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year

Artists of the Year   The top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year

1. Usher
2. Ke$ha
3. Lady Gaga

Artist with Most Charting Songs   Artist(s) with the most Hot100 charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)

• Glee Cast (80)

Average #1 Artist Age   The average of how old artists who scored #1 Hot100 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1

• 27.8 years

#1 Songs   List 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

1. Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind (November ’09, 5 wks)
2. Ke$ha – TiK ToK (January, 9 wks)
3. Black Eyed Peas – Imma Be (March, 2 wks)
4. Taio Cruz feat. Ludacris – Break Your Heart (March, 1 wk)
5. Rihanna – Rude Boy (March, 5 wks)
6. B.o.B feat. Bruno Mars – Nothin’ on You (May, 2 wks)
7. Usher feat. will.i.am – OMG (May, 4 wks)
8. Eminem – Not Afraid (May, 1 wk)
9. Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg – California Gurls (June, 6 wks)
10. Eminem feat. Rihanna – Love the Way You Lie (July, 7 wks)
11. Katy Perry – Teenage Dream (September, 2 wks)
12. Far*East Movement feat. Cataracs & Dev – Like a G6 (October, 3 wks)
13. Rihanna – Only Girl (In the World) (December, 1 wk)