2000

Big changes were made in 1999. Billboard allowed songs that did not have commercial singles available, as most of them didn’t by this point, to chart on the Hot 100. If that weren’t enough, the Hot 100 also became an all-format chart. Whether they were getting played at pop, R&B, country, rock, easy listening or Latin stations, these were the most played and biggest selling songs in the country. This was great for an all around music enthusiast like me because I could see, for example, how the #1 Country song compared with the #1 Modern Rock song in terms of all around popularity.

On the weekly chart, the top country song was usually somewhere in the 20’s or 30’s and the top 15 or so country songs would be on the chart somewhere. On the year-end chart, country songs start to trickle in in the 80’s. When you get past 100, every other song is country.

Another way this list is different from the lists I’ve posted so far is that Billboard was no longer using playlists and bestsellers submitted by radio stations and record stores to make the Hot 100. Bar code scanners enabled them to have actual unit counts of singles sold, and a company called Broadcast Data Systems could monitor radio airplay 24 hours a day. This gave us a much more accurate chart. It also means that when Billboard assembled their year-end charts, they got to use the collected monitored airplay and sales data from throughout the year, and not just the weekly charts themselves. So for the songs that had their entire chart runs within the chart year, no matter what my point scale says, Billboard is right. I’m only using the scale as a guide to determine where I should position songs with added points from the year before or the year after. And of course, from about #111-150, I’m on my own.

I’m not going to post point totals by the song titles for these later years. The points can be all over the map and wouldn’t make a lot of sense (I will say that #1, named by Billboard in 2008 as the second biggest Hot 100 hit ever, was 298 points ahead of #2. I think “I Gotta Feeling” may have topped it since then). I’ve made the list as accurate as I can, and short of working for Billboard magazine and having access to the information they have, that’s the best I can do. I like to think that any song is only going to be off by a few places at most.

There was a trend at the start of the ‘00’s for a song to be a hit on country radio, fall off the Hot 100 for a few months, then come back at pop radio with a remix. I treat the different versions as different songs. So #s 13, 102 and 108 will be seen here again in other years.

1. Smooth – Santana feat. Rob Thomas
2. Breathe – Faith Hill
3. Kryptonite – 3 Doors Down
4. Maria Maria – Santana feat. The Product G&B
5. With Arms Wide Open – Creed
6. I Wanna Know – Joe
7. Everything You Want – Vertical Horizon
8. I Knew I Loved You – Savage Garden
9. Bent – Matchbox Twenty
10. Back at One – Brian McKnight
11. I Need to Know – Marc Anthony
12. Say My Name – Destiny’s Child
13. Amazed (pop mix) – Lonestar
14. He Wasn’t Man Enough – Toni Braxton
15. Higher – Creed
16. Try Again – Aaliyah
17. Jumpin’ Jumpin’ – Destiny’s Child
18. Music – Madonna
19. My Love Is Your Love – Whitney Houston
20. Thong Song – Sisqo
21. There You Go – Pink
22. Doesn’t Really Matter – Janet Jackson
23. What a Girl Wants – Christina Aguilera
24. Bye Bye Bye – *NSYNC
25. You Sang to Me – Marc Anthony
26. Get It On Tonight – Montell Jordan
27. Incomplete – Sisqo
28. Bring It All to Me – Blaque
29. Most Girls – Pink
30. I Try – Macy Gray
31. It’s Gonna Be Me – *NSYNC
32. (Hot S**t) Country Grammar – Nelly
33. That’s the Way It Is – Celine Dion
34. Hot Boyz – Missy Elliott
35. Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely – Backstreet Boys
36. Back Here – BBMak
37. Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You) – Christina Aguilera
38. It Feels So Good – Sonique
39. No More – Ruff Endz
40. Absolutely (Story of a Girl) – Nine Days
41. U Know What’s Up – Donell Jones
42. Gotta Tell You – Samantha Mumba
43. Be With You – Enrique Iglesias
44. I Wanna Love You Forever – Jessica Simpson
45. All the Small Things – Blink-182
46. I Turn to You – Christina Aguilera
47. Then the Morning Comes – Smashmouth
48. Never Let You Go – Third Eye Blind
49. I Need You – LeAnn Rimes
50. Thank God I Found You – Mariah Carey feat. Joe and 98 Degrees
51. Let’s Get Married – Jagged Edge
52. Waiting for Tonight – Jennifer Lopez
53. Blue (Da Ba Dee) – Eiffel 65
54. Desert Rose – Sting
55. The Real Slim Shady – Eminem
56. Wifey – Next
57. Meet Virginia – Train
58. Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche) – 98 Degrees
59. Shape of My Heart – Backstreet Boys
60. Wonderful – Everclear
61. Bag Lady – Erykah Badu
62. Oops!... I Did It Again – Britney Spears
63. Don’t Think I’m Not – Kandi
64. Between You and Me – Ja Rule feat. Christina Milian
65. Shake Ya Ass – Mystikal
66. Pinch Me – Barenaked Ladies
67. Take a Picture – Filter
68. Otherside – Red Hot Chili Peppers
69. Big Pimpin’ – Jay-Z feat. UGK
70. Faded – SoulDecision
71. Purest of Pain (A Puro Dolor) – Son by Four
72. He Can’t Love U – Jagged Edge
73. Separated – Avant
74. Learn to Fly – Foo Fighters
75. You’re a God – Vertical Horizon
76. I Wish – Carl Thomas
77. 24/7 – Kevon Edmonds
78. Only God Knows Why – Kid Rock
79. Party Up (Up in Here) – DMX
80. She Bangs – Ricky Martin
81. Girl on TV – LFO
82. Best of Intentions – Travis Tritt
83. Bounce with Me – Lil Bow Wow feat. Xscape
84. Big Deal – LeAnne Rimes
85. Forgot About Dre – Dr. Dre and Eminem
86. That’s the Way – Jo Dee Messina
87. Swear It Again – Westlife
88. Liar – Profyle
89. The Next Episode – Dr. Dre feat Snoop Dogg
90. From the Bottom of My Broken Heart – Britney Spears
91. Crash and Burn – Savage Garden
92. Yes! – Chad Brock
93. Hanginaround – Counting Crows
94. The Best Day – George Strait
95. Where I Wanna Be – Donell Jones
96. My Best Friend – Tim McGraw
97. How Do You Like Me Now ?! – Toby Keith
98. Broadway – Goo Goo Dolls
99. Cowboy Take Me Away – Dixie Chicks
100. Stay the Night – IMx
101. What’chu Like – Da Brat feat. Tyrese
102. I Hope You Dance (country version) – Lee Ann Womack
103. Better Off Alone – Alice Deejay
104. What About Now – Lonestar
105. I Like It – Sammie
106. It’s My Life – Bon Jovi
107. He Didn’t Have to Be – Brad Paisley
108. The Way You Love Me (country version) – Faith Hill
109. I Don’t Wanna – Aaliyah
110. Got Your Money – Ol’ Dirty Bastard feat. Kelis
111. Shackles (Praise You) – Mary Mary
112. When I Said I Do – Clint Black
113. Falls Apart – Sugar Ray
114. The Little Girl – John Michael Montgomery
115. If You Love Me – Mint Condition
116. Just Be a Man About It – Toni Braxton
117. What Do You Say – Reba McEntire
118. It Must Be Love – Alan Jackson
119. Untitled (How Does It Feel) – D’Angelo
120. Just Another Day in Paradise – Phil Vassar
121. Prayin’ for Daylight – Rascal Flatts
122. Smile – Lonestar
123. She’s More – Andy Griggs
124. I Think I’m in Love with You – Jessica Simpson
125. Go On – George Strait
126. Shake Your Bon-Bon - Ricky Martin
127. Wobble Wobble – 504 Boys
128. Got to Get It – Sisqo feat. Make It Hot
129. Couldn’t Last a Moment – Collin Raye
130. Back at One – Mark Wills
131. Love Is the Only House – Martina McBride
132. I Will…But – SheDaisy
133. Buy Me a Rose – Kenny Rogers with Alison Krauss
134. Who Let the Dogs Out – Baha Men
135. The Chain of Love – Clay Walker
136. Lessons Learned – Tracy Lawrence
137. Dance Tonight – Lucy Pearl
138. 911 – Wyclef Jean feat. Mary J. Blige
139. Been There – Clint Black with Steve Wariner
140. Sexual (Li Da Di) – Amber
141. Kiss This – Aaron Tippin
142. Last Resort – Papa Roach
143. Goodbye Earl – Dixie Chicks
144. I Wanna Be with You – Mandy Moore
145. Open My Heart – Yolanda Adams
146. Carlene – Phil Vassar
147. Unconditional – Clay Davidson
148. One Voice – Billy Gilman
149. Feels Like Love – Vince Gill
150. The Light – Common

The Hot 100 in the 90’s

and Why I Won’t Be Going There for a While

Since it’s inception in Aug. 1958, the Hot 100 combined airplay and single sales to determine the most popular songs in the country. It made sense then that one of the criteria to be eligible for the chart was that a song had to be released as a commercial single. (That meant a 7” vinyl record if I have any younger readers who didn’t know that.) Now and then a song would come along that would get a significant amount of airplay but would not be released as a single and would therefore not be eligible. Songs like “Stairway to Heaven” and “Isn’t She Lovely” didn’t make the chart for that reason. But such instances were few and far between.

In the 90’s, record labels started to get the idea that they could sell more albums if they withheld singles from the market. It was a strategic trickle at first, starting with “Do the Bartman” by the Simpsons (Yes, those Simpsons). I remember reading an item in Billboard about the decision to not release a single. A Geffen respesentative said that their goal wasn’t to have a hit song. Their goal was to get people who would buy a Simpsons t-shirt or lunchbox to buy a CD as well. When A&M released the 8^th song from Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 to radio, their philosophy was, “Forget the single this time, let’s sell some more albums.” “State of the World” reached #5 on the airplay chart and “Bartman” made it to #11, both in 1991. The primary configuration for singles was cassettes now.

By 1994, the singles market was primarily 2-4 track CDs, and rock artists in particular started to get into the business model of not using them. Counting Crows, Green Day, Soundgarden, Gin Blossoms, Stone Temple Pilots, Cranberries and more all had big hits at top 40 radio without corresponding singles. The trend continued. In 1996, No Doubt spent 16 weeks at #1 on the airplay chart with “Don’t Speak,” and was not eligible for the Hot 100.

By 1998, 2/3 of the songs on the airplay chart were not released as singles. Furthermore, sometimes a label would hold back the release of a single, allowing for airplay and demand to increase, so that when the single was released, it would debut at #1. It worked, but it also shortened the chart run of those songs. We also saw a return of the double A-sided single. If a single had two songs that were both getting airplay (for example “You Were Meant for Me” and “Foolish Games” by Jewel), the airplay points of both songs would be combined to determine the single’s position on the main chart, which would of course be higher than either song would be on its own. What else could they do? Divide the sales points equally between the two songs? Basically, the Hot 100 was virtually useless.

Finally, for the chart year 1999, Billboard changed its rules, allowing radio-only tracks onto the big chart.

You can see how all of this might make it difficult to calculate the top 150 hits of most years in the 90’s.

The first full year for which I could accurately make up a list under the new chart methodology was 2000. I’ll be posting that in a couple days.

1987

The Top 150 Hits of… 1987

Close race in ’87. Number 1 is way out in front, but the rest of the top 10 are all within 10 points of each other.

Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” (#126) spent 14 weeks on the chart from 8/9 – 11/8/86 and peaked at #44. It was the first single from his album Graceland, which won a bunch of Grammys the following March. As a result, the song got new life at radio and the single started to sell again. It re-entered the Hot 100 on 3/28/87 and did a bit better, peaking at #23 and racking up another 15 weeks. I chose to combine both runs for its point total. I can justify it by saying that if those 48 weeks (14+19+15) had all happened in the same chart year, Billboard would have combined them. Plus it was the exact same single that was released both times.

By contrast, “Every Little Kiss” by Bruce Hornsby spent 9 weeks on the chart in ’86 that are not included in its total. It was the first single from The Way It Is and was not successful, peaking at #72. After two big hits from the same album, the label gave the song another shot, this time with a new mix and a new catalogue number, making it a true re-release. The second version fared much better and is #145 on this list.

Obviously, the original 1961 run for “Stand By Me” was not factored into its total for ’87.

If I’d only used the ’87 point total for “Al”, the song wouldn’t have made the top 150, and #150 would have been “Who Found Who” by Jellybean feat. Elisa Fiorillo.

1. Walk Like an Egyptian – Bangles 283
2. Shake You Down – Gregory Abbott 260.5
3. Here I Go Again – Whitesnake 260.5
4. Alone – Heart 260
5. Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now – Starship 257.5
6. C’est la Vie – Robbie Nevil 257.5
7. The Way It Is – Bruce Hornsby and the Range 252
8. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) – Whitney Houston 251.5
9. Living on a Prayer – Bon Jovi 250.5
10. La Bamba – Los Lobos 250.5
11. Don’t Dream It’s Over – Crowded House 247.5
12. Shakedown – Bob Seger 242.5
13. I Think We’re Alone Now – Tiffany 242
14. Everybody Have Fun Tonight – Wang Chung 241.5
15. Heaven Is a Place on Earth – Belinda Carlisle 239.5
16. (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life – Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes 238.5
17. Always – Atlantic Starr 235.5
18. With or Without You – U2 235.5
19. Only in My Dreams – Debbie Gibson 234
20. The Lady in Red – Chris DeBurgh 232.5
21. At This Moment – Billy Vera & the Beaters 230.5
22. Head to Toe – Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam 228
23. Mony Mony – Billy Idol 227.5
24. Looking for a New Love – Jody Watley 226.5
25. Heart and Soul – T’Pau 223.5
26. I Want Your Sex – George Michael 222.5
27. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2 222
28. Didn’t We Almost Have It All – Whitney Houston 220.5
29. Notorious – Duran Duran 217
30. U Got the Look – Prince feat. Sheena Easton 215
31. Lean on Me – Club Nouveau 212.5
32. Keep Your Hands to Yourself – Georgia Sattellites 210.5
33. Lost in Emotion – Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam 210
34. (I Just) Died in Your Arms – Cutting Crew 210
35. Open Your Heart – Madonna 209.5
36. You Got It All – The Jets 209.5
37. You Keep Me Hanging On – Kim Wilde 209
38. Somewhere Out There – Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram 205.5
39. Land of Confusion – Genesis 205.5
40. I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me) 205
41. Control – Janet Jackson 202
42. Should’ve Known Better – Richard Marx 201
43. Touch Me (I Want Your Body) – Samantha Fox 199.5
44. Who’s That Girl – Madonna 196
45. Will You Still Love Me – Chicago 196
46. Jacob’s Ladder – Huey Lewis & the News 194.5
47. Little Lies – Fleetwood Mac 193.5
48. Songbird – Kenny G 192
49. Let’s Wait Awhile – Janet Jackson 190.5
50. Don’t Mean Nothing – Richard Marx 190.5
51. I Heard a Rumour – Bananarama 189
52. Causing a Commotion – Madonna 188.5
53. In Too Deep – Genesis 188
54. Carrie – Europe 186.5
55. Hip to Be Square – Huey Lewis & the News 185.5
56. Luka – Suzanne Vega 185
57. Can’t We Try – Dan Hill with Vonda Sheppard 185
58. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You – Michael Jackson with Siedah Garrett 182.5
59. Don’t Disturb This Groove – The System 183
60. La Isla Bonita – Madonna 181.5
61. Stand by Me – Ben E. King 180.5
62. Breakout – Swing Out Sister 179
63. Change of Heart – Cyndi Lauper 178.5
64. Come Go with Me – Exposé 178.5
65. Mandolin Rain – Bruce Hornsby and the Range 176.5
66. Sign ‘o’ the Times – Prince 175
67. Rock Steady – The Whispers 174.5
68. Big Time – Peter Gabriel 174.5
69. To Be a Lover – Billy Idol 174
70. Bad – Michael Jackson 172.5
71. When Smokey Sings – ABC 172.5
72. Rhythm Is Gonna Get You – Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine 172
73. The Finer Things – Steve Winwood 171.5
74. Let Me Be the One – Exposé 171.5
75. Someday – Glass Tiger 171
76. Casanova – LeVert 170.5
77. Is This Love – Survivor 169
78. Wanted Dead or Alive – Bon Jovi 168.5
79. Midnight Blue – Lou Gramm 163.5
80. Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love for You – Glenn Medeiros 163.5
81. Diamonds – Herb Alpert feat. Janet Jackson 162
82. Tonight, Tonight, Tonight – Genesis 161.5
83. Something So Strong – Crowded House 161.5
84. Point of No Return – Exposé 161
85. Just to See Her – Smokey Robinson 158.5
86. Big Love – Fleetwood Mac 156.5
87. Heat of the Night – Bryan Adams 153.5
88. Who Will You Run To – Heart 153
89. Meet Me Halfway – Kenny Loggins 151
90. Brilliant Disguise – Bruce Springsteen 150.5
91. Right on Track – Breakfast Club 149.5
92. I’ve Been in Love Before – Cutting Crew 149.5
93. The One I Love – R.E.M. 148
94. Ballerina Girl – Lionel Richie 147
95. Doing It All for My Baby – Huey Lewis & the News 146.5
96. Cross My Broken Heart – The Jets 146
97. Respect Yourself – Bruce Willis 144.5
98. Victory – Kool & the Gang 144.5
99. Don’t Get Me Wrong – Pretenders 144
100. Love You Down – Ready for the World 138.5
101. (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party) – Beastie Boys 137.5
102. The Final Countdown – Europe 137.5
103. Let’s Go – Wang Chung 135.5
104. Wipeout – Fat Boys w/ the Beach Boys 135.5
105. Funkytown – Pseudo Echo 134
106. Paper in Fire – John (Cougar) Mellencamp 132
107. It’s a Sin – Pet Shop Boys 132
108. War – Bruce Springsteen 127
109. One Heartbeat – Smokey Robinson 124.5
110. I’ll Be Alright Without You – Journey 124
111. Lessons in Love – Level 42 123.5
112. In My Dreams – REO Speedwagon 123
113. Touch of Grey – Grateful Dead 121.5
114. Stone Love – Kool & the Gang 121.5
115. We’re Ready – Boston 121.5
116. The Pleasure Principle – Janet Jackson 120.5
117. Talk Dirty to Me – Poison 120.5
118. It’s Not Over (‘Til It’s Over) – Starship 120.5
119. Back in the High Life Again – Steve Winwood 119.5
120. I Won’t Forget You – Poison 119.5
121. I Know What I Like – Huey Lewis & the News 119
122. Walking Down Your Street – Bangles 119
123. Stop to Love – Luther Vandross 119
124. Girls, Girls, Girls – Motley Crue 117.5
125. Nobody’s Fool – Cinderella 117.5
126. You Can Call Me Al – Paul Simon 118.5
127. Kiss Him Goodbye – The Nylons 116.5
128. I Wanna Go Back – Eddie Money 116
129. Jump Start – Natalie Cole 115.5
130. I’d Still Say Yes – Klymaxx 115
131. Talk to Me – Chico DeBarge 114
132. Brand New Lover – Dead or Alive 114
133. Wot’s It to Ya – Robbie Nevil 113.5
134. Love Power – Dionne Warwick and Jeffrey Osborne 109.5
135. You Know I Love You… Don’t You? – Howard Jones 109.5
136. If She Would Have Been Faithful – Chicago 107.5
137. Love Is Forever – Billy Ocean 106.5
138. Hourglass – Squeeze 106.5
139. All I Wanted – Kansas 102.5
140. Where the Streets Have No Name – U2 101.5
141. Don’t Make Me Wait for Love – Kenny G feat. Lenny Williams 101.5
142. Dominoes – Robbie Nevil 100.5
143. Stay the Night – Benjamin Orr 99
144. What You Get Is What You See – Tina Turner 99
145. Every Little Kiss – Bruce Hornsby and the Range 98.5
146. This Is the Time – Billy Joel 97.5
147. Coming Around Again – Carly Simon 97
148. What’s Going On – Cyndi Lauper 96.5
149. Serious – Donna Allen 96
150. The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades – Timbuk 3 93.5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Year-End_Hot_100_singles_of_1987

1986

The Top 150 Hits of… 1986

A few things of note for this one:

There were certain years, like this one and the previous, in which if a song hadn’t finished it’s chart run by the end of the chart year, but had already reached its peak position, Billboard would make a prediction as to how they thought the song would continue to perform, and that prediction would be used in placing the song on the year-end chart. That’s what happened to “Separate Lives” when it was named the #50 song for 1985. Oops.

Billboard’s emphasis on how long a song appeared on the Hot 100 continued to skew their year-end chart in favor of those that lasted a bit longer, even if they hung around in the bottom half of the weekly chart. So “Conga,” “A Love Bizarre,” “Object of My Desire,” “Tarzan Boy” and others are far higher on Billboard’s list than mine.

If Princess Diana had not been tragically killed, this year’s #1 song would still be the biggest hit ever for all four artists. You wouldn’t have thought, would you?

1. That’s What Friends Are For – Dionne and Friends (Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Gladys Knight) 305
2. Say You, Say Me – Lionel Richie 298
3. Separate Lives – Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin 277
4. Broken Wings – Mr. Mister 272
5. On My Own – Patti Labelle and Michael McDonald 271
6. I Miss You – Klymaxx 265.5
7. Party All the Time – Eddie Murphy 261
8. How Will I Know – Whitney Houston 258.5
9. Burning Heart – Survivor 247
10. Alive and Kicking – Simple Minds 245
11. Greatest Love of All – Whitney Houston 243
12. West End Girls – Pet Shop Boys 242.5
13. Kyrie – Mr. Mister 242
14. Friends and Lovers – Gloria Loring and Carl Anderson 242
15. You Give Love a Bad Name – Bon Jovi 239
16. Addicted to Love – Robert Palmer 237.5
17. Secret Lovers – Atlantic Starr 237.5
18. There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry) – Billy Ocean 237
19. Glory of Love – Peter Cetera 232.5
20. Higher Love – Steve Winwood 232.5
21. Kiss – Prince and the Revolution 232
22. Live to Tell – Madonna 231.5
23. Human – Human League 231
24. Dancing on the Ceiling – Lionel Richie 230
25. Stuck with You – Huey Lewis & the News 229.5
26. Sledgehammer – Peter Gabriel 229.5
27. Papa Don’t Preach – Madonna 229.5
28. Sara – Starship 228.5
29. Rock Me Amadeus – Falco 224
30. The Next Time I Fall – Peter Cetera and Amy Grant 223
31. Holding Back the Years – Simply Red 221.5
32. I Can’t Wait – Nu Shooz 221.5
33. When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going – Billy Ocean 222
34. Take My Breath Away – Berlin 220.5
35. Mad About You – Belinda Carlisle 218
36. When I Think of You – Janet Jackson 217.5
37. These Dreams – Heart 217.5
38. Venus – Bananarama 217.5
39. Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone) – Glass Tiger 216.5
40. What Have You Done for Me Lately – Janet Jackson 208
41. Danger Zone – Kenny Loggins 207.5
42. Amanda – Boston 206.5
43. I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On – Robert Palmer 204
44. True Colors – Cyndi Lauper 201.5
45. Invisible Touch – Genesis 201.5
46. What You Need – INXS 201.5
47. Talk to Me – Stevie Nicks 200.5
48. Manic Monday – Bangles 200
49. Word Up – Cameo 199.5
50. Something About You – Level 42 198
51. No One Is to Blame – Howard Jones 197.5
52. Crush on You – The Jets 197.5
53. Nasty – Janet Jackson 194
54. Walk of Life – Dire Straits 193.5
55. If You Leave – Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark 193.5
56. R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. – John (Cougar) Mellencamp 192.5
57. Two of Hearts – Stacey Q 191.5
58. Typical Male – Tina Turner 191.5
59. Small Town – John (Cougar) Mellencamp 191
60. I’m Your Man – Wham! 190.5
61. Why Can’t This Be Love – Van Halen 190
62. Let’s Go All the Way – Sly Fox 189.5
63. Who’s Johnny – El DeBarge 187.5
64. Take Me Home Tonight – Eddie Money 186.5
65. The Sweetest Taboo – Sade 186
66. Your Love – The Outfield 186
67. Conga – Miami Sound Machine 185.5
68. True Blue – Madonna 185
69. Words Get in the Way – Miami Sound Machine 184.5
70. We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off – Jermaine Stewart 184.5
71. All Cried Out – Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force 178.5
72. Living in America – James Brown 177.5
73. Sweet Freedom – Michael McDonald 176.5
74. Election Day – Arcadia 176
75. Silent Running – Mike + the Mechanics 174
76. All I Need Is a Miracle – Mike + the Mechanics 169
77. Throwing It All Away – Genesis 169
78. Rumors – Timex Social Club 167
79. Love Touch – Rod Stewart 165.5
80. Bad Boy – Miami Sound Machine 164
81. Tonight She Comes – The Cars 164
82. Perfect Way – Scritti Politti 163.5
83. Sleeping Bag – ZZ Top 162
84. Take Me Home – Phil Collins 161
85. Walk This Way – Run-DMC 161
86. Life in a Northern Town – The Dream Academy 160
87. Nikita – Elton John 157.5
88. Baby Love – Regina 153.5
89. Dreamtime – Daryl Hall 153.5
90. Spies Like Us – Paul McCartney 153
91. Sweet Love – Anita Baker 151.5
92. Love Will Conquer All – Lionel Richie 151.5
93. Harlem Shuffle – The Rolling Stones 149
94. Your Wildest Dreams – The Moody Blues 147
95. Heartbeat – Don Johnson 146.5
96. King for a Day – Thompson Twins 145.5
97. A Different Corner – George Michael 145.5
98. I’ll Be Over You – Toto 145.5
99. A Love Bizarre – Sheila E. 144.5
100. Tarzan Boy – Baltimora 142.5
101. My Hometown – Bruce Springsteen 140
102. Go Home – Stevie Wonder 135
103. Tender Love – Force M.D.’s 132.5
104. Is It Love – Mr. Mister 132.5
105. The Rain – Oran “Juice” Jones 132
106. Love Zone – Billy Ocean 131.5
107. This Could Be the Night – Loverboy 131.5
108. Tuff Enuff – Fabulous Thunderbirds 128
109. A Matter of Trust – Billy Joel 126
110. You Should Be Mine – Jeffrey Osborne 125
111. Heaven in Your Eyes – Loverboy 122.5
112. Nothin’ At All – Heart 121.5
113. I Wanna Be a Cowboy – Boys Don’t Cry 120.5
114. You’re a Friend of Mine – Clarence Clemmons with Jackson Browne 119
115. Object of My Desire – Starpoint 119
116. Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money) – Pet Shop Boys 117.5
117. Be Good to Yourself – Journey 115.5
118. Goodbye – Night Ranger 111
119. Digging your Scene – The Blow Monkeys 109.5
120. When the Heart Rules the Mind – GTR 109.5
121. Beat’s So Lonely – Charlie Sexton 109.5
122. Sidewalk Talk – Jellybean 108.5
123. Modern Woman – Billy Joel 106.5
124. The Edge of Heaven – Wham! 106.5
125. The Captain of Her Heart – Double 105.5
126. Move Away – Culture Club 103.5
127. Everybody Dance – Ta Mara and the Seen 103.5
128. Sanctify Yourself – Simple Minds 102.5
129. Missionary Man – Eurythmics 102.5
130. Like a Rock – Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band 100.5
131. American Storm – Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band 100.5
132. Like No Other Night – 38 Special 98.5
133. Emotion in Motion – Ric Ocasek 98.5
134. It’s Only Love – Bryan Adams with Tina Turner 98.5
135. Emergency – Kool & the Gand 98
136. Point of No Return – Nu Shooz 97.5
137. The Sun Always Shines on TV – a-ha 95.5
138. I Think It’s Love – Jermaine Jackson 94.5
139. Day by Day – The Hooters 93.5
140. Love Is the Seventh Wave – Sting 93
141. Man Size Love – Klymaxx 92
142. Wrap Her Up – Elton John with George Michael 91
143. Wild Wild Life – Talking Heads 90.5
144. Yankee Rose – Daivd Lee Roth 89.5
145. Love Walks In – Van Halen 88.5
146. I Can’t Wait– Stevie Nicks 87.5
147. Girl Can’t Help It – Journey 87
148. Vienna Calling – Falco 86.5
149. (Forever) Live and Die – Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark 86.5
150. All the Love in the World – The Outfield 86.5

And Billboard’s version

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Year-End_Hot_100_singles_of_1986

1985

The Top 150 Hits of… 1985

The Unusual Case of "We Are the World"

An interesting thing about the way the Hot 100 was tabulated before 1992: If a radio station told you which was their #1 song, or a record store told you which was their #1 seller, you would know what song was out in front of all the others that week... What you wouldn’t know is how far out in front. To partially compensate, I give a few bonus points for multiple weeks at #1. In this case, I don’t think it’s enough.

"We Are the World" by USA for Africa was an event record. All of the biggest American music stars of the period [[Really, all of them. Well, except for Prince and Chicago, both of whom contributed songs to the USA for Africa album. Side note: While being my all-time favorite artist, Prince is also the source of my 2 biggest musical disappointments. One was his collaboration with Madonna on her Like a Prayer album. Bad. The other was his turning down the offer to sing on We Are the World. You know the last chorus over which James Ingram sings lead? In the initial plan, that was meant to have been Prince and Michael Jackson singing back and forth the way Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen do earlier in the song. Wouldn’t that have been amazing? Darn you, Prince.]] trading lines on one song to benefit African famine relief. It peaked at #1 for four weeks, then fell down and off the chart fairly quickly. Going strictly by its point total, it would place at #19 on my list for ’85 and was #20 on Billboard’s.

Thing is, during the four weeks it spent at #1, it must have been waaaaaaaaaay ahead of everyone else. The single sold 4 million copies, 2-3 times what any other song sold that year. 4 million may have, in fact, been a record at the time. If Billboard had had available then the kind of data they have now, it’s possible that "We Are the World" would have been the #1 song of 1985. That being the case, I couldn’t leave it at 19. In order for it to be #1, it would need an additional 45 points. I gave it half that, which puts it at #6, right in the middle of the 10 point split between "Crazy for You" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". That feels right to me. Comments from other chart enthusiasts?

By the way, if my point scale put as much emphasis on the number of weeks on the chart as Billboard’s did, two songs that would definitely have made the list are "I Wonder If I Take You Home" by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam and "Tenderness" by General Public, #s 151 and 153 by my scale.

1. Like a Virgin – Madonna 287.5
2. Careless Whisper – Wham! 286.5
3. Out of Touch – Daryl Hall & John Oates 282.5
4. I Want to Know What Love Is – Foreigner 275
5. Crazy for You – Madonna 271
6. We Are the World – USA for Africa 243 + 22.5 265.5
7. Everybody Want to Rule the World – Tears for Fears 261
8. Money for Nothing – Dire Straits 260
9. Everytime You Go Away – Paul Young 257.5
10. We Built This City – Starship 257.5
11. Easy Lover – Philip Bailey with Phil Collins 255.5
12. Take On Me – a-ha 255
13. Can’t Fight This Feeling – REO Speedwagon 253
14. Don’t You (Forget About Me) – Simple Minds 250.5
15. Cherish – Kool and the Gang 249
16. The Power of Love – Huey Lewis and the News 248.5
17. Part-Time Lover – Stevie Wonder 245.5
18. The Wild Boys – Duran Duran 243.5
19. St. Elmo’s Fire – John Parr 242
20. The Heat Is On – Glenn Frey 240.5
21. Shout – Tears for Fears 239.5
22. Saving All My Love for You – Whitney Houston 235.5
23. Heaven – Bryan Adams 232
24. Miami Vice Theme – Jan Hammer 232
25. Sea of Love – The Honeydrippers 232
26. Everything She Wants – Wham! 229.5
27. Cool It Now – New Edition 227.5
28. You Belong to the City – Glenn Frey 227.5
29. A View to a Kill – Duran Duran 223.5
30. Rhythm of the Night – DeBarge 223
31. Loverboy – Billy Ocean 222.5
32. One More Night – Phil Collins 222.5
33. You’re the Inspiration – Chicago 221
34. Oh Sheila – Ready for the World 220.5
35. Never – Heart 219.5
36. Sussudio – Phil Collins 219.5
37. Raspberry Beret – Prince and the Revolution 216.5
38. Neutron Dance – The Pointer Sisters 215
39. Lovergirl – Teena Marie 214.5
40. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free – Sting 213
41. All I Need – Jack Wagner 212.5
42. Never Surrender – Corey Hart 212.5
43. We Belong – Pat Benatar 211.5
44. Freeway of Love – Aretha Franklin 211.5
45. You Give Good Love – Whitney Houston 211
46. Nightshift – The Commodores 210
47. One Night in Bangkok – Murray Head 206
48. We Don’t Need Another Hero – Tina Turner 205
49. Material Girl – Madonna 205
50. Things Can Only Get Better – Howard Jones 204
51. The Search Is Over – Survivor 203
52. Head Over Heels – Tears for Fears 200.5
53. Suddenly – Billy Ocean 198.5
54. Obsession – Animotion 198
55. Axel F – Harold Faltermeyer192
56. Don’t Lose My Number – Phil Collins 191
57. The Boys of Summer – Don Henley 190.5
58. Smooth Operator – Sade 188.5
59. Glory Days – Bruce Springsteen 186.5
60. Run to You – Bryan Adams 185.5
61. No More Lonely Nights – Paul McCartney 185.5
62. In My House – Mary Jane Girls 179.5
63. Lay Your Hands on Me – Thompson Twins 178.5
64. Freedom – Wham! 175.5
65. Some Like It Hot – Power Station 175
66. Lonely Old Night – John (Cougar) Mellencamp 175
67. Summer of ’69 – Bryan Adams 174
68. Too Late for Goodbyes – Julian Lennon 171.5
69. Who’s Zoomin’ Who – Aretha Franklin 171
70. California Girls – David Lee Roth 171
71. Missing You – Diana Ross 169.5
72. Would I Lie to You? – Eurythmics 169.5
73. Voices Carry – ‘Til Tuesday 169
74. Angel – Madonna 167.5
75. I’m on Fire – Bruce Springsteen 166.5
76. Method of Modern Love – Daryl Hall & John Oates 165.5
77. Be Near Me – ABC 163.5
78. Walking on Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves 163.5
79. Valotte – Julian Lennon 159
80. Who’s Holding Donna Now – DeBarge 158.5
81. Misled – Kool and the Gang 157
82. Fortress Around Your Heart – Sting 155.5
83. Private Dancer – Tina Turner 152.5
84. Born in the U.S.A. – Bruce Springsteen 151
85. Dress You Up – Madonna 150.5
86. All She Wants to Do Is Dance – Don Henley 148.5
87. What About Love – Heart 146.5
88. Fresh – Kool and the Gang 146.5
89. Sentimental Street – Night Ranger 145.5
90. Solid – Ashford and Simpson 144.5
91. Lovin’ Every Minute of It – Loverboy 144.5
92. Do What You Do – Jermaine Jackson 142.5
93. Sugar Walls – Sheena Easton 140
94. You Are My Lady – Freddie Jackson 138
95. Invincible – Pat Benatar 137.5
96. Dare Me – The Pointer Sisters 136
97. Pop Life – Prince and the Revolution 135
98. High on You – Survivor 134.5
99. Get It On (Bang a Gong) – Power Station 134
100. You’re Only Human (Second Wind) – Billy Joel 133
101. I Would Die 4 U – Prince and the Revolution 128.5
102. Dancing in the Street – David Bowie and Mick Jagger 128.5
103. Smuggler’s Blues – Glenn Frey 128.5
104. The Old Man Down the Road – John Fogerty 127
105. Jungle Love – The Time 125
106. Somebody – Bryan Adams 123.5
107. Love Theme from “St. Elmo’s Fire” – David Foster 122
108. Only the Young – Journey 121.5
109. Relax – Frankie Goes to Hollywood 121
110. People Are People – Depeche Mode 120.5
111. You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) – Dead or Alive 117.5
112. Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody – David Lee Roth 115
113. Foolish Heart – Steve Perry 114.5
114. Jamie – Ray Parker Jr. 113.5
115. Just Another Night – Mick Jagger 112.5
116. I’m Goin’ Down – Bruce Springsteen 111.5
117. The Goonies ‘R Good Enough – Cyndi Lauper 111.5
118. New Attitude – Patti Labelle 110
119. And We Danced – The Hooters 107.5
120. Don’t Come Around Here No More – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 107
121. One Night Love Affair – Bryan Adams 106.5
122. Along Comes a Woman – Chicago 106.5
123. That Was Yesterday – Foreigner 106
124. Cry – Godley and Creme 106
125. Mr. Telephone Man – New Edition 105.5
126. Call to the Heart – Giuffria 105.5
127. I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down – Paul Young 102
128. Keeping the Faith – Billy Joel 100.5
129. Never Ending Story – Limahl 99.5
130. Hello Again – The Cars 99
131. Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake) – Freddie Jackson 98
132. Love Light in Flight – Stevie Wonder 97.5
133. Understanding – Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band 96.5
134. Smokin’ in the Boys Room – Motley Crue 96.5
135. One of the Living – Tina Turner 96
136. Operator – Midnight Star 95.5
137. Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes) – Kim Carnes 95.5
138. One Lonely Night – REO Speedwagon 94.5
139. Just As I Am – Air Supply 93.5
140. 19 – Paul Hardcastle 93
141. Centipede – Rebbie Jackson 92.5
142. Tough All Over – John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band 91.5
143. Naughty Naughty – John Parr 91.5
144. Life in One Day – Howard Jones 89.5
145. Save a Prayer – Duran Duran 88.5
146. Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves – Eurythmics with Aretha Franklin 86
147. C-I-T-Y – John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band 85
148. Mystery Lady – Billy Ocean 84.5
149. Sunset Grill – Don Henley 83.5
150. Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid – Daryl Hall & John Oates 82.5

For comparison, here’s Billboard’s official year-end chart for 1985.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Year-End_Hot_100_singles_of_1985

The Scale I Use

Sometime in the late 80’s, Billboard published an insert in one of their issues called “How We Track the Hits.” At the time, they gathered their data for the Hot 100 by asking for ranked best seller lists from record stores and playlists from radio stations. They would take all of their lists and assign points to each listed song as follows:

Rank Points

1 25

2 24

3 23

4 22

5 21

6 20

7 19

8 18

9 17

10 16

11 15

12 14

13 13

14 12

15 11

16-20 10

21-25 9

26-30 8

31-35 7

36-40 6

Below 40 5

Then they’d total them up, giving greater significance to bigger stores and radio stations, and voila, the Hot 100. When I compile my Top 150 Hits of… lists, each song is assigned a point value for its position on the Hot 100 every week. I use the above scale, except I continue it as follows.

41-50 5

51-60 4

61-70 3

71-80 2

81-90 1

91-100 .5

If Billboard used their own scale for their own year-end chart, giving every song from 41-100 5 points, that could certainly account for many of the discrepancies between theirs and mine. But personally, I don’t think floating between 91 and 100 for five weeks is the same as floating between 41 and 50 for the same period. So I like my scale better.

I thought about adding 5 points to the entire scale so that #91-100 would be 5 points and #1 would be 30. That would be the same thing as awarding 5 bonus points for each week on the chart. But when I looked at a few sample results, it seemed to create as many discrepancies as it resolved, so I decided against it. Such point scales are fairly arbitrary anyway. The only truly accurate way to know what songs sold more singles and were played more on the radio is by having actual airplay and sales data, which Billboard started using when the technology became available in late 1991. So after ’91 my way of making my own lists gets a bit different too. More on that some other time.

One other tweak I make is that for each additional week at #1, the points for that week go up by one. So the first week at #1 is 25 points, the 2^nd week is 26, 3^rd is 27, and so on.

In the event of a tie, I list songs with the same total number of points by the following criteria.

1) The songs’ relative positions on Billboard’s year-end chart.

2) Peak position on the Hot 100.

3) Their relative ranks in Joel Whitburn’s Pop Annual books. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out recordresearch.com.

The Billboard chart year runs from Dec.-Nov, as do mine. So some songs that hit their peak in Dec. of a certain year will be listed on the chart for the following year. I know that for a few years in the 80’s, Billboard’s chart year began and ended in mid-Nov. I don’t know why and I don’t approve, so I’m sticking with starting in Dec. Furthermore, if an issue of Billboard is dated Dec. 1 that means it is for the week ending Dec. 1. Which means that for issues dated Dec. 1, 2, and 3, the majority of that week actually falls in November. According to Billboard, a chart year starting in Dec. starts on the on the first issue with a December date. For me, it starts on the first issue dated Dec. 4 or later. This affects under which year some songs end up being listed.

If the chart run of a song straddles the cutoff between chart years, as many do, the point total for it’s entire chart run is included, and it is listed in the year in which it accrued the majority of its points. For example, Smooth by Santana feat. Rob Thomas was Billboard’s #19 song for 1999 and #2 for 2000. Although it debuted in ‘99 and first reached #1 in late Oct. of that year, the clear majority of its points fall in the chart year 2000. So for me it’s #1 in 2000 and not mentioned in ’99. Get it?

If a song has an almost equal number of points in both of its chart years, I’ll favor the earlier, calendar year, even if its point total is a little greater in the year following, just because I like it better that way. How’s that for scientific?

Lastly, Billboard takes a one-week break from publication at the end of every year. Before Dec. 1991, it was their policy to freeze the chart from the previous week, with all songs maintaining their positions for those two consecutive weeks. What I do is look at the charts immediately before and after the skipped week and make up a mock of what the Hot 100 would likely have looked like if it hadn’t been frozen. Usually that only amounts to a difference of a few points in any song’s total, and often it makes no difference. But for one, it was the difference between being the #1 song of the year and being #2 (teaser for '88).