THE TOP 100 POP RECORD HITS

 

For more than one hundred years, pop music has been an intrinsic part of American culture. Over the years, thousands of pop recordings have been issued for our listening pleasure. Of the many recordings that became #1 hits, a select few have gained such enormous popularity as to qualify them as mega-hits. Listed below are the all-time top 100 pop record hits, based on their performance in the pop music charts.

 

Each hit's performance for the period 1890-1954 is measured as follows:

 

Each week at #1 is valued at 10 points.

Each week on the charts is valued at 1 point.

 

Throughout this period, the depth of the charts expanded from the top 3 positions to the top 30 positions. In order to present an equal comparison for all pop hits, the figures for this period have been modified to simulate a chart depth of 30 positions for the entire period.

 

From 1940-1958 Billboard published several different charts with different results. The reference works used for this study reported the best performance for each hit from the several charts. This resulted in the performance for this period being over-weighted. The figures for this period have thus been extracted from Billboard's Best Sellers In Stores chart.

 

In  the mid 1950s, the industry underwent a massive expansion. The advent of rock and roll music brought in hundreds of new artists and dozens of new record labels, fueled by millions of teenagers with money to spend on records.  This somewhat diminished the time that pop hits remained at their peak, as this multitude of new performers competed for the same few spots at the top of the charts. Thus, an adjustment needed to be made to the rating system.

 

Each hit's performance for the period 1955-2002 is as follows:

 

Each week at #1 is valued at 13 points.

Each week on the charts is valued at 1 point.

 

All figures for this period are based on a chart depth of 100 positions. Beginning in 1992 the pop charts were modified with the result that the length of time a pop hit remained on the charts was substantially increased. In order to present an equal comparison for all pop hits, the figures for this period have been modified to simulate the chart durations from previous periods.

 

POP HIT

 ARTIST YEAR FIRST CHARTED WEEKS AT NO. 1 WEEKS CHARTED POINTS
1. White Christmas Bing Crosby

1942

11

80

 190
2. Don't Be Cruel / Hound Dog Elvis Presley 1956 11 30 173
3 Frenesi Artie Shaw 1940 13 30 160
4. My Blue Heaven Gene Austin 1927 13 28 158
5. Dardanella Ben Selvin 1920 13 27 157
6. Paper Doll Mills Brothers 1942 12 37 157
7. Physical Olivia Newton-John 1981 10 26 156
8. The Prisoner's Song Vernon Dalhart 1926 12 36 156
9. Goodnight, Irene The Weavers & Gordon Jenkins 1950 13 25 155
10. I've Heard That Song Before Harry James 1943 13 25 155
11. You Light Up My Life Debbie Boone 1977 10 25 155
12. In the Mood Glenn Miller 1939 12 32 152
13. Iris Goo Goo Dolls 1998 9 35 152
14. Don't Speak No Doubt 1996 8 47 151
15. Candle In the Wind Elton John 1987 7 53 144
16. Endless Love Diana Ross & Lionel Richie 1981 9 27 144
17. Singin' the Blues Guy Mitchell 1956 9 27 144
18. Bette Davis Eyes Kim Carnes 1981 9 26 143
19. Mack the Knife Bobby Darrin 1959 9 26 143
20. Sonny Boy Al Jolson 1928 12 21 141
21. Vaya Con Dios Les Paul & Mary Ford 1953 11 31 141
22. I'll Never Smile Again Tommy Dorsey (v. Frank Sinatra) 1940 12 20 140
23. Near You Francis Craig 1947 12 20 140
24. Heartaches Ted Weems 1947 12 19 139
25. A Summer Place Percy Faith 1960 9 21 138
26. Cry Johnnie Ray 1951 11 27 137
27. The Third Man Anton Karas 1950 11 27 137
28. Hey Jude The Beatles 1968 9 19 136
29. Macarena Los Del Rio 1996 7 45 136
30. Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet Haydn Quartet 1909 11 26 136
31. All Shook Up Elvis Presley 1957 8 31 135
32. School Days Byron G. Harlan 1907 11 24 134
33. Heartbreak Hotel Elvis Presley 1956 8 29 133
34. Whispering Paul Whiteman 1920 11 23 133
35. Arkansas Traveler Len Spencer 1902 11 21 131
36. Casey Jones American Quartet 1910 11 21 131
37. The Preacher and the Bear Arthur Collins 1905 11 21 131
38. Riders In the Sky Vaughn Monroe 1949 11 21 131
39. Rock Around the Clock Bill Haley 1954 8 27 131
40. April Showers Al Jolson 1922 11 19 129
41. Cheek To Cheek Fred Astaire 1935 11 19 129
42. Just A Baby's Prayer At Twilight Henry Burr 1918 11 19 129
43. Valencia Paul Whiteman 1926 11 19 129
44. Tonight's the Night Rod Stewart 1976 8 23 127
45. Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White* Perez Prado 1955 10 26 126
46. Every Breath You Take The Police 1983 8 22 126
47. My Old New Hampshire Home George J. Gaskin 1898 10 26 126
48. Sweet Adeline Haydn Quartet 1904 10 26 126
49. Sweet Leilani Bing Crosby 1937 10 26 126
50. Buttons and Bows Dinah Shore 1948 10 25 125
51. Night Fever Bee Gees 1978 8 20 124
52. On the Banks Of the Wabash George J. Gaskin 1897 10 24 124
53. One Sweet Day Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men 1995 8 20 124
54. Where Is Your Heart Percy Faith 1953 10 24 124
55. In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town Ted Lewis 1932 10 23 123
56. The Grand Old Rag Billy Murray 1906 10 23 123
57. Ballerina Vaughn Monroe 1947 10 22 122
58. Smooth Santana 1999 6 44 122
59. Stein Song Rudy Vallee 1930 10 22 122
60. Alexander's Ragtime Band Arthur Collins & Byron Harlan 1911 10 21 121
61. The Gypsy Ink Spots 1946 10 21 121
62. After the Ball George J. Gaskin 1893 10 20 120
63. A-Tisket, A-Tasket Chick Webb (v. Ella Fitzgerald) 1938 10 20 120
64. Jailhouse Rock Elvis Presley 1957 7 29 120
65. My Gal Sal Byron G. Harlan 1907 10 20 120
66. The Band Played On Dan Quinn 1895 10 20 120
67. The Laughing Song George W. Johnson 1891 10 20 120
68. Tip Toe Through the Tulips Nick Lucas 1929 10 20 120
69. Moonlight Cocktail Glenn Miller 1942 10 19 119
70. Night and Day Leo Reisman 1933 10 19 119
71. Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear Elvis Presley 1957 7 27 118
72. Sentimental Journey Les Brown 1945 9 28 118
73. Swinging On A Star Bing Crosby 1944 9 28 118
74. Amapola Jimmy Dorsey 1941 10 17 117
75. I'll Make Love To You Boyz II Men 1994 7 25 116
76. Little Things Mean A Lot Kitty Kallen 1954 9 26 116
77. Shadow Dancing Andy Gibb 1978 7 25 116
78. The Last Roundup George Olsen 1933 9 26 116
79. Billie Jean Michael Jackson 1983 7 24 115
80. Chattanooga Choo Choo Glenn Miller 1941 9 25 115
81. How High the Moon Les Paul & Mary Ford 1951 9 25 115
82. Pennies From Heaven Bing Crosby 1936 10 15 115
83. Tossin' and Turnin' Bobby Lewis 1961 7 23 114
84. Wheel Of Fortune Kay Starr 1952 9 24 114
85. I Do It For You Bryan Adams 1991 7 22 113
86. Over There American Quartet 1917 9 23 113
87. Sixteen Tons "Tennessee" Ernie Ford 1955 7 21 112
88. The Tennessee Waltz Patti Page 1950 9 22 112
89. Twelfth Street Rag Pee Wee Hunt 1948 8 32 112
90. Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart Vera Lynn 1952 9 21 111
91. Black Or White Michael Jackson 1991 7 20 111
92. By the Light Of the Silvery Moon Billy Murray & Haydn Quartet 1910 9 21 111
93. Harrigan Billy Murray 1907 9 21 111
94. I Love Rock 'N Roll Joan Jett 1982 7 20 111
95. I Will Always Love You Whitney Houston 1992 7 20 111
96. Manana Peggy Lee 1948 9 21 111
97. Meet Me In St. Louis, Louis Billy Murray 1904 9 21 111
98. Nobody Burt Williams 1906 9 21 111
99. Only Forever Bing Crosby 1940 9 21 111
100. Shine On, Harvest Moon Harry MacDonough & Elsie Stevenson 1909 9 21 111

* Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White is scored with the 1890-1954 figures since it charted before the inception of the Rock 'n Roll Era.

Sources for chart data:

Pop Memories 1890-1954 by Joel Whitburn

Billboard Best Sellers In Stores 1940-1958

Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 by Joel Whitburn

 

Click the following link for a listing of the top 100 pop recording artists:

 

THE TOP 100 POP RECORDING ARTISTS

 

Contact Me: CRFordMusic@aol.com 

 

© Copyright: Charles R. Ford, 2004

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