The Most Popular Song the Year You Were Born
Nostalgia is a powerful feeling, and it’s easy to spend hours reminiscing about days gone by. It’s especially fun to look back at — and of course, listen to — the music that was popular during our childhood. Since 1940, Billboard magazine has been compiling the most widely purchased and played songs year after year. Originally, the Billboard charts ranked songs based on various categories, such as record sales and radio playtime. But in 1958, Billboard unveiled the Hot 100 chart, which compiled those metrics into a definitive list of the top tunes each year. Let’s take a look back at the most popular songs of each year of the past century, based on these lists and other early data.
1920s
The 1920s were the decade in which pop music became a distinct genre of its own. In fact, the term “pop music” was actually coined in 1926 to refer to any widely “popular” songs. But given that it was still such a nascent concept, there were no existing methods for tracking a song’s popularity over time. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1930s that anyone compiled an official weekly music chart that took into account sales and airplay. Despite the lack of an authoritative industry list, it’s possible to identify the most popular songs based on contemporary records such as The Billboard theatrical digest and historical compilations that generally reference the same tunes as the biggest hits in a given year. Here’s a look at the top tunes from each year of this formative decade.
1920 — “Swanee” by Al Jolson
1921 — “I Ain’t Got Nobody” by Marion Harris
1922 — “My Man” by Fanny Brice
1923 — “Down Hearted Blues” by Bessie Smith
1924 — “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin
1925 — “Sweet Georgia Brown” by Ben Bernie
1926 — “Bye Bye, Blackbird” by Gene Austin
1927 — “Stardust” by Hoagy Carmichael
1928 — “Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)” by Jimmie Rodgers
1929 — “Makin’ Whoopee” by Eddie Cantor
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1930s
The 1930s were dominated by legendary artists such as Cab Calloway and Fred Astaire. In 1935, a program called Your Hit Parade debuted on TV and radio, and published the first weekly music chart in the U.S., preceding the Billboard charts by five years. The list took into account multiple factors such as record sales and total radio plays, and it debuted with “Soon” by Bing Crosby in the No. 1 spot for the inaugural week of April 20, 1935. The top song of the entire decade, meanwhile, was “My Reverie” by Larry Clinton, which stayed at No. 1 for eight weeks in 1938.
1930 — “Happy Days Are Here Again” by Ben Selvin
1931 — “Minnie the Moocher” by Cab Calloway & His Cotton Club Orchestra
1932 — “Night and Day” by Fred Astaire and Leo Reisman
1933 — “Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin’ All the Time)” by Ethel Waters
1934 — “Moonglow” by Benny Goodman
1935 — “Cheek to Cheek” by Fred Astaire
1936 — “The Way You Look Tonight” by Fred Astaire
1937 — “Once in a While” by Tommy Dorsey
1938 — “My Reverie” by Larry Clinton
1939 — “Over the Rainbow” by Glenn Miller
1940s
Billboard unveiled its first music chart in July 1940, and the song “I’ll Never Smile Again” — which featured a young Frank Sinatra on vocals — topped the chart for the first 12 weeks. From 1940 through 1943, Billboard only took into account retail sales for determining the top song, but later years saw the introduction of charts that tracked other metrics, such as total jukebox plays and radio play. Throughout the 1940s, orchestral bandleaders such as Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, and Glenn Miller dominated the music scene in terms of retail sales and on-air playtime. Here’s a look at the most popular Billboard songs from the 1940s based on total sales, the one metric that was used throughout the decade.
1940 — “I’ll Never Smile Again” by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra with Frank Sinatra and the Pied Pipers
1941 — “Frenesi” by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra
1942 — “Moonlight Cocktail” by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
1943 — “I’ve Heard That Song Before” by Harry James and His Orchestra with Helen Forrest
1944 — “Swinging on a Star” by Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra and the Williams Brothers Quartet
1945 — “Till the End of Time” by Perry Como with Russ Case and His Orchestra
1946 — “The Gypsy” by the Ink Spots
1947 — “Heartaches” by Ted Weems and His Orchestra with Elmo Tanner
1948 — “Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me)” by Peggy Lee with Dave Barbour and the Brazilians
1949 — “Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)” by Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra
1950s
The early 1950s continued many of the musical trends from the 1940s, as bandleaders and musical standards continued to dominate the top of the charts — that is, until Elvis Presley showed up and revolutionized the music scene. Elvis topped the charts in both 1956 and 1957, the two years that preceded the first-ever Hot 100 ranking. In 1958, the weekly Hot 100 chart debuted with Ricky Nelson’s “Poor Little Fool” in the No. 1 spot, though it was “Volare” by Domenico Modugno that ended up being the best-performing song that year, based on the number of weeks it spent on the chart, the number of records sold, and how much airplay it received.
1950 — “Goodnight Irene” by Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra and the Weavers
1951 — “How High the Moon” by Les Paul and Mary Ford
1952 — “Cry” by Johnnie Ray and the Four Lads
1953 — “The Song From Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart)” by Percy Faith and His Orchestra featuring Felicia Sanders
1954 — “Little Things Means a Lot” by Kitty Kallen with Jack Pleiss and His Orchestra
1955 — “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” by Pérez Prado and His Orchestra
1956 — “Don’t Be Cruel” by Elvis Presley
1957 — “All Shook Up” by Elvis Presley
1958 — “Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blue)” by Domenico Modugno
1959 — “The Battle of New Orleans” by Johnny Horton
1960s
The 1960s saw a seismic shift in the types of songs people listened to. While the year 1960 saw the orchestral “Theme From a Summer Place” top the Hot 100, it wasn’t long until pop acts began dominating the charts: The Beatles reached No. 1 for the first time with “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in 1964, and also produced the most popular song of 1968, “Hey Jude.” Some songs, such as 1965’s “Wooly Bully,” never actually reached No. 1, but still performed better in terms of overall sales and total airplay than any other song that year. By the end of the 1960s, pop and rock music had completely displaced orchestral tunes as the most popular music genres in the country.
1960 — “Theme From a Summer Place” by Percy Faith
1961 — “Tossin’ and Turnin’” by Bobby Lewis
1962 — “Stranger on the Shore” by Acker Bilk
1963 — “Sugar Shack” by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs
1964 — “I Want To Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles
1965 — “Wooly Bully” by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs
1966 — “The Ballad of the Green Berets” by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler
1967 — “To Sir With Love” by Lulu
1968 — “Hey Jude” by the Beatles
1969 — “Sugar, Sugar” by the Archies
1970s
The 1970s were a time of rich musical diversity. The decade opened with the folksy vocal stylings of Simon & Garfunkel atop the charts, but by 1979, the Hot 100 was all about powerful drums and raging guitar solos, and the Knack’s “My Sharona” was the most popular song in the decade’s final year. During the years in between, legendary performers such as Barbra Streisand, Rod Stewart, and Paul McCartney’s Wings topped the charts.
1970 — “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel
1971 — “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night
1972 — “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack
1973 — “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
1974 — “The Way We Were” by Barbra Streisand
1975 — “Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain & Tennille
1976 — “Silly Love Songs” by Wings
1977 — “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” by Rod Stewart
1978 — “Shadow Dancing” by Andy Gibb
1979 — “My Sharona” by the Knack
1980s
Acts such as George Michael, Prince, and the Police dominated the 1980s with their smash hit songs, many of which began to incorporate melancholic themes and relied heavily on minor keys. What’s notable about this decade is that pretty much every one of the top-performing songs continues to get widespread airplay today, proving just how much of an impact the 1980s had on the musical world.
1980 — “Call Me” by Blondie
1981 — “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes
1982 — “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John
1983 — “Every Breath You Take” by the Police
1984 — “When Doves Cry” by Prince
1985 — “Careless Whisper” by Wham! featuring George Michael
1986 — “That’s What Friends Are For” by Dionne and Friends
1987 — “Walk Like an Egyptian” by the Bangles
1988 — “Faith” by George Michael
1989 — “Look Away” by Chicago
1990s
The 1990s saw the rise of R&B and rap music. Boys II Men topped the Hot 100 in 1992 with “End of the Road,” and 1995 saw Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” climb to No. 1. Meanwhile, Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997” topped the Hot 100 chart as a tribute to the late Princess Diana. In fact, that song is the second-highest-selling physical single of all time, with 33 million copies sold, around 17 million fewer copies than Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas.”
1990 — “Hold On” by Wilson Phillips
1991 — “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” by Bryan Adams
1992 — “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men
1993 — “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston
1994 — “The Sign” by Ace of Base
1995 — “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio featuring L.V.
1996 — “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” by Los del Río
1997 — “Candle in the Wind 1997” by Elton John
1998 — “Too Close” by Next
1999 — “Believe” by Cher
21st Century
As we push further into the 21st century, we’ve come a long way since the songs of the 1940s. This century has seen an eclectic mix of music top the Hot 100 charts, including the harder rock stylings of Nickelback, hip-hop tunes from Usher, and songs produced by larger-than-life celebrities such as Beyoncé and Justin Bieber. Here’s a look at the most popular songs from each year of the 21st century thus far.
2000 — “Breathe” by Faith Hill
2001 — “Hanging by a Moment” by Lifehouse
2002 — “How You Remind Me” by Nickelback
2003 — “In da Club” by 50 Cent
2004 — “Yeah!” by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris
2005 — “We Belong Together” by Mariah Carey
2006 — “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter
2007 — “Irreplaceable” by Beyoncé
2008 — “Low” by Flo Rida featuring T-Pain
2009 — “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas
2010 — “Tik Tok” by Kesha
2011 — “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele
2012 — “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye featuring Kimbra
2013 — “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz
2014 — “Happy” by Pharrell Williams
2015 — “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
2016 — “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber
2017 — “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran
2018 — “God’s Plan” by Drake
2019 — “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
2020 — “Blinding Lights” by the Weeknd
2021 — “Levitating” by Dua Lipa
2022 — “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals
2023 — “Last Night” by Morgan Wallen
