64 Fun Facts From the Billboard Hot 100’s First 64 Years: From Ricky Nelson to Lizzo & More

Gary Trust
·16 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Happy 64th birthday, Billboard Hot 100!

In honor of the anniversary of the Aug. 4, 1958, launch of the premier songs chart in the U.S., here are 64 fun facts (as 64 candles on a cake would be a bit risky) celebrating the survey’s storied archives.

More from Billboard

All stats below are from the Hot 100’s start date through the most-recently published chart, dated Aug. 6, 2022.

1, The Hot 100’s debut was announced in an Aug. 4, 1958, editorial item succinctly headlined “The Billboard Hot 100”: “On pages 36 and 37 of this issue, we are proud to present The Billboard Hot 100, the fastest, most complete and most sensitive index to the popularity of recorded music in America. This new chart feature, which each week will list the 100 most popular recorded sides, is a guide to potential, as well as the current hits.”

2, Upon its inception, the Hot 100 encompassed radio airplay, store sales and juke box activity. Today, airplay is still among the chart’s data mix, with downloads largely continuing the legacy of sales, and streaming – now the chart’s most dominant metric, on average – essentially a modern-era, more personalized digital jukebox.

3, As for the origin of the chart’s name? Recalled Sire Records co-founder and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame enshrinee Seymour Stein, who was a 16-year-old Billboard intern in 1958, “I can only imagine that what the industry was looking for was a hotter, quicker way of getting chart information.” Who specifically named it? “I certainly did not,” Stein said. “I just don’t remember.”

4, Ricky Nelson’s “Poor Little Fool,” released on Imperial Records, ruled the inaugural Hot 100. Lizzo’s “About Damn Time,” on Nice Life/Atlantic Records, leads the latest list, having become the tally’s 1,139th No. 1 a week earlier.

5, Music fans could reportedly buy a vinyl single for 65 cents around the time of the Hot 100’s arrival. “About Damn Time” was sale-priced at 69 cents for digital purchase in its run up to No. 1. (Prices for other items, however, have since risen substantially more.)

6, Following Nelson, The Elegants became the first group to top the Hot 100, with “Little Star” (Aug. 25, 1958). The act continues to tour, in its current iteration, with shows scheduled through late 2023.

7, Connie Francis became the first solo woman to crown the Hot 100, with “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” (June 27, 1960). Less than a month later, Brenda Lee led with “I’m Sorry” and each artist added a second No. 1 that year: Francis with “My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own” and Lee with “I Want to Be Wanted.”

8, The Beatles boast the most Hot 100 No. 1s of any act: 20. (Sadly, because it would’ve worked so well for this story, their “When I’m Sixty-Four” was never released as a single and has never appeared on the chart. The same for their “Birthday.”)

9, Mariah Carey has achieved the most Hot 100 No. 1s among soloists: 19, most recently having reigned this past holiday season, as well as the previous two, with “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Carey is also the only artist to have ranked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in as many as four distinct decades (the 1990s, 2000s, ’10s and ’20s).

10, Michael Jackson is the male soloist with the most Hot 100 No. 1s: 13 (apart from four that The Jacksons/Jackson 5 tallied with him as a member).

11, For this entry, let’s celebrate 11 songs that peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100, and, despite stopping one spot shy of the top 10, remain classics: Four Tops’ “Baby I Need Your Loving” (1964); The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” (1966); Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)” (1976); The Trammps’ “Disco Inferno” (1978); Meat Loaf’s “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” (1978); Prince’s “I Wanna Be Your Lover” (1980); Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen (Just Like the White Winged Dove)” (1982); Dead or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)” (1985); Haddaway’s “What Is Love” (1993); Corona’s “The Rhythm of the Night” (1995); and Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want to Wait” (1998).

12, … and 11 more recent, and likewise enduring, No. 11 Hot 100 hits: Britney Spears’ “Stronger” (2001); Linkin Park’s “Numb” (2004); Fall Out Boy’s “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs” (2007); Taylor Swift’s “You’re Not Sorry” (2008) … and “Mean” (2010); Willow’s “Whip My Hair” (2010); Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Same Love,” featuring Mary Lambert (2013); Demi Lovato’s “Cool for the Summer” (2015); Kendrick Lamar’s “Love.,” featuring Zacari (2018); DJ Snake’s “Taki Taki,” featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna and Cardi B (2018); and Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign’s “Hot Girl Summer” (2019).

13, The Beatles and Mariah Carey share the most top two-peaking Hot 100 hits: 23 each (with The Beatles claiming 20 No. 1s and three No. 2 hits and Carey’s totals at 19 and four, respectively).

14, The Beatles and Drake share the most top five Hot 100 hits: 29 each. Drake recently matched the mark when “Jimmy Cooks,” featuring 21 Savage, soared in at No. 1.

15, Drake is the record-holder for the most Hot 100 top 10s: 58 …

16, … most top 40 Hot 100 hits: 157 …

17, … and most overall Hot 100 entries: 276.

18, Who has notched the most Hot 100 No. 1s this century? Rihanna, with 14, followed by Drake (11) and Katy Perry (nine).

19, BTS has amassed the most Hot 100 No. 1s this decade: six. Drake ranks second with five, followed by Ariana Grande with four.

20, Rihanna reigned with nine Hot 100 No. 1s in the 2010s …

21, Usher ruled with seven Hot 100 No. 1s in the 2000s …

22, Mariah Carey dominated with 14 Hot 100 No. 1s in the 1990s …

23, Michael Jackson was king of the Hot 100 with nine No. 1s in the ’80s …

24, Bee Gees paced the Hot 100 with nine No. 1s in the ’70s …

25, The Beatles tallied 18 of their No. 1s in the ’60s, the most for any act in any decade …

26, And, Frankie Avalon and The Fleetwoods are tied for the most Hot 100 No. 1s in the ’50s: two each, in 1958-59. (Despite his haul of iconic hits that decade, Elvis Presley released many of them prior to the Hot 100’s start.)

27, Last November, The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” released on XO/Republic Records, was revealed as the No. 1 song in the chart’s entire history, topping Billboard‘s Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Songs recap, based on its performance on the chart; it spent a record 90 weeks on the survey, including four at No. 1, in 2019-21. “I don’t think [it] has hit me yet,” The Weeknd told Billboard upon learning of the honor. “I try not to dwell on it too much. I just count my blessings, and I’m just grateful.”

28, Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” previously held the accolade as the Hot 100’s top all-time song and currently ranks at No. 2, followed by Santana’s “Smooth,” featuring Rob Thomas (No. 3), Bobby Darin’s “Mack the Knife” (No. 4), and Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk!,” featuring Bruno Mars (No. 5).

29, The Beatles command Billboard‘s Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Artists chart, followed by Madonna (No. 2), Elton John (No. 3), Elvis Presley (again, despite his career predating the Hot 100’s inception; No. 4) and Mariah Carey (No. 5).

30, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, has spent the most time atop the Hot 100: 19 weeks, in 2019. The former found out that the song had begun its reign that April 9, sweetening the celebration of his 20th birthday that day.

31, The smash dethroned two 16-week Hot 100 No. 1s, and fellow all-star collaborations, for the record: Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber (2017), and Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” (1995-96).

32, Michael Jackson’s Bad became the first album to generate as many as five Hot 100 No. 1s, in 1987-88: “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” with Siedah Garrett; the title track; “The Way You Make Me Feel”; “Man in the Mirror”; and “Dirty Diana.”

33, Katy Perry tied the mark with a quintet of Hot 100 No. 1s from Teenage Dream, in 2010-11: “California Gurls,” featuring Snoop Dogg; the title cut; “Firework”; “E.T.,” featuring Kanye West; and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”

34, Drake’s Certified Lover Boy yielded the record for the most Hot 100 top 10s from a single album: nine. As all nine stormed onto the survey dated Sept. 18, 2021, Drake also holds the mark for the most simultaneous top 10s. (Breaking up the shutout: The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” ranked at No. 6 that week.)

35, More Jackson: his “You Are Not Alone” became the first single to launch at No. 1 on the Hot 100, dated Sept. 2, 1995 (helped, in part, by the first in a string of chart rule changes that paved the way for more hits to soar in at the summit).

36, Even more Drake: he has peaked at the most Hot 100 positions of any artist: 91. (Only peaks for him at Nos. 31, 43, 46, 59, 77, 93, 96, 98 and 99 remain elusive.) He has also ranked at all 100 spots on the chart.

37, Paul McCartney has written the most Hot 100 No. 1s: 32. His Beatles co-writer John Lennon ranks second with 26, followed by Max Martin, with 25.

38, Longtime Beatles producer George Martin and Max Martin share the lead for the most Hot 100 No. 1s among producers: 23 each.

39, Most common Hot 100 song title: “Hold On,” with 18 such hits by that name having reached the chart, from Radiants’ such song in 1968 to Adele’s last December. One has hit No. 1: Wilson Phillips’, which held onto the top spot for a week in 1990.

40, Five notable songs that can forever be called top 40 Hot 100 hits, having peaked at No. 40: Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years” (1976); Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ “Breakdown” (1978); The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” (1979); The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” (1987); and Taylor Swift’s “Tim McGraw” (2007).

41, And, similar to the No. 11-peaking nuggets above, here are 11 songs that, even though they peaked at No. 41 on the Hot 100, remain revered: The Beatles’ “From Me to You” (1964, after becoming their first No. 1 on the Official UK Singles chart in 1963); Lalo Schifrin’s “Mission: Impossible” (1968); Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” (1972); David Bowie’s “Changes” (1975); Diana Ross and Michael Jackson’s “Ease on Down the Road” (1979); The Cars’ “Good Times Roll” … and “It’s All I Can Do” (both 1979); Huey Lewis & The News’ “Workin’ for a Livin’ ” (1982); Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” (1994); The Wonders’ “That Thing You Do!” (1996); and The Chicks’ “Wide Open Spaces” (1998).

42, … and five more recent, and likewise prominent, No. 41 Hot 100 hits: Kanye West’s “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” (2007); Beyoncé’s “Daddy Lessons” (2016); Auli’i Cravalho’s “How Far I’ll Go” (2017); Lady Gaga’s “Always Remember Me This Way” (2018); and Billie Eilish’s “You Should See Me in a Crown” (2019).

43, After “Poor Little Fool” became the Hot 100’s inaugural No. 1 on the Aug. 4, 1958, chart, Marty Robbins’ “El Paso” marked the first leader of the ’60s …

44, B.J. Thomas’ “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” became the first Hot 100 No. 1 of the ’70s …

45, KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Please Don’t Go” ushered in the ’80s at No. 1 …

46, Michael Bolton’s ballad “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” welcomed the ’90s as the list’s first new No. 1 that decade …

47, Christina Aguilera’s “What a Girl Wants” encountered no Y2K glitches and became the first new Hot 100 No. 1 of the 2000s …

48, Ke$ha clocked the first Hot 100 No. 1 of the 2010s with (the presciently titled) “TiK ToK” …

49, And, Roddy Ricch scored the first new No. 1 this decade with “The Box.”

50, Shortest Hot 100 No. 1 by runtime: Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs’ “Stay,” from 1960, at just 1:38 in length.

51, Longest Hot 100 No. 1 by runtime: Considering hits’ single edits or dominant versions, Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” made history when the 10-minute, 13-second story song roared in atop the chart dated Nov. 27, 2021. (It arrived accompanied by the 14-minute, 56-second All Too Well: The Short Film, directed by Swift and starring Dylan O’Brien, Sadie Sink and Swift, and which serves as the song’s official video.)

52, Speaking of Sink, and syncs, Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God),” at its No. 3 Hot 100 high on the current, Aug. 6 chart, broke the record for the longest climb to the top three for a non-holiday song: 36 years, 10 months and three weeks, dating to its debut on the Sept. 7, 1985, survey. It re-entered, at No. 8, this June sparked by its central placement in Netflix’s Stranger Things, as the fourth season of the ’80s-set show, which premiered May 27, incorporates the song in multiple episodes, serving as a recurring theme for the character of Max Mayfield … played by Sadie Sink.

53, Six songs with the word “hot” in their titles have sizzled atop the Hot 100: Nick Gilder’s “Hot Child in the City” (1978); Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff” (1979); Ini Kamoze’s “Here Comes the Hotstepper” (1994); Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” (2002); Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” featuring Pharrell (2004); and Mims’ “This Is Why I’m Hot” (2007).

54, One song with “hundred” in its title has hit the Hot 100’s top 10: Gene McDaniels’ “A Hundred Pounds of Clay,” which rose to No. 3 in 1961. Just below the tier, Crystal Waters has charted the highest-placing song with “100” in its name (and one more No. 11-peaking classic): 1994’s “100% Pure Love.”

55, 1955 is often considered the start of the rock era, three years before the Hot 100 began, tied to the reign on predecessor charts of Bill Haley and His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock.” (Lizzo is the latest in a storied tradition of artists singing about time.) Still, the song returned and became a No. 39 Hot 100 hit in 1974, fueled by its usage in the movie American Graffiti. A rerecorded version by the band subsequently served as the TV theme to (fellow memorable Ron Howard vehicle) Happy Days.

56, … um, since 56 equals the total number of party popper (28), bottle (15) and confetti (13) emojis that a joyous Lizzo posted on Twitter upon learning that “About Damn Time” secured a second week at No. 1 on the Hot 100 this week.

57, “Achieving a No. 1 on the Hot 100 is the culmination of a full team’s effort,” says Joe Gallo, Columbia Records executive vp. Prior to Lizzo’s command, the label’s “As It Was” by Harry Styles ran up 10 weeks at No. 1, the longest reign on the chart this year. “It starts with the art, and we’re grateful to have been part of so many of these campaigns over the years.”

58, In March, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” the ensemble smash from Disney’s Encanto, extended its Hot 100 domination to five weeks, the longest ever for a song from a Disney film, after the track became the first leader released on the Walt Disney label. “For over 60 years, the Hot 100 has been evolving to highlight the top songs in our culture,” says Ken Bunt, Disney Music Group president. Hitting No. 1 is “always a memorable moment for the artists and all those at the label that help shine a light on their work.”

59, Muses Rick Sackheim, Epic Records executive vp/general manager, of the label’s, and its acts’, successes: “I think a quote from Robert F. Kennedy states why the Hot 100 is important: ‘Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.’ ” In 2022, Epic has led via Future’s “Wait for U,” featuring Drake and Tems, for a week in May.

60, From August 1958 through June 1970, the Hot 100 drew readers. As of July 4, 1970, Casey Kasem was instrumental in transforming the chart into landmark listening experience (in reverse order, from No. 40 to No. 1, of course), with that week’s debut of American Top 40.

61, Likewise, late renowned researcher Joel Whitburn became the foremost historian of the Hot 100 and charts covering numerous genres, with the genial Menomonee Falls, Wisc., native’s work/passion spanning Billboard‘s early to modern eras.

62, Louis Armstrong was 62 years young (and nine months) when he topped the Hot 100 with “Hello, Dolly!” in May 1964 and remains the most-senior artist to lead the list. Notably, the late legendary trumpeter shares a birthday with the Hot 100: he was born Aug. 4, 1901, exactly 57 years before the chart began.

63, Meanwhile, Billboard was a spry 63 (and nine months) when the Hot 100 originated, stretching to the first issue dated Nov. 1, 1894. With the chart turning 64, Billboard‘s history now includes more time publishing the Hot 100 than without.

64, Among achievements on the latest Hot 100, Bizarrap and Quevedo round out the week’s debuts, at No. 98, with “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52” – the No. 1 song on the Billboard Global 200 chart, which tracks the biggest hits in the U.S. and around the world. Reflecting the forward-leaning nature that has always defined the Hot 100, Quevedo told Billboard what he thinks is an ingredient to the song’s success: “I’m a new artist, so I think people are intrigued about what I’m doing.” He also described the song in a way fitting for so many of the approximately 30,000 titles that have hit the Hot 100 over the past 64 years, including in August 1958: “The song is perfect for summer, and people can sing along and dance to it.”

Click here to read the full article.