Followers of this website…
….and Stereogum’s The Number Ones:
….probably know that Billboard ranks Number one songs on its Hot 100 by their numbers for streaming and airplay.
But it wasn’t always this way.
Up until 1998, Billboard declined counting album cuts on the Hot 100, even though those songs got heavy airplay on many radio stations.
This policy had created a big discrepancy for decades, and produced some notable gaps about what was popular with listeners during much of the late 20th century.
I wonder…
…And maybe you’re wondering, too…
What could have happened if Billboard had changed its chart-ranking policy 30 years earlier and prevented such oversights?
How would the songs have fared on the Hot 100, and what would’ve resulted from their inclusion?
With that in mind, here is my fertile imagination about the performance of seven classic album tracks if they were allowed on the Hot 100, back when they came out.
The Track:
“Here Comes the Sun”
The Beatles
Why It’s a Contender:
The Fab Four were such a phenomenon in the 1960s that a lot of radio programmers included a track or two from their latest album into their weekly playlists. Plenty of Beatles tracks would qualify here, but I’ve picked this one due to its enduring popularity ever since it appeared on the Abbey Road album in 1969.
And as my fellow TNOCS writer JJ Live at Leeds ( @jj-live-at-leeds ) recently noted in his stream of statistics article,
“Here Comes the Sun” is the most streamed track by John, Paul, George and Ringo, both separately and together, at 1.5 billion and counting.
The Chart Performance:
As the follow-up to the single “Come Together/Something” in early 1970, “Here Comes the Sun” debuts at Number 33 the week of January 31, 1970.
It crests at Number 3 for two weeks in early 1970, unable to dislodge “Bridge Over Trouble Water” and “Travelin’ Band/Who’ll Stop the Rain” at positions 1 and 2 respectively.
Billboard credits it as a double-sided hit and lists the B-side, “Octopus’s Garden,” along with it on the Hot 100 chart.
The Aftermath:
The Beatles still break up in 1970.
But the success of “Here Comes the Sun” spurs George Harrison to make All Things Must Pass into a quadruple album and not just a triple one.
The Track:
“Stairway to Heaven”
Led Zeppelin
Why It’s a Contender:
Running over eight minutes long would’ve been the kiss of death for a song getting onto the Hot 100 prior to 1972.
But the success of “American Pie – Parts I and II” being played that long and hitting Number 1 in January of that year showed it was possible. “Stairway to Heaven” was the arresting standout track on Led Zeppelin’s fourth studio album and got oodles of airplay.
But band manager Peter Grant refused issuing a commercial single. So it never appeared on the Hot 100.
The Chart Performance:
Under continuing pressure from the group to reverse course, Grant relents his command and allows “Stairway to Heaven” to come out.
It debuts at Number 73 the week of August 19, 1972.
Despite resistance from some holdout stations worried about the long running time depriving them of ad sales, “Stairway to Heaven” tops the chart nine weeks later, but only for the week of October 21, 1972. It’s knocked out of the top spot by “My Ding-a-Ling.”
Because that’s how 1972 rolls on the Hot 100.
The Aftermath:
Led Zeppelin remains undeterred by the song’s success and continues on their path to record more excellent music.
Even with Robert Plant turning down the offer to be the lead in a movie called Star Wars.
The Track:
“Isn’t She Lovely”
Stevie Wonder
Why It’s a Contender:
Anyone who heard “Isn’t She Lovely” on Stevie’s Songs of the Key of Life album recognized it was the best ballad on the mega seller immediately, and that included programmers of adult contemporary radio stations. Unencumbered by the requirement at the time that a song had to have a commercially released single to make the pop chart, “Isn’t She Lovely” became the first album cut to make the easy listening chart.
And Stevie was hot in 1977 thanks to back-to-back Number Ones with “I Wish” and “Sir Duke.”
The Chart Performance:
Debuting as the follow-up to “Sir Duke” at Number 56 the week of June 11, 1977, “Isn’t She Lovely” climbs all the way to Number 4 two months later.
It’s stopped from the top by the unbeatable combination of “I Just Want to Be Your Everything,” “I’m in You” and “Best of My Love.”
The Aftermath:
“Isn’t She Lovely” makes Stevie become the first male solo artist to have three top 10 hits from one album.
He shatters his own record just a few months later when “As” from Songs of the Key of Life becomes his fourth one by peaking at Number 9.
The Track:
“Tell Me I’m Not Dreamin’”
Jermaine Jackson featuring Michael Jackson
Why It’s a Contender:
Michael Jackson remained a potent name in pop music even at the end of 1984 when this bubbly collaboration with his brother Jermaine came out as the B-side for the latter’s single “Do What You Do.” Legal wrangling between Michael’s label Epic and Jermaine’s company Arista prevented it from being listed on the Hot 100. But on Billboard’s dance chart, the duet made Number one without a peep from any lawyer. Go figure.
The Chart Performance:
Appearing first at Number 47 the week of February 2, 1985, “Tell Me I’m Not Dreamin’” looked to be headed toward Number 1 before “We Are the World” emerged.
That song, along with new releases by Phil Collins, Madonna and others, stalls it at a still-impressive Number 5 in early April.
The Aftermath:
“Tell Me I’m Not Dreamin’” becomes the biggest pop hit for Jermaine Jackson, easily surpassing his Number 9 peaks for “Daddy’s Home” and “Let’s Get Serious.”
Jermaine still has no hits after that because, well,
…he’s Jermaine, and not Michael.
The Track:
“Into the Groove,” Madonna
Why It’s a Contender:
For some reason, Madonna’s label Warner Brothers ridiculously refused to let this energetic dance Number come out in 1985 when the artist was red hot.
Was the company that upset that fellow movie production company Orion was having the singer star in the hot comedy film Desperately Seeking Susan whose soundtrack included this song and wanted to negate its popularity?
If so, the strategy failed. Beyond radio stations, the tune got into heavy rotation on MTV and has become one of Madonna’s biggest streaming hits as well.
The Chart Performance:
Debuting at Number 39 the week of July 20, 1985, “Into the Groove” got into a hit groove and peaked at Number 2 six weeks later, holding that peak for two weeks.
While it doesn’t dislodge another movie track at the top (“The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis and the News), it does keep intact Madonna’s record of having song titles with three words all make the top 10 in the 1980s.
The Aftermath:
“Into the Groove” is nominated for an Oscar for Best Song but loses to “Say You, Say Me.” Realizing she could have a good movie and a hit song, Madonna turns down starring in Who’s That Girl?
The parody version of the song, “Into the Nude” (which pivoted off Madonna’s recent nude photos appearing in Penthouse magazine, is released.
It includes such great lines as “Only when I naked can I feel this free/At night, I hit the lights so everyone can see”).
It gets a commercial release too, and peaks at Number 19.
The Track:
“When I Come Around”
Green Day
Why It’s a Contender:
A track from a promising band, “When I Come Around” had a much more pop accessibility tone to it than most of what Green Day had previously offered. Radio stations in 1995 jumped on it as a relief from the grunge songs that had largely been downers the previous few years.
The Chart Performance:
“When I Come Around” debuts at Number 78 the week of January 14, 1995.
It peaks at Number 6 the week of March 18, 1995, amid some classic 1990s pop acts like TLC and Brandy ahead of it.
The Aftermath:
The commercial popularity of “When I Come Around” rankles Billie Joe Armstrong somewhat.
But he decides to let it be an audience singalong at the end of the American Idiot musical when it debuts 15 years later.
The Track:
“Don’t Speak”
No Doubt
Why It’s a Contender:
Coming on the heels of their quasi-novelty hit “Just a Girl,” “Don’t Speak” showed the world that No Doubt had more depth to offer music listeners. This especially applied to Gwen Stefani’s great lead vocal. I’m pretty sure that the saturation airplay this got led Billboard executives to re-examine the singles only policy they had for the Hot 100 was becoming outdate.
The Chart Performance:
“Don’t Speak” emerges on the Hot 100 at Number 44 the week of October 5, 1996.
It tops the chart on December 7, 1996, giving the group its first and only Number 1 hit and holding off “Un-Break My Heart” from getting the position until the following week.
The Aftermath:
The popularity of “Don’t Speak” is so strong that Gwen Stefani leaves the group the following year
And has an even bigger string of solo hits than she already has.
So, what do you think of my predictions?
Do you have any to add yourself?
Feel free to do so in the comment section below.
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Views: 47
I often wonder what might have happened to the charts if streaming had existed decades ago.
Such as, would have Michael (with “Bad”), Madonna (with “Like A Prayer”, probably) and The Beatles (multiple times) have managed to score the entire Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten trick?
Or, would “Sweet Child O’ Mine” have still been hanging around the charts when “Smells Like Teen Spirit” dropped?
Actually probably yes, since Gunners fans would have listened to “Use Your Illusion I & II” – which also probably would have scored the entire Top Ten, if not 20 – shrugged, and then clicked on “Sweet Child” instead.
I definitely didn’t need a fourth album in All Things Must Pass 😂
I concur. I love the first two discs but there’s no need for the third. Given how good the first two are I think I listened to it twice to make sure I was correct that I absolutely had no need to play it again.
Though I can still remember the lyrics to It’s Johnny’s Birthday.
Stairway To Heaven deposed by My Ding-A-Ling? That’s gotta hurt.
With that hair I see Robert Plant as a better fit for Chewbacca than Luke Skywalker. I reckon he could do a decent Chewie growl / yowl as well.
I thought Isn’t She Lovely had been a single. In my defence I’m not old enough to know better and it’s ubiquity belies its album track status.
I AM old enough to know better and I’m still surprised “Isn’t She Lovely” wasn’t a single. It was everywhere. Still is.
Fun thought experiment, Ozmoe!
I didn’t remember that “Isn’t She Lovely” wasn’t a single. It was included on his Original Musiquarium greatest hits package, so I just assumed.
And I’m old enough to have found myself in a seaside bar on Cape Cod in 1977.
The cover band was moving through a lot of typical top 40, when the keyboard player announced “here’s a good one, a new one from Stevie Wonder.“
My brain automatically assumed the first 16 notes of “I Wixh“, but they instead launched into a faithful version of “ISL.“
When it came time for the first harmonica solo, I noted that no one had a harp in hand, so I expected the keyboard player to take the wheel. And at the last possible second, almost as if to surprise, the rhythm guitar player pulled a Hohner chromatic out of his back pocket,and went to town.
People sometimes dismiss cover bands, but it was a great moment, very entertaining, and something I’ve always remembered.
A really good cover band can brighten my day and even have a lasting impact. A mediocre or bad one can ruin my day or make me difficult to be around at whatever event I am hearing them at. My wife knows this.
This is a fun excercise and I like your alternate scenarios. I have been doing some chart research for an article I just finished and am aware that “Lovefool” by The Cardigans did not chart on the Hot 100, as it was not released as a single, but it went to #9 on US airplay so I have to believe it would be top 10, if not top 5 if it were eligible.
This was really fun. It has always seemed odd to me that Led Zeppelin didn’t have any real presence on the charts, considering how big a force they were in the music world.
Whole Lotta Love went #4 on the Hot 100, so that’s at least something.
Somehow, one-hit-wonder status almost makes it worse.
Their domain was the album-oriented radio format. They weren’t really a top 40 band. I think that’s true of most hard rock bands from that era. It doesn’t diminish their popularity or cultural dominance. It’s just defined differently.
True, but you just know that if streaming were a factor then, the numbers would be so much higher. I’m thinking of how many times we put the vinyl album on and played it straight through over and over.