The Changing Face of Pop - The Billboard Hot 100 since 1950

The Changing Face of Pop – The Billboard Hot 100 since 1950

By RouteBotNovember 16, 200914 mins read

Here it is – every top song from the Billboard Hot 100 for every year since 1950. A few unexpected little gems in there, some stuff you won’t have heard before, some stuff you have, and some stuff you’ll cringe at. Like it or not it’s quite an interesting trip through evolution of pop. One of the amazing things that I discovered while researching this is that ‘Billie Jean’, ‘Sexual Healing’ and ‘Every Breath You Take’ were all released with a year of each other, and all of them frighteningly close to ‘Faith’ by George Michael. Surely something has gone wrong with the space/time continuum. Also, if you bought the Macarena, hang your head in shame.

It all started to go wrong for me about 1982, which is ironic, because that’s about the time I was learning to talk.

Here’s the link:

http://open.spotify.com/user/d45hiel/playlist/7zN7mXKas6PcKH7zC9fCrk

and here’s the listing:


.	1950	Gordon Jenkins & The Weavers – “Goodnight Irene”
.	1951	Nat King Cole – “Too Young”
.	1952	LeRoy Anderson – “Blue Tango”
.	1953	Percy Faith – “Songs From Moulin Rouge”
.	1954	Kitty Kallen – “Little Things Mean A Lot”
.	1955	Perez Prado – “Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White”
.	1956	Elvis Presley – “Heartbreak Hotel”
.	1957	Elvis Presley – “All Shook Up”
.	1958	Domenico Modugno – “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)”
.	1959	Johnny Horton – “The Battle Of New Orleans”
.	1960	Percy Faith – “Theme From ‘A Summer Place'”
.	1961	Bobby Lewis – “Tossin’ And Turnin'”
.	1962	Mr. Acker Bilk – “Stranger On The Shore”
.	1963	Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs – “Sugar Shack”
.	1964	The Beatles – “I Want To Hold Your Hand”
.	1965	Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs – “Wooly Bully”
.	1966	Ssgt. Barry Sadler – “The Ballad Of The Green Berets”
.	1963	Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs – “Sugar Shack”
.	1964	The Beatles – “I Want To Hold Your Hand”
.	1965	Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs – “Wooly Bully”


.	1966	Ssgt. Barry Sadler – “The Ballad Of The Green Berets”
.	1967	Lulu – “To Sir With Love”
.	1968	The Beatles – “Hey Jude”
.	1969	The Archies – “Sugar, Sugar”
.	1970	Simon & Garfunkel – “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
.	1971	Three Dog Night – “Joy To The World”
.	1972	Roberta Flack – “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”
.	1973	Tony Orlando & Dawn – “Tie A Yellow Ribbon ‘Round The Ole Oak Tree”
.	1974	Barbra Streisand – “The Way We Were”
.	1975	Captain & Tennille – “Love Will Keep Us Together”
.	1976	Wings – “Silly Love Songs”
.	1977	Rod Stewart – “Tonight’s The Night (Gonna Be Alright)”
.	1978	Andy Gibb – “Shadow Dancing”
.	1979	The Knack – “My Sharona”
.	1980	Blondie – “Call Me”
.	1981	Kim Carnes – “Bette Davis Eyes”
.	1982	Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – “I Love Rock & Roll”
.	1983	The Police – “Every Breath You Take”
.	1984	Prince & The Revolution – “When Doves Cry”
.	1985	Wham! f/ George Michael – “Careless Whisper”


.	1986	Dionne Warwick & Friends – “That’s What Friends Are For”
.	1987	Bangles – “Walk Like An Egyptian”
.	1988	George Michael – “Faith”
.	1989	Chicago – “Look Away”
.	1990	Wilson Philllips – “Hold On”
.	1991	Bryan Adams – “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)”
.	1992	Boyz II Men – “End Of The Road”
.	1993	Whitney Houston – “I Will Always Love You”
.	1994	Ace of Base – “The Sign”
.	1995	Coolio f/ L.V. – “Gangsta’s Paradise”
.	1996	Los Del Rio – “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)”
.	1997	Elton John – “Candle In The Wind 1997/Something About The Way You Look Tonight”
.	1998	Next – “Too Close”
.	1999	Cher – “Believe”
.	2000	Faith Hill – “Breathe”
.	2001	Lifehouse – “Hanging By A Moment”
.	2002	Nickelback – “How You Remind Me”
.	2003	50 Cent – “In Da Club”
.	2004	50 Cent – “In Da Club” Usher f/ Ludacris & Lil Jon – “Yeah!”
.	2005	Mariah Carey – “We Belong Together”