Thursday, December 31, 2015

Amber Books: Best-Selling Albums

Amber Books:

Best-Selling Albums: From Vinyl Records to Digital Downloads

This book ranks the top albums of each decade from the 1950s through the 2010s, based on certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The lists for the 1960s through the 2000s are top 20 lists, the 1950s is a top-10 ranking, and the half-decade of 2010-2015 is just a top-5 ranking.

While the RIAA offers official certifications for the United States, they don’t accurately capture real sales worldwide. Unfortunately, there isn’t any official source that certifies worldwide albums sales. As such, Dave’s Music Database offers its list of “The World’s All-Time Best-Selling Albums.” This list compiles sales estimates from multiple sources. While that makes these figures less accurate than certified sales records, it offers a closer picture of the actual best-selling albums.

Check out other album lists based on charts and sales.

Check out other publications and organizations’ best-of album lists here.

1950-1959: Top 10

    1. 16 million: Elvis Presley Elvis’ Christmas Album (1957)
    2. 5 million: Miles Davis Kind of Blue (1959)
    3. 3 million: Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe (composers) My Fair Lady (cast album, 1956)
    4. 2 million: Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II (composers) Oklahoma! (soundtrack, 1955)
    5. 2 million: Johnny Mathis Merry Christmas (1958)
    6. 2 million: Marty Robbins Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs (1959)
    7. 2 million: Johnny Mathis Heavenly (1959)
    8. 1 million: Nat “King” Cole Love Is the Thing (1959)
    9. 1 million: Tennessee Ernie Ford Hymns (1957)
    10. 1 million: Meredith Willson (composer) The Music Man (cast album, 1957)

1960-1969: Top 20

* Book identifies this as released in December 1969, but sources typically identify it as a January 1970 release.

1970-1979: Top 20

1980-1989: Top 20

1990-1999: Top 20

2000-2009: Top 20

2010-2015: Top 5

    1. 14.8 million: Adele 21 (2011)
    2. 6.2 million: Michael Bublé Christmas (2011)
    3. 5.4 million: Eminem Recovery (2010)
    4. 4.9 million: Various Artists Frozen (soundtrack, 2013)
    5. 4.5 million: Taylor Swift Speak Now (2010)

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First posted 11/26/2024.

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2015: Top 25 Albums

First posted 1/8/2021.

Dave’s Music Database:

Top Albums of 2015

Based on a combination of year-end lists and overall status in Dave’s Music Database, these are the top 25 albums of 2015:

  1. Kendrick Lamar To Pimp a Butterfly
  2. Adele 25
  3. Chris Stapleton Traveller
  4. Hamilton cast album
  5. The Weeknd Beauty Behind the Madness
  6. Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell
  7. Tame Impala Currents
  8. Drake If You’re Reading This, You’re Too Late
  9. Courtney Barnett Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit
  10. Justin Bieber Purpose

  11. Alabama Shakes Sound & Color
  12. Grimes Art Angels
  13. Father John Misty I Love You, Honeybear
  14. Twenty One Pilots Blurryface
  15. Florence + the Machine How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
  16. Jamie XX In Colour
  17. Carly Rae Jepsen Emotion
  18. Kamasi Washington The Epic
  19. Sleater-Kinney No Cities to Love
  20. Future DS2

  21. Wilco Star Wars
  22. Meghan Trainor Title
  23. Luke Bryan Kill the Lights
  24. Björk Vulnicura
  25. Dr. Dre Compton

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The Top 50 Songs of 2015

Dave’s Music Database:

Top 50 Songs of 2015

These are the top 50 songs of the year based on their overall performance in Dave’s Music Database, which is determined by combining chart data, sales figures, streaming, video views, and aggregates from year-end lists.

Check out “Top Songs and Albums of the Year” lists here.

    DMDB Top 1%:

  1. Adele “Hello”
  2. Wiz Khalifa with Charlie Puth “See You Again”
  3. The Weeknd “Can’t Feel My Face”
  4. Justin Bieber “Love Yourself”
  5. Justin Bieber “Sorry”
  6. The Weeknd “The Hills”
  7. Drake “Hotline Bling”
  8. Justin Bieber “What Do You Mean?”
  9. Lukas Graham “7 Years”
  10. Twenty One Pilots “Stressed Out”

  11. Silentó “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)”

    DMDB Top 2%:

  12. Major Lazer with DJ Snake & MØ “Lean On”
  13. Ellie Goulding “Love Me Like You Do”
  14. Shawn Mendes “Stitches”
  15. Desiigner “Panda”
  16. Thomas Rhett “Die a Happy Man”
  17. Twenty One Pilots “Ride”

    DMDB Top 5%:

  18. Mike Posner “I Took a Pill in Ibiza”
  19. Disturbed “The Sound of Silence”
  20. X Ambassadors “Renegades”

  21. Jason Derulo “Want to Want Me”
  22. Little Big Town “Girl Crush”
  23. Rihanna with Kanye West & Paul McCartney “Four Five Seconds”
  24. Alan Walker “Faded”
  25. Coldplay with Beyoncé “Hymn for the Weekend”
  26. Chris Stapleton “Tennessee Whiskey”
  27. Rachel Platten “Fight Song”
  28. DNCE “Cake by the Ocean”
  29. Alessia Cara “Scars to Your Beautiful”
  30. Flo Rida “My House”

  31. Alessia Cara “Here”
  32. David Bowie “Lazarus”
  33. Adele “Send My Love to Your New Lover”
  34. The Chainsmokers with Rozes “Roses”
  35. Skrillex with Diplo & Justin Bieber “Where Are Ü Now”
  36. Kendrick Lamar “Alright”
  37. Coldplay “Adventure of a Lifetime”
  38. Calvin Harris & Disciples “How Deep Is Your Love”
  39. Beck “Dreams”
  40. G-Eazy with Bebe Rexha “Me, Myself & I”

  41. Charlie Puth & Meghan Trainor “Marvin Gaye”
  42. Selena Gomez with A$AP Rocky “Good for You”
  43. Mumford & Sons “Believe”
  44. David Bowie “Blackstar”
  45. Adele “When We Were Young”
  46. Andy Grammar “Honey I’m Good”
  47. Meghan Trainor & John Legend “Like I’m Gonna Lose You”
  48. Post Malone “White Iverson”
  49. Kendrick Lamar “King Kunta”
  50. Sam Hunt “Take Your Time”

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First posted 12/26/2021; last updated 1/17/2023.

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Honor Roll of Hits: Top 300 Songs

Honor Roll of Hits:

Top 300 Songs

In the 2015 edition of Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Singles 1955-2015, 300 songs are noted and ranked for awards and list appearances: ASCAP, BMI, Country Music Association Awards, Grammys, the Grammy Hall of Fame, Kennedy Center Honors, National Recording Registry, NPR, Oscars, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, RIAA/NEA, and Rolling Stone.

Click here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations.

1. Aretha Franklin “Respect” (1967)
2. Otis Redding “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” (1968)
3. Roy Orbison “(Oh) Pretty Woman” (1964)
4. Bobby Darin “Mack the Knife” (1959)
5. Tina Turner “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” (1984)
6. Al Green “Let’s Stay Together” (1971)
7. Carl Perkins “Blue Suede Shoes” (1956)
8. The Rolling Stones “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1965)
9. The Righteous Brothers “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” (1965)
10. The Temptations “My Girl” (1964)

11. Simon and Garfunkel “The Sounds of Silence” (1965)
12. Martha & the Vandellas “Dancing in the Street” (1964)
13. Ben E. King “Stand by Me” (1961)
14. Ray Charles “What’d I Say” (1959)
15. George Jones “He Stopped Loving Her Today” (1980)
16. Bill Haley & the Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” (1954)
17. The Doors “Light My Fire” (1967)
18. Jerry Lee Lewis “Great Balls of Fire” (1957)
19. The Ronettes “Be My Baby” (1963)
20. Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On” (1971)

21. The Miracles “The Tracks of My Tears” (1965)
22. The Sugarhill Gang “Rapper’s Delight” (1979)
23. The Beatles “Yesterday” (1965)
24. James Taylor “Fire and Rain” (1970)
25. The Impressions “People Get Ready” (1965)
26. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five “The Message” (1982)
27. Simon & Garfunkel “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970)
28. Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive” (1978)
29. Eagles “Hotel California” (1976)
30. Elvis Presley “Hound Dog” (1956)

31. Roberta Flack “Killing Me Softly with His Song” (1973)
32. Fats Domino “Blueberry Hill” (1956)
33. Willie Nelson “Always on My Mind” (1982)
34. Little Richard “Tutti Frutti” (1955)
35. Chubby Checker “The Twist” (1960)
36. Stevie Wonder “Superstition” (1972)
37. The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” (1966)
38. Creedence Clearwater Revival “Proud Mary” (1969)
39. Buddy Holly & the Crickets “Peggy Sue” (1957)
40. The Penguins “Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)” (1954)

41. Billy Joel “Piano Man” (1974)
42. Bo Diddley “Bo Diddley” (1955)
43. Elvis Presley “Don’t Be Cruel” (1956)
44. The Police “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
45. Marvin Gaye “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968)
46. Percy Sledge “When a Man Loves a Woman” (1966)
47. The Kingsmen “Louie Louie” (1963)
48. Bob Dylan “Like a Rolling Stone” (1965)
49. The Mamas & Papas “California Dreamin’” (1966)
50. Van Morrison “Brown-Eyed Girl” (1967)

51. Johnny Cash “I Walk the Line” (1956)
52. Bob Dylan “Blowin’ in the Wind” (1963)
53. Sam Cooke “You Send Me” (1957)
54. John Lennon “Imagine” (1971)
55. Derek & the Dominos “Layla” (1971)
56. The Flamingos “I Only Have Eyes for You” (1959)
57. Ritchie Valens “La Bamba” (1958)
58. Sam Cooke “A Change Is Gonna Come” (1965)
59. The Kingston Trio “Tom Dooley” (1958)
60. Sam & Dave “Soul Man” (1967)

61. B.B. King “The Thrill Is Gone” (1969)
62. Elvis Presley “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956)
63. Ray Charles “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (1962)
64. Isaac Hayes “Theme from Shaft” (1971)
65. The Temptations “Papa Was a Rollin' Stone” (1972)
66. Ray Charles “Georgia on My Mind” (1960)
67. Tammy Wynette “Stand by Your Man” (1968)
68. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts “I Love Rock and Roll” (1981)
69. The Beatles “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (1963)
70. Michael Jackson “Beat It” (1982)

71. The Shirelles “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (1960)
72. Buddy Holly & the Crickets “That’ll Be the Day” (1957)
73. The Jackson 5 “I Want You Back” (1969)
74. 86. Steppenwolf “Born to Be Wild” (1968)
75. Prince & the Revolution “Purple Rain” (1984)
76. Jerry Lee Lewis “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” (1957)
77. Booker T. & the MG’s “Green Onions” (1962)
78. Queen “We Will Rock You” / “We Are the Champions” (1977)
79. Roger Miller “King of the Road” (1965)
80. Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto “The Girl from Ipanema” (1964)

81. Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991)
82. Chuck Berry “Johnny B. Goode” (1958)
83. The Drifters “On Broadway” (1963)
84. The Five Satins “In the Still of the Nite (I’ll Remember)” (1956)
85. Michael Jackson “Billie Jean” (1982)
86. The Animals “The House of the Rising Sun” (1964)
87. Four Tops “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” (1966)
88. Elvis Presley “Suspicious Minds” (1969)
89. James Brown “I Got You” (I Feel Good)” (1965)
90. Chuck Berry “Maybellene” (1955)

91. Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” (1956)
92. The Kinks “You Really Got Me” (1964)
93. Elton John “Your Song” (1970)
94. Henry Mancini with Audrey Hepburn “Moon River” (1961)
95. Patsy Cline “I Fall to Pieces” (1961)
96. The Staple Singers “Respect Yourself” (1971)
97. Lynyrd Skynyrd “Free Bird” (1973)
98. Wilson Pickett “In the Midnight Hour” (1965)
99. Bruce Springsteen “Born to Run” (1975)
100. Chuck Berry “Roll Over Beethoven” (1956)

101. The Isley Brothers “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)” (1959)
102. Creedence Clearwater Revival “Fortunate Son” (1969)
103. Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven” (1971)
104. Bob Dylan “The Times They Are A-Changin’” (1964)
105. The Everly Brothers “All I Have to Do Is Dream” (1958)
106. The Platters “The Great Pretender” (1955)
107. Dion “Runaround Sue” (1961)
108. Blondie “Heart of Glass” (1978)
109. Little Eva “The Loco-Motion” (1962)
110. The Byrds “Mr. Tambourine Man” (1965)

111. The Beach Boys “California Girls” (1965)
112. Dionne Warwick “Walk on By” (1964)
113. Buffalo Springfield “For What It’s Worth” (1967)
114. Eddie Cochran “Summertime Blues” (1958)
115. Patsy Cline “Crazy” (1961)
116. Fats Domino “Ain't That a Shame” (1955)
117. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “Purple Haze” (1967)
118. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “All Along the Watchtower” (1968)
119. Loretta Lynn “Coal Miner's Daughter” (1970)
120. Howlin’ Wolf “Smokestack Lightning” (1956)

121. The Champs “Tequila” (1958)
122. The Box Tops “The Letter” (1967)
123. Barbra Streisand “The Way We Were” (1973)
124. U2 “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (1987)
125. Mary Wells “My Guy” (1964)
126. The Supremes “Where Did Our Love Go” (1964)
127. Frank Sinatra “Strangers in the Night” (1966)
128. Eric Clapton “Tears in Heaven” (1992)
129. Roy Orbison “Crying” (1961)
130. R.E.M. “Losing My Religion” (1991)

131. Run-D.M.C. with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler & Joe Perry “Walk This Way” (1986)
132. Jackie Wilson “Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher” (1967)
133. Lynyrd Skynrd “Sweet Home Alabama” (1974)
134. M.C. Hammer “U Can’t Touch This” (1990)
135. Jefferson Airplane “White Rabbit” (1967)
136. Bruce Springsteen “Born in the U.S.A.” (1984)
137. Crosby, Stills & Nash with Neil Young “Ohio” (1970)
138. Charlie Rich “Behind Closed Doors” (1973)
139. Muddy Waters “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954)
140. T-Bone Walker “Call It Stormy Monday” (1947)

141. John Lee Hooker “Boogie Chillen'“ (1949)
142. Hank Williams “I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry” (1949)
143. Muddy Waters “Got My Mojo Working” (1957)
144. Gladys Knight & the Pips “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973)
145. Bette Midler “Wind Beneath My Wings (aka "Hero")” (1989)
146. Aretha Franklin “Chain of Fools” (1967)
147. Marvin Gaye “Sexual Healing” (1982)
148. Big Brother & The Holding Company “Piece of My Heart” (1968)
149. Santana & Rob Thomas “Smooth” (1999)
150. The Beatles “Hey Jude” (1968)

151. Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” (1977)
152. Bobby Gentry “Ode to Billie Joe” (1967)
153. Stevie Wonder “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” (1972)
154. James Brown “Papa's Got a Brand New Bag” (1965)
155. Sammi Smith “Help Me Make It Through the Night” (1971)
156. Flatt & Scruggs with the Foggy Mountain Boys “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” (1950)
157. Rod Stewart “Maggie May” (1971)
158. Don McLean “American Pie” (1971)
159. The Rolling Stones “Honky Tonk Women” (1969)
160. Bill Withers “Lean on Me” (1972)

161. The Beatles “Help!” (1964)
162. The Supremes “Stop! In the Name of Love” (1965)
163. Abba “Dancing Queen” (1976)
164. The Everly Brothers “Bye Bye Love” (1957)
165. Sister Sledge “We Are Family” (1979)
166. Roy Orbison “Only the Lonely” (1960)
167. The Drifters “There Goes My Baby” (1959)
168. Billy Joel “Just the Way You Are” (1977)
169. Led Zeppelin “Whole Lotta Love” (1969)
170. Edwin Hawkins Singers “Oh Happy Day” (1969)

171. Little Richard “Long Tall Sally” (1956)
172. Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps “Be-Bop-A-Lula” (1956)
173. The 5th Dimension “Up, Up and Away” (1967)
174. Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975)
175. Hank Williams “Lovesick Blues” (1949)
176. Etta James “At Last” (1961)
177. James Brown “Please Please Please” (1956)
178. Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (1992)
179. Prince “When Doves Cry” (1984)
180. Johnny Horton “The Battle of New Orleans” (1959)

181. The Everly Brothers “Wake Up Little Susie” (1957)
182. Del Shannon “Runaway” (1961)
183. Pink Floyd “Another Brick in the Wall Part II” (1979)
184. The Beatles “Let It Be” (1970)
185. The Crystals “He's a Rebel” (1962)
186. Wilbert Harrison “Kansas City” (1959)
187. Louis Armstrong “Hello Dolly!” (1964)
188. The Coasters “Yakety Yak” (1958)
189. The Shangri-La’s “Leader of the Pack” (1964)
190. Cyndi Lauper “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (1983)

191. The Miracles “Shop Around” (1960)
192. Aaron Neville “Tell It Like It Is” (1966)
193. Procol Harum “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (1967)
194. Harry Nilsson “Everybody's Talkin'“ (1968)
195. Jackie Wilson “Lonely Teardrops” (1958)
196. Spencer Davis Group “Gimme Some Lovin'“ (1966)
197. Sly & the Family Stone “Dance to the Music” (1968)
198. The Beatles “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967)
199. Bruce Springsteen “Streets of Philadelphia” (1994)
200. The Lovin’ Spoonful “Do You Believe in Magic” (1965)

201. Bobby Fuller Four “I Fought the Law” (1966)
202. Ben E. King “Spanish Harlem” (1960)
203. The Animals “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” (1965)
204. The Byrds “Eight Miles High” (1966)
205. Lou Reed “Walk on the Wild Side” (1973)
206. Johnny Cash “Ring of Fire” (1963)
207. Tony Bennett “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” (1962)
208. Otis Redding “I've Been Loving You Too Long” (1965)
209. Otis Redding “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966)
210. Glen Campbell “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” (1967)

211. John Lee Hooker “Boom Boom” (1962)
212. The Who “My Generation” (1965)
213. Ike & Tina Turner “River Deep, Mountain High” (1966)
214. Big Joe Turner “Shake, Rattle and Roll” (1954)
215. Bob Marley & the Wailers “No Woman No Cry” (1974)
216. Johnny Cash “Folsom Prison Blues” (1955)
217. Robert Johnson “I Believe I'll Dust My Broom” (1936)
218. OutKast “Hey Ya!” (2003)
219. USA for Africa “We Are the World” (1985)
220. The Drifters “Save the Last Dance for Me” (1960)

221. The Turtles “Happy Together” (1967)
222. Edwin Starr “War” (1970)
223. Simon & Garfunkel “Mrs. Robinson” (1968)
224. Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (1997)
225. Kool & The Gang “Celebration” (1980)
226. Janis Joplin “Me and Bobby McGee” (1971)
227. Chic “Good Times” (1979)
228. The Staple Singers “I'll Take You There” (1972)
229. Neil Young “Heart of Gold” (1972)
230. Shania Twain “You’re Still the One” (1997)

231. Gnarls Barkley “Crazy” (2006)
232. Lady Antebellum “Need You Now” (2009)
233. The Ventures “Walk Don't Run” (1960)
234. Beck “Loser” (1993)
235. Fleetwood Mac “Go Your Own Way” (1977)
236. James Brown “Get Up I Feel Like Being Like a Sex Machine” (1970)
237. Dave Brubeck Quartet “Take Five “ (1959)
238. The Police “Roxanne” (1978)
239. The Drifters “Money Honey” (1953)
240. Bob Marley & the Wailers “Get Up Stand Up” (1973)

241. Jimmy Cliff “Many Rivers to Cross” (1969)
242. Dionne Warwick & Friends “That's What Friends Are For” (1985)
243. Sly & the Family Stone “Everyday People” (1968)
244. Carpenters “They Long to Be Close to You “ (1970)
245. Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes “Up Where We Belong” (1982)
246. Lauryn “Doo Wop (That Thing)” (1998)
247. Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” (1983)
248. Earth, Wind & Fire “Shining Star” (1975)
249. Carpenters “We've Only Just Begun” (1970)
250. The Drifters “Up on the Roof” (1962)

251. Lee Ann Womack & Sons of the Desert “I Hope You Dance” (2000)
252. Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell “Ain't No Mountain High Enough” (1967)
253. Louis Armstrong “What a Wonderful World” (1967)
254. Merle Haggard “Mama Tried” (1968)
255. Howlin’ Wolf “Spoonful” (1960)
256. Little Walter Jacobs & His Night Cats “Juke” (1952)
257. Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats “Rocket 88” (1951)
258. Public Enemy “Fight the Power” (1989)
259. Irene Cara “Flashdance...What a Feelin’” (1983)
260. Carole King “It’s Too Late” (1971)

261. B.J. Thomas “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” (1969)
262. Bobby McFerrin “Don't Worry Be Happy” (1988)
263. Marty Robbins “El Paso” (1959)
264. Petula Clark “Downtown” (1964)
265. Ray Charles “Hit the Road Jack” (1961)
266. Bruce Springsteen “Dancing in the Dark” (1984)
267. The Isley Brothers “It's Your Thing” (1969)
268. Bill Withers “Ain't No Sunshine” (1971)
269. Eric Clapton “Change the World” (1996)
270. Tracy Chapman “Fast Car” (1988)

271. Roger Miller “Dang Me” (1964)
272. Tom Petty “Free Fallin’“ (1989)
273. Jimmy Buffett “Margaritaville” (1977)
274. Stevie Wonder “Living for the City” (1973)
275. Four Tops “Baby I Need Your Loving” (1964)
276. Kenny Rogers “The Gambler” (1978)
277. Sam Cooke “Wonderful World” (1960)
278. Willie Nelson “On the Road Again” (1980)
279. U2 “Beautiful Day” (2000)
280. R.E.M. “Radio Free Europe” (1983)

281. Bo Diddley “I'm a Man” (1955)
282. Randy Newman “Sail Away” (1972)
283. Elvis Presley “Jailhouse Rock” (1957)
284. Chic “Le Freak” (1978)
285. The Fifth Dimension “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” (1969)
286. Bonnie Raitt “Something To Talk About” (1991)
287. Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott “Get Ur Freak On” (2001)
288. Eagles “Take It Easy” (1972)
289. Little Big Town “Girl Crush” (2014)
290. Henry Mancini “Days of Wine and Roses, The” (1963)

291. Ray Charles “I Gotta Woman” (1955)
292. Beyoncé with Jay-Z “Crazy in Love” (2003)
293. The Everly Brothers “Cathy's Clown” (1960)
294. The Four Seasons “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (1962)
295. Van Halen “Jump” (1983)
296. The Young Rascals “Groovin’” (1967)
297. Gene Chandler “Duke of Earl” (1962)
298. The Byrds “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)” (1965)
299. Johnny Mathis “Chances Are “ (1957)
300. The Moody Blues “Nights in White Satin” (1967)

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First posted 4/10/2021.

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Friday, December 18, 2015

50 years ago: The Beatles “Day Tripper” hit #1 in UK

Day Tripper

The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney (see lyrics here)

Released: December 3, 1965

First Charted: December 11, 1965

Peak: 5 US, 10 CB, 12 HR, 2 CL, 15 UK, 17 AU (Click for codes to singles charts.)

Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US + UK)

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 15.2 video, -- streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

In the UK, “We Can Work It Out” and “Day Tripper” were released as a double-A-sided, stand-alone single in the UK, where it hit #1. In the United States, the songs were treated separately. John Lennon wanted his song, “Day Tripper,” to be the A-side, but “We Can Work It Out” was pegged as “the safer, friendlier song” SG with more commercial appeal. The former was a chart-topper in the U.S., but “Day Tripper” fared just fine, reaching #5. Both songs were then released on the U.S.-only album Yesterday…and Today in June 1966.

As was often the case, Paul McCartney wrote “We Can Work It Out” with more focus on the melody while “the Lennon-written ripper ‘Day Tripper’” SG is an example of what John called “straight, shouting rock ‘n’ roll.” FB The song “rocks harder, playing around with the ferocity that the Beatles’ new competitors the Rolling Stones were bringing” SG although there’s still “there’s a neatness, a pertness about this band on this record.” FT

In addition to the “big, heavy riff” SG the song also represented one of the band’s “creative attempts to smuggle drugs and sex into their songs…’She’s a big teaser, she’s a day tripper,’ subtle stuff there lads! The song’s a frustrated goodbye, but who’d really blame a girl for having fun with boys whose eagerness to please is so apparent?” FT

While John wrote the song, it was sung jointly by him and Paul. The “arrangement is a homage to Stax Records.” KL Interestingly, Otis Redding covered that song as well as the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” telling friends (falsely) that he wrote both songs. KL

Resources:

  • DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Beatles
  • DMDB page for “We Can Work It Out”
  • FB Fred Bronson (2007). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (4th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 191.
  • FT FreakyTrigger.co.uk (5/17/2005). “Popular (UK #1 Singles)” by Tom Ewing
  • KL Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh. (2005). 1000 UK Number One Hits. Omnibus Press: London, UK. Pages 116-7.
  • SG Stereogum (8/24/2018). “The Number Ones” by Tom Breihan

Related Links:

First posted 6/23/2022.

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50 years ago: The Beatles “We Can Work It Out” hit #1 in UK

We Can Work It Out

The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney (see lyrics here)

Released: December 3, 1965

First Charted: December 9, 1965

Peak: 13 US, 14 CB, 12 HR, 1 CL, 15 UK, 11 CN, 17 AU (Click for codes to singles charts.)

Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 1.42 UK

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 114.5 video, -- streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

“We Can Work It Out” was recorded during the sessions for the Rubber Soul era and released in the UK as a stand-alone single in December 1965. In the U.S., the song appeared on the album Yesterday…and Today, sort of a hodge-podge of singles and album cuts which hadn’t been released stateside in album form. The song, backed by John Lennon’s “Day Tripper,” soared to #1 on December 18 in the UK and January 8 in the United States.

The song was inspired by an argument Paul McCartney had with his then-girlfriend Jane Asher. He offers “passive-aggressively, pleading for his significant other to see things from his perspective in the same breath as he threatens to bolt out the door.” SG However, the song also showcases Paul’s typically “upbeat, optimistic verses” KL about how “we can work it out.” As John Lennon said, “You could say that he provided a lightness, an optimism, while I would always go for the sadness.” FB

Indeed, John “crashes in with the bitter-sweet middle eight which gives the song its bite.” KL He contributes lines here such as “Life is very short / And there’s no time / For fussing and fighting, my friend.” As John explained, “I’d be the one to figure out where to go with a song – a story that Paul would start. In a lot of the songs, my stuff is the ‘middle eight,’ the bridge.’” FB Producer George Martin affirms that the two “never really collaborated. They were never Rodgers and Hart. They were songwriters who helped each other out with little bits and pieces.” FB

Recorded at the beginning of their more experimental phase, the song showcased how the Beatles could “take a simple-enough tune about a romantic disagreement and use it as a way to futz around with organ sounds and time signatures – to keep things interesting for themselves, or maybe to let their audience grow with them.” SG

Resources:

  • DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Beatles
  • DMDB page for “Day Tripper”
  • FB Fred Bronson (2007). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (4th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 191.
  • KL Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh. (2005). 1000 UK Number One Hits. Omnibus Press: London, UK.
  • SG Stereogum (8/24/2018). “The Number Ones” by Tom Breihan

Related Links:

First posted 6/23/2022.

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Thursday, December 17, 2015

Paul Whiteman: A Retrospective

Paul Whiteman

A Retrospective

Overview:

Big-band leader Paul Whiteman was born on 3/28/1890 in Denver, Colorado, to musical parents. His mother was a former opera singer and his father supervised music for the Denver Public Schools for 50 years. He died 12/29/1967. The media called him "The King of Jazz" although critics said his music lacked the improvisational techniques associated with the genre. In Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954, he's called "the most popular bandleader of the pre-swing era."

Whiteman joined the Denver Symphony Orchestra as a viola player in 1907 and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in 1914. In 1918, he conducted a 12-piece U.S. Navy band. He moved to New York City in 1920 and directed groups up to 35 at a time when most dance bands consisted of 6-10 men. He worked with RCA Victor (20-28, 31-37), Columbia (28-30), and Capitol. He produced more than 600 recordings and provided music for six Broadway shows. He launched the career of Bing Crosby, who sang with the orchestra from 1925 to 1930.

Links:

Awards:

Compilations:

Top Songs

Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards.

HB = Harry Barris, BC = Bing Crosby, JF = Jack Fulton, CG = Charles Gaylord, AR = Al Rinker, AY = Austin Young. Songs which hit the top of the U.S. pop charts are noted (#1). Click for codes to charts.

DMDB Top 1%:

1. Whispering (1920)
2. Ol’ Man River (w/ Paul Robeson, 1928)
3. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (w/ Bob Lawrence, 1933)
4. Three O’Clock in the Morning (1922)
5. Rhapsody in Blue (w/ George Gershwin, 1924)
6. My Mammy (1921)
7. Valencia (A Song of Spain) (w/ Franklyn Baur, 1926)
8. What’ll I Do? (1924)
9. Lover (w/ JF, 1933)
10. The Japanese Sandman (1920)

11. Somebody Loves Me (1924)
12. The Birth of the Blues (w/ JF, CG, & AY, 1926)
13. Wang Wang Blues (1920)
14. Stumbling (1922)
15. Say It with Music (1921)
16. Among My Souvenirs (w/ JF, CG, & AY, 1928)
17. Parade of the Wooden Soldiers (1923)
18. Side by Side (w/ BC, AR, & HB, 1927)
19. Lover, Come Back to Me (w/ JF, 1929)
20. Willow, Weep for Me (w/ Irene Taylor, 1932)

DMDB Top 5%:

21. Oh, Lady Be Good (1925)
22. Linger Awhile (1924)
23. Hot Lips (He’s Got Hot Lips When He Plays Jazz) (1922)
24. Great Day (w/ BC, 1929)
25. In a Little Spanish Town (‘Twas on a Night Like This) (w/ JF, 1927)
26. You’re the Top (w/ Peggy Healy & John Hauser, 1934)
27. My Angel (Angela Mia) (w/ JF, CG, & AR, 1928)
28. Do It Again (1922)
29. I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise (1922)
30. Bambalina (1923)

31. Without a Song (w/ BC, 1929)
32. Ol’ Man River (w/ BC, 1928)
33. My Heart Stood Still (w/ AR, JF, CG, & AY, 1928)
34. Body and Soul (w/ JF, 1930)
35. Together (w/ JF, 1928)
36. Song of India (1921)
37. Anything Goes (w/ Ramona Davies, 1934)
38. My Blue Heaven (1927)
39. Crinoline Days (1923)
40. My Romance (1936)

41. Cherie (1921)
42. Last Night on the Back Porch (w/ the American Quartet, 1923)
43. Limehouse Blues (1924)
44. You Took Advantage of Me (w/ BC, JF, CG, & AY, 1928)
45. I Love You (1924)
46. All Alone (1925)
47. Bright Eyes (1921)
48. Indian Love Call (1925)
49. Wagon Wheels (w/ Bob Lawrence, 1934)
50. April Showers (1922)

51. It All Depends on You (1927)
52. Trav’lin Light (w/ Billie Holiday, 1942)
53. Rose Marie (1925)
54. Just a Memory (1927)
55. Ramona (w/ AY, 1928)
56. All of Me (w/ Mildred Bailey, 1932)
57. Rise ‘N Shine (w/ Ramona Davies, 1933)
58. Moonlight on the Ganges (w/ AY, 1926)
59. Carolina in the Morning (1923)
60. I’m Coming, Virginia (w/ BC, AR, & HB, 1927)

61. St. Louis Blues (1926)
62. Wonderful One (1923)
63. There’s Yes! Yes! In Your Eyes (1924)
64. Manhattan (1925)
65. When It’s Sleepy Time Down South (w/ Mildred Bailey, 1931)
66. Learn to Smile (1921)
67. Charleston (1925)

DMDB Top 10%:

68. When Buddha Smiles (1922)
69. Three on a Match (w/ Red McKenzie, 1932)
70. It Had to Be You (1924)

71. When Day Is Done (1927)
72. All Through the Night (w/ Bob Lawrence, 1934)
73. Broken Hearted (Here Am I) (w/ JF, CG, & AY, 1927)
74. The Man I Love (w/ Vaughn DeLeath, 1928)
75. How Deep Is the Ocean? How High Is the Sky? (1932)
76. I Never Knew I Could Love Anybody Like I’m Loving You (1921)
77. Mandy, Make Up Your Mind (1925)
78. My Man (Mon Homme) (1921)
79. It Happened in Monterey (w/ JF, 1930)
80. I Get a Kick Out of You (w/ Ramona Davies, 1934)

81. Journey’s End (1923)
82. Let’s Put Out the Lights and Go to Sleep (w/ Red McKenzie, 1932)
83. Make Believe (w/ BC, 1928)
84. Get Out and Get Under the Moon (1928)
85. I’ll Never Be the Same (w/ Mildred Bailey, 1932)
86. Chiquita (w/ JF, 1928)
87. Dearest, You’re the Nearest to My Heart (1923)
88. Changes (w/ BC, AR, HB, JF, CG, & AY, 1928)
89. Do You Ever Think of Me? (1921)
90. That Certain Feeling (1926)

91. My Moonlight Madonna (w/ JF, 1933)
92. C-O-N-S-T-A-N-I-N-O-P-L-E (w/ AR, HB, JF, CG, & AY, 1928)
93. Farewell to Arms (w/ JF, 1933)
94. Canadian Capers (1921)
95. Way Down Yonder in New Orleans (1923)
96. I’m Just Wild About Harry (1922)
97. Whispering (new version, 1954)
98. After You’ve Gone (w/ BC, 1930)
99. Chansonette (1923)
100. You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me (w/ BC, 1930)

Masterpieces

Paul Whiteman

Recorded: 1920-1927

Released: December 17, 2015

Peak: --

Sales (in millions): --

Genre: big band jazz

Rating:

4.658 out of 5.00 (average of 5 ratings)

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Tracks in Chronological Order:

  • Whispering (10/30/1920, 1 PM, 1 GA, 1 SM)
  • The Japanese Sandman (11/13/20, 1 PM, 2 GA)
  • Wang Wang Blues (12/4/1920, 1 PM, 5 GA)
  • Grieving for You/Feather Your Nest (2/5/1921, 3 PM)
  • Bright Eyes (4/23/1921, 2 PM, 1 GA, 1 SM)
  • My Mammy (5/7/1921, 1 PM, 1 GA, 1 SM)
  • Say It with Music (11/21/1921, 1 PM, 1 GA, 1 SM)
  • Do It Again (6/3/1922, 1 PM, 5 GA)
  • Stumbling (7/1/1922, 1 PM, 1 GA, 1 SM)
  • Hot Lips (He’s Got Hot Lips When He Plays Jazz) (9/9/1922, 1 PM, 2 GA)
  • Three O’Clock in the Morning (11/18/1922, 1 PM, 1 GA, 1 SM)
  • I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise (12/9/1922, 1 PM, 8 GA)
  • Nuthin’ But (recorded 3/1/1923)
  • Parade of the Wooden Soldiers (4/7/1923, 1 PM, 3 GA)
  • Wonderful One (5/19/1923, 3 PM, 2 GA)
  • Bambalina (6/2/1923, 1 PM, 1 GA, 1 SM)
  • Linger Awhile (2/16/1924, 1 PM, 1 GA, 1 SM)
  • What’ll I Do? (7/5/1924, 1 PM, 1 GA, 1 SM)
  • Somebody Loves Me (11/1/1924, 1 PM, 5 GA)
  • All Alone (1/17/1925, 1 PM, 1 GA)
  • Valencia (A Song of Spain) (6/26/1926, 1 PM, 1 GA, 1 SM)
  • The Birth of the Blues (11/20/1926, 1 PM, 6 GA)
  • My Blue Heaven (10/15/1927, 1 PM, 1 GA)

About the Album:

Although it was released after the Beatles’ 1 and Elvis Presley’s 30 #1 Hits, consider this their predecessor. Those two collections are considered the ultimate assemblages of chart-topping hits, but Paul Whiteman’s Masterpieces is right up there with them, gathering twenty songs which topped the charts decades before the rock era took hold.

Resources and Related Links:

First posted 5/13/2024.

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Saturday, December 12, 2015

Frank Sinatra's Top 100 Songs

Frank Sinatra

Top 100 Songs

Singer born Francis Albert Sinatra on 12/12/1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Died 5/14/1998. “Ol’ Blue Eyes” is one of the premiere pop crooners and traditional pop artists of all time. His personal life was tabloid fodder thanks to several high-profile marriages and divorces and his alleged association with the Mafia.

He began professionally singing as a teenager. Worked with the Hoboken Four (35-39), the Harry James’ Orchestra (39), and Tommy Dorsey’s Orchestra (39-42) before going solo on 9/3/42. On 6/1/43, he signed with Columbia Records and on 3/13/53 to Capitol Records, where he recorded a series of critically acclaimed and commercially successful themed albums. He was a residency performer with the Rat Pack in Las Vegas in the early 1950s and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in From Here to Eternity. Formed his own record label, Reprise Records, in 1960 and sold it to Warner Brothers in 1963.

“I’ll Never Smile Again,” which featured Sinatra on lead vocals with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era, 1890-1953.

Links:

Awards:

Top 100 Songs

Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards.

Notes: TD = Tommy Dorsey’s Orchestra. Sinatra landed 40 songs at #1 on various charts, including the U.S. pre-Billboard pop charts (US), Hit Parade (HP), adult contemporary charts (AC), the UK charts (UK), the Canadian charts (CN), and the Australian charts (AU).

DMDB Top 1%:

1. I’ll Never Smile Again (w/ TD & the Pied Pipers, 1940) #1 US, HP
2. All or Nothing at All (w/ Harry James’ Orchestra, 1939) #1 US, HP
3. Strangers in the Night (1966) #1 US, AC, UK, AU
4. There Are Such Things (w/ TD & the Pied Pipers (1942) #1 US, HP
5. My Way (1969)

DMDB Top 5%:

6. Five Minutes More (1946) #1 US, HP, AU
7. Somethin’ Stupid (w/ Nancy Sinatra, 1967) #1 US, AC, UK, CN, AU
8. You’ll Never Walk Alone (w/ the Ken Lane Singers, 1945)
9. Theme from ‘New York, New York’ (1980)
10. One for My Baby and One for the Road (1949)

11. White Christmas (w/ the Bobby Tucker Singers, 1949)
12. In the Blue of the Evening (w/ TD, 1942) #1 US
13. Saturday Night Is the Loneliest Night of the Week (1944)
14. They Say It’s Wonderful (1946) #1 HP
15. Stardust (w/ TD & the Pied Pipers, 1940)
16. Learnin’ the Blues (1955) #1 US, HP, AU
17. Young at Heart (1954) #1 HP, AU
18. Night and Day (w/ Axel Stordahl’s Orchestra, 1942)
19. I’ve Got You Under My Skin (1956)
20. Oh! What It Seemed to Be (1946) #1 US, HP

21. I Couldn’t Sleep a Wink Last Night (w/ the Bobby Tucker Singers, 1944) #1 HP
22. Oh, Look at Me Now (w/ TD, Connie Haines, & the Pied Pipers, 1941)
23. All the Way (1957)
24. I’ll Be Seeing You (w/ TD, 1940) #1 HP
25. How About You? (w/ TD, 1942)
26. Almost Like Being in Love (1947)
27. Autumn in New York (1949)
28. Love and Marriage (1955)
29. But Beautiful (1948)
30. I’ve Got a Crush on You (w/ Bobby Hackett, 1948)

31. A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening (w/ the Bobby Tucker Singers, 1944) #1 AU
32. Goodnight Irene (w/ the Mitch Miller Singers, 1950) #1 HP, UK
33. Mam’selle (1947) #1 US, HP, AU
34. Some Enchanted Evening (1949) #1 HP
35. Time After Time (1947)
36. People Will Say We’re in Love (w/ the Bobby Tucker Singers, 1943) #1 HP
37. You’ll Never Know (w/ the Bobby Tucker Singers, 1943) #1 HP
38. This Love of Mine (w/ TD & the Pied Pipers, 1941)
39. Nancy with the Laughing Face (1945)
40. Call Me Irresponsible (1963)

41. Love Is the Tender Trap (1955)
42. It Was a Very Good Year (1965) #1 AC
43. Stardust (1962)
44. Begin the Beguine (1946)

DMDB Top 10%:

45. Oh, What a Beautiful Morning (w/ the Bobby Tucker Singers, 1943)
46. Everything Happens to Me (w/ TD, 1941)
47. High Hopes (w/ A Bunch O Kids, 1959)
48. September Song (1946)
49. Sunday, Monday or Always (w/ the Bobby Tucker Singers, 1943) #1 HP, AU
50. Three Coins in the Fountain (1954) #1 HP, UK, AU

51. Imagination (w/ TD, 1940) #1 HP
52. Polka Dots and Moonbeams (w/ TD, 1940)
53. It’s Always You (w/ TD, 1943)
54. I Get a Kick Out of You (1953)
55. Witchcraft (1957)
56. Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread (w/ TD, 1940) #1 HP
57. Summer Wind (1966) #1 AC
58. My Funny Valentine (1954)
59. Here’s That Rainy Day (1959)
60. It Started All Over Again (w/ TD, 1943)

61. Dream (When You’re Feeling Blue) (1945) #1 HP
62. That’s Life (1966) #1 AC
63. Come Fly with Me (1958)
64. Nature Boy (1948) #1 HP
65. If I Loved You (1945)
66. Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time) (w/ the Ken Lane Singers, 1945)
67. I’ve Got the World on a String (1953)
68. We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me) (w/ TD, 1940) #1 HP
69. The Second Time Around (1961)
70. It Only Happens When I Dance with You (1948)

71. I’m Walking Behind You (1953) #1 HP, AU
72. Just As Though You Were Here (w/ TD, 1942)
73. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning (1955)
74. Day by Day (1946)
75. The Way You Look Tonight (1964)
76. Take Me (w/ TD, 1942)
77. Nice ‘N’ Easy (1960)
78. I Only Have Eyes for You (1949)
79. Chicago (That Toddlin’ Town) (1957)
80. All of Me (1948)

81. I’m a Fool to Want You (1951)
82. Fly Me to the Moon (1964)
83. They Can’t Take That Away from Me (1954)
84. Nevertheless I’m in Love with You (1950) #1 HP
85. Granada (1961)
86. Do I Worry? (w/ TD, 1941)
87. You and I (w/ TD, 1941)
88. Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol’ Me) (1958)
89. New York, New York (w/ Gene Kelly, 1949)
90. Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy (1950) #1 HP

DMDB Top 20%:

91. I’ve Got You Under My Skin (w/ Bono, 1993)
92. Dolores (w/ TD, 1941) #1 US
93. I’ll Be Seeing You (re-recording w/ TD, 1961)
94. All Through the Day (1946) #1 HP
95. Be Careful, It’s My Heart (w/ TD, 1942)
96. What’ll I Do? (1948)
97. Say It Over and Over Again (w/ TD, 1940)
98. Me and My Shadow (w/ Sammy Davis, Jr., 1962)
99. The Birth of the Blues (1952)
100. Our Love Affair (w/ TD, 1940)

Resources and Related Links:

First posted 12/12/2015; last updated 12/6/2023.

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