Sunday, December 31, 2023

The Top 50 Songs of 2023

Dave’s Music Database:

Top 50 Songs of 2023

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 and charts. Note that songs which were originally released or charted prior to 2023 are ineligible for this list.

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

Spotify Podcast:

Check out the Dave’s Music Database podcast episode The Top 20 Songs of 2023 based on this list.

DMDB Top 1%:

1. Miley Cyrus “Flowers”

DMDB Top 2%:

2. Morgan Wallen “Last Night”
3. Teddy Swims “Lose Control” 4. Olivia Rodrigo “Vampire”
5. Billie Eilish “What Was I Made For?”

DMDB Top 5%:

6. Zach Bryan with Kacey Musgraves “I Remember Everything”
7. Doja Cat “Paint the Town Red”
8. Luke Combs “Fast Car”
9. Jack Harlow “Lovin’ on Me”
10. Dua Lipa “Dance the Night”

11. Noah Kahan with Post Malone “Dial Drunk”
12. The Beatles “Now and Then”

DMDB Top 10%:

13. Pink Pantheress with Ice Spice “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2”
14. Boygenius “Not Strong Enough”
15. Taylor Swift “Is It Over Now?”
16. Blink-182 “One More Time”
17. Tate McRae “Greedy”
18. Olivia Rodrigo “Bad Idea, Right?”
19. Jung Kook with Latto “Seven”
20. Bizarrap with Shakira “BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 53”

21. Dave with Central Cee “Sprinter”
22. Doja Cat “Agora Hills”
23. Ed Sheeran “Eyes Closed”
24. Oliver Anthony “Rich Men North of Richmond”

DMDB Top 20%:

25. Linkin Park “Lost”
26. Chris Stapleton “White Horse”
27. Estabon Armado & Peso Pluma “Ella Baila Sola”
28. Jimin “Like Crazy”
29. Drake with J. Cole “First Person Shooter”
30. Victoria Monét “On My Mama”

31. Tyla “Water”
32. The Rolling Stones “Angry”
33. Travis Scott & Drake “Meltdown”
34. Drake “Search & Rescue”
35. Teddy Swims “The Door”
36. Fall Out Boy “We Didn’t Start the Fire”
37. Noah Kahan & Hozier “Northern Attitude”
38. Luke Combs “Love You Anyway”
39. Drake & SZA “Slime You Out”
40. Dua Lipa “Houdini”

41. Foo Figthers “Rescued”
42. David Kushner “Daylight”
43. Lil Durk & J. Cole “All My Life”
44. Zach Bryan & Noah Kahan “Sarah’s Place”
45. Nicki Minaj with Ice Spice & Aqua “Barbie World”
46. The National with Taylor Swift “The Alcott”
47. U2 “Atomic City”
48. John Mellencamp “The Eyes of Portland”
49. Morgan Wallen “Thinkin’ ‘Bout Me”
50. Miley Cyrus “Used to Be Young”

Resources/Related Links:

Dave’s Music Database: Top Songs and Albums by Year lists
Dave’s Music Database: Songs of the Decade lists

First posted 12/30/2023; last updated 12/26/2024.

TSORT: Songs of the Year, 1900-2023

TSORT Songs of the Year:

1900-2023

TSORT offers an aggregate of as many as 138 charts, although the number of charts becomes more sparse the farther back they stretch. Nonetheless, the site offers a page indicating songs of the year from 1900 to present.

Check out other “songs of the year” lists here.

2023: Miley Cyrus “Flowers”
2022: Harry Styles “As It Was”
2021: Lil Nas X “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)”
2020: Dua Lipa “Don’t Start Now”
2019: Billie Eilish “Bad Guy”
2018: Drake “God’s Plan”
2017: Ed Sheeran “Shape of You”
2016: Drake with WizKid & Kyla “One Dance”
2015: Adele “Hello”
2014: Pharrell Williams “Happy”
2013: Robin Thicke with T.I. & Pharrell Williams “Blurred Lines”
2012: Gotye with Kimbra “Somebody That I Used to Know”
2011: Rihanna with Calvin Harris “We Found Love”
2010: Ke$ha “Tik Tok”
2009: Lady Gaga “Poker Face”
2008: Leona Lewis “Bleeding Love”
2007: Rihanna with Jay-Z “Umbrella”
2006: Shakira with Wyclef Jean “Hips Don’t Lie”
2005: Madonna “Hung Up”
2004: Usher with Lil’ Jon & Ludacris “Yeah!”
2003: OutKast “Hey Ya!”
2002: Eminem “Lose Yourself”
2001: Kylie Minogue “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”
2000: Madonna “Music”
1999: Britney Spears “Baby One More Time”
1998: Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On”
1997: Elton John “Candle in the Wind 1997 (Goodbye England’s Rose)”
1996: Spice Girls “Wannabe”
1995: Coolio with L.V. “Gangsta’s Paradise”
1994: Ace of Base “The Sign”
1993: UB40 “Can’t Help Falling in Love”
1992: Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You”
1991: Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”
1990: Sinéad O’Connor “Nothing Compares 2 U”
1989: Madonna “Like a Prayer”
1988: Phil Collins “A Groovy Kind of Love”
1987: Whitney Houston “I Wanna Dance with Somebody Who Loves Me”
1986: Berlin “Take My Breath Away”
1985: U.S.A. for Africa “We Are the World”
1984: Stevie Wonder “I Just Called to Say I Love You”
1983: Irene Cara “Flashdance...What a Feelin’”
1982: Survivor “Eye of the Tiger”
1981: Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes”
1980: Pink Floyd “Another Brick in the Wall Part II”
1979: Blondie “Heart of Glass”
1978: Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive”
1977: Eagles “Hotel California”
1976: Abba “Dancing Queen”
1975: Billy Swan “I Can Help”
1974: Carl Douglas “Kung Fu Fighting”
1973: The Rolling Stones “Angie”
1972: Don McLean “American Pie”
1971: George Harrison “My Sweet Lord”
1970: The Beatles “Let It Be”
1969: The Archies “Sugar, Sugar”
1968: The Beatles “Hey Jude”
1967: Procol Harum “A Whiter Shade of Pale”
1966: Frank Sinatra “Strangers in the Night”
1965: The Rolling Stones “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
1964: The Beatles “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
1963: Trini Lopez “If I Had a Hammer”
1962: Ray Charles “I Can’t Stop Loving You”
1961: Ben E. King “Stand by Me”
1960: Elvis Presley “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”
1959: Bobby Darin “Mack the Knife”
1958: The Kingston Trio “Tom Dooley”
1957: Elvis Presley “Jailhouse Rock”
1956: Doris Day “Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera Sera)”
1955: Bill Haley & His Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock”
1954: Doris Day “Secret Love”
1953: Les Paul & Mary Ford “Vaya Con Dios (May God Be with You)”
1952: Jo Stafford “You Belong to Me”
1951: Nat “King” Cole “Too Young”
1950: Nat “King” Cole “Mona Lisa”
1949: Vaughn Monroe “Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)”
1948: Dinah Shore & Her Harper Valley Boys “Buttons and Bows”
1947: : Francis Craig with Bob Lamm “Near You”
1946: Frank Sinatra “Five Minutes More”
1945: Les Brown with Doris Day “Sentimental Journey”
1944: Bing Crosby “Swinging on a Star”
1943: The Mills Brothers “Paper Doll”
1942: Bing Crosby with the Ken Darby Singers & the John Scott Trotter Orchestra “White Christmas”
1941: Glenn Miller with Tex Beneke & the Four Modernaires “Chattanooga Choo Choo”
1940: Glenn Miller “In the Mood”
1939: Judy Garland “Over the Rainbow”
1938: Artie Shaw “Begin the Beguine”
1937: Count Basie “One O’Clock Jump”
1936: Bing Crosby “Pennies from Heaven”
1935: Fred Astaire with Ginger Rogers & Leo Reisman’s Orchestra “Cheek to Cheek”
1934: Leo Reisman “The Continental (You Kiss While We’re Dancing)”
1933: Ethel Waters “Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)”
1932: Fred Astaire “Night and Day”
1931: Cab Calloway “Minnie the Moocher”
1930: Harry Richman “Puttin’ on the Ritz”
1929: Eddie Cantor “Makin’ Whoopee”
1928: Jimmie Rodgers “Blue Yodel #1 (T for Texas)”
1927: Hoagy Carmichael & His Pals “Stardust”
1926: Gene Austin “Bye Bye Blackbird”
1925: Ben Bernie “Sweet Georgia Brown”
1924: Paul Whiteman with George Gershwin “Rhapsody in Blue”
1923: Bessie Smith “Down Hearted Blues”
1922: Fanny Brice “My Man (Mon Homme)”
1921: Marion Harris “I Ain’t Got Nobody”
1920: Al Jolson “Swanee”
1919: Marion Harris “After You’ve Gone”
1918: Original Dixieland Jazz Band “Tiger Rag”
1917: Nora Bayes “Over There”
1916: John McCormack “Somewhere a Voice Is Calling”
1915: Olive Kline (as Alice Green) & Edward Hamilton “Hello Frisco!”
1914: Heidelberg Quintet “By the Beautiful Sea”
1913: Chauncy Olcott “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling”
1912: Al Jolson “That Haunting Melody”
1911: Sophie Tucker “Some of These Days”
1910: Louise Homer “America the Beautiful”
1909: Fisk Jubilee Singers “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”
1908: Billy Murray with the Haydn Quartet “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”
1907: Enrico Caruso “Pagliacci Act 1: Vesti La Giubba (On with the Play)”
1906: Bert Williams “Nobody”
1905: Billy Murray “Give My Regards to Broadway”
1904: Haydn Quartet “Sweet Adeline (You’re the Flower of My Heart)”
1903: Haydn Quartet “In the Good Old Summertime”
1902: Bryon G. Harlan, Frank Stanley, Joe Belmont, & the Florodora Girls “Tell Me, Pretty Maiden”
1901: John Philip Sousa “The Stars and Stripes Forever”
1900: Jere Mahoney “When You Were Sweet Sixteen”

Resources/Related Links:

Dave’s Music Database: “‘Songs of the Year’ lists”
TSORT.info “Song Years Chart”

First posted 4/13/2019; last updated 1/16/2024.

Rolling Stone: Top 100 Albums of All Time

Rolling Stone:

The Top 100 Albums

This is not an official Rolling Stone magazine list; rather it is an aggregate of nine major lists published by the magazine. (See the specific links at bottom of page). The best resource for reading more about these albums is Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time book, published in 2005 by Wenner Media, LLC. The list differs slightly from the original 2003, which was updated again in 2012 and 2020. It underwent very slight modifications in 2023. You can click on an album title to go to a DMDB page for more about that album.

Also, check out Rolling Stone’s annual picks for album of the year. They have made such picks since 1978. However, the DMDB has expanded the list back to 1965 based on the lists aggregated here.

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

1. The Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
2. Marvin Gaye What’s Going On (1971)
3. Velvet Underground & Nico Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
4. The Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street (1972)
5. The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (1966)
6. The Beatles Abbey Road (1969)
7. The Clash London Calling (1979)
8. The Beatles The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (1968)
9. Nirvana Nevermind (1991)
10. Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks (1975)

11. Bruce Springsteen Born to Run (1975)
12. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced? (1967)
13. The Beatles Rubber Soul (1965)
14. Michael Jackson Thriller (1982)
15. The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed (1969)
16. Van Morrison Astral Weeks (1968)
17. The Who Who’s Next (1971)
18. Ramones Ramones (1976)
19. Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)
20. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

21. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Electric Ladyland (1968)
22. The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers (1971)
23. Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
24. Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
25. David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
26. Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde (1966)
27. Joni Mitchell Blue (1971)
28. Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977)
29. Patti Smith Horses (1975)
30. Carole King Tapestry (1971)

31. The Band The Band (1969)
32. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
33. John Lennon Plastic Ono Band (1970)
34. Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984)
35. The Doors The Doors (1967)
36. Michael Jackson Off the Wall (1979)
37. The Clash The Clash (1977)
38. Sly & the Family Stone There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971)
39. Neil Young After the Gold Rush (1970)
40. Aretha Franklin Lady Soul (1968)

41. The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet (1968)
42. Van Morrison Moondance (1970)
43. Bruce Springsteen Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
44. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II (1969)
45. Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
46. Various Artists (Jimmy Cliff et al) The Harder They Come (soundtrack, 1972)
47. Pretenders Pretenders (1980)
48. The Beatles Revolver (1966)
49. Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow (1967)
50. James Brown Live at the Apollo Volume 1 (live, 1962)

51. Neil Young Tonight’s the Night (1975)
52. Stevie Wonder Innervisions (1973)
53. Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
54. The Band Music from Big Pink (1968)
55. Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987)
56. U2 The Joshua Tree (1987)
57. Aretha Franklin I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967)
58. Miles Davis Bitches Brew (1970)
59. Elvis Costello & The Attractions This Year’s Model (1978)
60. U2 Achtung Baby (1991)

61. Stevie Wonder Talking Book (1972)
62. Television Marquee Moon (1977)
63. Talking Heads Remain in Light (1980)
64. Dusty Springfield Dusty in Memphis (1969)
65. David Bowie Hunky Dory (1971)
66. Dr. Dre The Chronic (1992)
67. Ray Charles Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962)
68. Black Sabbath Paranoid (1970)
69. The Who Tommy (1969)
70. John Lennon Imagine (1971)

71. The Smiths The Queen Is Dead (1986)
72. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band Trout Mask Replica (1969)
73. R.E.M. Automatic for the People (1992)
74. Derek and the Dominos Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
75. The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968)
76. Velvet Underground Loaded (1970)
77. Rod Stewart Every Picture Tells a Story (1971)
78. Sly & the Family Stone Greatest Hits (1970)
79. Pearl Jam Ten (1991)
80. R.E.M. Murmur (1983)

81. Elvis Costello My Aim Is True (1977)
82. Prince Dirty Mind (1980)
83. New York Dolls New York Dolls (1973)
84. Oasis (What’s the Story) Morning Glory (1995)
85. Randy Newman Sail Away (1972)
86. Madonna Like a Prayer (1989)
87. Miles Davis Kind of Blue (1959)
88. Various Artists Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era (compilation: 1965-68)
89. Creedence Clearwater Revival Willy and the Poor Boys (1969)
90. Nirvana MTV Unplugged in New York (recorded live 1993, released 1994)

91. Bob Dylan & The Band The Basement Tapes (recorded 1967, released 1975)
92. Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
93. The Flying Burrito Brothers The Gilded Palace of Sin (1969)
94. Pink Floyd The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
95. Bob Marley & the Wailers Legend (compilation: 1973-83, released 1984)
96. Chuck Berry The Great Twenty-Eight (compilation: 1955-64, released 1982)
97. Paul Simon Graceland (1986)
98. Elvis Presley The Sun Sessions (archives: 1954-55, released 1976)
99. Neil Young & Crazy Horse Rust Never Sleeps (1979)
100. AC/DC Back in Black (1980)

Resources and Related Links:

Dave’s Music Database: Best-of Album Lists by Publications/Organizations
8/27/1987: “The 100 Albums of the Last 20 Years”
5/16/1997: “The Definitive Library of the Best Albums Ever Made”
Dec. 1997: “Top 100 Albums” (German edition of Rolling Stone)
10/17/02: “Reader’s Poll of the 100 Greatest Albums”
Nov. 2003: “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”
This list was created from the results of a poll of more than 270 artists, producers, industry executives, and journalists. This links to the original list and the commentaries on the album.
Genius.com (2003): “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”
List only of the 500 albums appearing on the 2003 “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”
2005: 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
This book was based on the 2003 list with slight modifications. Some compilations were eliminated if they repeated material found elsewhere on the list. The two volumes of Robert Johnson’s King of the Delta Blues Singers were also combined in the more readily available Complete Recordings.
MusicBrainz.com (5/31/2012). “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”
This is a link to the list only of the 2012 version of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”
9/22/2020: “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”
This fourth edition of the list was started from scratch. More than 300 artists, producers, critics, and music industry people were surveyed, each sending in a list of top 50 albums. The latest version offers 86 albums from the 21st century and 154 albums that didn’t appear on the 2003 or 2012 lists. The list was slightly modified in 2023 with seven new albums being added but they just replaced seven previous titles on the list. Otherwise the remaining 493 titles are ranked in the same positions.
Wikipedia (1/1/2024). “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”
A list of all 500 albums featured in the 2020 ranking.
“40 Most Groundbreaking Albums of All Time”
Lists albums in reverse chronological order from 2008 to 1940. Commentary on each album. No date given for publication of article.

First posted 11/30/2003; last updated 11/21/2024.

Digital Dream Door: Songs of the Year (1920-2023)

Digital Dream Door:

Songs of the year, 1920-2023

Digital Dream Door offers multiple best-of music lists, including song-of-the-year lists from 1940 to present. Here are the best songs from each year:

Check out other “songs of the year” lists here.

2023: Miley Cyrus “Flowers”
2022: Harry Styles “As It Was”
2021: Lil Nas X “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)”
2020: Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion “WAP”
2019: Lil Nas X with Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road”
2018: Lady Gaga with Bradley Cooper “Shallow”
2017: Ed Sheeran “Shape of You”
2016: The Weeknd with Daft Punk “Starboy”
2015: Adele “Hello”
2014: Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!”
2013: Daft Punk with Pharrell Williams “Get Lucky”
2012: Psy “Gangnam Style”
2011: Gotye with Kimbra “Somebody That I Used to Know”
2010: Adele “Rolling in the Deep”
2009: Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling”
2008: Beyoncé “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
2007: M.I.A. “Paper Planes”
2006: Gnarls Barkley “Crazy”
2005: Gorillaz with De La Soul “Feel Good Inc.”
2004: Franz Ferdinand “Take Me Out”
2003: OutKast “Hey Ya!”
2002: Eminem “Lose Yourself”
2001: The Strokes “Last Nite”
2000: Radiohead “Idioteque”
1999: Eminem “My Name Is…”
1998: Lauryn Hill “Doo Wop (That Thing)”
1997: The Verve “Bitter Sweet Symphony”
1996: Fugees “Killing Me Softly”
1995: Coolio with L.V. “Gangsta’s Paradise”
1994: TLC “Waterfalls”
1993: Beck “Loser”
1992: Dr. Dre with Snoop Doggy Dogg “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang”
1991: Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
1990: Sinéad O’Connor “Nothing Compares 2 U”
1989: Public Enemy “Fight the Power”
1988: Tracy Chapman “Fast Car”
1987: Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
1986: Run-D.M.C. with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler & Joe Perry “Walk This Way”
1985: Dire Straits “Money for Nothing”
1984: Prince “When Doves Cry”
1983: The Police “Every Breath You Take”
1982: Michael Jackson “Billie Jean”
1981: Joan Jett & the Blackhearts “I Love Rock and Roll”
1980: Blondie “Call Me”
1979: Pink Floyd “Another Brick in the Wall Part II”
1978: Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive”
1977: Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive”
1976: Eagles “Hotel California”
1975: Bruce Springsteen…Born to Run
1974: Bob Marley & the Wailers “No Woman, No Cry”
1973: Lynyrd Skynyrd “Free Bird”
1972: Stevie Wonder “Superstition”
1971: Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven”
1970: Derek & the Dominos “Layla”
1969: Led Zeppelin “Whole Lotta Love”
1968: Marvin Gaye “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”
1967: Aretha Franklin “Respect”
1966: The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations”
1965: The Rolling Stones “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
1964: The Righteous Brothers “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”
1963: The Kingsmen “Louie Louie”
1962: Booker T. & the MG’s “Green Onions”
1961: Ben E. King “Stand by Me”
1960: The Shirelles “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”
1959: Ray Charles “What’d I Say”
1958: Chuck Berry “Johnny B. Goode”
1957: Elvis Presley “Jailhouse Rock”
1956: Elvis Presley “Hound Dog”
1955: Little Richard “Tutti Frutti”
1954: Bill Haley & His Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock”
1953: The Drifters “Money Honey”
1952: Lloyd Price “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”
1951: The Dominoes “Sixty Minute Man”
1950: Fats Domino “The Fat Man”
1949: Hank Williams “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”
1948: Wynonie Harris “Good Rockin’ Tonight”
1947: T-Bone Walker “Call It Stormy Monday”
1946: Nat “King” Cole “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)”
1945: Louis Jordan “Caldonia”
1944: The Mills Brothers “You Always Hurt the One You Love”
1943: Al Dexter & His Troopers “Pistol Packin’ Mama”
1942: Bing Crosby with the Ken Darby Singers & the John Scott Trotter Orchestra “White Christmas”
1941: Billie Holiday “God Bless the Child”
1940: Artie Shaw “Stardust”
1939: Glenn Miller “In the Mood”
1938: Benny Goodman “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)”
1937: Count Basie “One O’Clock Jump”
1936: Robert Johnson “Cross Road Blues (aka ‘Crossroads’)”
1935: Bing Crosby “Silent Night”
1934: Duke Ellington “Cocktails for Two”
1933: Ethel Waters “Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)”
1932: Duke Ellington with Ivie Anderson “It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got That Swing”
1931: Cab Calloway “Minnie the Moocher”
1930: Paul Whiteman with Jack Fulton “Body and Soul”
1929: Fats Waller “Ain’t Misbehavin’”
1928: Louis Armstrong “West End Blues”
1927: Gene Austin “My Blue Heaven”
1926: Gene Austin “Bye Bye Blackbird”
1925: Vernon Dalhart “The Prisoner’s Song”
1924: Paul Whiteman with George Gershwin “Rhapsody in Blue”
1923: Bessie Smith “Down Hearted Blues”
1922: Fanny Brice “My Man (Mon Homme)”
1921: Paul Whiteman “My Mammy”
1920: Al Jolson “Swanee”

Resources/Related Links:

Dave’s Music Database: “‘Songs of the Year’ lists”
Digital Dream Door

First posted 4/6/2019; last updated 1/3/2025.

Radio & Records/Mediabase: Songs of the Year 1973-2023

Radio & Records/ Mediabase: Songs of the Year

1973-2023

Radio & Records was an independent trade publication which published a weekly pop songs chart as a competitor to Billboard magazine. It ran from October 3, 1973 to August 4, 2006, when it was taken over by Mediabase, who has continued the chart to present day.

All songs to hit #1 during that period have been sorted by most weeks atop the chart. Ties were broken based on songs’ overall points in Dave’s Music Database. Here then are the top songs each year from 1973 to present according to Radio & Records/Mediabase. You can also see a list of the chart’s all-time songs here.

Note: the year reflects when the song was first released, not necessarily the year it hit #1.

Check out other “songs of the year” lists here.

2023: Miley Cyrus “Flowers” (10 wks)
2022: Harry Styles “As It Was” (6 wks)
2021: The Kid Laroi with Justin Bieber “Stay” (10 wks)
2020: 24K Goldn with Iann Dior “Mood” (8 wks)
2019: Taylor Swift “Cruel Summer” (8 wks)
2018: Panic! At the Disco “High Hopes” (6 wks)
2017: Ed Sheeran “Shape of You” (9 wks)
2016: The Chainsmokers with Halsey “Closer” (10 wks)
2015: Adele “Hello” (4 wks)
2014: Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!” (6 wks)
2013: Robin Thicke with T.I. & Pharrell Williams “Blurred Lines” (10 wks)
2012: Maroon 5 “One More Night” (8 wks)
2011: Rihanna with Calvin Harris “We Found Love” (7 wks)
2010: Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg “California Gurls” (7 wks)
2009: Ke$ha “Tik Tok” (7 wks)
2008: Black Eyed Peas “Boom Boom Pow” (6 wks)
2007: Leona Lewis “Bleeding Love” (10 wks)
2006: Beyoncé “Irreplaceable” (10 wks)
2005: Mariah Carey “We Belong Together” (11 wks)
2004: Nelly & Tim McGraw “Over And Over” (8 wks)
2003: Hoobastank “The Reason” (8 wks)
2002: Avril Lavigne “Complicated” (8 wks)
2001: Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lil’ Kim & Mya “Lady Marmalade” (9 wks)
2000: N Sync “Bye Bye Bye” (10 wks)
1999: Santana with Rob Thomas “Smooth” (7 wks)
1998: Aerosmith “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (8 wks)
1997: Natalie Imbruglia “Torn” (11 wks)
1996: Donna Lewis “I Love You Always Forever” (12 wks)
1995: No Doubt “Don’t Speak” (9 wks)
1994: Seal “Kiss from a Rose” (8 wks)
1993: Ace of Base “The Sign” (9 wks)
1992: Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (7 wks)
1991: Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (6 wks)
1990: Madonna “Vogue” (4 wks)
1989: Phil Collins “Another Day in Paradise” (5 wks)
1988: Steve Winwood “Roll with It” (3 wks)
1987: George Michael “One More Try” (4 wks)
1986: Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” (3 wks)
1985: Lionel Richie “Say You Say Me” (4 wks)
1984: Prince “When Doves Cry” (4 wks)
1983: The Police “Every Breath You Take” (8 wks)
1982: Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” (5 wks)
1981: Journey “Open Arms” (7 wks)
1980: Blondie “Call Me” (6 wks)
1979: Peaches & Herbe “Reunited” (4 wks)
1978: Commodores “Three Times a Lady” (6 wks)
1977: Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” (6 wks)
1976: Elton John & Kiki Dee “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” (7 wks)
1975: Captain & Tennille “Love Will Keep Us Together” (6 wks)
1974: Terry Jacks “Seasons in the Sun” (6 wks)
1973: The Rolling Stones “Angie” (4 wks)

Resources/Related Links:

Mediabase.com
Pollstar.com “Top 40 Mediabase Airplay Charts”
Dave’s Music Database: “Radio & Records/Mediabase: Top 100+ Songs”
Dave’s Music Database: “‘Songs of the Year’ lists”
Dave’s Music Database: “Lists Based on Charts, Sales, and Airplay”

First posted 3/27/2020; last updated 2/1/2024.

USA’s Biggest #1 Pop Songs by Year, 1890-2023

USA’s Biggest #1 Pop Songs:

1890-2023

These are the songs from each year from 1890 to 2023 which spent the most weeks at #1 on the pop charts in the United States. Songs could have hit #1 on any of the following charts:

Billboard Charts:

Non-Billboard Charts:

Cashbox (1950-1996) (CB)
Edward Foote Gardner Popular Songs of the Twentieth Century (1900-1949) (GA)
The Gavin Report (1958-2000) (GR)
Hit Records (Music Vendor/Record World) (1954-1982) (HR)
Sharon Mawer Charts (1900-1968) (SM)
Radio & Records/Mediabase (1973-present) (RR)
Joel Whitburn Pop Memories (1890-1954) (PM)
Your Hit Parade (1935-1959) (HP)

After the song title, the chart on which it reached #1 for the most weeks, and the total weeks at #1, is noted. The year indicates when the song was first released, not necessarily the same as the year when it hit #1. You can also check out the biggest #1 pop songs all-time here.

Check out other “songs of the year” lists here.

2023: Miley Cyrus “Flowers” (BA: 18)
2022: Harry Styles “As It Was” (BB: 15 wks)
2021: BTS “Butter” (DG: 13)
2020: BTS “Dynamite” (DG: 18)
2019: The Weeknd “Blinding Lights” (BA: 26)
2018: Lil Nas X with Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road” (ST: 20 wks)
2017: Luis Fonsi with Daddy Yankee & Justin Bieber “Despacito” (DG: 17 wks)
2016: The Chainsmokers with Halsey “Closer” (DG: 13 wks)
2015: Desiigner “Panda” (ST: 14 wks)
2014: Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!” (BB: 14 wks)
2013: Miley Cyrus” Wrecking Ball” (ST: 13 wks)
2012: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis with Wanz “Thrift Shop” (DG: 10 wks)
2011: Rihanna with Calvin Harris “We Found Love” (BA: 12 wks)
2010: Eminem & Rihanna “Love the Way You Lie” (BA: 8 wks)
2009: Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling” (BB: 14 wks)
2008: Black Eyed Peas “Boom Boom Pow” (BB: 12 wks)
2007: Alicia Keys “No One” (BA: 14 wks)
2006: Beyoncé “Irreplaceable” (BA: 11 wks)
2005: Mariah Carey “We Belong Together” (BA: 16 wks)
2004: Usher with Lil’ Jon & Ludacris “Yeah!” (BB: 12 wks)
2003: OutKast “Hey Ya!” (BB: 9 wks)
2002: Eminem “Lose Yourself” (BB: 12 wks)
2001: Usher “U Got It Bad” (BA: 10 wks)
2000: Destiny’s Child “Independent Women” (BB: 11 wks)
1999: TLC “No Scrubs” (BA: 13 wks)
1998: Goo Goo Dolls “Iris” (BA: 18 wks)
1997: Elton John “Candle in the Wind 1997 (Goodbye England’s Rose)” (BB: 14 wks)
1996: Celine Dion “Because You Loved Me” (BA: 14 wks)
1995: Mariah Carey with Boyz II Men “One Sweet Day” (BB: 16 wks)
1994: Boyz II Men “I’ll Make Love to You” (BB: 14 wks)
1993: Ace of Base “The Sign” (BA: 13 wks)
1992: Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (BB: 14 wks)
1991: Paula Abdul “Rush Rush” (BA: 9 wks)
1990: Mariah Carey “Someday” (BA: 10 wks)
1989: Janet Jackson “Love Will Never Do Without You” (BA: 7 wks)
1988: Poison “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” (BA: 4 wks)
1987: George Michael “Faith” (BB: 4 wks)
1986: Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” (BB: 4 wks)
1985: U.S.A. for Africa “We Are the World” (BA: 5 wks)
1984: Madonna “Like a Virgin” (BB: 6 wks)
1983: The Police “Every Breath You Take” (BB: 8 wks)
1982: Michael Jackson “Billie Jean” (BB: 7 wks)
1981: Olivia Newton-John “Physical” (BB: 10 wks)
1980: Blondie “Call Me” (CB: 7 wks)
1979: The Knack “My Sharona” (BB: 6 wks)
1978: Chic “Le Freak” (CB/HR: 7 wks)
1977: Debby Boone “You Light Up My Life” (HR: 13 wks)
1976: Rod Stewart “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” (BB: 8 wks)
1975: Captain & Tennille “Love Will Keep Us Together” (RR: 6 wks)
1974: Terry Jacks “Seasons in the Sun” (RR: 6 wks)
1973: Roberta Flack “Killing Me Softly with His Song” (BB: 5 wks)
1972: Gilbert O’Sullivan “Alone Again (Naturally)” (BB: 6 wks)
1971: Don McLean “American Pie” (HR: 5 wks)
1970: Simon & Garfunkel “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (BB: 6 wks)
1969: The Fifth Dimension “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” (BB: 6 wks)
1968: The Beatles “Hey Jude” (BB: 9 wks)
1967: Paul Mauriat “Love Is Blue” (CB: 7 wks)
1966: The Monkees “I’m a Believer” (CB: 8 wks)
1965: The Rolling Stones “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (BB: 4 wks)
1964: The Beatles “Can’t Buy Me Love” (BB: 5 wks)
1963: The Beatles “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (HR: 9 wks)
1962: The Four Seasons “Sherry” (CB: 7 wks)
1961: Bobby Lewis “Tossin’ and Turnin’” (BB: 7 wks)
1960: Percy Faith “Theme from ‘A Summer Place’” (BB: 9 wks)
1959: Bobby Darin “Mack the Knife” (BB: 9 wks)
1958: Domenico Modugno “Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blue)” (CB/HR: 6 wks)
1957: Elvis Presley “All Shook Up” (JB: 9 wks)
1956: Elvis Presley “Don’t Be Cruel” / “Hound Dog” (BB/BS: 11 wks)
1955: Perez “Prez” Prado “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” (BB/BS: 10 wks)
1954: The McGuire Sisters “Sincerely” (PM/DJ: 10 wks)
1953: Les Paul with Mary Ford “Vaya Con Dios (May God Be with You)” (PM/BS: 11 wks)
1952: Jo Stafford “You Belong to Me” (PM/DJ: 12 wks)
1951: Nat “King” Cole “Too Young” (HP: 12 wks)
1950: Patti Page “Tennessee Waltz” (PM/JB: 13 wks)
1949: Vaughn Monroe “Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)” (PM/DJ: 12 wks)
1948: Dinah Shore & Her Harper Valley Boys “Buttons and Bows” (PM/HP: 10 wks)
1947: Francis Craig with Bob Lamm “Near You” (PM/DJ: 17 wks)
1946: The Ink Spots “The Gypsy” (PM/JB: 13 wks)
1945: Perry Como “Till the End of Time” (PM/BS: 10 wks)
1944 Bing Crosby “I’ll Be Seeing You” (HP: 10 wks)
1943: Harry James with Helen Forrest “I’ve Heard That Song Before” (PM: 13 wks)
1942: Bing Crosby with the Ken Darby Singers “White Christmas” (PM: 14 wks)
1941: Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra with Bob Eberly & Helen O’Connell “Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)” (PM: 10 wks)
1940: Artie Shaw “Frenesi” (PM: 13 wks)
1939: Glenn Miller “In the Mood” (PM: 13 wks)
1938: Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb & His Orchestra “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” (PM: 10 wks)
1937: Tommy Dorsey “Once in a While” (PM/HP: 7 wks)
1936: Bing Crosby with George Stoll’s Orchestra “Pennies from Heaven” (PM: 10 wks)
1935: Leo Reisman & His Orchestra with Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers “Cheek to Cheek” (PM: 11 wks)
1934: Ray Noble with Al Bowlly “Isle of Capri” (PM: 7 wks)
1933: George Olsen with Joe Morrison “The Last Round-Up” (PM: 9 wks)
1932: Leo Reisman’s Orchestra with Fred Astaire “Night and Day” (PM: 10 wks)
1931: Wayne King “Goodnight Sweetheart” (PM: 7 wks)
1930: Rudy Vallee & His Connecticut Yankees “Stein Song (University of Maine)” (PM: 10 wks)
1929: Nick Lucas “Tip Toe Through the Tulips” (PM: 10 wks)
1928: Al Jolson “Sonny Boy” (PM: 12 wks)
1927: Gene Austin “My Blue Heaven” (PM: 13 wks)
1926: Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra with Franklyn Baur “Valencia (A Song of Spain)” (PM: 11 wks)
1925: Vernon Dalhart “The Prisoner’s Song” (PM: 12 wks)
1924: Al Jolson with Isham Jones’ Orchestra “California Here I Come” (PM: 6 wks)
1923: Paul Whiteman “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” (PM: 7 wks)
1922: Al Jolson “April Showers” (PM: 11 wks)
1921: Isham Jones “Wabash Blues” (PM: 6 wks)
1920: Ben Selvin “Dardanella” (PM: 13 wks)
1919: Henry Burr with Albert Campbell “Till We Meet Again” (PM: 9 wks)
1918: Henry Burr “Just a Baby’s Prayer at Twilight (For Her Daddy Over There)” (PM: 11 wks)
1917: American Quartet “Over There” (PM: 9 wks)
1916: Henry Burr “M-O-T-H-E-R (A Word That Means the World to Me)” (PM: 6 wks)
1915: John McCormack “It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary” (PM: 8 wks)
1914: American Quartet “It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary” (PM: 7 wks)
1913: Al Jolson “You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)” (PM: 7 wks)
1912: American Quartet “Moonlight Bay” (PM: 8 wks)
1911: Arthur Collins & Bryon G. Harlan “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (PM: 10 wks)
1910: American Quartet with Billy Murray “Casey Jones” (PM: 11 wks)
1909: Haydn Quartet “Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet” (PM: 11 wks)
1908: Billy Murray & Haydn Quartet “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (PM: 7 wks)
1907: Bryon G. Harlan “School Days (When We Were a Couple of Kids)” (PM: 11 wks)
1906: Billy Murray “You’re a Grand Old Flag (aka “The Grand Old Rag”)” (PM: 10 wks)
1905: Arthur Collins “The Preacher and the Bear” (PM: 11 wks)
1904: Haydn Quartett “Sweet Adeline (You’re the Flower of My Heart)” (PM: 10 wks)
1903: Haydn Quartet “In the Good Old Summertime” (PM; 6 wks)
1902: Len Spencer “The Arkansaw Traveler” (PM: 11 wks)
1901: Harry MacDonough & Grace Spencer “Tell Me, Pretty Maiden” (PM: 7 wks)
1900: George J. Gaskin “When You Were Sweet Sixteen” (PM: 8 wks)
1899: Arthur Collins “I’d Leave My Happy Home for You” (PM: 7 wks)
1898: George J. Gaskin “My Old New Hampshire Home” (PM: 10 wks)
1897: George J. Gaskin “On the Banks of the Wabash” (PM: 10 wks)
1896: Dan Quinn “A Hot Time in the Old Town” (PM: 7 wks)
1895: Dan Quinn “The Band Played On” (PM: 10 wks)
1894: Edward M. Favor “Say Au Revoir, But Not Goodbye” (PM: 7 wks)
1893: George J. Gaskin “After the Ball” (PM: 10 wks)
1892: Len Spencer “Ta-Ra-Ra Boom-De-Ay” (PM: 8 wks)
1891: George W. Johnson “The Laughing Song” (PM: 10 wks)
1890: U.S. Marine Band “The Washington Post March” (PM: 6 wks)

Resources/Related Links:

Dave’s Music Database: “‘Songs of the Year’ lists”
Dave’s Music Database: “USA’s #1 Pop Songs: 1890-present”
Dave’s Music Database: “Lists Based on Charts, Sales, and Airplay”

First posted 3/27/2020; last updated 2/1/2024.

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Dave’s Faves: #1 Songs in the 2020s

Dave’s Faves:

#1’s: 2020-2029

September 18, 1982. I can peg my fascination with music charts to that date. After listening to a local radio station’s countdown of the hits of the summer, I decided to make my own list of favorites (see original list here). I ended up revising it every few days, eventually developing my own charts which I maintained into the ‘90s.

I’ve also projected before and after those lists to create speculative lists of #1 songs for eras not covered by those original charts. You can check out those links here, but this page is focused on the #1 songs that might have been for me in the 2010s.

Click here to see other Dave’s Faves song lists.

2020:

Feb. 1: Alanis Morissette “Reasons I Drink” (4)
Feb. 29: Indigo Girls “Shit Kickin’” (2)
March 14: Sting “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” (4)
April 11: Fish “Weltschmerz” (3)
May 2: Eric Bazilian “Help!” (5)
June 6: Indigo Girls “Country Radio” (4)
July 4: Glass Animals “Heat Waves” (3)
July 25: Chris Cornell “Patience” (3)
Aug. 15: Fish “Garden of Remembrance” (5)
Sept. 12: Fish “This Party’s Over” (5)
Oct. 17: Bruce Springsteen “Letter to You” (1)
Oct. 24: John Mitchell “A Gentleman’s Excuse Me” (3)
Nov. 14: Crowded House “Whatever You Want” (3)
Dec. 5: Del Amitri “Close Your Eyes and Think of England” (4)

2021:

Jan. 8: Olivia Rodrigo “Drivers License” (7)
Feb. 27: Post Malone “Only Wanna Be with You” (6)
April 10: Dennis DeYoung “Isle of Misanthrope” (3)
May 1: Eric Bazilian “Back in the 80s” (5)
June 5: Styx “Crash of the Crown” (4)
July 3: Jon Batiste “Freedom” (3)
July 24: Walker Hayes “Fancy Like” (4)
Aug. 21: Angel Olsen “Safety Dance” (3)
Sept. 11: Chris Stapleton “Nothing Else Matters” (4)
Oct. 2: John Mellencamp & Bruce Springsteen “Wasted Days” (5)
Nov. 6: Tears for Fears “The Tipping Point” (4)
Dec. 4: Kacey Musgraves “Fix You” (3)
Dec. 25: Tears for Fears “No Small Thing” (4)

2022:

Jan. 22: Tears for Fears “Break the Man” (3)
Feb. 22: Keb’ Mo’ “Lean on Me” (4)
Mar. 12: Tears for Fears “Long Long Long Time” (3)
Mar. 31: Lyle Lovett “12th of June” (5)
May 7: Bonnie Raitt “Just Like That” (5)
June 11: Alan Parsons with Tommy Shaw “Uroboros” (3)
July 2: Michael Franti & Spearhead “Life Is Amazing” (3)
July 23: Weezer “Records” (3)
Aug. 13: Noah Kahan “Stick Season” (3)
Sept. 3: Michael Franti & Spearhead “No Makeup” (1)
Sept. 10: Hardy with Lainey Wilson “Wait in the Truck” (1)
Sept. 17: Death Cab for Cutie “Pepper” (2)
Oct. 1: Beck “Old Man” (4)
Oct. 29: Simple Minds “The Walls Came Down” (2)
Nov. 12: Willie Nelson with Lucinda Williams “Live Forever” (6)
Dec. 24: Jelly Roll “Need a Favor” (4)

2023:

Jan. 14: The New Pornographers “Really Really Light” (3)
Feb. 24: The National “Tropic Morning News” (4)
Mar. 4: Beck “Thinking About You” (3)
Mar. 25: The Revivalists “Kid” (2)
Apr. 8: Joy Oladokun & Noah Kahan “We’re All Gonna Die” (3)
Apr. 29: Jenny Lewis “Psychos” (2)
May 13: Ben Folds “Exhausting Lover” (2)
May 27: John Mellencamp “Hey God” (1)
June 3: Joy Oladokun “Taking Things for Granted” (1)
June 10: The National & Taylor Swift “The Alcott” (1)
June 17: John Mellencamp “The Eyes of Portland” (2)
July 1: Hozier “Francesca” (2)
July 15: Noah Kahan “Dial Drunk” (2)
July 29: Fall Out Boy “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (2)
Aug. 12: Foo Fighters with Alanis Morissette “Mandinka” (2)
Aug. 26: The Gaslight Anthem with Bruce Springsteen “History Books” (3)
Sept. 16: Zach Bryan & Kacey Musgraves “I Remember Everything” (2)
Sept. 30: Blink-182 “One More Time” (3)
Oct. 21: Bruce Springsteen “Addicted to Romance” (2)
Nov. 4: The Beatles “Now and Then” (4)
Dec. 2: Trevor Horn & Steve Hogarth “Drive” (4)

Resources and Related Links:

Dave’s Music Database: “Dave’s Faves: Song Lists”
Dave’s Music Database: “Dave’s Faves: Albums/Works”
Dave’s Music Database: “Dave’s Faves: Top 100 Acts”
Dave’s Music Database: Other Best-of Song Lists

First posted 12/30/2023.

Pages

Sunday, December 31, 2023

Dave’s Music Database:

Top 50 Songs of 2023

Spotify Podcast:

DMDB Top 1%:

DMDB Top 2%:

DMDB Top 5%:

DMDB Top 10%:

DMDB Top 20%:

Resources/Related Links:

TSORT Songs of the Year:

1900-2023

Resources/Related Links:

Rolling Stone:

The Top 100 Albums

Resources and Related Links:

Digital Dream Door:

Songs of the year, 1920-2023

Resources/Related Links:

Radio & Records/ Mediabase: Songs of the Year

1973-2023

Resources/Related Links:

USA’s Biggest #1 Pop Songs:

1890-2023

Billboard Charts:

Non-Billboard Charts:

Resources/Related Links:

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Dave’s Faves:

#1’s: 2020-2029

2020:

2021:

2022:

2023:

Resources and Related Links: