The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Songs of All Time

No, this isn’t what “soft rock” means.

Adult Contemporary, 1961-2023: Top 100 Songs

It’s been called “soft rock,” “light rock,” “middle of the road,” and “adult contemporary.” By any name, this genre celebrates songwriters and balladry and music that skews toward a generally older audience. This post originated in 2011 when Billboard magazine celebrated the 50th anniversary of their adult contemporary charts with a list of “The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Songs Ever.” They weighted the list so that the last decade’s trend toward longer stays at #1 (and longer stays on the chart) didn’t completely dominate the list. I posted a new ranking on my Facebook page that showed the biggest AC hits based solely on weeks at #1. Still not satisfied, I went to my music database and sorted all songs to hit #1 on the adult contemporary charts. Then I sorted those songs based on total points in Dave’s Music Database. The results made for what I consider the most balanced of the three lists and acknowledging some bonafide classics which may not have had longevity at #1 or on the charts, but have had long-lasting impact. One last thing – the pics are for the top-ten ranked AC acts according to Billboard. Click on the photos for the acts DMDB music makers encyclopedia entries. Click here to see other genre-specific song lists. 1. Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (1992) 2. Simon & Garfunkel “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970) 3. Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (1991) 4. Don McLean “American Pie” (1971) 5. The Beatles “Let It Be” (1970) 6. The Righteous Brothers “Unchained Melody” (1965) 7. Ed Sheeran “Shape of You” (2017) 8. Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (1997) 9. Adele “Rolling in the Deep” (2010) 10. Pharrell Williams “Happy” (2013) Elton John 11. Gotye with Kimbra “Somebody That I Used to Know” (2011) 12. Lionel Richie & Diana Ross “Endless Love” (1981) 13. Ray Charles “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (1962) 14. U.S.A. for Africa “We Are the World” (1985) 15. Whitney Houston “I Wanna Dance with Somebody Who Loves Me” (1987) 16. Adele “Hello” (2015) 17. Coldplay “Viva La Vida” (2008) 18. The Weeknd “Blinding Lights” (2019) 19. Boyz II Men “I’ll Make Love to You” (1994) 20. Lionel Richie “All Night Long (All Night)” (1983) Neil Diamond 21. Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud” (2014) 22. Jason Mraz “I’m Yours” (2008) 23. Debby Boone “You Light Up My Life” (1977) 24. Adele “Someone Like You (2011) 25. Bee Gees “How Deep Is Your Love” (1977) 26. Ed Sheeran with Beyoncé “Perfect” (2017) 27. Bruno Mars “Just the Way You Are (Amazing)” (2010) 28. John Legend “All of Me” (2013) 29. George Michael “Careless Whisper” (1984) 30. Elvis Presley “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (1961) Barbra Streisand 31. Taylor Swift “Shake It Off” (2014) 32. Kenny Rogers “Lady” (1980) 33. Stevie Wonder “I Just Called to Say I Love You” (1984) 34. Leona Lewis “Bleeding Love” (2007) 35. Roberta Flack “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (1969) 36. Mariah Carey with Boyz II Men “One Sweet Day” (1995) 37. Shania Twain “You’re Still the One” 1998) 38. Tony Orlando & Dawn “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” (1973) 39. Barbra Streisand “The Way We Were” (1973) 40. Justin Timberlake “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” (2016) Barry Manilow 41. Eric Clapton “Tears in Heaven” (1992) 42. Cyndi Lauper “Time After Time” (1983) 43. Katy Perry “Roar” (2013) 44. Henry Mancini with Audrey Hepburn “Moon River” (1961) 45. Justin Bieber “Love Yourself” (2015) 46. Lady Antebellum “Need You Now” (2009) 47. Katy Perry “Firework” (2010) 48. Harry Nilsson “Without You” (1971) 49. The Fifth Dimension “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” (1969) 50. Commodores “Three Times a Lady” (1978) Kenny Rogers 51. James Blunt “You’re Beautiful” (2005) 52. Carly Simon “You’re So Vain” (1972) 53. Celine Dion “Because You Loved Me” (1996) 54. Maroon 5 with Cardi B “Girls Like You” (2017) 55. Taylor Swift “Love Story” (2008) 56. Taylor Swift “Blank Space” (2014) 57. Terry Jacks “Seasons in the Sun” (1974) 58. Seal “Kiss from a Rose” (1994) 59. Carole King “It’s Too Late” (1971) 60. Toni Braxton “Un-Break My Heart” (1996) Chicago 61. Phil Collins “Another Day in Paradise” (1989) 62. One Republic “Counting Stars” (2013) 63. Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” (1987) 64. Dionne Warwick & Friends “That's What Friends Are For” (1985) 65. Sam Smith “Stay with Me” (2014) 66. Daniel Powter “Bad Day” (2005) 67. Captain & Tennille “Love Will Keep Us Together” (1975) 68. Fergie “Big Girls Don’t Cry (Personal)” 69. Harry Styles “As It Was” (2022) 70. Dolly Parton “9 to 5” (1980) Billy Joel 71. Rick Astley “Never Gonna Give You Up” (1987) 72. Olivia Newton-John “I Honestly Love You” (1974) 73. Stevie Wonder “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” (1973) 74. Glen Campbell “Rhinestone Cowboy” (1975) 75. Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton “Islands in the Stream” (1983) 76. Billy Joel “Just the Way You Are” (1977) 77. Train “Hey, Soul Sister” (2009) 78. Lee Ann Womack with Sons of the Desert “I Hope You Dance” (2000) 79. Gilbert O’Sullivan “Alone Again (Naturally)” (1972) 80. Sheryl Crow “All I Wanna Do” (1994) Carpenters 81. B.J. Thomas “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” (1969) 82. Snow Patrol “Chasing Cars” (2006) 83. Magic! “Rude” (2013) 84. Frank Sinatra “Strangers in the Night” (1966) 85. The Lumineers “Ho Hey” (2012) 86. Lionel Richie “Say You Say Me” (1985) 87. Glen Campbell “Wichita Lineman” (1968) 88. Passenger “Let Her Go” (2012) 89. Mariah Carey “Vision of Love” (1990) 90. Louis Armstrong “Hello, Dolly!” (1964) Lionel Richie 91. Backstreet Boys “I Want It That Way” (1999) 92. Taylor Swift “You Belong with Me” (2008) 93. Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder “Ebony and Ivory” (1982) 94. Stan Getz with Joao & Astrud Gilberto “The Girl from Ipanema” (1964) 95. Jimmy Dean “Big Bad John” (1961) 96. Roger Miller “King of the Road” (1965) 97. Post Malone “Circles” (2019) 98. Savage Garden “Truly Madly Deeply” (1997) 99. Carpenters “They Long to Be Close to You” (1970) 100. Chicago “If You Leave Me Now” (1976) Anne Murray Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Other Genre/Category Song Lists” Billboard Magazine (9/22/2023). “Most Weeks at No. 1 on Adult Contemporary Chart” by Gary Trust Billboard Magazine (7/16/2011). “The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Songs Ever” Billboard Magazine (7/16/2011). “The 50 Biggest AC Artists Ever” First posted 7/22/2011; last updated 9/23/2023.

Today in Music (1961): Motown achieved its first #1

Please Mr. Postman The Marvelettes

Writer(s): Brian Holland, Robert Bateman, William Garrett, Georgia Dobbins, Freddie Gorman (see lyrics here) Released: August 21, 1961 First Charted: September 4, 1961 Peak: 11 US, 2 CB, 2 HR, 17 RB (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.2 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 75.7 video, 180.99 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Not only was “Please Mr. Postman” the debut single for the Marvelettes, but it was the first Motown song to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song took a then-record fifteen weeks to reach the summit. FB It also topped the R&B charts. The Beatles notably covered the song for their 1963 album With the Beatles and the Carpenters took the song back to the top of the pop charts in 1975. The group, originally called the Casinyets, formed in high school. In 1961, they entered the school’s talent show knowing the winner would get an audition with Motown. They came in fourth, but their teacher, Mrs. Sharpley, pushed for the group to also go to the audition. Motown was impressed, but wanted original material. FB Member Georgia Dobbins turned to her friend William Garrett. He gave her a blues song which she reworked for the group. Sadly, Dobbins had to drop out of the group to care for her sick mother so the final version of the song featured Gladys Horton on lead. The song and group underwent still more changes when Motown chief Berry Gordy renamed the group and brought in songwriters Brian Holland and Robert Bateman to rework the song again. WK The final rendition featured Motown’s legendary studio team the Funk Brothers. The song wasn’t just the launch of Motown, but a quintessential slice of the girl group sound with “frothy harmonies, Horton’s gritty lead, a nifty blues piano, and some remarkably funky drumming by the young Marvin Gaye.” DM Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Marvelettes FB Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 101. DM Dave Marsh (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. New American Library: New York, NY. Page 434. First posted 12/11/2011; last updated 1/20/2024.

The Top 50 Adult Contemporary Acts

image of Elton John, Celine Dion, and Lionel Richie from billboard.com

According to Billboard magazine, these are the top 50 adult contemporary artists, as determined by their success on the adult contemporary singles charts from 1961-2011. See the original link here.

1. Elton John
2. Neil Diamond
3. Barbra Streisand
4. Barry Manilow
5. Kenny Rogers
6. Chicago
7. Billy Joel
8. Carpenters
9. Lionel Richie
10. Anne Murray

11. Dionne Warwick
12. Phil Collins
13. Elvis Presley
14. Gloria Estefan/Miami Sound Machine
15. Whitney Houston
16. Olivia Newton-John
17. Herb Alpert
18. Michael Bolton
19. Celine Dion
20. Andy Williams

21. Frank Sinatra
22. John Denver
23. Bobby Vinton
24. Rod Stewart
25. Glen Campbell
26. Al Martino
27. James Taylor
28. Mariah Carey
29. Helen Reddy
30. Madonna

31. Carly Simon
32. Stevie Wonder
33. Daryl Hall & John Oates
34. Richard Marx
35. Engelbert Humperdinck
36. Dean Martin
37. Linda Ronstadt
38. Dan Fogelberg
39. Tom Jones (singer)
40. Air Supply

41. Diana Ross
42. Cher
43. 5th Dimension
44. Jack Jones
45. The Lettermen
46. B.J. Thomas
47. Johnny Mathis
48. Amy Grant
49. Fleetwood Mac
50. Perry Como

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In Memory of Hal David: His Top 40 Songs

First posted 12/15/2019.

Hal David with Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach, image from haldavid.movie.com

R.I.P. songwriter Hal David. He was born Harold Lane David on 5/25/1921 in New York, NY. He died 9/1/2012. Frequently worked with Burt Bacharach. They were one of the songwriting teams who worked out of the legendary Brill Building.For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry.

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Top 40 Songs

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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. In the event of songs which have been recorded more than once, only the top-ranked song is included in the list. Songs which hit #1 on the following charts have been noted: Billboard Hot 100 pop charts (US), Cashbox (CB), Hit Records (HR), Radio & Records (RR), Billboard R&B chart (RB), Billboard country chart (CW), United Kingdom pop chart (UK), Canadian pop chart (CN), and Australian pop chart (AU).

DMDB Top 1%:

1. Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head (B.J. Thomas, 1969) #1 US, CB, HR, AC, CN
2. They Long to Be Close to You (Carpenters, 1970) #1 US, CB, HR, AC, CN, AU

DMDB Top 5%:

3. Walk on By (Dionne Warwick, 1964)
4. I Say a Little Prayer (Aretha Franklin, 1968)
5. This Guy’s in Love with You (Herb Alpert, 1968) #1 US, CB, HR, AC, CN, AU
6. Always Something There to Remind Me (Naked Eyes, 1983)

DMDB Top 10%:

7. What the World Needs Now Is Love (Jackie DeShannon, 1965) #1 CN
8. Magic Moments (Perry Como, 1957) #1 UK

DMDB Top 20%:

9. I’ll Never Fall in Love Again (Dionne Warwick, 1969) #1 AC
10. Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa (Gene Pitney, 1963)

11. Wives and Lovers (Jack Jones, 1963)
12. Only Love Can Break a Heart (Gene Pitney, 1962) #1 AC
13. Do You Know the Way to San Jose? (Dionne Warwick, 1968)
14. One Less Bell to Answer (The 5th Dimension, 1970) #1 AC
15. Trains and Boats and Planes (Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas, 1965)
16. The Look of Love (Dusty Springfield, 1967)
17. Don’t Make Me Over (Dionne Warwick, 1962)
18. Anyone Who Had a Heart (Dionne Warwick, 1963)
19. Wishin’ and Hopin’ (Dusty Springfield, 1964)
20. Blue on Blue (Bobby Vinton, 1963) #1 HR

21. A House Is Not a Home (Brook Benton, 1964)
22. Make It Easy on You (Jerry Butler, 1962)
23. I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself (Gary Puckett, 1970

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

24. My Little Red Book (Love, 1966)
25. Alfie (Stevie Wonder as Eivets Rednow, 1968)
26. What’s New Pussycat? (Tom Jones, 1965) #1 CN
27. American Beauty Rose (Eddy Howard, 1950)
28. To Wait for Love (Herb Alpert, 1968)
29. You’ll Never Get to Heaven if You Break My Heart (Dionne Warwick, 1964)
30. The Story of My Life (Marty Robbins, 1957) #1 CW

31. Blue Guitar (Richard Chamberlina, 1963)
32. Who Is Gonna Love Me? (Dionne Warwick, 1968)
33. True Love Never Runs Smooth (Gene Pitney, 1963)
34. Saturday Sunshine (Burt Bacharach, 1963)
35. Reach Out for Me (Dionne Warwick, 1964) #1 RB
36. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Gene Pitney, 1962)
37. Promises, Promises (Dionne Warwick, 1968)
38. The Windows of the World (Dionne Warwick, 1967)
39. I’m a Better Man for Having Loved You (Engelbert Humperdinck, 1969)
40. The April Fools (Dionne Warwick, 1969)

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Awards:

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Carpenters 1969-1981 compilation released

The Singles 1969-1973 Carpenters

Recorded: 1969-1973 Released: November 9, 1973 Peak: 11 US, 117 UK, 11 CN, 19 AU Sales (in millions): 7.0 US, 0.30 UK, 11.30 world (includes US and UK) Genre: adult contemporary

Rating: 4.084 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

The Singles 1969-1981 Carpenters

Recorded: 1969-1981 Released: May 23, 2000 Peak: 45 US, 65 UK Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.1 UK Genre: adult contemporary

Rating: 4.125 out of 5.00 (average of 7 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Tracks (Chronological Order with Original Studio Albums Noted: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Offering (aka “Ticket to Ride”) (1969) Ticket to Ride (12/27/69, 54 BB, 78 CB, 86 HR, 19 AC) 73, 81 Close to You (1970) They Long to Be Close to You (5/14/70, 1 BB, 1 CB, 1 GR, 1 HR, 1 AC, 6 UK, 2 CN, 3 AU, 3 DF, sales: ½ million) 73, 81 We’ve Only Just Begun (9/12/70, 2 BB, 1 CB, 1 GR, 1 HR, 1 AC, 28 UK, 1 CN, 6 AU, 15 DF, sales: ½ million, airplay: 4 million) 73, 81 Carpenters (1971) For All We Know (2/5/71, 3 BB, 6 CB, 2 GR, 4 HR, 1 AC, 18 UK, 5 CN, 10 AU, sales: ½ million, airplay: 3 million) 73, 81 Rainy Days and Mondays (5/7/71, 2 BB, 2 CB, 1 GR, 2 HR, 1 AC, 53 UK, 3 CN, 35 AU, 12 DF, sales: ½ million) 73, 81 Superstar (8/27/71, 2 BB, 2 CB, 1 GR, 1 HR, 1 AC, 18 UK, 3 CN, 35 AU, sales: ½ million, airplay: 2 million) 73, 81 Tom Jones London Bridge Special (TV special, 1972) For All We Know (Reprise) 81 A Song for You (1972) Hurting Each Other (1/14/72, 2 BB, 2 CB, 4 GR, 1 HR, 1 AC, 2 CN, 4 AU, sales: ½ million) 73, 81 It’s Going to Take Some Time (4/21/72, 12 BB, 17 CB, 12 GR, 13 HR, 2 AC, 14 CN, 24 AU) 73, 81 Goodbye to Love (6/30/72, 7 BB, 7 CB, 5 GR, 6 HR, 2 AC, 9 UK, 4 CN, 25 AU) 73, 81 I Won’t Last a Day Without You (9/72, 11 BB, 9 CB, 11 GR, 9 HR, 10 RR 1 AC, 9 UK, 7 CN, 63 AU) 81 Top of the World (4/23/73, 1 BB, 1 CB, 1 GR, 3 HR, 2 RR, 2 AC, 5 UK, 1 CN, 1 AU, 8 DF, sales: ½ million) 73, 81 Now & Then (1973) Sing (2/16/73, 2 BB, 5 CB, 4 GR, 4 HR, 1 AC, 55 UK, 4 CN, 24 AU, sales: ½ million, airplay: 1 million) 73, 81 Yesterday Once More (6/1/73, 2 BB, 1 CB, 3 GR, 1 HR, 1 AC, 2 UK, 1 CN, 9 AU, sales: ½ million) 73, 81 Horizon (1975) Please Mr. Postman (11/23/74, 1 BB, 1 CB, 2 GR, 1 HR, 2 RR, 1 AC, 2 UK, 1 CN, 1 AU, 34 DF) 81 Only Yesterday (3/28/75, 4 BB, 8 CB, 7 GR, 6 HR, 7 RR, 1 AC, 7 UK, 2 CN, 16 AU) 81 A Kind of Hush (1976) I Need to Be in Love (6/5/76, 25 BB, 31 CB, 27 GR, 38 HR, 32 RR, 1 AC, 36 UK, 24 CN, 47 AU) 81 Passage (1977) All You Get from Love Is a Love Song (5/21/77, 35 BB, 43 CB, 27 GR, 63 HR, 4 AC, 54 UK, 38 CN, 89 AU) 81 Made in America (1981) I Believe You (11/18/78, 68 BB, 70 CB, 87 HR, 9 AC, 81 AU) 81 Touch Me When We’re Dancing (6/19/81, 16 BB, 17 CB, 14 GR, 19 HR, 14 RR, 1 AC, 78 AU, 23 DF) 81 Those Good Old Dreams (12/12/81, 63 BB, 78 CB, 75 HR, 21 AC) 81 73 The Singles 1969-1973 81 The Singles 1969-1981

About the Album: Richard and Karen Carpenter were a brother-sister duo from Connecticut who signed to A&M Records in 1969. Over the next four years, they landed ten top-10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “We’ve Only Just Begun, with its hopeful, dreamy lyrics” AMG and the #1 songs They Long to Be Close to You and Top of the World. They were all gathered on the compilation The Singles 1969-1973, which all included “their gorgeous and original slow ballad interpretation of Ticket to Ride and their cover of Carole King’s It’s Going to Take Some Time.” AMG After 1973, the Carpenters fell out of vogue a bit, although they still landed two more top-ten hits, including their #1 version of Please Mr. Postman. Those songs, and four more top-40 hits, are assembled alongside the twelve songs featured on the 1969-1973 collection on the expanded version, The Singles 1969-1981. “Listening to this material, it’s easy to accuse the Carpenters of being hopelessly retro even in their own time…But the lush melodies brought out in Richard Carpenter’s arrangements and Karen’s singing are justification in themselves.” AMG Sadly, the duo’s days of making music came to an end in 1983 when Karen, just 32, died from anorexia.

Resources and Related Links: AMG All Music Guide review of The Singles: 1969-1973 by Bruce Eder W73 Wikipedia page for The Singles: 1969-1973 Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 5/29/2008; last updated 5/12/2024.

Carpenters hit #1 with “They Long to Be Close to You”

They Long to Be Close to You Carpenters

Writer(s): Burt Bacharach (music), Hal David (lyics) (see lyrics here) Released: May 14, 1970 First Charted: June 5, 1970 Peak: 14 US, 12 CB, 14 GR, 12 HR, 16 AC, 6 UK, 12 CN, 13 AU, 3 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.2 UK, 1.24 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 99.02 video, 134.19 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “The Carpenters didn’t invent easy listening music…But the Carpenters took that music, with all its lush and syrupy orchestration, and fused it with the starry-eyed sensibilities of late-’60s rock. In doing so, they became a commercial juggernaut and helped to invent the somnambulant sound of ’70s studio-pop. It’s not hard to figure out why a lot of people might resent them.” SG The brother and sister duo of Richard and Karen Carpenter were born in Connecticut, but the family moved to Los Angeles in 1963 when their parents realized the sibilings’ musical ambitions. After failed efforts with a jazz trio called the Carpenter Trio FB and a band named Spectrum, Richard and Karen signed to A&M as a duo. Their 1969 debut went nowhere, but their cover of the Beatles’ “Ticket to Ride” caught the attention of songwriter Burt Bacharach. FB Herb Alpert, who co-owned A&M and had hits of his own, suggested the Carpenters record “They Long to Be Close to You,” FB an obscure song Bacharach wrote with Hal David for TV star Richard Chamberlain. It was released as a B-side to “Blue Guitar,” which reached #42 in 1963. Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, and Alpert all recorded versions, but they were all “big, traditional showstopping ’60s orchestral-pop ballads.” SG Richard didn’t listen to any of them, instead coming up with his own piano arrangement. The Carpenters’ recording included members of the famed Wrecking Crew group of session musicians who served as the de facto house band for famous producer Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound in the 1960s. The “lyrics are exaggerated to the point of absurdity…Birds and stars and all the girls in town are hovering around this mythical beloved figure. The day this person was born, angels sprinkled gold dust in this person’s hair and starlight in his eyes of blue.” SG THe recording is “toothache-sweet and impeccable to the point of being antiseptic” SG but Karen’s “warm, controlled delivery…manages to get across both sadness and silliness.” SG When Albert asked Richard how he though the song would do, Carpenter said “it would either be number one of the biggest stiff the label had ever released.” FB It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks and earned the Carpenters a Grammy for Best Contemporary Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Carpenters FB Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 278. SG Stereogum (1/8/2019). “The Number Ones” by Tom Breihan WK Wikipedia First posted 11/28/2022.