Radio & Records/Mediabase: Songs of the Year 1973-2025

Radio & Records/ Mediabase: Songs of the Year 1973-2025

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. 2025: Alex Warren “Ordinary” (16 wks) 2024: Billie Eilish “Birds of a Feather” (7 wks) 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: Zedd with Maren Morris & Grey “The Middle” (6 wks) 2017: Ed Sheeran “Shape of You” (9 wks) 2016: The Chainsmokers with Halsey “Closer” (10 wks) 2015: Wiz Khalifa with Charlie Puth “See You Again” (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: Christopher Cross “Sailing” (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: Olivia Newton-John “I Honestly Love You” (6 wks) 1973: Terry Jacks “Seasons in the Sun” (6 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 2/3/2026.

Rihanna: Top 50 Songs

Rihanna Top 50 Songs

Born February 20, 1988 in Saint Michael, Barbados, Robyn Rihanna Fenty, better known as Rihanna, has become one of the biggest pop singers of all time with 14 #1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. On February 11, 2023, she performed at the Super Bowl halftime show. For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry. Click here to see other acts’ best-of lists. Spotify Podcast: Check out the Dave’s Music Database podcast episode The Best of Rihanna, 2005-2022 based on this list. Premiere: February 14, 2023 at 7pm CST. New episodes based on Dave’s Music Database lists are posted every Tuesday at 7pm CST.

Awards:

Top 50 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. Songs which hit #1 on various charts are noted. (Click for codes to charts.) DMDB Top 1%: 1. Umbrella (with Jay-Z, 2007) #1 US, UK, CN, AU 2. We Found Love (with Calvin Harris, 2011) #1 US, RR, UK, CN 3. Love the Way You Lie (with Eminem, 2010) #1 US, RR, CN, AU 4. Work with Drake, 2016) #1 US, RB, CN 5. Only Girl in the World (2010) #1 US, RR, UK, CN, AU 6. Diamonds (2012) #1 US, RB, UK, CN 7. Disturbia (2008) #1 US, RB, RR DMDB Top 2%: 8. The Monster (with Eminem, 2013) #1 US, RR, RB, UK, CN, AU 9. Live Your Life (with T.I., 2008) #1 US, RR 10. Don’t Stop the Music (2007) #1 AU 11. Take a Bow (2008) #1 US, RR, RB, UK, CN 12. Stay (with Mikky Ekko, 2012) #1 RR, CN 13. This Is What You Came For (with Calvin Harris, 2016) #1 CN, AU DMDB Top 5%: 14. S.O.S. (Rescue Me) (2006) #1 US, RR, CN, AU 15. Rude Boy (2010) #1 US, AU 16. Wild Thoughts (with DJ Khaled & Bryson Tiller, 2017) #1 RB, UK 17. What’s My Name? (with Drake, 2010) #1 US, UK 18. S&M (2010) #1 US, RR, CN, AU 19. Four Five Seconds (with Kanye West & Paul McCartney, 2015) #1 RB, AU 20. Needed Me (2016) #1 RB 21. Pon De Replay (2005) DMDB Top 10%: 22. Unfaithful (2006) #1 CN 23. Love on the Brain (2016) 24. Where Have You Been (2011) 25. Too Good (with Drake, 2016) 26. All of the Lights (with Kanye West & Drake, 2010) 27. Take Care (with Drake, 2011) 28. Bitch Better Have My Money (2015) 29. Lift Me Up (2022) #1 RB 30. Run This Town (with Jay-Z & Kanye West, 2009) #1 UK 31. Hate That I Love You (with Ne-Yo, 2007) 32. Russian Roulette (2009) 33. Shut Up and Drive (2007) 34. Loyalty (with Kendrick Lamar, 2017) DMDB Top 20%: 35. Can’t Remember to Forget You (with Shakira, 2014) 36. Lemon (with N*E*R*D, 2017) 37. Pour It Up (2013) 38. California King Bed (2011) 39. Rehab (with Justin Timberlake, 2008) 40. Cheers (Drink to That) (2010) 41. You Da One (2011) 42. Hard (with Jeezy, 2009) 43. If I Never See Your Face Again (with Matchbox 20, 2008) 44. Man Down (2011) 45. Who’s That Chick? (with David Guetta, 2010) 46. Princess of China (with Coldplay, 2011) 47. Kiss It Better (2016) 48. Te Amo (2010) 49. What Now (2013) 50. Fly (with Nicki Minaj, 2010) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Rihanna Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists” First posted 2/20/2017; updated 2/14/2023.

Rihanna and Calvin Harris log 10th week at #1 with “We Found Love”

We Found Love Rihanna with Calvin Harris

Writer(s): Calvin Harris (see lyrics here) Released: September 22, 2011 First Charted: September 25, 2011 Peak: 110 US, 112 BA, 15 DG, 17 RR, 14 AC, 5 A40, 54 RB, 16 UK, 111 CN, 2 AU, 22 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 10.0 US, 2.4 UK, 14.68 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1267.6 video, 1224.48 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Rihanna launched her sixth album with the Calvin Harris-penned, “uptempo electro house song” WK “We Found Love.” The Scottish electro-pop producer had worked with Dizzee Rascal, Kelis, and Kylie Minogue. He’d also had top ten hits on his own in the UK, including the #1 “’m Not Alone” (2009). 2011 marked his first foray onto the U.S. pop charts with his own Feel So Close (#12) and this monster duet with Rihanna. Originally the song was intended for Leona Lewis; Nicole Scherzinger turned it down as well. When it was recorded by Rihanna, her fans pressured Harris on Twitter that “The song better not be rubbish.” SF Critical reception was mixed. New York magazine’s Amanda Dobbins said “Harris’s electro fingerprints are all over this one – it plays like a straight house track, with some dreamy Rihanna vocals added in over the beat.” WK Idolator’s Robbie Daw called the song’s line “We found love in a hopeless place” the best lyrics in pop music in 2011. WK On the flip side, NME’s Priya Elan said the over-all effect is underwhelming WK and Rolling Stone’s Jody Rosen called it “an inspid tune” and the worst single of her career. WK The song hit the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2011, making for her 20th time in the top 10. She first landed there in June 2005 with “Pon de Replay,” giving her a span of six years and four months to land 20 songs in the top ten, besting Madonna’s record of six years and nine months to accomplish the same feat. SF “We Found Love” spent ten non-consecutive weeks, breaking Rihanna’s previous record of seven weeks on top with “Umbrella.” SF Her 11th trip to the top also became the longest-running U.S. #1 song of 2011, topped the charts in 25 other countries, WK and was the most played song on U.S. radio in 2012. SF The video was directed by Melina Matsoukas, who’d also done Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” and “S&M.” Rihanna is depicted as “a drug-abusing thrill-seeker in a relationship that quickly spirals downward into addiction and violence.” WK Matsoukas said the video was intended to be a warning about the dangers of addiction and not a reference to the singer’s past experience with domestic violence, but not everyone found the video’s message favorable. Eileen Kelly of the Rape Crisis Centre told the Daily Star that the “video is a disgrace. It sends the message that she is an object to be possessed by mne, which is disturbingly what we see in real violence cases.” SF Despite the controversy, it won the Grammy for Best Short Form Video and MTV’s Video of the Year. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Calvin Harris SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: Last updated 7/29/2023.