R&R AC 2004 Year-End Chart

[JCMF3]

I thought I would make a thread to discuss the year-end charts now posted on the R&R site.

Has anyone noticed some odd songs on the AC year-end chart? matchbox twenty's Bright Lights? I don't even remember that ever making N&A on AC. Also, Coldplay's Clocks, 3DD's Away From The Sun, John Mayer's Bigger Than My Body... were we really short of AC songs this year to hve these non-top 30 hits reach the top 100 of the year?

[Hervard]

Again?? Man, last year, there were two songs from 2002 on the chart that didn't even get that much recurrent airplay into 2003. Those were "Escape" by Enrique Iglesias and "Original Sin" by Elton John. Yet, "Do It For Love" by Hall & Oates, which had fallen off the chart as of the beginning of the 2003 chart year and was receiving tons of recurrent play afterwards, was nowhere to be found on the list. Also, "Why Georgia" by John Mayer and "Miss Independent" by Kelly Clarkson, which never made it out of New & Active, were also on the list. And there were more than 100 charted songs in 2003, so it wasn't because they didn't have enough songs. Plus, I think there were more than 100 songs to chart this year. I have no idea what the deal is.

[Arson]

Yeah, there seems to be a lot of Hot AC type songs which made it onto the Top 100. I guess there must be a couple of monitored AC stations which lean Hot AC, and played these songs consistently throughout the course of the year.

I'm not sure if it's because we've had AT10 for so long, but there are many songs in the Top 60 that I've never even heard before. I wish AT10 would consider doing Top 40 of 2004 at least. That would be more interesting than a Top 30 (especially since the top 15 is always a bore). I can't wait to hear "Unwell" on the yearend chart again.

[Hervard]

Hey, a Top 30 of the year is better than the Top 20 of the year with the spotlight being "Past #1 songs of the year". Since they never did a spotlight focusing on year end AC charts, I was afraid they were reserving that for the year end show, chopping down the chart in the process. Thankfully, they are not.

[Arson]

ulij20 said:

Hey, a Top 30 of the year is better than the Top 20 of the year with the spotlight being "Past #1 songs of the year". Since they never did a spotlight focusing on year end AC charts, I was afraid they were reserving that for the year end show, chopping down the chart in the process. Thankfully, they are not.

I agree about that. But of course, one can never get enough of "One Sweet Day", "Because You Loved Me" and "Truly Madly Deeply". ;)

At least the lower reaches of the Top 30 does have a few interesting tunes.

[Hervard]

Arson said:

I agree about that.  But of course, one can never get enough of "One Sweet Day", "Because You Loved Me" and "Truly Madly Deeply".    ;)

Those are the very same extras that they played on the first half of the Top 60 of 2000 show (though not sure why they played "One Sweet Day", as it wasn't the #1 song of any year).

At least the lower reaches of the Top 30 does have a few interesting tunes.

Yeah, there may be a tune or two there that wasn't heard on AT10 around the bottom of the chart.

[Arson]

ulij20 said:

Those are the very same extras that they played on the first half of the Top 60 of 2000 show (though not sure why they played "One Sweet Day", as it wasn't the #1 song of any year).

I was listening to that on tape yesterday while doing some marking.

It's strange how some very popular songs from the last couple of years are not heard anymore on the radio. I can't recall when I last heard "She's All I Ever Had" or even "Taking Me Home".

[EvanJ]

I don't know why any AC stations would need to play "Away From The Sun" enough for it to make the year-end chart rather than continuing to play "Here Without You." The other three songs JCMF3 named I could see AC playing. I heard an AC station once say the Grammy "Clocks" won and then play it.

[JCMF3]

Does anyone know how many Hot AC stations switched to AC this year? If they did it late enough in the year, then taking those playlists into account could put some of these songs on the chart...

[EvanJ]

I really don't know of any stations that changed from Hot AC to AC recently.

[Hervard]

I just looked at the bottom half of the Top 100 of 2004 chart and found several other songs that did not chart on the AC chart, many of them not even making New & Active, including the #100 song, "The Remedy" by Jason Mraz, which fits in with the songs that JCMF listed, in that it was a 2003 Hot AC hit. Also, Liz Phair's "Why Can't I", which was at #67. There must have been several Hot AC stations that switched to AC in the early part of the year (however, that wouldn't explain the presence of "Away From The Sun", since that was a mid-year hit).
Also making the list were two smooth jazz leaning songs, including "Narrow Daylight" by Diana Krall and "For Once In My Life" by Harry Connick, jr, which I don't think even hit New & Active. "Gonna Be Some Changes" by Bruce Hornsby also charted in the lower reaches of the Top 100 despite not hitting the AC Top 30. They must now be considering total spins throughout the year regardless of whether or not they made the chart.
By the way, "Bigger Than My Body" by John Mayer did make the chart. It peaked at #27 in December, 2003 which is included in the chart year.