Top Hot AC #1s, 1994-May 2008

[Hot AC Archiver]

The Hot AC chart recently had its 100th #1 song at the top of the chart. For this special countdown, I've ranked the top 40 #1 songs, based on how many weeks were spent at #1.

Ties were broken by using how many points the song earned during its run (using an inverse point system). Only official Mediabase & old Radio and Records data were used. Thus during the R&R years the two holiday weeks did not count toward the weeks at #1 total. Mediabase does count these weeks. (xx) after the weeks at #1 below indicates what the total would have been if holiday weeks were included. Enjoy!!

Top #1 Songs in Hot AC History (1994-2008)

1. Smooth - Santana f/ Rob Thomas, 23 weeks at #1 (25)
2. Wherever You Will Go - The Calling, 20 weeks (22)
3. Unwell - Matchbox Twenty, 20 weeks
4. Bubbly - Colbie Caillat, 17 weeks
5. Complicated - Avril Lavigne, 16 weeks
6. Iris - Goo Goo Dolls, 15 weeks
7. Here without You - 3 Doors Down, 14 weeks (16)
8. Torn - Natalie Imbruglia, 14 weeks
9. Everything You Want - Vertical Horizon, 13 weeks
10. Bent - Matchbox Twenty, 13 weeks
11. This Love - Maroon 5, 13 weeks
12. Photograph - Nickelback, 13 weeks (15)
13. Bad Day - Daniel Powter, 13 weeks
14. How to Save a Life - Fray, 12 weeks
15. She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5, 12 weeks
16. Because You Loved Me - Celine Dion, 12 weeks
17. Can You Feel the Love Tonight - Elton John, 12 weeks
18. The Reason - Hoobastank, 11 weeks
19. 3 AM - Matchbox Twenty, 11 weeks
20. The Game of Love - Santana f/ Michelle Branch, 11 weeks (13)
21. Every Morning - Sugar Ray, 11 weeks
22. Kiss from a Rose - Seal, 11 weeks
23. Home - Daughtry, 11 weeks
24. Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) - Train, 10 weeks
25. You and Me - Lifehouse, 10 weeks
26. If You're Gone - Matchbox Twenty, 10 weeks (12)
27. Lonely No More - Rob Thomas, 10 weeks
28. Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day, 10 weeks
29. I'm with You - Avril Lavigne, 10 weeks
30. Love Song - Sara Bareilles, 10 weeks
31. Why Don't You & I? - Santana f/ Alex Band or Chad Kroeger, 9 weeks
32. With Arms Wide Open - Creed, 9 weeks
33. Soak Up the Sun - Sheryl Crow, 9 weeks
34. All Star - Smash Mouth, 9 weeks
35. Don't Speak - No Doubt, 9 weeks
36. It's Not Over - Daughtry, 9 weeks
37. One Sweet Day - Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, 9 weeks (11)
38. All for You - Sister Hazel, 8 weeks
39. You Were Meant for Me - Jewel, 8 weeks
40. Big Girls Don't Cry (Personal), 8 weeks

[atlantaboy]

Thanks for the list! Still kinda think it's only really valid since '97 though (cause HAC staples released before that did well on CHR but struggled on more conservative HAC stations)

...In '94-'96, many HAC stations played music that HAC would barely touch today (like One Sweet Day), and acted more like ACs, leavin out Counting Crows, Gin Blossoms, Alanis, Sheryl Crow, etc.

[Rumors]

And 6 of those songs involve Rob Thomas.

[Rumors]

And 6 of those songs involve Rob Thomas.

[Hervard]

May 29, 2008 18:06:52 GMT -5 atlantaboy said:

Thanks for the list! Still kinda think it's only really valid since '97 though (cause HAC staples released before that did well on CHR but struggled on more conservative HAC stations)

...In '94-'96, many HAC stations played music that HAC would barely touch today (like One Sweet Day), and acted more like ACs, leavin out Counting Crows, Gin Blossoms, Alanis, Sheryl Crow, etc.

Well, not so much Sheryl Crow, since she also charted on AC with songs like "All I Wanna Do" and "Strong Enough"

Anyway, yeah, "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows only peaked somewhere in the 20s on the HAC chart, yet the song managed to make an appearance on the AT20 Top 30 of the 1990s chart. Songs 21-30 on that chart were made of alternative-based songs from the early 1990s, including two from 1994 even though they didn't make a very impressive chart appearance back then. By the late 1990s, Hot AC were playing this type of song, but many of these songs would not have made the HAC chart had it existed before 1994. Such as the song that kicked it off, "Found Out About You" by the Gin Blossoms. What Hot AC station was playing that song in the mid-90s.

Indeed, the Hot AC chart has evolved since then. In the late 1990s, it seemed to be chiefly Alternative, but now, it's more like the Pop chart was about fifteen years ago, minus the rap, though a few hip-hop songs tend to make the lower reaches of the chart. But there wasn't even much rap on the Pop charts back in the early-mid 1990s, and it never really got too high.

[Hot AC Archiver]

May 29, 2008 18:06:52 GMT -5 atlantaboy said:

Thanks for the list! Still kinda think it's only really valid since '97 though (cause HAC staples released before that did well on CHR but struggled on more conservative HAC stations)

...In '94-'96, many HAC stations played music that HAC would barely touch today (like One Sweet Day), and acted more like ACs, leavin out Counting Crows, Gin Blossoms, Alanis, Sheryl Crow, etc.

It's true that HAC evolved and played different music in its beginning, but you can still compare the charts. That would be like saying I couldn't compare the the pop charts from different eras because the music's not the same. For example, music from 1985 was different than 1978 because most pop stations wouldn't touch a disco song by the mid 80s. However you can still compare #1s from those eras IMHO.

[atlantaboy]

Jun 6, 2008 8:12:00 GMT -5 Hot AC Archiver said:

May 29, 2008 18:06:52 GMT -5 atlantaboy said:

Thanks for the list! Still kinda think it's only really valid since '97 though (cause HAC staples released before that did well on CHR but struggled on more conservative HAC stations)

...In '94-'96, many HAC stations played music that HAC would barely touch today (like One Sweet Day), and acted more like ACs, leavin out Counting Crows, Gin Blossoms, Alanis, Sheryl Crow, etc.

It's true that HAC evolved and played different music in its beginning, but you can still compare the charts. That would be like saying I couldn't compare the the pop charts from different eras because the music's not the same. For example, music from 1985 was different than 1978 because most pop stations wouldn't touch a disco song by the mid 80s. However you can still compare #1s from those eras IMHO.

Yeah seems a little different though cause the target audience of Hot AC (in general) changed drastically around 1997, and most stations either went through a huge musical pop/alternative "revolution" or flipped to mainstream AC (and many new pop/alternative HACs were created as well)...they dropped Mariah Carey and Celine Dion and picked up Dave Matthews, Alanis, Counting Crows, Gin Blossoms, etc...tons of HAC's most popular recurrents after '97 had done relatively poorly on the HAC chart from '94-'96 (Mr. Jones, Ironic, Found Out About You, etc.), so just seems like a pretty severe genre switch IMO

In other words IMO, CHR in 1985 still played recurrents that were popular on CHR in the past, but Hot AC in 1998 played a lot of recurrents that were more popular on CHR than HAC during the early-mid 90s

The other major change around '97 was that Hot AC's started breakin new pop/alternative music, whereas in '94-'95 it was CHR that broke songs like Leaving Las Vegas and You Oughta Know, that Hot AC barely touched

Still, really appreciate the list