15 Years Ago: First Billboard Adult Top 40 Chart

[johnm1120]

October 7, 1995 marked the first edition of Billboard's "Hot Adult Top 40" chart (more than a year after R&R introduced the format). The first chart seemed kinda messy including several recurrents on the list.

Here is the first Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Chart, dated October 7, 1995


1. Seal - Kiss From a Rose
2. Blues Traveler - Run Around
3. Hootie & the Blowfish - Only Wanna Be With You
4. Sophie B. Hawkins - As I Lay Me Down
5. All-4-One - I Can Love You Like That
6. Del Amitri - Roll to Me
7. The Rembrandts - I'll Be There For You
8. Michael Jackson - You Are Not Alone
9. Mariah Carey - Fantasy
10. Vanessa Williams - Colors of the Wind

11. Take That - Back For Goof
12. Janet Jackson - Runaway
13. Dionne Farris - I Know
14. Michael Bolton - Can I Touch You... There?
15. Bruce Hornsby - Walk in the Sun
16. Hootie & the Blowfish - Let Her Cry
17. Selena - I Could Fall in Love
18. Gin Blossoms - Til I Hear It From You
19. Boyz II Men - Water Runs Dry
20. Martin Page - In the House of Stone & Light

21. Bryan Adams - Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?
22. Natalie Merchant - Carnival
23. Des'ree - You Gotta Be
24. Blessid Union of Souls - I Believe
25. Hootie & the Blowfish - Hold My Hand
26. Collective Soul - December
27. Melissa Etheridge - Come to My Window
28. Melissa Etheridge - I'm the Only One
29. Martin Page - Keeper of the Flame
30. John Mellencamp f/Me'shell Ndegeocello - Wild Night

31. Amy Grant f/Vince Gill - House of Love
32. Sheryl Crow - All I Wanna Do
33. TLC - Waterfalls
34. The Pretenders - I'll Stand By You
35. Madonna - Take a Bow
36. Jon Secada - If You Go
37. The Eagles - Love Will Keep Us Alive
38. Gin Blossoms - Found About About You
39. Amy Grant - Big Yellow Taxi
40. Ace of Base - The Sign

Next post: The next chart with many purges.

[johnm1120]

October 14, 1995

TW LW Artist - Title

01 01 Seal - Kiss From a Rose
02 03 Hootie & the Blowfish - Only Wanna Be With You
03 04 Sophie B. Hawkins - As I Lay Me Down
04 02 Blues Traveler - Run Around
05 05 All-4-One - I Can Love You Like That
06 06 Del Amitri - Roll to Me
07 11 Take That - Back For Goof
08 09 Mariah Carey - Fantasy
09 12 Janet Jackson - Runaway
10 07 The Rembrandts - I'll Be There For You

11 08 Michael Jackson - You Are Not Alone
12 18 Gin Blossoms - Til I Hear It From You
13 22 Natalie Merchant - Carnival
14 13 Dionne Farris - I Know
15 10 Vanessa Williams - Colors of the Wind
16 14 Michael Bolton - Can I Touch You... There?
17 17 Selena - I Could Fall in Love
18 20 Martin Page - In the House of Stone & Light
19 19 Boyz II Men - Water Runs Dry
20 16 Hootie & the Blowfish - Let Her Cry

21 15 Bruce Hornsby - Walk in the Sun
22 26 Collective Soul - December
23 34 The Pretenders - I'll Stand By You
24 33 TLC - Waterfalls
25 ** The Corrs - Runaway
26 ** Meatloaf - I'd Lie For You (And That's the Truth)
27 ** Blessid Union of Souls - Let Me Be the One
28 39 Amy Grant - Big Yellow Taxi
29 ** Sheryl Crow - Can't Cry Anymore
30 29 Martin Page - Keeper of the Flame

31 ** Elton John - Believe
32 ** Jimmy Buffett - Mexico
33 ** Toad the Wet Sprocket - Good Intentions
34 ** Goo Goo Dolls - Name
35 ** Peter Cetera & Crystal Bernard - (I Wanna Take) Forever Tonight
36 ** Nicki French - Total Eclipse of the Heart
37 ** Jon B f/Babyface - Someone to Love
38 ** Chris Isaak - Somebody's Crying
39 ** Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories - Do You Sleep
40 ** Dave Matthews Band - Ants Marching


Falling off:

-- 21 Bryan Adams - Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?
-- 23 Des'ree - You Gotta Be
-- 24 Blessid Union of Souls - I Believe
-- 25 Hootie & the Blowfish - Hold My Hand
-- 27 Melissa Etheridge - Come to My Window
-- 28 Melissa Etheridge - I'm the Only One
-- 30 John Mellencamp f/Me'shell Ndegeocello - Wild Night
-- 31 Amy Grant f/Vince Gill - House of Love
-- 32 Sheryl Crow - All I Wanna Do
-- 35 Madonna - Take a Bow
-- 36 Jon Secada - If You Go
-- 37 The Eagles - Love Will Keep Us Alive
-- 38 Gin Blossoms - Found About About You
-- 40 Ace of Base - The Sign

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

All but two songs on the first chart made the Pop chart. Keeper Of The Flame and House Of Love.

[atlantaboy]

Hot AC would've put me to sleep back then - IMO the song that transformed HAC was Semi-Charmed Life by TEB in '97 - I remember all these people saying WPLJ shouldn't be touching it, but they did, and the rest was history

[gtomaro]

Thank you very much for posting this information!!! :) :) :) :) :) I also added some of the missing info for my own Billboard Adult Top 40 chart archive (1995-present) from the first 2 weeks with some peak positions missing.