Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Hot AC (& CHR) Hits of 2013

[musicfanpete]

It's time once again for Rick's "Third Annual" year end "hybrid" chart of the top 40 Hot AC and CHR hits of 2013. While we have long established that this chart is probably not based on any actual chart data, some of the rankings actually do feel like a better representation of both formats than we saw the last couple of years. But it wouldn't be one of Rick's charts without a little "controversy", which I will get too shortly.

First, Robin Thicke and company are awarded the number one song of the year with their monster summer hit "Blurred Lines". Pink and Fun.'s Nate Ruess finish in the runner up spot this year with "Just Give Me A Reason". Both songs certainly could lay claim to the top spot based on the many combined weeks that these songs took up residence at the top of the chart this year. Based on Mediabase chart data, Pink should have the number one CHR hit (over 10,000 spins ahead of Robin), and the number two Hot AC hit (well behind the Lumineers). But since AT40 has Robin at the top of their year end CHR chart based most likely on AT40 affiliate spins, Rick chose Robin for the top spot because, well because he can! :) But regardless if Rick's chart is based on the tried and true "dartboard method" or actual airplay data, "Blurred Lines" actually feels like the top song of the year based on the tremendous airplay and buzz this song received over the summer. So this song is probably the right chose for the top.

Looking at the rest of the top 10, going by actual airplay data (each chart separately, or combined), there's no way the songs by Katy Perry and Lorde have any business in the top ten. However, based again by weeks at the top and buzz, "Roar" and "Royals" also both feel like year end top 10 hits, even if they charted relatively late in the year. Billboard Magazine and other chart publications frequently estimated the chart runs of songs that were still near their peaks late in the year when calculating the year end charts back in the 80's, pre PPM era. So if some sort of "estimation" method was used on this chart, cases can definitely be made for these two songs as they were both huge hits in their own right. And this chart as a whole I think does represent both charts pretty well, although with a slight skew more towards CHR (or Adult CHR) in it's tone.

That said, there are a couple of glaring omissions as we usually see. "Stay" by Rihanna and "Little Talks" by Of Monsters And Men where both missing from the chart (the latter at least played as a Bonus Track). Both should have been included in the actual chart, maybe at the expense of Miley Cyrus's "Wrecking Ball" which took up a space for a more deserving song (Oops! Did I say that out loud?! ). And, the wrong Taylor Swift song is on the year end chart, last year's number one song "We Will Never Ever Get Back Together", a song that peaked in the lower part of the top 10 back in November of last year. Not only does it barely qualify for the 2013 chart, there's no rhyme or reason it should be a top 20 year end hit two years in a row! The Taylor Swift song that should have been in that spot, "I Knew You Were Trouble" was played a Bonus Track. So even if the dartboard method was used, there should have at least been a little bit of discretion used in the "accuracy" department.

That said though, I think this chart is at least the closest in terms of accuracy of the three year end charts that Rick and his producers have come up with, though of course I use the word "accuracy" loosely. It does a good job representing both formats, and other than the omissions I listed above, this chart does a great job of representing a balance of songs throughout the calendar year. It's most likely not based on any actual airplay data, but the chart is still entertaining to look at and debate about. Therefore, let the debate begin again!

1 Robin Thicke f/Pharrell Williams and T.I.: Blurred Lines
2 Pink f/Nate Ruess: Just Give Me A Reason
3 Katy Perry: Roar
4 Bruno Mars: Locked Out Of Heaven
5 Maroon5: Daylight
6 The Lumineers: Ho Hey
7 Lorde: Royals
8 Justin Timberlake: Mirrors
9 Fun.: Some Nights
10 Bruno Mars: When I Was Your Man
11 Alex Clare: Too Close
12 Maroon5: One More Night
13 Mumford & Sons: I Will Wait
14 Pink: Try
15 Phillip Phillips: Home
16 Taylor Swift: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
17 Swedish House Mafia f/John Martin: Don't You Worry Child
18 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/Ray Dalton: Can't Hold Us
19 Selena Gomez: Come & Get It
20 Imagine Dragons: Radioactive
21 Daft Punk f/Pharrell Williams: Get Lucky
22 Avicii f/Aloe Blacc: Wake Me Up
23 Phillip Phillips: Gone, Gone, Gone
24 Florida Georgia Line f/Nelly: Cruise
25 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/Wanz: Thrift Shop
26 Anna Kendrick: Cups (When I'm Gone)
27 Zedd f/Foxes: Clarity
28 Bruno Mars: Treasure
29 Maroon5: Love Somebody
30 Capital Cities: Safe And Sound
31 Icona Pop f/Charli XCX: I Love It
32 Justin Timberlake f/Jay Z: Suit & Tie
33 Kelly Clarkson: Catch My Breath
34 Calvin Harris f/Ellie Goulding: I Need Your Love
35 Rihanna: Diamonds
36 Imagine Dragons: It's Time
37 Lana Del Rey: Summertime Sadness
38 Fall Out Boy: My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark
39 Lady Gaga: Applause
40 Miley Cyrus: Wrecking Ball

Bonus Tracks:
Will.I.Am f/Britney Spears: Scream And Shout (between #36 & #35)
Taylor Swift: I Knew You Were Trouble (between #27 & #26)
Jason Derulo: The Other Side (between #25 & #24)
Of Monsters And Men: Little Talks (between #23 & #22)
Pitbull f/Christina Aguilera: Feel This Moment (between #17 & #16)
Demi Lavato: Heart Attack (between #13 & #12)
Emeli Sande': Next To Me (between #7 & #6)
Calvin Harris f/Florence Welch: Sweet Nothing (between #4 & #3)

No Bonus Track played between #2 & #1.