Twenty Years of Adult Pop Songs

[when the pawn...]

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7262646adult-pop-songs-chart-greatest-of-all-time-smooth-rob-thomas-santana-drops-of-jupiter-train-more

Billboard ran a piece celebrating 20 years of the Adult Pop Songs chart (Adult Top 40, Hot AC, etc.). They have lists of the top 50 songs and artists. Spoilers of the top 25 for both charts are below.

SPOILER: Click to show

{TOP SONGS}25 "Photograph" by Nickelback
24 "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon
23 "Here Without You" by 3 Doors Down
22 "Everything You Want" by Vertical Horizon
21 "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles
20 "Why Don't You and I?" by Santana & Chad Kroeger
19 "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls
18 "Best Day of my Life" by American Authors
17 "Slide" by Goo Goo Dolls
16 "You Found Me" by The Fray
15 "Ho Hey" by The Lumineers
14 "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol
13 "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train
12 "Bubbly" by Colbie Callait
11 "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon
10 "Hanging By A Moment" by Lifehouse
09 "All For You" by Sister Hazel
08 "You and Me" by Lifehouse
07 "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz
06 "Unwell" by Matchbox 20
05 "Counting Stars" by OneRepublic
04 "How to Save A Life" by The Fray
03 "Wherever You Will Go" by The Calling
02 "Drops of Jupiter" by Train
01 "Smooth" by Santana & Rob Thomas

SPOILER: Click to show

{TOP ARTISTS}25 Alanis Morissette
24 Ed Sheeran
23 Jewel
22 Avril Lavigne
21 Coldplay
20 Adele
19 Sheryl Crow
18 Colbie Callait
17 Bruno Mars
16 3 Doors Down
15 The Fray
14 OneRepublic
13 Rob Thomas
12 John Mayer
11 Lifehouse
10 Taylor Swift
09 Daughtry
08 Goo Goo Dolls
07 Katy Perry
06 Kelly Clarkson
05 Pink
04 Nickelback
03 Train
02 Matchbox 20
01 Maroon 5

[Future Captain]

That top 25 song list is so late 90s and early 00s, and I think I love it

[Mr. Thonk Eyes]

"Counting Stars" in the top 5.

[Hot AC Archiver]

If you want to see my calculation of the top HAC songs of all time, based on R&R/Mediabase charts, please visit Top 100 HAC All Time. It's not weighted by era like Billboard's is, but I did try to account for changes in the recurrent rules through time. Also, R&R began it's HAC chart in 1994.

[Glove Slap]

I'm impressed (and very surprised) that Ed Sheeran's already had enough success on this chart to make the top 25.

[jebsib]

When did the Adult Top 40 / Hot AC format start? I know it was in full swing by the time the Trades broke up the AC chart (into two).

[Hot AC Archiver]

The BB article mentions a station from 1990. That sounds about right, as I remember hearing stations start to promote favorite hits without the hard rock and rap by then.