Billboard Hot 100: 4/28/2018

[Ｓｏｕｎｄｃｌ🕤ｃｋ]

Apr 21, 2018 22:19:43 GMT -5 Au$tin said:

There's really nothing that can be done and quite frankly nothing should be done. The Hot 100 is supposed to be as inclusive and accurate as possible. It loses both of those components when we put limits on album bombs. We can't just ignore popular album tracks and pretend their popularity isn't as important or real as singles.

But why's there a rule for 52+ week songs? Shape Of You was still more popular than 75 songs on the chart.

[ahmiizafii]

4/20 US Youtube

1 Avicii - Wake Me Up 3,211,469

2 Ariana Grande - No Tears Left to Cry 2,583,795

3 Drake - God's Plan 2,522,151

5 Drake - Nice for What 1,917,980

13 Avicii - Levels 1,089,845

[Gary]

Apr 22, 2018 6:17:31 GMT -5 Ｓｏｕｎｄｃｌ🕤ｃｋ said:

Apr 21, 2018 22:19:43 GMT -5 Au$tin said:

There's really nothing that can be done and quite frankly nothing should be done. The Hot 100 is supposed to be as inclusive and accurate as possible. It loses both of those components when we put limits on album bombs. We can't just ignore popular album tracks and pretend their popularity isn't as important or real as singles.

But why's there a rule for 52+ week songs? Shape Of You was still more popular than 75 songs on the chart.

More fluidity below #25, more room for newer songs - the industry probably requested it

[Sherane Lamar]

Apr 22, 2018 6:17:31 GMT -5 Ｓｏｕｎｄｃｌ🕤ｃｋ said:

Apr 21, 2018 22:19:43 GMT -5 Au$tin said:

There's really nothing that can be done and quite frankly nothing should be done. The Hot 100 is supposed to be as inclusive and accurate as possible. It loses both of those components when we put limits on album bombs. We can't just ignore popular album tracks and pretend their popularity isn't as important or real as singles.

But why's there a rule for 52+ week songs? Shape Of You was still more popular than 75 songs on the chart.

Good question. The answer to me is that they seem a bit uncomfortable with longevity records being broken so quickly. The same reason they put the 20 week limit outside of the Top 50 as soon as the Soundscan era began. 

Apologists will claim that Ed Sheeran's song isn't "hot" (?) because it's old despite it being more popular and more presently popular than up to 74% of the chart. 

It's funny how it seems like the same people who claim that America's single's chart needs to represent what is "hot" are the people who don't want songs to debut high and then disappear. But IDK. Maybe there isn't much of an overlap between those sentiments. 

Ultimately, I believe longevity records could still someday be broken with the current restrictions. Only 14 songs have lasted longer on the Hot 100 than "Shape Of You". But he would need about another 7 months in the Top 25 in order to outlast "Radioactive". 

If they don't take down the 25/52 rule before 2031, "All I Want For Christmas Is You" could be the song to dethrone "Radioactive". 



EDIT: Gary makes a good point too. 

There would be a ton of songs that never hit the Hot 100 if it weren't for the recurrent rules (maybe any song that didn't peak above #85 or something. 

And now, there are songs that wouldn't have hit the Top 40 if it weren't for the 25/52 rule. 

[ahmiizafii]

21/04 us spotify

1 KOD by J.cole 2,537,308
2 Nice For What by Drake 2,505,932
3 ATM by J. Cole 2,223,642
4 Motiv8 by J. Cole 2,083,997
5 Kevin’s Heart by J. Cole 1,994,055
6 Photograph by J. Cole 1,987,938
7 1985 - Intro to “The Fall Off” by J. Cole 1,889,249
8 God's Plan by Drake 1,798,838
9 The Cut Off (feat. kiLL edward) by J. Cole 1,644,775
10 BRACKETS by J. Cole 1,606,007
11 No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande 1,531,070
12 Psycho (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) by Post Malone 1,434,878
13 I Like It by Cardi B 1,406,188

[kanfad]

Talk about frontloaded 

[jenglisbe]

Apr 22, 2018 2:32:59 GMT -5 Codex said:

Au$tin

I don’t think 35 year olds have as much time to listen to music. Especially in today’s world, a lot of kids just sit in their room listening to music all day, browsing tumblr/twitter/etc. Grown ups have to make meals, go to the bank, etc, and working from 9-5 takes up more time than going to a couple classes.

A lot of adults listen to music at work, though. At my work, my mom's work, etc Pandora and the like are played a lot. I am not saying that means million of adults do the same - I have no idea - just saying that because people are at work doesn't mean they aren't listening to music.

Just look at the Ariana fans in the NTLTC thread saying that they’ve already listened to it 80 times in a day.

Yeah, that is absurd and probably not something adults do.

[Golden Bluebird]

kworb.net/airadio/

*** = Dropped or added a format

Overall AI (Top 20) - 2018/04/22
1. (=) BEBE REXHA - Meant To Be f/F.G.L. (201.121) (+1.021)
2. (=) ZEDD/MAREN MORRIS/GREY - The Middle (166.026) (+0.367)
3. (=) DRAKE - God's Plan (163.123) (+0.026)
4. (=) BRUNO MARS & CARDI B - Finesse (130.928) (-2.159)
5. (=) CAMILA CABELLO - Never Be The Same (130.836) (+1.896)
6. (=) ED SHEERAN - Perfect (125.969) (-1.554)
7. (=) THE WEEKND & KENDRICK LAMAR - Pray For Me (121.670) (-0.891)
8. (=) IMAGINE DRAGONS - Whatever It Takes (107.185) (+0.883)
9. (=) DUA LIPA - New Rules (98.124) (-0.304)
10. (=) MAX - Lights Down Low (92.608) (-1.044)
11. (+1) POST MALONE - Psycho f/Ty Dolla $ign (79.386) (+0.817)
12. (-1) CAMILA CABELLO - Havana f/Young Thug (79.239) (-1.400)
13. (=) MAROON 5 - Wait (77.126) (-0.053)
14. (=) PORTUGAL. THE MAN - Feel It Still (71.394) (-0.399)
15. (+1) JASON ALDEAN - You Make It Easy (70.805) (+0.391)
16. (-1) G-EAZY & HALSEY - Him & I (70.711) (-1.029)
17. (+1) BLOCBOY JB - Look Alive f/Drake (70.150) (+0.803)
18. (-1) KENDRICK LAMAR & SZA - All The Stars (69.179) (-1.044)
19. (+2) BRETT ELDREDGE - The Long Way (68.360) (+1.066)
20. (=) BAZZI - Mine (68.337) (+0.746)

Outside the Top 20:
28. (+2) DRAKE - Nice For What (55.107) (+2.581)
36. (=) MARSHMELLO & ANNE-MARIE - Friends (46.638) (+1.001)
70. (+4) KENNY CHESNEY - Get Along (28.022) (+1.223)

[Sherane Lamar]

Apr 22, 2018 7:55:14 GMT -5 kanfad said:

Talk about frontloaded 

Is it? 

8 songs in the Top 10 still. 

Cole's second day is bigger than Culture II's first day. 

"Intro" at #23. 

[lazer]

I just want diversity in the Streaming charts. Back in 2013-2016, there was a mixture of genres such as Pop, Rock, and EDM. Now it's just strictly Hip Hop, specifically Trap. I don't have a problem with Trap, I really liked Trap from the mid-2000s to 2015 because they had more energy, not minimalist and droning. I do get the appeal of songs such as God's Plan and Psycho(I like both of these songs), but not for songs such as Plug Walk or songs from the new wave "Lil" rappers.

[jenglisbe]

Apr 22, 2018 8:35:35 GMT -5 lazer said:

I just want diversity in the Spotify charts.

Why Spotify specifically?

[lazer]

Apr 22, 2018 8:38:02 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

Apr 22, 2018 8:35:35 GMT -5 lazer said:

I just want diversity in the Spotify charts.

Why Spotify specifically?

I meant in all streaming platforms, I corrected it.

[kanfad]

Apr 22, 2018 8:20:25 GMT -5 Sherane Lamar said:

Apr 22, 2018 7:55:14 GMT -5 kanfad said:

Talk about frontloaded 

Is it? 

8 songs in the Top 10 still. 

Cole's second day is bigger than Culture II's first day. 

"Intro" at #23. 

I guess my expectations were just unrealistic. My dumb ass was expecting another 4 mil day for KOD even though its not on most major playlists like TTH

[jenglisbe]

Apr 22, 2018 8:41:15 GMT -5 lazer said:

Apr 22, 2018 8:38:02 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

Why Spotify specifically?

I meant in all streaming platforms, I corrected it.

Oh ok, gotcha.

Well, more people need to get with streaming, and it will broaden what is popular there.

I'd like to see a breakdown of what kinds of streaming people do. In my experience adults do more passive streaming and younger people active streaming, but that could just be me.

[Choco]

I have to agree that some of these songs aren't really "popular" in a sense. People are streaming the entire album. It's why stuff like "Stargirl Interlude", which is just that, an interlude on The Weeknd's album, charted. The UK charts are a mess and I'm sure there's a better way to handle these things, but the current Billboard approach is flawed as well. It's different to, say, when Taylor Swift had like 8 songs on the chart during her album release weeks for her earlier albums, because people were actively purchasing each song instead of the whole album.

As someone else said, it will depend on how annoyed labels get when Drake, Post Malone and J Cole lock the entire top 40 for themselves, with a few Cardi B tracks in there.

[Golden Bluebird]

[Ｓｏｕｎｄｃｌ🕤ｃｋ]

Mine 

Also, first week without Cardi B in the top 10 since Bodak Yellow.

[pnobelysk]

Don’t feel like quoting two long posts but two notes for this thread about recent discussion:

1. Post Malone’s album IS above 100k. Sales. It is actually at 200k which puts him on par sales wise with Kelly, Lana, Maroon 5, Lorde, Halsey, & Demi. Not only does he get massive streaming, but his sales are absotluely respectable.

2. I work at a public middle school and the 1000+ students ARE allowed to listen to music during the duration of the school day during all school work and most quizzes. The only time they can’t is during direct instruction. I doubt we are the only school like this. That’s a lot of time and a lot of kids streaming music

[jebsib]

Before Gary Trust (i.e. when BB was more business-oriented) there were many Billboard articles about the Recurrent Rule: It was apparently a direct response to label concerns that the chart was clogged by older songs which would prevent the conspicuous showing of newer product they were pushing; Peaks would be lower, new songs wouldn't enter the chart, commercial product would lose visibility.

I don't see why - if in a year or two, the Hot 100 is covered by 50% album bomb tracks - the labels wouldn't raise the same type of concerns.

[Sherane Lamar]

Apr 22, 2018 9:41:19 GMT -5 jebsib said:

Before Gary Trust (i.e. when BB was more business-oriented) there were many Billboard articles about the Recurrent Rule: It was apparently a direct response to label concerns that the chart was clogged by older songs which would prevent the conspicuous showing of newer product they were pushing; Peaks would be lower, new songs wouldn't enter the chart, commercial product would lose visibility.

I don't see why - if in a year or two, the Hot 100 is covered by 50% album bomb tracks - the labels wouldn't raise the same type of concerns.

Peaks would be lower, new songs wouldn't enter the chart

Lol. And this happened anyway. Don't forget that back in the pre-Soundscan era we had twice as many #1s, twice as many Top 10's, and twice as many charting songs every year as we have in the soundscan era. (Roughly at least)

Album "bombs" are actually reversing that trend. All while at the same time songs like "Shape Of You" spend record amounts of weeks in the Top 25 and need an extra recurrent rule to clip their wings. 

I don't see why labels wouldn't be happy about the perpetual record-breaking that is going on now. "Cardi B has more songs on the Hot 100 than any female ever" must be kind of a good looking thing for whoever Cardi is signed to right? 

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

Apr 22, 2018 0:43:53 GMT -5 Au$tin said:

Your first paragraph is not necessarily true. Just five years ago, the young listeners were into EDM and pop as evidenced by the digital sales and streaming numbers of those days. As the years progress, so will the tastes of the new generation, and very rapidly as well.

As far as older users, their listening habits vary widely. Artists like P!nk and Meghan Trainor have audiences that skew older and would benefit greatly if their demographics started to stream more.

I also don't believe age factors in to how much music a person will listen to. Why can't a 35 year old listen to as much music as a 15 year old? Sure, things like work and responsibilities get in the way, but the same can be said for teens (school and homework). Plus, several adults work in places where they can listen to music while at work. I don't know of any school that would allow that. I really think they're equally balanced in that regard.

You do have a point that older generations tend to not play newer releases, but that wasn't really who I was talking about. I meant more fans of different genres. The urban music crowd took to streaming in droves as it appeals to them a lot more than others. Urban music also saw higher digital sales at first when that started taking off and iirc, was the genre with the highest amount of piracy back in the day. The pop, rock, and country listeners have yet to make the switch to streaming in droves. This is evidenced by iTunes. Take a look at how well pop and country are selling compared to their urban counterparts. Now compare their streaming numbers. Eventually, those that download will make the switch to streaming, and that's going to level the genre playing field.

I'd say age definitely factors into how much music one listens to. When you're in your teens, many consider music to be their "life" but as you get older, you just don't have time or you have other priorities and such. Of course there's always exceptions but even using myself as an example, I still love music and spend too much on it but the amount of time I can put into listening to it is definitely less than it was. Plus, I find I have fewer opportunities to talk about music now with people (other than here) than I did when I was a teen and in my 20s. People just don't care as much when they get older.

I agree with you about hip-hop eventually moving to the back burner again. Trends change and with younger people essentially 'in control' of the chart, they'll want their own identity by latching on to a new trend that differs from what's in now.

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

Apr 22, 2018 7:03:34 GMT -5 Sherane Lamar said:

It's funny how it seems like the same people who claim that America's single's chart needs to represent what is "hot" are the people who don't want songs to debut high and then disappear. But IDK. Maybe there isn't much of an overlap between those sentiments. ;

People want structured, traditional chart runs. That's all it comes down to.

What's funny is that if Billboard had been able to track the way people listen to music since the start of the Hot 100 the way they can (mostly) now, the result would look so much different. The Beatles would have had more Top 10 hits for sure, N Sync probably would have occupied the entire Top 10 after the release of No Strings Attached, Adele would have owned a majority of the Top 10 for months. etc.

Apr 22, 2018 8:51:48 GMT -5 Choco said:

I have to agree that some of these songs aren't really "popular" in a sense.

But then you need to define what is "popularity"? Is it having a label dictation that a song is a "single" that makes it popular? If a song is actively listened to by 10 million people, why is that not popular for that week just because it's heard alongside the rest of said song's album?

[Sherane Lamar]

Apr 22, 2018 10:13:05 GMT -5 Rose "Payola" Nylund said:

Apr 22, 2018 7:03:34 GMT -5 Sherane Lamar said:

It's funny how it seems like the same people who claim that America's single's chart needs to represent what is "hot" are the people who don't want songs to debut high and then disappear. But IDK. Maybe there isn't much of an overlap between those sentiments. ;

People want structured, traditional chart runs. That's all it comes down to.

What's funny is that if Billboard had been able to track the way people listen to music since the start of the Hot 100 the way they can (mostly) now, the result would look so much different. The Beatles would have had more Top 10 hits for sure, N Sync probably would have occupied the entire Top 10 after the release of No Strings Attached, Adele would have owned a majority of the Top 10 for months. etc.

Apr 22, 2018 8:51:48 GMT -5 Choco said:

I have to agree that some of these songs aren't really "popular" in a sense.

But then you need to define what is "popularity"? Is it having a label dictation that a song is a "single" that makes it popular? If a song is actively listened to by 10 million people, why is that not popular for that week just because it's heard alongside the rest of said song's album?

And what even defines a "single" in the streaming era?

What stops artists and labels from just saying "Oh, only singles are allowed to chart? Ok, all the songs on my album are singles."

I know back in the 1990s, songs got excluded because they weren't available to purchase individually. Am I missing some sort of stricter modern definition of what makes a song a single?

[renaboss]

I would argue that individual promotional release should be what diferentiates singles from album tracks.

Is there any chance the next big new trend is this rising wave of latin music? Cos at least that's fun.

[Soulsista]

Billboard Top 10 from 55, 50, 45, and 40 years ago:

April 27, 1963

01 03 I Will Follow Him - Little Peggy March (1st of 3 weeks at #1)
02 02 Can't Get Used To Losing You - Andy Williams
03 01 He's So Fine - The Chiffons
04 04 Puff The Magic Dragon - Peter, Paul & Mary
05 05 Baby Workout - Jackie Wilson
06 09 Pipeline - The Chantays
07 08 Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby) - The Cookies
08 06 Young Lovers - Paul & Paula
09 12 On Broadway - The Drifters
10 14 Watermelon Man - Mongo Santamaria


April 27, 1968

01 01 Honey - Bobby Goldsboro (3rd of 5 weeks at #1)
02 03 Cry Like a Baby - The Box Tops
03 02 Young Girl - The Union Gap feat. Gary Puckett
04 04 Lady Madonna - The Beatles
05 05 (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone - Aretha Franklin
06 09 I Got The Feelin' - James Brown & The Famous Flames
07 06 (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding
08 08 Dance To The Music - Sly & The Family Stone
09 25 Tighten Up - Archie Bell & The Drells
10 07 The Ballad Of Bonnie And Clyde - Georgie Fame


April 28, 1973

01 01 Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree - Dawn feat. Tony Orlando (2nd of 4 weeks at #1)
02 04 The Cisco Kid - War
03 03 Sing - The Carpenters
04 02 The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia - Vicki Lawrence
05 07 Little Willy - The Sweet
06 11 You Are The Sunshine Of My Life - Stevie Wonder
07 08 Masterpiece - The Temptations
08 10 The Twelfth Of Never - Donny Osmond
09 13 Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealers Wheel
10 05 Ain't No Woman (Like The One I Got) - The Four Tops


April 29, 1978

01 01 Night Fever - The Bee Gees (7th of 8 weeks at #1)
02 02 If I Can't Have You - Yvonne Elliman
03 03 Can't Smile Without You - Barry Manilow
04 05 The Closer I Get To You - Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
05 07 With a Little Luck - Wings
06 04 Lay Down Sally - Eric Clapton
07 06 Dust In The Wind - Kansas
08 08 Jack And Jill - Raydio
09 11 You're The One That I Want - John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John
10 20 Too Much, Too Little, Too Late - Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams

[Gary]

Ask Billboard: Ariana Grande's Career Album & Song Sales

4/22/2018 by Gary Trust



Plus, "Meant to Be" is a rare pop-to-country crossover hit.

Submit questions about Billboard charts, as well as general music musings, to [e-mail]. Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the U.S. Or, tweet @gthot20

ARIANA GRANDE'S CAREER ALBUM & SONG SALES

Hey @gthot20! Can we have an update on @arianagrande's US sales? #AskBillboard pic.twitter.com/Aew18LIZ4A
— Ariana Grande Charts (@arianaonchart) April 21, 2018

In honor of Ariana Grande's return with new single "No Tears Left to Cry," let's recap her album and song sales in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music.

Album Sales
735,000, My Everything; 596,000, Yours Truly; 396,000, Dangerous Woman; 44,000, Christmas & Chill (EP)

Top-Selling Digital Songs
3.7 million, "Problem" (feat. Iggy Azalea); 3.4 million, "Bang Bang" (Jessie J, Grande & Nicki Minaj); 2.4 million, "The Way" (feat. Mac Miller); 1.3 million, "Love Me Harder" (with The Weeknd); 1.9 million, "Break Free" (feat. Zedd)

1.11 million, "Side to Side" (feat. Nicki Minaj); 1.09 million, "Dangerous Woman"; 881,000, "One Last Time"; 744,000, "Into You"; 490,000, "Focus"

Released April 20, in time for a full week of streaming and sales tracking (ending April 26), "No Tears Left to Cry" is in line to make a splashy debut on the Billboard Hot 100 dated May 5 (highlights of which are scheduled to be revealed Monday, April 30).

Ariana Grande attends March For Our Lives on March 24, 2018 in Washington, DC.
Read More
'No Tears Left to Cry': This Is the Part When Ariana Grande Is Broken, But Free

Meanwhile, the song should debut in the top 30 of the Pop Songs airplay chart to be compiled tomorrow (April 23), and posted on Billboard.com Tuesday (April 24), from its first three days of airplay (as that chart's tracking week, unlike for streaming and sales, runs Monday through Sunday).

'MEANT TO BE' A HISTORIC HIT

One quick question from me. Before "Meant to Be", is there any other songs that reached top 10 of Country Airplay AFTER reaching top 10 of Pop Songs? I believe this is a rare feat.
— Firdaus Zainalabidin (dexterfirdaus) March 14, 2018

Insightful angle, as country hits generally start at country and cross to pop radio.

Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line's "Meant to Be" is the 13th song that has hit the top 10 on both the Country Airplay and Pop Songs airplay charts, dating to the latter's Oct. 3, 1992, inception (after Country Airplay originated on Jan. 20, 1990).

It's just the second song of those, however, to hit both the top 40 and top 10 of Pop Songs before reaching those benchmarks on Country Airplay:

"Meant to Be," Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line
Hit Pop Songs top 40: Nov. 25, 2017
Hit Country Airplay top 40: Dec. 30, 2017

Hit Pop Songs top 10: March 10, 2018
Hit Country Airplay top 10: March 17, 2018

It joins …

"All Summer Long," Kid Rock
Hit Pop Songs top 40: June 7, 2008
Hit Country Airplay top 40: July 26, 2008

Hit Pop Songs top 10: Aug. 9, 2008
Hit Country Airplay top 10: Sept. 6, 2008

The other top 10s on both charts, all of which made their marks at country first before crossing to pop: FGL's "Cruise"; Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now"; Taylor Swift's "Fifteen," "You Belong With Me" and "Love Story"; Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats"; Faith Hill's "Breathe"; Lonestar's "Amazed"; Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress Me Much" and "You're Still the One"; and Restless Heart's "When She Cries."

Looking at that list, it's not surprising that "Meant to Be" and "All Summer Long" are the outliers, as Rexha and Kid Rock are not core country acts, like Lady A, Underwood, Twain and others.

"Meant to Be" has so far risen to No. 2 on both Pop Songs (April 14) and Country Airplay (dated April 21). Only one song has topped both tallies: Swift's "Love Story," which hit No. 1 on the country chart dated Nov. 22, 2008, and the pop survey three months later, on Feb. 28, 2009.

Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line perform onstage during the 2017 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Nov. 16, 2017 in Los Angeles.
Read More
Florida Georgia Line Is First Country Act to Top Radio Songs Chart Since Lady Antebellum in 2010

"Meant to Be" has crowned the airplay-, streaming- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart for 20 weeks and counting, the third-longest reign in the ranking's 59-year history. It's led Country Digital Song Sales for 18 frames and Country Streaming Songs for 16.

"I told our staff from day one, if there is a [country] station that doesn't want to play it, don't get into a debate," Big Machine Label Group executive vp and BMLG Records president Jimmy Harnen recently told Billboard of "Meant to Be." (BMLG, FGL's label, is co-promoting the song with Warner Bros., Rexha's label; and that is the same Harnen who hit No. 10 on the Hot 100 in 1989 with lost-love song "Where Are You Now.")

"Just show them the sales, streams and [radio] audience impressions. Sometimes you have to listen with your eyes."

'MIDDLE' MEN (AND ONE WOMAN)

Hi Gary,

It's somewhat appropriate that Grey's first trip to the Hot 100's top 10 is titled "The Middle" … given that gray (or grey) is that type of color, between black and white …

deleted Nelson
Oakland, California

Hi deleted,

Plus, the song, by Zedd, Maren Morris (the middle-billed artist) and Grey, has essentially hit the middle of the Hot 100's top 10, reaching No. 6 so far (as there's no way to be a No. 5.5 hit).

If the collab can climb one more spot to the upper side of the middle of the top 10, it'll tie for the highest-peaking hit by that title: Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" reached No. 5 in 2002.

P.S.: Congrats – from a Boston sports fan here – on the A's' no-hitter, by Sean Manaea, last night over the Red Sox (who were wearing their road ... grays). Sports, like charts, can be unpredictable, as the Red Sox were an MLB-best 17-2 going into the game. Of course, unlike for an artist on the charts, no hits for a pitcher is a good thing.

[Soulsista]

Billboard Top 10 from 35, 30, 25, and 20 years ago:

April 30, 1983

01 02 Beat It - Michael Jackson (1st of 3 weeks at #1)
02 01 Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners
03 04 Jeopardy - The Greg Kihn Band
04 03 Mr. Roboto - Styx
05 06 Der Kommissar - After The Fire
06 09 Let's Dance - David Bowie
07 05 Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
08 10 She Blinded Me With Science - Thomas Dolby
09 15 Overkill - Men At Work
10 12 Little Red Corvette - Prince


April 30, 1988

01 01 Where Do Broken Hearts Go - Whitney Houston (2nd and final week at #1)
02 04 Wishing Well - Terence Trent D'Arby
03 06 Angel - Aerosmith
04 02 Devil Inside - INXS
05 08 Anything For You - Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine
06 03 Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car - Billy Ocean
07 09 Pink Cadillac - Natalie Cole
08 10 Prove Your Love - Taylor Dayne
09 07 I Saw Him Standing There - Tiffany
10 05 Girlfriend - Pebbles


May 1, 1993

01 02 Freak Me - Silk (1st of 2 weeks at #1)
02 01 Informer - Snow
03 03 Nuthin' But a "G" Thang - Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Doggy Dogg
04 04 I Have Nothing - Whitney Houston
05 06 Love Is - Vanessa Williams & Brian McKnight
06 05 Don't Walk Away - Jade
07 07 I'm So Into You - SWV
08 08 Two Princes - The Spin Doctors
09 11 Looking Through Patient Eyes - P.M. Dawn
10 10 Ditty - Paperboy

14 NE That's The Way Love Goes - Janet Jackson


April 25, 1998

01 03 Too Close - Next (1st of 5 weeks at #1)
02 01 All My Life - K-Ci & JoJo
03 02 Let's Ride - Montell Jordan feat. Master P & Silkk The Shocker
04 04 Frozen - Madonna
05 14 You're Still The One - Shania Twain
06 06 Romeo And Juliet - Sylk-E Fyne feat. Chill
07 11 Body Bumpin' Yippie-Yi-Yo - Public Announcement
08 05 Truly Madly Deeply - Savage Garden
09 07 Nice & Slow - Usher
10 08 Sex And Candy - Marcy Playground

[Soulsista]

Billboard Top 10 Flashback:

April 26, 2003

01 01 In Da Club - 50 Cent (8th of 9 weeks at #1)
02 02 Ignition (Remix) - R. Kelly
03 03 Get Busy - Sean Paul
04 05 When I'm Gone - 3 Doors Down
05 10 21 Questions - 50 Cent feat. Nate Dogg
06 07 Beautiful - Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell & Charlie Wilson
07 04 Picture - Kid Rock feat. Sheryl Crown or Allison Moorer
08 11 I Know What You Want - Busta Rhymes & Mariah Carey feat. The Flipmode Squad
09 06 Miss You - Aaliyah
10 15 Can't Let You Go - Fabolous feat. Mike Shorey & Lil Mo


April 26, 2008

01 02 Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis (2nd of 4 weeks at #1)
02 04 Lollipop - Lil Wayne feat. Static Major
03 07 No Air - Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown
04 05 Love In This Club - Usher feat. Young Jeezy
05 01 Touch My Body - Mariah Carey
06 06 Sexy Can I - Ray J & Yung Berg
07 03 4 Minutes - Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake
08 08 With You - Chris Brown
09 09 Love Song - Sara Bareilles
10 10 Low - Flo Rida feat. T-Pain

18 NE What About Now - Daughtry


April 27, 2013

01 03 Just Give Me a Reason - P!nk feat. Nate Ruess (1st of 3 weeks at #1)
02 02 Thrift Shop - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz
03 01 When I Was Your Man - Bruno Mars
04 04 Stay - Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko
05 07 Can't Hold Us - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton
06 05 Suit & Tie - Justin Timberlake feat. Jay-Z
07 12 Mirrors - Justin Timberlake
08 10 Feel This Moment - Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera
09 09 Started From The Bottom - Drake
10 15 Heart Attack - Demi Lovato

12 NE Gentleman - PSY
18 NE Crash My Party - Luke Bryan


April 29, 2017

01 01 Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran (12th and final week at #1)
02 03 That's What I Like - Bruno Mars
03 02 HUMBLE. - Kendrick Lamar
04 NE Sign Of The Times - Harry Styles
05 05 Something Just Like This - The Chainsmokers & Coldplay
06 04 iSpy - Kyle feat. Lil Yachty
07 11 Mask Off - Future
08 16 XO Tour Llif3 - Lil Uzi Vert
09 06 Body Like a Back Road - Sam Hunt
10 09 Paris - The Chainsmokers

[Choco]

I like all the songs from that 2013 top 10.

[jebsib]

"Singles" as opposed to "songs that are heavily streamed and garner Hot 100 points because the artist is hot" are songs that the label puts money behind.
Music videos are made; millions are spent on radio promotion; the songs garner a critical mass of uniform recognizability via televised concerts / award performances and / or licensed for TV commercials.

That's generally what a "Single" is in the streaming era.