Honorary #1’s

[phieaglesfan712]

This thread is dedicated to songs that should have been #1 on the Hot 100, but we’re never officially due to circumstances. I’ll start with the obvious three:

Baker Street - This should have been #1 on the 7/15/1978 chart, but was denied due to corruption by RSO.

Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here - This was a victim of a rule change. The rule allowing airplay-only songs to chart being enacted on the week it was supposed to go to #1 prevented it from officially being #1, and it had to settle for being a multi-week #2.

Gangnam Style - This was a victim of poor timing. Basically, the opposite of the NSTBH scenario, in that had YouTube streaming been counted 4 months earlier, Gangnam Style would have multi-week #1, instead of a multi-week #2.

[iHype.]

Nobody’s Supposed wasn’t blocked due a rule change. It would’ve been #2 regardless as the #1 song wasn’t airplay-only.

[Ryan]

[WolfSpear]

No doubt, “Gangnam Style”.

They brought up the streaming numbers back in the day, and it clearly would have dominated. I still enjoy watching the video and even nowadays… much better than the Maroon 5 song.

[phieaglesfan712]

Apr 26, 2022 11:18:25 GMT -5 WolfSpear said:

No doubt, “Gangnam Style”.

They brought up the streaming numbers back in the day, and it clearly would have dominated. I still enjoy watching the video and even nowadays… much better than the Maroon 5 song.

lol, Maroon 5 had probably the two worst #1’s in the last 10 years (in One More Night and Girls Like You). Oh what I’d give to have Gangnam Style and Lucid Dreams be #1’s instead.

[Gary]

Of all threads --- This topic isn't really "Chart Discussion" and maybe belongs in the opinion forum?

Honorary #1's or Legitimate #1's or whatever is just someone's opinion and the first post isn't entirely factual anyway

[gikem]

Me! would have gone to #1 over Old Town Road in May 2019 if the UGC rules that existed until early 2020 were not in place.

Levitating would have gone to #1 in May/June 2021 if not for Olivia Rodrigo, J. Cole, and BTS all releasing highly-anticipated singles and/or projects at the same time.

[85la]

Apr 26, 2022 11:10:14 GMT -5 iHype. said:

Nobody’s Supposed wasn’t blocked due a rule change. It would’ve been #2 regardless as the #1 song wasn’t airplay-only.

In fact, the rule change only helped it more, as it also added all airplay formats, including R&B, where NSTBH was dominating (it was #1 for 10 weeks there). Before the rule change, in which only its top 40 and rhythmic play would have counted, it wasn't even charting on those formats yet, and would only go on to peak at #32 and #12, respectively, and not until a couple months later, so it would have approached nowhere near it actual #6 radio peak with R&B included.

phieaglesfan712, we have consistently refuted your claim, both here and in another thread, that NSTBH would have gone to #1, it simply was not mathematically possible given the formula before or after Dec 1998, so what twisted line of reasoning are you using to justify your claim?

[rimetm]

I made a thread on this topic last year, and while ME! and Gangnam Style have already been mentioned, those other two are worth notice.

[Gary]

Generally speaking

In most cases, in a given week, the entire industry knows what the rules are. If a generic 'after the fact' rule change happens and 'this song or that song should have been #1 and was robbed', etc.

In most cases, we don't really know that.

So for the statement. Song <x> would have been #1 had the new rules been in place...blah blah blah, this assumes all other songs would have reacted exactly the same way, with or without the rule change. You can't really say that with certainty.

What you can say is songs are ranked for that given week based on widely known rules of the time. If you assume one song would have fared differently under new rules, you have to assume the others around it would too.

(disclaimer - there are one or two exceptions to this such as - if true, the under-the-table circumvent the existing rules 'Baker street' story)

[renfield75]

"Baker Street" wasn't the only likely casualty in 1978. The week Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway's "The Closer I Get To You" peaked at number two Billboard initially announced it as being number one. A quick "data correction" later it was number two behind Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You"...another RSO single from the 'Saturday Night Fever' soundtrack. This one didn't get as far as being recorded by Casey Kasem on American Top 40 (as happened with "Baker Street"), and may have been a legit error, but still pretty suspect in light of what we know was going on in that era.

[85la]

WHat does "RSO" stand for?

[Gary]

Apr 26, 2022 17:47:20 GMT -5 85la said:

WHat does "RSO" stand for?

Robert Stigwood Organization

One of the biggest labels of the day - Home of the Bee Gess for a while

[renfield75]

Apr 26, 2022 18:07:55 GMT -5 Gary said:

Apr 26, 2022 17:47:20 GMT -5 85la said:

WHat does "RSO" stand for?

Robert Stigwood Organization

One of the biggest labels of the day - Home of the Bee Gess for a while

I think RSO might still hold the record for most consecutive number one singles. From December 1977 to May 1978 they had an uninterrupted run of 6 number one hits (three by The Bee Gees and one each by Andy Gibb, Player, and Yvonne Elliman). I can't remember another label having 6 straight number one hits. That's like a Black Eyed Peas level of monopoly on the top spot ha ha

[leoapp]

Mariah Carey - Loverboy...

The week it was released physically with discounted CD singles for sale, her ex-husband also intentionally released and discounted Bootylicious CD singles for sale.
Loverboy jumped to no.1 sales but stalled at no. 2 Hot 100. Bootylicious jumped to no. 2 sales, but topped Hot 100 due to better airplay.
If her ex-husbang waited for 1 week, it would be a win-win solution. With Loverboy and Bootylicioud would've been back to back at Hot 100.no.1.

[Private Dancer]

Real Love -#1 in sales, over 90M impressions from pop alone, over 100 when you add in R&B/rhythmic.

Neither One Of Us, Until You Come Back To Me- R&R charts were ducked up in the 70s, with sales & airplay from all formats being calculated they would've been #1.

Looking For A New Love- if counted impressions from pop + R&B, and add sales, it wouldve at least notched a 1-2 week at #1

[Au$tin]

Rebecca Black - Friday
Justin Bieber - Baby

For the same reason as Gangnam Style.

[jenglisbe]

Apr 26, 2022 21:21:30 GMT -5 Private Dancer said:

Real Love -#1 in sales, over 90M impressions from pop alone, over 100 when you add in R&B/rhythmic.

Which song is this about? There are a lot of songs named "Real Love."

Neither One Of Us, Until You Come Back To Me- R&R charts were ducked up in the 70s, with sales & airplay from all formats being calculated they would've been #1.

This is a discussion point beyond even the specificity of this thread; how different would the Hot 100 be historically if all formats counted toward airplay the entire time? There would have been a lot of differences, including some different #1s I am sure (and/or songs having longer runs at #1).

Mariah's "Can't Let Go" was #2 behind "All 4 Love," some have said because Tommy limited the "CLG" single. I don't know if that's true, but I do know "CLG" was #5 in R&B Airplay and #1 on AC that week while "A4L" wasn't on either chart, so counting R&B airplay would have likely meant "CLG" was #1.

[Au$tin]

Beyoncé - Formation
Limited radio campaign, privated music video, could only stream on Tidal, not available for digital download. Despite all those things, upon the Superbowl performance it became one of the most talked about things in pop culture that year. When it finally became widely available and the video was public, it debuted at #10, eons after the track was first released.

I have no doubt it my mind it would have been #1 had it not been essentially sabotaged from the get go.

[phieaglesfan712]

The only one brocka really has an argument for is Neither One of Us. It got blocked by The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia and later overshadowed by Tie a Yellow Ribbon.

[dodgerslakers94]

Bad Romance, Payphone, Get Lucky, We Can’t Stop, Problem, Anaconda, Wild Thoughts

[badrobot]

Probably any years the hot 100 “froze” for a week at Xmas time could’ve potentially had other #1s those weeks.

[renfield75]

Apr 27, 2022 14:54:20 GMT -5 badrobot said:

Probably any years the hot 100 “froze” for a week at Xmas time could’ve potentially had other #1s those weeks.

Remarkably, I don't think any song actually missed out on going to number one because of the freeze. Every song that was number one at the end of the year between 1976 and 1992 was still number one after the freeze (or went back to the top in the cases of Chic's "Le Freak" and Rupert Holmes' "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)"). The only likely change would have been Madonna getting three weeks on top instead of two with "Justify My Love", as I don't think Stevie B's "Because I Love You" was strong enough to hold her off that week. George Michael's "Faith" might have lost a week to Whitney's "So Emotional" but "Faith" seems like a pretty dominant chart-topper.

Had the freeze been implemented a year earlier the Bay City Rollers would have missed getting to number one with "Saturday Night" but, fortunately for them, the freeze started the following year during Rod Stewart's massive run with "Tonight's The Night".

[WolfSpear]

Apr 27, 2022 8:59:25 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

Apr 26, 2022 21:21:30 GMT -5 Private Dancer said:

Real Love -#1 in sales, over 90M impressions from pop alone, over 100 when you add in R&B/rhythmic.

Which song is this about? There are a lot of songs named "Real Love”.

Most likely it’s Jody Watley’s “Real Love”.

[atg]

What would these songs be called like the ones that got blocked by OTR (ME!, If I Can’t Have You, YNTCD, I Don’t Care, etc), and also Best I Ever Had getting blocked by I Gotta Feeling?

[jenglisbe]

Apr 28, 2022 16:28:30 GMT -5 atg said:

What would these songs be called like the ones that got blocked by OTR (ME!, If I Can’t Have You, YNTCD, I Don’t Care, etc), and also Best I Ever Had getting blocked by I Gotta Feeling?

#2s

[Gary]

All songs on ANY chart from #2 to #100 can be called "honorary #1's" just for charting.


If not for the bad timing of being placed below all the songs above it that song would have been #1.

[rihannabiggestfan]

My girl Rebecca Black's Friday is an excellent answer indeed. Check out her new excellent songs if you haven't!

Christina Perri's A Thousand Years is also bigger than most #1s at this point. It only peaked low cuz of pop radio.

[atg]

Apr 28, 2022 18:16:41 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

Apr 28, 2022 16:28:30 GMT -5 atg said:

What would these songs be called like the ones that got blocked by OTR (ME!, If I Can’t Have You, YNTCD, I Don’t Care, etc), and also Best I Ever Had getting blocked by I Gotta Feeling?

#2s

I meant if they got blocked because of a certain mega smash all time hit at #1. I guess it would just be poor timing but i don’t see them being Honorary #1s so maybe its just the “songs that got blocked from a mega #1” category.

[lugus15]

A handful of the airplay only hits of the 1995-1998 period if they had been given a limited physical release.