20141125 BH Report: US Top Singles

1. BH Report: US Top Singles
2014/11/25

2. Context
Maybe it's just me, but I feel like I have been hearing people comment how the quality of pop songs have come down "lately" – similar to many things people say, I have my doubt that people are not remembering the past correctly...
I like listening to music, but I don't really have sophisticated taste – I just turn on the radio whenever I get into a car, and listen to whatever is on the radio at the time. I notice some songs/artists when they play for more than couple of months, but beyond that, it is really difficult to keep up with the constant flow of popularity
•For example, I feel like I have been hearing the name of Taylor Swift for a while and she is more popular than ever, but I can't tell if this is the one-time thing or if she is here to stay like Madonna
In this report, I analyzed Billboard #1 single from 1940 to 2014 to address below questions
•How many artists have achieved #1 single status? How many of them were "one-hit wonders"?
•Who were the all-time "most successful" artist?
•Who were the artists defining the decades?
•How has the trend of #1 single changed over time?

3. 3 out of 4 top single artists are "one-hit wonder"
75%
12%
6%
40
20
0
60
80
100
1
781
%
2
5+
4
3
3%
4%
Large number of artists... ... 75% only released one "#1 single"
In ~75 year period (Jul 1940 – Nov
2014)...
• 1,249 songs have achieved "#1 single"
status...
• ... each on average lasting staying at
the top for ~3.1 weeks
• ... played by 781 artists1
1. "Artists" defined as the unit of artists involved in creating the song (e.g., "The Beatles" counted as 1, "Rihanna featuring Britney Spears" counted separately from "Rihanna", etc.)
Source: Billboard
(% of artists by #1 singles)

4. The list of all-time artists who rank high is consistent whether you look at the # songs or # of weeks at the top
By # of top singles
By # of weeks occupied
#
Artist(s)
# top singles
1
The Beatles
19
2
Elvis Presley
17
3
Mariah Carey
15
4
Madonna
12
5
Whitney Houston
11
6
Michael Jackson
11
7
Janet Jackson
10
8
The Supremes
10
9
Perry Como
9
10
Jimmy Dorsey
9
11
Glenn Miller
9
12
Bee Gees
9
13
Harry James
8
14
Sammy Kaye
8
15
The Rolling Stones
8
16
Bing Crosby
7
17
Stevie Wonder
7
18
Elton John
6
19
Katy Perry
6
20
Rihanna
6
#
Artist(s)
# weeks at the top
1
Elvis Presley
79
2
Mariah Carey
60
3
The Beatles
54
4
Bing Crosby
45
5
Perry Como
41
6
Boyz II Men
34
7
Janet Jackson
33
8
Madonna
32
9
Jimmy Dorsey
32
10
Whitney Houston
31
11
Glenn Miller
31
12
Michael Jackson
30
13
The Black Eyed Peas
28
14
Bee Gees
27
15
Harry James
26
16
Vaughn Monroe
26
17
Elton John
25
18
Usher
22
19
Patti Page
22
20
Sammy Kaye
21
Source: Billboard

5. Top artists defining the decade constantly change...
# 1
40's
50's
60's
70's
80's
90's
2000's
2010-2014
1
Bing Crosby
Elvis Presley
The Beatles
Bee Gees
Michael Jackson
Mariah Carey
The Black Eyed Peas
Bruno Mars
2
Jimmy Dorsey
Patti Page
Elvis Presley
Rod Stewart
Madonna
Boyz II Men
Usher
Adele
3
Glenn Miller
Perry Como
The Supremes
Andy Gibb
Olivia Newton- John
Whitney Houston
Mariah Carey
Robin Thicke featuring T. I. andPharrell
4
Harry James
Tony Bennett
The Four Seasons
Roberta Flack
Phil Collins
TLC
Destiny's Child
Katy Perry
5
Vaughn Monroe
Rosemary Clooney
The Rolling Stones
Elton John
Whitney Houston
Janet Jackson
Beyoncé
Eminem featuring Rihanna
6
Perry Como
Eddie Fisher
Bobby Vinton
Donna Summer
Daryl Hall and John Oates
Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men
Eminem
Kesha
7
Tommy Dorsey
Gordon Jenkins andThe Weavers
The Monkees
The Jackson 5
Lionel Richie
Elton John
Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris
Pharrell Williams
8
Sammy Kaye
Percy Faith
Young Rascals
Tony Orlando and Dawn
George Michael
Los Del Rio
Alicia Keys
Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris
9
Mills Brothers
Guy Mitchell
Percy Faith
Debby Boone
Blondie
Madonna
Janet Jackson
Rihanna
10
Kay Kyser
Anton Karas
The 5th Dimension
Three Dog Night
Kim Carnes
Brandy & Monica
Outkast
Maroon 5
1. Based on # of weeks at the top
Source: Billboard

6. ... only 8 artists have produced #1 hit singles in three different decades
Source: Billboard
Artist(s)
# top singles
# weeks at the top
The first and the last #1 single
Madonna
12
32
1984 "Like a Virgin"
2000 "Music"
Michael Jackson
11
30
1972 "Ben"
1995 "You Are Not Alone"
Janet Jackson
10
33
1986 "When I Think of You"
2001 "All For You"
Elton John
6
25
1973 "Crocodile Rock"
1997 "Candle in the Wind '97" / "Something About the Way You Look Tonight"
Cher
4
9
1971 ""Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves"
1999 "Believe"
The Beach Boys
4
6
1964 "I Get Around"
1988 "Kokomo"
Britney Spears
4
5
1999 "Baby One More Time"
2011 "Hold it Against Me"
Frank Sinatra
3
3
1946 "Five Minutes More"
1966 "Strangers In The Night"
Quite an impressive accomplishments

7. Historical trend shows that the industry is increasingly
suffering to create more competition / generate hit songs?
# songs per artist with #1 single # weeks at the top per #1 single
1.3
1.2
1.4
1.5 1.5 1.5
1.4
2.3
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
40’s 50’s 60’s 70’s 80’s 90’s 2000’s 2010-
2014
4.3
4.0
3.7
2.3
2.1
2.5
4.5
4.3
0
1
2
3
4
5
40’s 50’s 60’s 70’s 80’s 90’s 2000’s 2010-
2014
• Number of #1 singles produced by any
given "top artist" hasn't changed in the
last 60 years
• Remains to be fragmented
• Top songs nowadays tend to stay at the
top longer than back in 60's - 80's
• Shows that there is more inertia / fewer
creations of "hit songs" ?
Source: Billboard

8. Disclaimer
This document is provided for general information only and nothing contained in the material constitutes a recommendation for the purchase or sale of any security. Although the statements of fact in this report are obtained from sources that I consider reliable, I do not guarantee their accuracy and any such information may be incomplete or condensed. Views are subject to change on the basis of additional or new research, new facts or developments.