List of "Billboard's" #1 Pop Singles

[Evan]

Kylie Minogue peaked at #3 in the U.S too with "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" - she really should have had more hits in the U.S. Take a listen to one of her greatest hits CDs and you'll know what I mean!

I'm one of the older posters here.

I was born in May 1969 - "Aquarius" was the #1 song on the day I came into this world(and I've always loved that song).

Great work, Max - I'm loving this thread of yours! You should get a job with BILLBOARD magazine!

[Max]

Evan, thank you so much for your kind words! By the way, I agree with you that Kylie Minogue deserves/deserved a far more successful career in the United States. I also agree that "Aquarius" is a terrific song.

Obviously, it is a huge accomplishment anytime a song reaches #1. However, there are some songs whose success is truly incredible due to their amazing longevity at the top spot. Below is a list of songs (as of the week ended July 5, 2003) that have spent at least 8 weeks at #1:

16 weeks at #1:

*One Sweet Day--Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men (1995)

14 weeks at #1 (each):

*I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (1992)

*I'll Make Love to You--Boyz II Men (1994)

*Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)--Los Del Rio (1996)

*Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight--Elton John (1997)

13 weeks at #1 (each):

*End of the Road--Boyz II Men (1992)

*The Boy Is Mine--Brandy & Monica (1998)

12 weeks at #1 (each):

*Smooth--Santana featuring Rob Thomas (1999)

*Lose Yourself--Eminem (2002)

11 weeks at #1 (each):

*Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog--Elvis Presley (1956)

*I Swear--All-4-One (1994)

*Un-Break My Heart--Toni Braxton (1996)

*I'll Be Missing You--Puff Daddy & Faith Evans featuring 112 (1997)

*Independent Women Part I--Destiny's Child (2000)

10 weeks at #1 (each):

*You Light Up My Life--Debby Boone (1977)

*Physical--Olivia Newton-John (1981)

*Maria Maria--Santana featuring the Product G&B (2000)

*Foolish--Ashanti (2002)

*Dilemma--Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland (2002)

9 weeks at #1 (each):

*Singing the Blues--Guy Mitchell (1956)

*Mack the Knife--Bobby Darin (1959)

*Theme from "A Summer Place"--Percy Faith (1960)

*Hey Jude--The Beatles (1968)

*Bette Davis Eyes--Kim Carnes (1981)

*Endless Love--Diana Ross & Lionel Richie (1981)

*In Da Club--50 Cent (2003)

8 weeks at #1 (each):

*(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock--Bill Haley & His Comets (1955)

*Heartbreak Hotel--Elvis Presley (1956)

*All Shook Up--Elvis Presley (1957)

*Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)--Rod Stewart (1976)

*Night Fever--The Bee Gees (1978)

*Every Breath You Take--The Police (1983)

*Jump--Kris Kross (1992)

*That's the Way Love Goes--Janet Jackson (1993)

*Dreamlover--Mariah Carey (1993)

*Fantasy--Mariah Carey (1995)

*Tha Crossroads--Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (1996)

[Evan]

Max, how funny the two songs that were #1 for the longest("One Sweet Day" and "I Will Always Love You") I hate - LOL. And I didn't know "The Macarena" was #1 for that long!

A question for you, Mr Chart Historian:

Which Madonna song spent the most amount of weeks at #1?

[Max]

Evan, I'm definately in agreement with you that some of these super long-running #1 hits are songs that I dislike or hate. Honestly, some of these songs did not deserve to spend that long at #1.

In answer to your question, the Madonna song that spent the longest time at number one is "Take a Bow," which spent 7 weeks at #1 in 1995.

[Shawn]

Hey Max,

Mariah's "We Belong Together" had 14 weeks at number 1 this year too.

As for Kylie, I could have SWORN she had a number one. Maybe it was "I Should Be So Lucky?" haha

[Evan]

Thanks Max! I'd forgotten "Take A Bow!" - was thinking of "Music" or "Vogue".

Kylie Minogue has had tons of #1 hits in the U.K, Europe and Australia. "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" reached #1 in many countries(but not the U.S).

[Max]

Evan, you are very welcome.

Shawn, thank you so much for telling me that "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey spent 14 weeks at #1 this year. I feel so happy for her, since her career had been floundering from 2001-2004.

Below is a list of artists who have had at least 4 #1 hits, as of the week ended July 5, 2003. Note that the number of #1 hits that an artist had will be found after the dashes that follow each artist's name.

The Beatles--20

Elvis Presley--17

Mariah Carey--15*

Michael Jackson--13

Madonna--12

The Supremes--12

Whitney Houston--11

Janet Jackson--10

The Bee Gees--9

Paul McCartney--9

Stevie Wonder--9

Elton John--8

The Rolling Stones--8

Phil Collins--7

George Michael--7

Paula Abdul--6

Daryl Hall & John Oates--6

Diana Ross--6

Boyz II Men--5

Cher--5

The Eagles--5

The Four Seasons--5

KC & the Sunshine Band--5

Olivia Newton-John--5

Prince--5

Lionel Richie--5

Barbra Streisand--5

Bryan Adams--4

Christina Aguilera--4

The Beach Boys--4

Blondie--4

Bon Jovi--4

John Denver--4

Destiny's Child--4

Celine Dion--4

The Jackson Five--4

Jennifer Lopez--4

Roxette--4

Rod Stewart--4

Donna Summer--4

The Temptations--4

TLC--4

Bobby Vinton--4

Here is another, yet similar, way of looking at things. This list below is a list of artists who have spent at least 11 weeks at #1, as of the week ended July 5, 2003. (In other words, for each artist, the number of weeks that each of their #1 songs spent at the top spot will be added up; if the sum total is 11 or more, these artists will be listed below.) Note that the sum total of the weeks that an artist spent at number #1 will be found after the dashes that follow each artist's name.

Elvis Presley--79

Mariah Carey--61*

The Beatles--59

Boyz II Men--50

Michael Jackson--37

Janet Jackson--33

Madonna--32

Whitney Houston--31

Elton John--30

Paul McCartney--30

The Bee Gees--27

Monica--22

Santana--22

The Supremes--22

Lionel Richie--21

Stevie Wonder--21

Jennifer Lopez--20

Diana Ross--20

Rod Stewart--20

Puff Daddy--19

Celine Dion--18

The Four Seasons--18

Olivia Newton-John--18

TLC--18

Bryan Adams--17

Destiny's Child--17

Nelly--17

The Rolling Stones--17

Christina Aguilera--16

Paula Abdul--15

Brandy--15

Phil Collins--15

George Michael--15

Daryl Hall & John Oates--14

Los Del Rio--14

50 Cent--13

Andy Gibb--13

Ja Rule--13

Barbra Streisand--13

Donna Summer--13

Ashanti--12

Toni Braxton--12

Cher--12

Eminem--12

Roberta Flack--12

The Monkees--12

Prince--12

Rob Thomas--12

Usher--12

Bobby Vinton--12

All-4-One--11

Faith Evans--11

Guy Mitchell--11

112--11

Simon & Garfunkel--11

*Note: As I mentioned above, the information in this post is as of the week ended July 5, 2003. However, thanks to Shawn (as mentioned above), we now have one more piece of information: "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey spent 14 weeks at #1 in 2005. This means that Mariah Carey now has at least 16 #1 hits and has spent at least 75 weeks at #1.

[R!ck]

Well Max, We can move Mariah up to 17 now. She now ties with The King.

Friday, December 23, 2005; 1:49 AM

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Mariah Carey moved a step closer to the Beatles' record of 20 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 Thursday as "Don't Forget About Us" ascended one rung to the top of the singles chart in its 11th week.

With 17 chart-toppers, she now ties Elvis Presley at No. 2 on the all-time list, and becomes the only artist to post two No. 1 songs on the Hot 100 in 2005.

"Don't Forget About Us" is also Carey's 16th No. 1 as a songwriter, tying with Barry Gibb for third place. Only Paul McCartney with 32 and John Lennon with 26 have more.

(Many Elvis fans claim the King had 18 No. 1 hits, citing Joel Whitburn's indispensable tome "Top Pop Singles." But he differs from Billboard in some key respects, and counts the double-sided single "Don't Be Cruel"/"Hound Dog" as two No. 1 hits, while Billboard counts it as one.)

[Max]

Rick, thank you so much for sharing that article with us. I feel so happy for Mariah Carey for attaining this incredible accomplishment. And, since Mariah Carey has already spent 75 weeks at #1 prior to the release of "Don't Forget About Us," she could very well beat Elvis Presley (who currently has spent 79 weeks at #1) and set a new all-time record when it comes to being the artist who spent the most weeks at #1: all that has to happen (for her to set a new all-time record) is for "Don't Forget About Us" to spend at least 5 weeks at #1.

[Max]

Of course, we all know about one-hit wonders. However, what is truly amazing is that many of these one-hit wonders went all the way to #1. Below is a list of #1 songs that were performed by one-hit wonders. Before you read the list, however, there are some things that need to be pointed out:

*In this post, a one-hit wonder is defined as an artist with only one top 40 hit. (And, this is the true definition of a one-hit wonder.) However, keep in mind that some people consider a one-hit wonder as a group with just one big hit; in other words, these people consider artists with one major hit and another/some other minor top 40 hit(s) as a one-hit wonder. Because of the distinction that I make, you will find that a lot of artists who you think are one-hit wonders are actually not; such artists did have another/some other minor top 40 hit(s).

*Note that some of these one-hit wonders may have had other singles that did well on other "Billboard" charts, such as the Country and R&B charts. However, these one-hit wonders only had one top 40 hit on the "Billboard" Pop chart.

*Note that some of these artists may have had several hit albums (on the albums chart). However, when it comes to singles, they had only one song reach the top 40 (on the Pop Singles chart).

*Some of the artists listed as one-hit wonders were only one-hit wonders as solo artists.

*There are several songs that were performed by two or more artists. In some cases, only one artist was a one-hit wonder, while the other(s) was (were) not. When instances like this occur, I will make a special note of it.

*One final note before I begin the list: note that the list is arranged in alphabetical order according to song title, and not according to the artists' names.

*Afternoon Delight--The Starland Vocal Band (2 weeks, 1976)

*Alley-Oop--The Hollywood Argyles (1 week, 1960)

*Baby, Come to Me--Patti Austin & James Ingram (2 weeks, 1983) [Note: Only Austin is a one-hit wonder.]

*Baby Got Back--Sir Mix-A-Lot (5 weeks, 1992)

*Brother Louie--Stories (2 weeks, 1973)

*Butterfly--Crazy Town (2 weeks, 2001)

*California Love--2Pac featuring Dr. Dre & Roger Troutman (2 weeks, 1996) [Note: Only Troutman is a one-hit wonder.]

*Chariots of Fire--Vangelis (1 week, 1982)

*Come on Eileen--Dexy's Midnight Runners (1 week, 1983)

*Disco Duck (Part 1)--Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots (1 week, 1976)

*Dominique--The Singing Nun (4 weeks, 1963)

*Don't Give Up on Us--David Soul (1 week, 1977)

*Don't Worry, Be Happy--Bobby McFerrin (2 weeks, 1988)

*Eve of Destruction--Barry McGuire (1 week, 1965)

*A Fifth of Beethoven--Walter Murphy & the Big Apple Band (1 week, 1976)

*Funkytown--Lipps, Inc. (4 weeks, 1980)

*Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (3 weeks, 1995) [Note: Only L.V. is a one-hit wonder.]

*Gonna Fly Now (Theme from "Rocky")--Bill Conti (1 week, 1977)

*Good Vibrations--Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch featuring Loleatta Holloway (1 week, 1991) [Note: Only Holloway is a one-hit wonder.]

*Grazing in the Grass--Hugh Masekela (2 weeks, 1968)

*Green Tambourine--The Lemon Pipers (1 week, 1968)

*Harper Valley P.T.A.--Jeannie C. Riley (1 week, 1968)

*Here Comes the Hotstepper--Ini Kamoze (2 weeks, 1994)

*Hey! Baby--Bruce Channel (3 weeks, 1962)

*Hot Child in the City--Nick Gilder (1 week, 1978)

*How Do You Talk to an Angel--The Heights (2 weeks, 1992) [Note: Lead singer Jamie Walters had another top 40 hit as a solo artist.]

*The Hustle--Van McCoy & the Soul City Symphony (1 week, 1975)

*I Can Help--Billy Swan (2 weeks, 1974)

*I'm Too Sexy--Right Said Fred (3 weeks, 1992)

*In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)--Zager & Evans (6 weeks, 1969)

*It Wasn't Me--Shaggy featuring Ricardo "RikRok" Ducent (2 weeks, 2001) [Note: Only Ducent is a one-hit wonder.]

*(I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes (1 week, 1987) [Note: Only Medley is a one-hit wonder. And, since he had several top 40 hits as a member of the Righteous Brothers, Medley is only a one-hit wonder as a "solo" artist.]

*Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred & His Playboy Band (2 weeks, 1968)

*Knock on Wood--Amii Stewart (1 week, 1979)

*Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas (2 weeks, 1974)

*Lady Marmalade--Labelle (1 week, 1975) [Note: Lead singer Patti LaBelle is not a one-hit wonder as a solo artist.]

*Little Star--The Elegants (1 week, 1958)

*Love Is Blue--Paul Mauriat (5 weeks, 1968)

*Lovin' You--Minnie Riperton (1 week, 1975)

*Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)--Los Del Rio (14 weeks, 1996) [Note: A separate, all-Spanish version of "Macarena" also made the top 40. However, since that is basically the same song, I still consider Los Del Rio to be a one-hit wonder.]

*Maria Maria--Santana featuring the Product G&B (10 weeks, 2000) [Note: Only the Product G&B is a one-hit wonder.]

*Me and Bobby McGee--Janis Joplin (2 weeks, 1971) [Note: Joplin did have another top 40 single as lead singer of Big Brother & the Holding Company.]

*Miami Vice Theme--Jan Hammer (1 week, 1985)

*Mickey--Toni Basil (1 week, 1982)

*Mr. Custer--Larry Verne (1 week, 1960)

*Mother-in-Law--Ernie K-Doe (1 week, 1961)

*Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye--Steam (2 weeks, 1969)

*The Night Chicago Died--Paper Lace (1 week, 1974)

*The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia--Vicki Lawrence (2 weeks, 1973)

*Nothing Compares 2 U--Sinead O'Connor (4 weeks, 1990)

*Opposites Attract--Paula Abdul with the Wild Pair (3 weeks, 1990) [Note: Only the Wild Pair is a one-hit wonder.]

*Play That Funky Music--Wild Cherry (3 weeks, 1976)

*Pop Muzik--M (1 week, 1979)

*The Purple People Eater--Sheb Wooley (6 weeks, 1958)

*Ring My Bell--Anita Ward (2 weeks, 1979)

*Ringo--Lorne Greene (1 week, 1964)

*Seasons in the Sun--Terry Jacks (3 weeks, 1974)

*Shake You Down--Gregory Abbott (1 week, 1987)

*Stay--Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs (1 week, 1960)

*Stranger on the Shore--Mr. Acker Bilk (1 week, 1962)

*The Stripper--David Rose & His Orchestra (1 week, 1962)

*Sukiyaki--Kyu Sakamoto (3 weeks, 1963)

*Teen Angel--Mark Dinning (2 weeks, 1960)

*Telstar--The Tornadoes (3 weeks, 1962)

*To Know Him Is to Love Him--The Teddy Bears (3 weeks, 1958)

*TSOP--MFSB & the Three Degrees (2 weeks, 1974) [Note: Only MFSB is a one-hit wonder.]

*Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey--Paul & Linda McCartney (1 week, 1971) [Note: Only Linda McCartney is a one-hit wonder as a "solo" artist. She did, however, have many top 40 hits as a member of Wings.]

*Undercover Angel--Alan O'Day (1 week, 1977)

*Venus--Shocking Blue (1 week, 1970)

*Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu)--Domenico Modugno (6 weeks, 1958)

*We Are the World--USA for Africa (4 weeks, 1985)

*Welcome Back--John Sebastian (1 week, 1976) [Note: Sebastian is only a one-hit wonder as a solo artist.]

*When I'm with You--Sheriff (1 week, 1989)

*A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)--Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle (1 week, 1993) [Note: Only Belle is a one-hit wonder.]

*Wild Wild West--Will Smith featuring Dru Hill & Kool Moe Dee (1 week, 1999) [Note: Only Kool Moe Dee is a one-hit wonder.]

*Winchester Cathedral--The New Vaudeville Band (3 weeks, 1966)

*You Light Up My Life--Debby Boone (10 weeks, 1977)

[Evan]

Max, what is really scary? I actually love most of these! LOL

"Funkytown" is a big favorite!

Thanks for the list!

[R!ck]

It's so depressing that Sinead O'Connor will forever be noted as a one hit wonder

She is one of the greatest singer songwriters of our time, ranking up there with Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper, and Sarah MacLachlan. Her most recent attempt to get back into the mainstream was 2001's Faith and Courage, which peaked at #55 on the Top 200 Album charts. she released "No Man's Woman" and "Jealous" which did nothing on the pop charts but were minor hits on the Modern Rock Charts. Even though she is labeled a "One Hit Wonder" her fanbase is loyal.

If anyone has only heard "Nothing Compares 2U" I highly recommend picking up one of her 8 CD's (Starting with 'So Far...The Best Of Sinead O'Connor')

[Max]

Evan, you are very welcome. I agree with you that so many of the hits by one-hit wonders are excellent.

Rick, I must say that Sinead O'Connor is one of the most surprising (i.e., meaning that few would ever think she was a one-hit wonder) one-hit wonders there is. In fact, out of the one-hit wonders who had a #1 hit, O'Connor and Janis Joplin (who was a one-hit wonder as a solo artist) are the most surprising artists to actually hold this characteristic.

[dimples]

it is so true that some one hit wonders are actually more talented than what's reflected in record sales and Billboard rankings. Up to today, I am still amazed that powerhouses like Minnie Riperton (god bless her soul ), Gloria Gaynor and Cheryl Lynn all turned out to be one hit wonders. Those voices had a kind of soul that even some of the best new talents today like Kelly Clarkson and Alicia Keys pale in comparison to.

[bellcurve]

I heard her song "Emporer's New Clothes" on VH1 Classic over the summer. I was REALLY impressed with the sound and the lyrics.

If I remember, I will get that CD.

"Fight the real enemy! *RIP!*"