The Fab Four have been absent from the digital music world since its inception, but this morning, Apple announced that the band's entire catalog will now be available for download on the iTunes digital store. Full albums will be available for $12.99 and individual tracks will be available for $1.29. The entire Beatles box set will also be available for $149.
"We love the Beatles and are honored and thrilled to welcome them to iTunes," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. "It has been a long and winding road to get here. Thanks to the Beatles and EMI, we are now realizing a dream we’ve had since we launched iTunes ten years ago."
The Beatles might have broken up forty years ago, but they remain one of the most popular musical acts of all time. Their greatest hits compilation, 1, was the top selling album of the 2000s, and last year they were the third best selling artists, behind only Michael Jackson and Taylor Swift.
Apple and the Beatles, whose record label is also called Apple, have been suing each other since 1978 over rights to the name.
Michael Jackson ranks third on Forbes list of highest earning dead celebrities - or delebs as they call them. Jackson raked in $90 million thanks to a strong showing at the box office for This Is It as well as strong music sales. Jackson was listed right about last year's highest earning deleb, Elvis Presley, who made $55 million.
The top earner was fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent followed by Rogers & Hammerstein. Other musicians in the top 13 list (a Forbes tradition) include John Lennon at No. 7 with $15 million and Jimmy Hendrix at No. 12 with $8 million.
You can view the full list on the Forbes site by clicking here.
Video of John Lennon in a British car commercial is causing controversy and some Beatles fans are wondering if the wife of the late rock icon, Yoko Ono, made the right choice letting his likeness be used.
The commercial is for the Citroen DS3 which is being advertised as the "anti retro" automobile. In it, Lennon says, "Once a thing’s been done, it’s been done.” He adds: “Looking backwards for inspiration, copying the past — how is that rock ’n’ roll? Do something of your own. Start something new."
The singer's son defended the decision saying that it was a way to keep his father and the Beatles in the public eye, and not for money. He said that it was "hard to find new ways to keep dad in the new world," and "you wouldn't believe how many teenagers ask me who the Beatles were."
Following the public uproar upon announcing it would sell the iconic Abbey Road recording studio, EMI issued a statement yesterday morning saying they would keep the property. EMI, which has been in debt since 2007, said it received an offer to Abbey Road last year for about $46 million but they had turned it down.
"We believe that Abbey Road should remain in EMI's ownership," the company said. They announced they were looking for "a substantial injection of new capital" to "revitalize" the studio, leading some to think that it could be opened up for the public.
The Abbey Road recording studio, made famous by The Beatles' iconic album of the same name, is being put up for sale by cash strapped EMI.
The studio was where the Beatles made 90 percent of their music between 1962 and 1969. It was also where Pink Floyd recorded Dark Side of the Moon and has been used by Radiohead, Blur, and the orchestras responsible for the scores of movies like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.
Nielsen SoundScan, the organization responsible for tracking sales for the music industry, has announced the decade's best selling albums and singles.
The Beatles' 2000 hits compilation 1 tops the album list, selling over 11 million copies. "Low" a hit for Flo Rida in 2007 is the most purchased single of the decade with over 5 million downloads.
A quick look at the list shows the dramatic shift the record industry has undergone in the 2000s. No album on the list was released after 2004, and the oldest song is from 2007.
At the turn of the century, album sales were at a record high, but illegal downloading soon began eating away at sales. iTunes and other digital downloading service arose as a legal alternative, but it changed consumer music buying habits making 99 cent songs the purchase of choice over a full length album.
Eminem is the only artist with two albums on the list while Lady Gaga scores two singles on that respective list.
Best Selling Albums of the Decade in U.S.
The Beatles, 1 (2000) - 11,499,000 copies sold
*NSYNC, No Strings Attached (2000) - 11,112,000
Norah Jones, Come Away With Me (2002) - 10,546,000
Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) - 10,204,000
Eminem, The Eminem Show (2002) - 9,799,000
Usher, Confessions (2004) - 9,712,000
Linkin Park, Hybrid Theory (2000) - 9,663,000
Creed, Human Clay (1999) - 9,491,000
Britney Spears, Oops! … I Did It Again (2000) - 9,185,000
I can't tell you how many times a song has come on and I've heard the comment, "Oh, this is on Guitar Hero". The video game that took karaoke a step further by adding plastic instruments also seemed like a viable alternative to selling CDs for a record industry scrambling for a new business model. Guitar Hero became apart of pop culture, a Dance Dance Revolution for your fingers, so much so that the Beatles were on board by decade's end.
American Idol Runner-up David Archuleta Releases His Inner Rock Star in Guitar Hero Commercial
February 22, 2006 - Coldplay's "The Speed of Sound" Becomes One Billionth Song Downloaded on iTunes Only three years after the launch of iTunes, the one billionth song was downloaded from the site. The billionth song downloaded was Coldplay's "Speed of Sound" by Alex Ostrovsky of West Bloomfield, Michigan. “Over one billion songs have now been legally purchased and downloaded around the globe, representing a major force against music piracy and the future of music distribution as we move from CDs to the Internet," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO.
Coldplay performs "Speed of Sound" on the UK's Top of the Pops
March 11, 2006 - James Blunt Goes No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 In March of 2006, British singer James Blunt shocked chart watchers when his song "You're Beautiful" went No. 1. It was the first non-hip-hop, non-American Idol coronation song to go No. 1 in America since Nickleback's "How You Remind Me" in 2001 ("Hollaback Girl" was produced by N.E.R.D., so its position as the milestone single has been disputed). "Beautiful" was a turning point for the Hot 100 because after it, the charts were once more diverse. For the remainder of 2006, pop acts like Rihanna, Shakira, and Fergie scored No. 1s alongside Ludacris and Akon. The advent of iTunes democratized the Hot 100, allowing consumers to influence the charts instead of just radio programmers.
James Blunt performs his big hit "You're Beautiful" in Italy.
April 8, 2006 - Gnarls Barkley's Download Only "Crazy" Goes No. 1 in UK
The British singles charts have been more sales oriented than its American counterpart. While the physical single died a painful death in the States, they were still an important part of the British music industry and the weekly charts. With the growing popularity of digital downloads, it was inevitable that a song would come along and top the charts without a physical single release. "Crazy" was that song. On downloads alone, the track went No. 1 for an astounding 9 weeks, an incredibly rare feat in that country.
Gnarls Barkley, dressed in airline uniforms, takes to Top of the Pops to perform a re imagined version of "Crazy"
September 9, 2007 - Britney Spears Performs "Gimme More" at Video Music Awards By 2007, Britney Spears had come a long way from her ubiquitous squeaky clean sex symbol days at the turn of the century. She had her quickie Las Vegas marriage and canceled her World Tour. She married Kevin Federline, made a reality show and two children with him, and divorced him. She attacked the paparazzi with an umbrella, shaved her hair, and went in and out of rehab for the whole world to see. It was a sickening tabloid fueled reality show that kept the world on the edge of their collective seats. No moment encapsulates Spears' public downward spiral like her VMA performance where she lip sync and half-dances to "Gimme More", a song that both lyrically and sonically describes the state Spears was in at the time.
Britney Spears in what some have called the worst VMA performance of all time
October 1, 2007 - Radiohead Releases Choose Your Price "In Rainbows" Online
Radiohead blew up the Internet and what was left of the record industry when they released their seventh studio album, In Rainbows. Having fulfilled their contractual obligation to EMI, the band could do whatever the hell they wanted with their new material. "Every record for the last four—including my solo record—has been leaked. So the idea was like, we'll leak it, then," said lead singer Thom Yorke. The album was put online for fans to download at allowed them to name their own price. You could be a cheapskate and get it for free, or you could drop $50 right then and there if you thought it was worth it. Some speculated that Radiohead ended up making more money this way then they would have with a normal physical release. For the rest of the decade, the phrase "Radiohead model" was knocked around anytime a band thought out of the box to distribute their music.
The winning fan made video for the "Reckoner" music video contest.
May 27, 2008 - Weezer Releases Video for "Pork and Beans" The 2000s was a decade where anyone could broadcast a message, and if it was interesting enough, millions of people would tune in and watch it. YouTube was the perfect medium for wannabe entertainers seeking an outlet. In the latter half of the decade, it seemed like new viral videos popped up on a weekly basis. Some videos had people who intentionally wanted their 15 minutes of fame, while the fame was probably unwanted for those starring in embarrassing clips. While everyone was nostalgically poking fun at the 80s, Weezer was doing the same thing to the 00s before they were even over. The band packed every YouTube star into their ironic "Pork and Beans". How many viral video stars can you spot?
June 17, 2008 - Lil Wayne Sells 1 Million Copies of "Tha Carter III" in a Week As album sales continued to spiral south, 50 Cent's 2005 albumThe Massacre seemed destined to be the last to post a million plus sales the first week of its release. Three years later, Lil Wayne proved everyone wrong when Tha Carter III stormed the charts with similar numbers. Wayne's route to impressive first week sales seemed counter-intuitive, he flooded the Internet with free music. Offering free mixtapes, demand for his full length album built and buzz on the blogosphere reached dizzying levels. When he dropped Tha Carter III, the buying public responded. Maybe free music is the way to go.
Lil Wayne's first No. 1 hit, "Lollipop".
November 24, 2008 - Kanye West Releases "808s & Heartbreak" Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreaks was a game changer. It was one of the most controversial records of the decade with many embracing Ye's transition from rapper to pop star and his heavy unashamed used of auto-tune, while many thought it was trash. The record was such a landmark because it was one of the few records of the decade that showed an artist using their music to tell their story. Sure, everyone from Christiana to Ashlee Simpson has promised that they would show you the "real me", but each attempt fell flat on its face. Unfortunately, Jay-Z's announcement that auto-tune was dead along with West's VMA outburst minimized the record's importance as time wore on. The artsy music video for "Heartless", 808s & Heartbreak's most successful single.
February 7, 2009 - Kelly Clarkson Breaks Record Again
The Hot 100 during the late 2000s became a battleground for breaking and re-breaking the record for largest jump to No. 1. The initial record was set by the Beatles in 1964 when "Can't Buy Me Love" leaped 27-1 in a single week. That record stood until 2002 when Kelly Clarkson laid waste to it with a 52-1 jump of "A Moment Like This". Each record happened for its own quirky reason. The Beatles had released dozens of songs on a handful of American labels without much success and then their television exposure on The Ed Sullivan Show shot them from obscurity to massive success overnight. Similarly, Clarkson received huge exposure after winning American Idol and her debut single was released the week following her win which made for a lot of pent up demand. When Billboard began incorporating digital sales into the singles charts, the whole game changed. To break the record, an artist would need to release a song to the radio only for a few days so it would barley make the Hot 100, and then release the song digitally and sell bus loads of it. Maroon 5 broke Clarkson's record in 2007 with "Makes Me Wonder" followed by T.I. breaking it in 2008 with "Whatever You Like" and breaking it once again with "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna. His new record lasted a week until Britney Spears re-set it with "Womanizer". Kelly Clarkson finally retook the position for biggest leap to No. 1 in 2009 when "My Life Would Suck Without You" pole vaulted 97-1.
Kelly Clarkson performs her second record breaking hit "My Life Would Suck Without You".
April 18, 2009 - Black Eyed Peas Begin 24-week Run at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 As music continued to fragment and the task of getting the whole world to pay attention to one artist for even more than a few days became harder and harder, a few things happened in 2009 to show that it was still possible. Of these three events, two involved some of the greatest artists of all time from decade's past. Only one involved a current act. The Black Eyed Peas shattered the record for most consecutive time at No. 1 when "Boom Boom Pow" topped the charts for 12 weeks and was immediately followed by "I've Gotta Feelin'" which stayed in the penthouse for 14 weeks. That's six months. Half a year. I'm sure the Peas would love to interpret that as meaning they are among the greatest musical acts of all time, but it really came down to Americans not getting tired of these two songs for a very long time as well as no other songs being able to garner enough digital downloads and radio airplay to take them down.
The Black Eyed Peas go Boom Boom Pow at the Much Music Awards.
June 25, 2009 - Michael Jackson Dies On the eve of his highly anticipated This Is It show, Michael Jackson was rushed to a hospital and declared dead shortly thereafter. News of the singers death blew up the Internet, and soon radio stations switched to an all Michael format. The self proclaimed King of Pop's catalog of music stormed the iTunes store, and in the following weeks, Michael Jackson albums outsold the Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D., the first time an older album had outsold a newer release since Soundscan began tracking album sales in 1992. Michael Jackson's death brought together the world for a single musical force in a way that few artists could have ever done and even fewer will be able to do in the future.
Footage from Michael Jackson's concert rehearsal was turned into a movie and a cash cow called This Is It.
September 9, 2009 - The Beatles' Remastered Catalog, Rockband Game Released On the prophetic 9/9/09, the Beatles released their entire body of work digitally remastered as well as their very own version of the successful Rockband video game. Only a few months after the death renewed interest in Michael Jackson and his music, many saw this as the Beatles opportunity to do the same. Although the Beatles failed to garner the sales that Jackson did, they did manage to outsell many new releases and by the end of the year, Billboard decided to count older albums in its flagship album chart, the Billboard 2000.
The Beatles' Rockband commercial.
September 13, 2009 - Kanye West Interrupts Taylor Swift During Acceptance Speech Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" beat out the superior and more culturally significant "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" by Beyonce for Best Female Video at the 2009 Video Music Awards. A drunk Kanye West took to the stage, as he often does, but instead of wanting an award for himself, he stood up for Beyonce (who later won the Moonman for Video of the Year). The word "jackass" was thrown around quite liberally, including by Barack Obama, Taylor Swift became America's sweetheart, and Beyonce, who gave up her mike time to Swift came out a hero.
Kanye West gives his PR team the biggest headache of their careers.
Beginning December 5, Billboard will include all albums sold nationally in its Billboard 200 album chart.
This was how albums were originally tracked, but in 1991, Billboard excluded albums that had been out longer than 18 months and dropped below the No. 100 position. This was done so the record industry could see how their albums were doing without having Pink Floyd'sThe Dark Side of the Moon in the way. In 2003, the Top Comprehensive chart was created to reflect the sale of both old and new albums.
Earlier this year, Michael Jackson became the first artist to ever outsell a new release with an older catalog album. His Number Ones, Essential, and Thriller all outsold the Black Eyed Peas'The E.N.D. for several weeks following his death in June. Without having a precedent for such a feat, Billboard just reported the Top Comprehensive chart, made things up as they went along, but didn't budge on the rules.
In September, the Beatles released their entire body of work digitally remastered. Once again, these titles were excluded from the flagship Billboard 200 album chart, but they dominated the Comprehensive chart.
Nothing like this has ever happened before, or at least happened with the ability to track it. Several Elvis Presley albums probably outsold Fleetwood Mac'sRumors in 1977 following his death, but until the advent of Soundscan in 1991, album sales couldn't be tracked as precisely. With two high profile instances of catalog albums outselling new releases, both dealing with two of the biggest artists in popular musical history, Billboard has decided to tweak their chart.
For an industry in decline, reporting album sales this way makes sense. Sure, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga will be big sellers this Christmas, but so will Michael Jackson and the Beatles. My big question is will Dark Side of the Moon rocket up the chart out of nowhere, and, if it does, who is still buying it?
First week sales figures for the Beatles digitally remastered catalog are in and Abbey Road tops the list. The list really isn't all that surprising as it follows the Beatles' top selling albums of all time. Technically, The Beatles (White Album) is their top seller and has been certified platinum 19 times over, but that's because the RIAA certification system counts double albums twice. So, buy one White Album and it counts as two because of the double discs. Cut the White Album's sales in half and it falls to third behind Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. In total, the Beatles sold 626,000 albums last week. Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 sold 476,000 copies.
Abbey Road (89,000) Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (74,000) The White Album (60,000) Rubber Soul (58,000) Revolver (46,000)
The day has finally arrived. The ninth day of the ninth month of two thousand and nine. The Beatles: Rockband is now available in stores everywhere as are their newly remastered albums. To celebrate this momentous occasion, here are my top nine Beatles songs.
I wrote a paper last year about illegal downloading and uncovered a lot excuses pirates have for declines in music sales that have nothing to do with Limewire. One of the most prevelant was that people are spending their time and money with thing other than music, such as video games (never mind that sales of iPods have gone up as sales of CDs have gone down). Now they really can't say that because video game sales are down 46% this year. Sucks to be in a recession doesn't it?
Viacom is hoping to save both industries next Wednesday, 09/09/09, when they release the Beatles: Rock Band. The game features 45 songs from the Fab Four, the first time the Beatles have allowed their music to be released digitally. Also on the same day, the entire Beatles catalog will be released in a digitally remastered format. But wait, there's more! Apple just announced that they are making some announcement on 09/09/09...could it be the Beatles are finally getting released on iTunes? Or is that just what they want us to think so it blows up the blogosphere? We'll find out next week.
With Michael Jackson's passing, all news of the Black Eyed Peas chart achievements became seemingly irrelevant. For the first time in the 18-year history of Soundscan, the company responsible for tracking album sales, catalog albums are outselling new releases. Michael Jackson's Number Ones is outselling B.E.P.'s The E.N.D. on roughly a two-to-one margin and even Thriller is selling more than the hip-pop group's set.
Regardless, the Black Eyed Peas were able to pull off two feats this month that elluded the King of Pop. The first was their having both the No. 1 and No. 2 song in the country, something that only happened twelve times in Billboard's history when "I've Gotta Feelin'" moved into the second spot behind "Boom Boom Pow". Two weeks later "Feelin'" overtook "Pow" to make the Peas the tenth act to replace themselves at No. 1. Michael Jackson came close in 1983 but "Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runner kept "Beat It" from succeeding "Billie Jean" for a single week.
Below are the songs that make up the elite list of 1-2 punches. The Beatles are the only act to have more than the top 2 spots at any given time. Their explosive debut in the United States in 1964 gave them complete control over the top 5 . Nine of the twelve instances have occured in the 2000s thanks in part to the popularity of collaborations. Three instances owe their 1-2 dominance to an artist having lead credit on one single and a featuring credit on another (Ashanti in 2002, 50 Cent in 2005, and Akon in 2007). Welcome to the club Fergie.
Elvis Presley 1956
1. "Hound Dog"/"Don't Be Cruel"
2. "Love Me Tender:
The Beatles 1964
1. "Can't But Me Love"
2. "Twist And Shout"
3. "She Loves You"
4. "I Want To Hold Your Hand"
5. "Please Please Me"
The Bee Gees 1978
1. "Night Fever"
2. "Stayin' Alive"
Ashanti 2002
1. "Foolish"
2. "What's Luv?" (Fat Joe featuring Ashanti)Nelly 2002
1. "Hot In Herre"
2. "Dilemma" featuring Kelly Rowland
OutKast 2003
1. "Hey Ya!"
2. "The Way You Move" featuring Sleepy Brown50 Cent 2005
1. "Candy Shop"
2. "Hate It Or Leave It" (The Game featuring 50 Cent)Mariah Carey 2005
1. "We Belong Together"
2. "Shake It Off"Akon 2006
1. "I Wanna Love You" featuring Snoop Dogg
2. "Smack That" featuring EminemAkon 2007
1. "Don't Matter"
2. "The Sweet Escape" (Gwen Stefani featuring Akon)T.I. 2008
A study by CalTech student Virgil Griffith showed that students with better SAT scores listen to Sufjan Stevens. Actually, Beethoven has the smartest listeners with an average SAT score of 1371. Other top artists include Radiohead, Counting Crows, U2, and Bob Dylan. At the bottom end? Lil Wayne. Beyonce, T.I., and the Used are just barely ahead of the four time Grammy winning artist. I'm just glad Jimmy Eat World ranked above Fall Out Boy. Thank goodness. Check out where your favorite artists landed here and as we gear up for finals, listen to more Sufjan. Here's my favorite track from the Petoski, Michigan native, "Casimir Pulaski Day".
The Beatles and Video Games "Come Together"
I never saw it coming. Really. Despite the Beatles being the most universally acclaimed band in human history, getting permission to use their songs is harder than getting permission to sampe ABBA. As Billboard put it this past June, the Beatles' catalog is the holy grail of digital licensing. Somehow, MTV and Harmonix, the two groups responsible for the wildly successful Rock Band video game franchise, have managed to score rights to make an all Fab Four game independent of the rest of the Rock Band universe.
Maybe it was the whole Las Vegas Love show that softened the remaining Beatles and spouses up. Regardless, MTV/Harmonix and Apple Corp. Ltd. announced their decision yesterday morning explaining that the game is designed to take users on an "experiential journey" through the Beatles' career, music and vision. It will also include new types of interactive gameplay associated with the Beatles' imagery in addition to its music. Surviving members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, are involved in the vision and creative direction. That means weeping plastic guitars and fake sitars.
The game is scheduled for release during the fourth quarter of 2009. Don't hold your breathe for Beatles music making its way onto iTunes as Apple Corps CEO Jeff Jones said that this is not a precursor to the Beatles' catalog being released digitally.
T.I. Breakin' Records (Again) And Takin' Names
Today, T.I. and Rihanna's "Live Your Life" made an unheard of leap from #80 to #1 after selling 335,000 digital download and gaining radio airplay. This once again breaks the record for biggest jump to #1, a record that T.I. himself set just over a month ago when "Whatever You Like" soared from 71 to 1. T.I. also becomes the ninth artist in Billboard history to replace himself at the one spot and the first since 2004. With "Whatever You Like" at #2, this week becomes the eleventh instance in chart history that an artist has occupied the top two spots. Rihanna has now scored five #1 hits (three of them this year alone) and she now takes the lead for female artist with most chart toppers this decade. Only Usher with seven has more. Wow.
The biggest jump to number one record has all but become irrelevant. It was originally set by The Beatles in 1964 when "Can't Buy Me Love" went 27-1 in one week (which made them the first and so far, one of two acts to replace themselves with three different songs, Usher was the second). This record remained for 38 years until Kelly Clarkson's, "A Moment Like This" went 52-1 thanks to unprecedented excitement over the crowning of her as the inagural American Idol. Clarkson's jump is now the fifth best in chart history but there is no reason to think it will remain there for very long. The reason for all of the sudden leaps to #1 is the revolution that is legal digital downloading. Whoever wants to be the next to break this record not only needs a molten hot hit of a song, but enough luck to debut in the ninties right before the song takes off so they can make an even better jump. Who would have thought a #100 debut could be so valuable?
Christina Aguilera's "Keeps Gettin' Better" is the week's hot shot debut, coming in at #7. Just a couple weeks ago rock journalists were foaming at the mouth at the idea of a repeat Kanye-50 chart battle, but with 808s and Heartbreak being moved up several weeks, that seems unlikley. Instead, the decade old rivalry between Christina and Britney seems to be heating up with Britney Spears releasing her electro-clash number, "Womanizer", only a week after Aguilera released hers. "Womanizer" debuts today at #96. Other notable entries this week are David Cook's "Light On" at #17 and The Killer's "Human" at #32.
This Weeks Top Ten:
1. "Live Your Life" - T.I. feat Rihanna 2. "Whatever You Like" - T.I. 3. "So What" - Pink
4. "Disturbia" - Rihanna
5. "Let It Rock" - Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne
6. "Hot N Cold" - Katy Perry
7. "Keeps Gettin' Better" - Christina Aguilera
8. "Can't Believe It" - T-Pain feat. Lil Wayne
9. "Paper Planes" - M.I.A.
10. "Gotta Be Somebody" - Nickleback
Biggest Jump To Number One:
1. 80-1 "Live You Life" - T.I. feat Rihanna
2. 71-1 "Whatever You Like" - T.I.
3. 64-1 "Makes Me Wonder" - Maroon 5
4. 53-1 "Take A Bow" - Rihanna
5. 52-1 "A Moment Like This" - Kelly Clarkson
6. 51-1 "Love In The Club" - Usher feat. Young Jeezy
7. 42-1 "Give It To Me" - Timbaland feat. Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake
8. 41-1 "Umbrella" - Rihanna feat. Jay-Z
9. 34-1 "SOS" - Rihanna
10. 32-1 "This Is Why I'm Hot" - Mims
Self Replacement at Number One:
1. Elvis Presley - "Hound Dog" replaced by "Love Me Tender"
2. The Beatles - "I Want To Hold Your Hand" replaced by "She Loves You" replaced by "Can't Buy Me Love"
3. Boyz II Men - "I'll Make Love To You" replaced by "On Bended Knee"
4. Puff Daddy - "I'll Be Missin' You" replaced by "Mo Money Mo Problems"
5. Ja Rule - "Always On Time" replaced by "Ain't It Funny"
6. Nelly - "Hot In Herre" replaced by "Dilemma"
7. OutKast - "Hey Ya!" replaced by "The Way You Move"
8. Usher - "Yeah" replaced by "Burn" replaced by "Confessions Part II"
9. T.I. - "Whatever You Like" replaced by "Live Your Life"
These are the top 50 songs to ever chart on the Billboard Hot 100. (Click on the chart to see a larger image.) How did they determine this list? Billboard explains it all here. Chubby Checker's "The Twist" is the top song of all time. It's actually the only song to ever hit #1 two different years, once in 1960 and once in 1962. There are three songs that made the list that never made it to #1. They are LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live" (#4), Jewel's "Foolish Games/You Were Meant For Me" (#15), and OneRepublic's Timbaland-remixed "Apologize" (#50) all peaked at #2. The Bee Gees and Boyz II Men are tied with the most tracks on the list with three apiece. The Beatles and Mariah Carey scored two apiece. If Paul McCartney is counted in all his incarnations (with the Beatles, Wings, and solo) he comes in with four in the top 50. As a family, the Gibbs add a single by their brother Andy to their three Bee Gees hits.
To celebrate 50 years of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, 17 Tracks will highlight the chart's record breakers, chart toppers, and milestones for the next two weeks. Perhaps the most important record is that of most #1 hits of all time. There's a bit of controversy surrounding the inclusion of Elvis Presley. The Hot 100 was first complied in August of 1958 by combining the airplay, jukebox play, and sales. Ten of Presley's 17 #1's came before the creation of the Hot 100 but reached pole position on the pop chart. Some chart watchers count pre-Hot 100 hits while some do not. Here, we will. Elvis is the freaking King of Rock n' Roll; how can we not include him?
Elvis Presley 1956
Nelly 2002
OutKast 2003
50 Cent 2005
Mariah Carey 2005
Akon 2006
Akon 2007
T.I. 2008
The Black Eyed Peas 2009
