Customer Reviews

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits

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It was during my pop music Renaissance in high school that I encountered the concept of how all those singles that I had been awakened to were on Billboard's Hot 100 charts, and those that entered the Top 40. It was my buddy Keith Webster who turned me onto that concept and how Casey Kasem's American Top 40 was aired every Sunday on our local radio station. Then of course, the highlight was finding out who the Top Ten were, and finally, at the end of the show, who was the new No. 1 or still at No. 1. There was this horserace dynamic going on. Yes, having any Billboard book may make one a music nerd, but I consider that epithet a compliment.

Of the two Billboard tomes I consider essential to any pop music buff, not having Joel Whitburn's Billboard Book of Top 40 hits, revised every now and then, is tantamount to having green tea leaves and no hot water and cup. I cannot stress how vital this tome is. Whitburn's book consists of all singles that hit the Top 40 from Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock," up through 2003, when Outkast's "Hey Ya" was at the top of the charts. The book is lexically indexed by artist or group, with a brief blurb of the group, including members, instruments they played, DOB, and info on if any of them died, or if any entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

From there, the columns under each artist/group consists of when the song debuted on the Top 40, its peak position, its duration in the Top 40, the title of the song, and the song's record label and number. If a single hit the Top Ten, it is highlighted in bold so one can count how many Top Ten hits a particular artist had. A round bullet to the left of the song title means the song went gold (sold a million copies), whereas a triangular bullet indicates platinum status (sold two million copies or above). To use the masterpiece of my favourite group the Beatles, "Hey Jude," it debuted on the charts on 14 September 1968, nearly three months after my birth, it was a #1 single for 9 weeks (yay!), spent 19 weeks on the Top 40, it went 4 times platinum, and the single was Apple 2276, the first Top 40 single from Apple Records, by the way.

I must've spent years peering through but not buying this book due to the price, and it's only after twenty odd years that it's in my collection of vital reference books. In closing, I offer this tidbit for those who might feel miffed that a song they particularly liked either didn't make the Top 40, didn't stay at #1 longer than it should have, or reached #2 when it should've reached #1, or songs they didn't think deserve to reach #1, and believe you me, there are quite a few of those on my list. The phrase "It ain't No. 1 till it's No. 1 on Billboard" is touted by Billboard. The Hot 100 and Top 40 are well, just a way of measuring a song's sales and airplay, and those in turn play a part in how high a song reaches the charts. But in the final run, it all comes down to how much you like a song. After all, what's in a number?

I have purchased each new edition of this book and have never been disappointed. The 7th edition chronicles every Top 40 hit through the end of the millenium. I'm not in the music business, but love seeing what hits each artist has had and how how they went on the chart. This book does a great job of cross-referencing songs, so if a song is officially credited to Puff Daddy featuring Mase, then it is listed in this book under both artists. This is incredibly helpful given the recent proliferation of guest artists on chart singles. Whenever I hear an unknown oldies hit on the radio, I can't help but look it up in this book and find out the artist. A must for every fan of music.

What is America? How does one go about comprehending the "American Ideal"? Where would you send a foreigner who sought to gain a tangible understanding of the most influential and powerful nation on Earth over the course of these last two hundred and thirty years? Me, I'd send him to three written sources: The Declaration Of Independence; The U.S. Constitution; and THE BILLBOARD BOOK OF TOP 40 HITS. The first one explains the premise upon which this country was founded. The second illustrates the dynamic system under which it was organized. The third recounts the progression (or regression) that the country experienced under the world's longest-running Republican form of government.

OK, OK! Maybe I have overestimated the social importance of this tome, but why not aim as high as we can, and see if we can't make some of it stick? (Besides, some suckers will fall for ANYTHING!) Truth is, I almost feel a little embarrassed writing a review for a book like this, but then - to borrow a line from those old geezers who really do seem to "gather no moss" - I know it's only Rock 'N' Roll, but I like it!

Of course, it's not really ONLY Rock 'N' Roll. American Pop music encompasses a wide range of musical styles: There's FOLK ('The City Of New Orleans' by Arlo Guthrie. #18 in '72); COUNTRY ('Good Hearted Woman' by Waylon and Willie. #25 in '76); BLUES ('The Thrill Is Gone' by B.B. King. #15 in '70); JAZZ ('Take Five' by Dave Brubeck. #25 in '61); SOUL ('I'll Be Doggone' by Marvin Gaye. #8 in '65); DISCO ('Hot Stuff' by Donna Summer. #1 in '79); and RAP...Oh, never mind. Don't get me started! And of course, it's not really ONLY American either. Afterall, those four blokes from Liverpool were from...well...Liverpool.

THE BILLBOARD BOOK OF TOP 40 HITS is one of those mysterious, time-sucking publications. You pull it off the shelf to look up one little item and the next thing you know, you realize that you've floated from ABBA to ZAPPA and 40 minutes have passed!

The book has been beautifully organized by the premier music charting-impresario, JOEL WHITBURN. The broadcaster Bruce Morrow's blurb on my back cover says, "Joel Whitburn's books are as much a part of my radio stations as my transmitters. Any time I buy or build a radio station, the first two pieces of equipment I purchase are Joel's book and my Billboard subscription." If you're waiting for a BETTER recommendation, our Republic will be defunct by the time it arrives! I own the 6th Edition (1955-1995), but since my real interest in American Pop music extended only as far as about 1984, this one suits me fine.

Although naturally, the book provides information on all of the music that cracked the Top 40 - its date, highest postion reached, and the amount of weeks it retained its Top 40 status - I find the charts toward the back perhaps the book's most interesting feature. Whitburn has concocted a point system formula utilizing info on chart position & weeks charted from which he determines the top songs and artists. He then presents these outcomes to us by decade and overall career position. While each reader might want to tweak the system by making an adjustment here or there according to how he or she prioritizes, I can't imagine that the results would be markedly different. These charts illustrate some surprising findings. For instance...

Did you know that BOYZ II MEN (Whoever they are. I'm 46!) are responsible for 3 of the Top 10 singles of ALL-TIME?

Did you know that despite the overwhelming perception of their One-hit Wonder status, TONY ORLANDO AND DAWN actually rank as the 16th most popular artist of the 1970s?

Because of their "un-cool" persona, it was rare to find a teenager in the '70s willing to publicly confess to being a Carpenters fan. And yet, the Pop duo was the 4th most popular music-maker of that decade. They sure sold a lot of records for a group that no one claimed to like!

Here's the fact that REALLY surprised me: Having been a teenager in the 1970s, I can attest that by then the consensus was that ELVIS PRESLEY was a has-been. Led Zeppelin ruled our world, and 'Stairway To Heaven' was the teen national anthem. I don't think most of us even knew that Elvis was still alive. He seemed as far removed from the contemporary American scene as Washington and Jefferson did. And yet, I learn from Whitburn that "The King" was the 11th most popular artist of the decade! I LIVED through it, and that STILL astounds me!

And by the way, the next time you hear someone refer to ELVIS as "THE KING OF ROCK 'N' ROLL", don't make the mistake of thinking that's a contestable opinion. According to Whitburn's calculations, Elvis scores 8,002 total lifetime points. The "Fab Four" come in a DISTANT second with 4,549; followed by Elton John and Stevie Wonder with 4,103 and 3,685 respectively. I was never a fan of his, but I'll concede that Elvis is still "The King."

Yeah, you probably should acquire a copy of THE BILLBOARD BOOK OF TOP 40 HITS. Without it, how would you ever know that...

* Only one month after the plane crash that killed BUDDY HOLLY, he collected his last Top 40 hit, appropriately titled, 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore.'

* STEVIE WONDER (real name: Steveland Morris) had just turned 13 years old when he scored his first #1 hit song.

* On the day that the United States Of America celebrated its bicentennial, the song at the apex of the Pop music chart was "LOVE HANGOVER" by Diana Ross. Which begs this question: Were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and George Mason tapping their toes in their pine boxes, or were they turning over in their graves?

This is a good book if you don't have one of his previous editions. If you do, and you despise hip hop as much as I do, don't waste your money, or get an earlier version.

Up until the early 90's, the Billboard charts actually were a true gauge of the top songs in the USA. If a song made the top 40, you had heard of it, and by the time it made the top 10, you were often starting to get sick of it. Then things changed, and within a few years, songs were going top 10, even to #1, that I'd never even heard of (thankfully in most cases).

Every now and then a song came along that was a worthy mass hit (some Madonna, Boys II Men, U2 etc.), but they are much harder to locate in this book due to the thug rap and all the songs by artists "featuring" another thug/hip-hop star(who are both given hit credit here, which makes it even harder to find the good stuff from years past). So from 1990-2000 (which this book goes up to), finding "household songs" that everybody knows is tough (Macarena & Whoomp..There It Is come to mind), unlike prior decades, when there were dozens in any given week that you could hum to, sing to, or smirk and say..."I hate that song".

The main reason while I'll never buy another BB of Top 40 Hits is that most music and radio has become so splintered, and the songs that I like don't get played and thus don't get charted. At this point I would settle for songs that I simply know of. But given the crude titles and filthy language of today's "hits", I don't really want to know these songs. The Billboard Hot 100 has lost any credibility as an accurate measure of what songs are truly popular; personally, I wish Whitburn would retire the franchise, as each new edition gets watered down with every new printing.

Just my opinion of course.

As a mobile disc jockey and former radio announcer, I couldn't survive without this book. Joel is the BEST! I have almost 20,000 songs in my collection and was able to find all the important info such as year, chart position, and who was in the groups that made the songs famous. I love using this book to play trivia during parties as I know the info is always correct. I'm on my third edition and it's the only book I use. I can't wait for the next one to be published. If you love music like I do, then this book is the one that will answer all your questions and needs for music trivia or just information for your own personal use. Steve Whateley, "Steve The D.J."

What was the first chart hit for the Coasters? What was the last hit by the Byrds? What was the Mystics only hit? How many hits did Shelley Fabares produce-and which star of M*A*S*H* was her second husband? And speaking of Girl Groups, how many chart makers did Arlene Smith and the Chantels have? - (Answers below). This reviewer first became aware of Mr. Whitburn's compiling skills via his wonderful and highly recommended "Top 40 Country" Hits". This volume is the perfect companion. By necessity, it is considerably heftier because it covers a far broader range of music. So much is here: Rock N' Roll, Pop, Easy Listening, Doo-Wop, Motown, the British Invasion, crossover Country hits and yes indeed-Girl Groups. Trivia mavens will delight in the 844 pages, one question will quickly lead to another: Just as in the Country version, Whitburn supplies an alphabetical listing of all versions of Billboard songs, and a list of the Top 100 Singles from 1955 on as measured by weeks on the charts. There is a listing of the top artists in those decades' most charted singles and most Top 10 singles. Plus so much more! The answers from the teasers above are: "Searchin'" (1957); "My Back Pages" (1967); "Hushabye" (1959); and 2 -"Johnny Angel" and "Johnny Loves Me" (1962). Shelley married B.J./ Captain Hunnicut, who is Mike Farrell in real life. Arlene, Sonia, Rene, Jackie and Lois had 4 chart makers from `58-'61 but appeared for many years at oldies/Doo -Wop concerts. Speaking of the preceding groups, this reader learned that the Byrds were American (!) and that "Now That Summer's Here" did not make the charts for Phil Cracolici and the Mystics. (It's bad form to mention a Doo-Wop group without listing the lead singer!). This reviewer interests are obviously from the `50s and `60s, but the `70s, `80s and `90s are well represented too. This readers' copy became quickly well worn and yours will too. A closing warning: If you don't know what a Girl Group is, then you are deep in the Dog House! Shirley, Ronni, Judy, Brenda, and Barbara, want to have a serious talk with you.

This book is a dream come true for any pop music fan. I purchased the first edition when it came out back in 1983. The editions that came later had few improvements other than adding extra years, but this one is much improved because it includes airplay-only singles. This is a valuable addition because during the 1990's many record labels have refused to release songs as singles, causing smash hits such as "One Headlight" "Iris" "Killing Me Softly" and "Walking on the Sun" to miss the Hot 100 entirely. This new edition now includes all top airplay-only hits and list sales and airplay chart positions for the more recent songs. In addition, it also notes Top 40 songs that topped the album rock and modern rock charts, something not included in previous editions. My only complaint is that airplay-only hits that appeared on the Hot 100 Airplay chart in 1998 nearly all have Dec 5, 1998 as the chart debut date, due to them suddenly becoming eligible for the regular Top 40 on that date due to a change in Billboard's chart policy. So a 1998 summer hit like "Iris" shows as entering the chart on Dec 5 when we all know it had been played to death on radio stations as far back as May and June of that year. Also, curiously, "Torn" by Natalie Imbroglia doesn't appear at all, despite reaching number one on the airplay chart. Hopefully this error will be corrected in the next printing.

Joel Whitburn's Top 40 books are indispensible to anyone in the music business! I've worked as a DJ for nearly 20 years, and have referred to Joel's books daily---I learned how to be an "Oldies" DJ thanks to his books---I'm now known as the "Trivia King" in my market thanks to his research! I can immediately locate the top song on a given date for my "Day in History" radio feature, and in my club work, can immediately play a tune that was at the top on a person's birthday. Since I also use the book as an inventory tool for my personal and club record collection, if a client asks---"Do you have---?" I can immediately tell if I have it! Many regulars ask if they can "see the book"---in fact, my former edition is worn out---I have to get two copies---one for the club, and one for myself! I can't wait for this book to be accessible by CD-ROM! I hope there are plans for this to happen!

First impressions aren't always correct, but sometimes they are! As soon as I received The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits in the mail and opened it for the first time, I could already tell that it was going to be a 5-star book, easily.

It's a book that supposedly lists every single Top 40 Hit from 1955 to 2000 in this, the 7th edition. It does more than give you a list, though! Take for instance, Guns N' Roses. It tells you a background about the group (the group members, where they formed, who married who, new members who joined, etc.), and then it lists each one of their songs in chronological order that reached the Top 40. The songs that reached the Top 10 are all in bold, and it goes even further than just a simple list of the songs yet again! For each and every song in the book, it tells the month, day, and year that the song reached its highest position, its peak position on the chart, how many weeks it stayed in the Top 40, and even the label (i.e. Atlantic or MCA). Finally, for thousands of the hits, it tells you how high it reached in sales and airplay (Sales #4 / Airplay #9, for instance), and if it was popular enough, there will be a shaded-in dot beside a song to recognize it as a gold single, or a triangle for a platinum single.

It just never gets old finding out things like, on June 6, 1992, Tom Cochrane's "Life Is A Highway" (one of my all-time favorites!) entered the charts and would soon be cruising along at #6, and on March 12, 1977, The Eagles's "Hotel California" was about to be flying high!

There are other little nitpicks that are listed as well, but those were the major ones. The majority of the book goes by alphabetical order of the artists, but in the back there's also an alphabetical list of the SONGS that reached the Top 40, with the artist, its peak position, and year it was a hit beside each song. FINALLY (this is the last finally, I promise you), there's one more excellent section of The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits that's entitled "The Record Holders." This is the section that serves as the nail in the coffin for the question, "Should I purchase this book?" You get a list of the Top 100 Singles, Top 100 Artists, Top Singles By Decade, which artists have had the most Top 10 singles, #1 hits by year, and much more!

Whew! There's no doubt whatsoever that The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits is one of the best books I've ever laid my hands on, period. Now, especially since my favorite kind of music is mid-70s - early 90s Rock, I can always look in this book and see how my favorite songs did on the charts, when they were there, which song was at #1 during certain periods of my life, and the list could go on for miles. This book can even be used for identifying songs you hear on the radio and it might could even introduce you to new artists (I found out that Surface has a couple of great songs!). In a fun and interesting way, you'll also find yourself scowling at certain songs because of the position they reached. How did Baltimora's "Tarzan Boy" not even crack the Top 10?!?!! Why was Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" such a huge hit? I don't like it!

But nothing in life is perfect, and this book is no exception. You'll notice a few sparse hits missing, such as Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn," but there are very few omissions. There are way more that didn't quite make the Top 40 that may make your jaw drop. I'm astounded that Wet Wet Wet's "Love Is All Around" and The James Gang's "Walk Away" didn't make it. One was ahead of its time and the latter came too late, after the musical tastes of the majority of Americans had changed, I suppose. If you're a big enough fan of any song or any artist to want to know how well they did on the charts either at a specific time or over their career, THIS is the book you can't live without!

Joel Whitburn's Top 40 books are an absolute necessity to anyone who enjoys popular music, but beware, they're just the tip of the iceberg. I started out with an early 80's copy, which I reduced to confetti. A second copy was eventually given to a friend, and the third copy serves me well to this day. The problem comes when you realize that a lot of the songs you've been searching for can only be found in the Billboard Hot 100 chart book or the Bubbling Under The Hot 100 book. Pretty soon you find yourself with your own music library, which is just what happened to me. This is one of those books that you can spend a day lost in, bouncing from one song to another and completely absorbed in the journey. Good times.