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Joel Whitburn

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 9th Edition: Complete Chart Information about America's Most Popular Songs and Artists, 1955-2009 Paperback – October 5, 2010

by Joel Whitburn (Author)

403 ratings

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The Essential Reference Guide to America’s Most Popular Songs and Artists Spanning More than Fifty Years of Music

Beginning with Bill Haley & His Comets’ seminal “Rock Around the Clock” all the way up to Lady Gaga and her glammed-out “Poker face,” this updated and unparalleled resource contains the most complete chart information on every artist and song to hit Billboard’s Top 40 pop singles chart all the way back to 1955. Inside, you’ll find all of the biggest-selling, most-played hits for the past six decades. Each alphabetized artist entry includes biographical info, the date their single reached the Top 40, the song’s highest position, and the number of weeks on the charts, as well as the original record label and catalog number. Other sections—such as “Record Holders,” “Top Artists by Decade,” and “#1 Singles 1955-2009”—make The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits the handiest and most indispensable music reference for record collectors, trivia enthusiasts, industry professionals and pop music fans alike.

Did you know?

   • Beyoncé’s 2003 hit “Crazy in Love” spent 24 weeks in the Top 40 and eight of them in the #1 spot.
   • Billy Idol has had a total of nine Top 40 hits over his career, the last being “Cradle of Love” in 1990.
   • Of Madonna’s twelve #1 hits, her 1994 single “Take a Bow” held the spot the longest, for seven weeks—one week longer than her 1984 smash “Like a Virgin.”
   • Marvin Gaye’s song “Sexual Healing” spent 15 weeks at #3 in 1982, while the same song was #1 on the R&B chart for 10 weeks.
   • Male vocal group Boyz II Men had three of the biggest chart hits of all time during the 1990s.
   • The Grateful Dead finally enjoyed a Top 10 single in 1987 after 20 years of touring.
   • Janet Jackson has scored an impressive 39 Top 40 hits—one more than her megastar brother Michael!

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Print length

912 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Billboard Books
Publication date

October 5, 2010
Dimensions

7 x 1.9 x 9.17 inches
ISBN-10

0823085546
ISBN-13

978-0823085545

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

JOEL WHITBURN, widely recognized as the foremost authority on charted music, has published more than 100 books based on Billboard charts both for the trade market and for his own mail-order company, Record Research, based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. Record Research began as a hobby and is now a liscensee of Billboard magazine. Joel's other Billboard Books titles include The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits and The Billboard Book of Top 40 R&B and Hip-Hop Hits.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Billboard Books
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 5, 2010
Edition ‏ : ‎ Revised, Expanded
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 912 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0823085546
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0823085545
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.59 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 1.9 x 9.17 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #1,070,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #547 in Music Encyclopedias
- #809 in Music Reference (Books)
- #938 in Popular Music (Books)
Customer Reviews:
403 ratings

About the author

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Joel Whitburn

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Joel Whitburn invented music-chart research. Joel began collecting records as a teenager in the 1950s. As his collection grew, he began to set out to sort, categorize and file each record according to the highest position it reached on Billboard magazine's charts. To do so, he opened his collection of weekly Billboard issues and began to detail on 3"x5" cards, each song's journey on the charts. Joel finally published his data in a book simply titled "Record Research," and a business was born. In the five-plus decades that followed, Joel and his Record Research team researched with unmatched degree of depth and detail not only the music charts of Billboard but also those of other music industry trade magazines Cash Box, Gavin Report, Radio & Record, and Music Vendor/Record World. Since 1970, Joel Whitburn's Record Research has published nearly 300 books.

With worldwide recognition as the most authoritative historian on charted music, Joel also collaborated with Warner/Rhino Records in creating a series of 150 CD albums, plus five CD albums with Curb Records.

Joel’s own record collection remains unrivaled the world over and includes every charted Hot 100 and pop single (back to 1936), every charted pop album (back to 1945), collections of nearly every charted Country, R&B, Bubbling Under The "Hot 100" and Adult Contemporary records.

Joel's passion for music, old and new, and his penchant for accurate detail was lifelong. He spent his final day in this life at his desk researching, as sharp as ever. Joel's beloved employees share his heart for the charts and are maintaining his legacy with ongoing research and new projects on the horizon.

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Customer reviews

403 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a gold standard of chart information, particularly useful for trivia enthusiasts and music lovers. Moreover, the content is well-organized alphabetically by artist, and one customer notes it includes other useful lists sorted by year. Additionally, customers appreciate the book's value, with one describing it as "worth its weight in gold." They enjoy using it as a reference, and one customer mentions it provides a detailed history of the Billboard rock era.

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Information quality Music knowledge Biography Value for money Enjoyment Content Arranged by artist History

50 customers mention "Information quality"50 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be an invaluable reference material, describing it as the gold standard of chart information and a terrific guide for trivia enthusiasts.

"Already had a copy, this is a great backup and resource." Read more

"Great Reference this is my third one. I had 1955-1995 then 1955-2000, now 1955-2009. Used so much the pages began falling out." Read more

"...I can't wait for a new one to come out. It's a great reference book and gives you a lot of information about all the great music from the past and..." Read more

"Great reference book" Read more

18 customers mention "Music knowledge"18 positive0 negative

Customers find this book to be a great reference for music lovers, with one mentioning it lists every song and another noting it provides #1 songs by year.

"...reference book and gives you a lot of information about all the great music from the past and present and all about the artist...." Read more

"Great addition to the Music Library" Read more

"...and valuable reference for musicians, DJs, record collectors and music enthusiasts...." Read more

"a must for the music lover" Read more

11 customers mention "Biography"10 positive1 negative

Customers appreciate the book's biographical content, with one customer highlighting the short bios on each artist/group, while another notes its comprehensive artist rankings based on chart performance.

"...If there was ever an argument settler, this is it. Biography of the artist, all their top 40 hits arranged by artist, then again by song title...." Read more

"...in a compilation of the biggest hits from 1955 to 2009 and facts about the artists...." Read more

"...This book has short bios on each artist/group. Very informative. Great for trivia. You can't go wrong with any of his books !!!!" Read more

"...There's also a great index of the top artists by decade and of all time along with the scoring matrix to explain it...." Read more

11 customers mention "Value for money"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book worth its price, with one describing it as the best reference book money can buy.

"...I would give this ten stars but they cut us off at five. Well worth the money if you're into music and should be in every music library." Read more

"...variations of Billboard chart info books in print, but this is the most valuable and basic reference source available...." Read more

"...The information is very good and valuable but the formatting of the Kindle version should be redone." Read more

"...America's Top 40 and America's Top on television, This book was worth the money." Read more

9 customers mention "Enjoyment"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable, spending hours reading it and using it as a reference, with one customer particularly enjoying looking up various groups and bands.

"Have 7th edition; needed an updated version. Fun to use as reference." Read more

"...It is also just fun to read for anyone who just likes popular music...." Read more

"...So it is both entertaining and useful. I guess it's all a matter of perspective, but since I received my copy it has never been up on the shelf...." Read more

"...Snippets of history and trivia of artists and groups. Hours of fun!" Read more

8 customers mention "Content"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's comprehensive content, with one mentioning hundreds of pages of information, while another notes it includes useful lists sorted by year and has a nice index in the back.

"...Easy to read with nice charts and lists that provide a detailed history of the Billboard rock era." Read more

"...lists every song to ever hit the Billboard Top 40 and has a nice index in the back with a list of #1 hits broken down by year and the top 25 songs..." Read more

"...Its just as good as his old one, just has a ton of new content. Pros: - Blurbs about the bands are included in some entries -..." Read more

"...putting together classic cd collections by using this book helps me keep all my records,cd's and LP's in correct order because of the years and the..." Read more

7 customers mention "Arranged by artist"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate that the book is arranged alphabetically by artist, making it easy to use as a reference tool.

"...Well organized. I recommend." Read more

"...It contains the info you need and the layout makes it easy to use...." Read more

"...This book is arranged alphabetically by artist and includes other useful lists sorted by year, most top hits, etc...." Read more

"...The book is essentially organized by artist and their chart achievements, but there are also smaller sections where song titles are organized..." Read more

6 customers mention "History"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's historical content, with one customer noting it provides a detailed history of the Billboard rock era, while another mentions it adds another 10 years of data.

"...Snippets of history and trivia of artists and groups. Hours of fun!" Read more

"I'am a DJ and this book is the best information on the history of are songs and Artists of this past hits of American music that I need to know when..." Read more

"...Easy to read with nice charts and lists that provide a detailed history of the Billboard rock era." Read more

"...2000 I was pleasantly surprised to find this edition which adds another 10 years of data...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

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Susan Needham
Look up your favorites
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Cool for music lovers

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R. Dixon
Great Reference!!!
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2010
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This book is probably the greatest single reference for the modern popular music fan. The last edition of "Top 40 Hits" that I owned only covered up to 1990, and it was around 600 pages long. This new edition goes all the way up to 2009 and it's huge---900 pages---almost a third longer. I have been without one of these Whitburn "Top 40" references for a while and I had forgotten how much I missed having it as a music listening tool. With this book you can identify your favorite top 40 hit record (from 2009 back to 1955) when you hear it on the radio, or just look up your favorite song titles to see when they were hits, and learn their peak chart position. Or you can see just how many of your favorite band or artist's songs made it to Top 40 hit status. The thoroughness of Whitburn's research is unbelievable! In this latest edition there is still trivia about many of the bands and artists including listings of many bandmembers and their previous and subsequent musical involvement. And in the hands of a skilled music programmer, this book is a powerful programming tool. So it is both entertaining and useful. I guess it's all a matter of perspective, but since I received my copy it has never been up on the shelf. It is out on the table, and used almost constantly. This was some of the best reference book money I have spent in a long time.

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25 people found this helpful

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Randall L. Turner
I purchased this one to enjoy in my leisure time
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This book was a vital source of information when I was in the radio business. I've worn out two copies over the past twenty-plus years and am now on my third copy. Being a music lover with an appetite for knowledge of Top 40 chart history, I purchased this one to enjoy in my leisure time.

Thanks to Joel Whitburn and his staff for their diligence in compiling the chart information in this book. There are many variations of Billboard chart info books in print, but this is the most valuable and basic reference source available. It contains the info you need and the layout makes it easy to use. If you're into music research or just hungry for personal info about your favorite songs, this is the book you want. There has been a copy of this book in every radio control room I've ever stepped into. I honestly don't know what I would have done without this book and the valuable information it contains.

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6 people found this helpful

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Rob
An excellent resource for music
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2013
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I've been using Joel Whitburn's books since I was in middle school (and they were a lot thinner back then). They're a great resource for anyone who works with music as a DJ or who just loves music trivia. I have the Kindle edition, which is perfect for what I do. I carry it everywhere in my Kindle PaperWhite and my Nexus 7. For serious work, I use the Cloud Reader. The Kindle navigation is very helpful.

This edition lists every song to ever hit the Billboard Top 40 and has a nice index in the back with a list of #1 hits broken down by year and the top 25 songs of each decade. I use these to build my playlists and find music to add to my collection. There's also a great index of the top artists by decade and of all time along with the scoring matrix to explain it.

The only thing I'd like to see added is a copy of the Billboard End of Year Top 100 charts for each year. Also, because the "Top 40" has become a train wreck of music since about 1990, I'd like to see a similar compilation done for the "Hot AC" format, but that's just me.

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8 people found this helpful

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T. Curry
Great reference for popular American-charted songs and charted songs
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2023
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
There is nothing more to say. Great book as a reference for popular songs in the USA
and American charts.
Question: How many songs total listed here? I wish to do an estimation of
how much data or gigabytes ALL the songs listed here would take up?
.WAV or .FLAC files estimates if ALL of the popular songs were collected in
a library like for radio station. Thank you.

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One person found this helpful

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HW
If You Love Top 40 Music This Book Is A MUST!
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
If you're a fan of Pop Music btwn 1955-2009 this is one of the BEST books ever to buy for yourself or as a gift. You'll hear a song on the radio you haven't heard in a long while, will open the book to find out where it charted and will find yourself 30 minutes later leafing through it looking up songs/bands you love. It's mind-blowing. Discovering that The Who only ever peaked at #9 while other one hit wonders only charted in the Top 40 once and peaked at #1? It's awesome. I own this book and have given it as a gift to a bunch of people and it's always a BIG hit. I've read that this Vol. (Vol. 9) is the last one to be printed. I also own Vol. 8 and that's just as great. Grab one of these (all of the ones I've purchased I bought used through Amazon) before they become even harder/more expensive to find. They're definitely worth it!

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6 people found this helpful

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Roy Sparks
Excellent and invaluable resource.
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2020
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This book is wonderful and exactly as it's billed. And unlike most Joel Whitburn books it's not horribly ugly (they really have some terrible designers, there). I have picked it up at least once a day since purchasing it a month or so ago. Highly recommended.

I had to dock a star, though, because the cover's glossy laminate removed itself within a couple of weeks. The book is still in decent shape, but the low quality doesn't necessarily instill a lot of faith that the book will last me as long as I'd hoped. Without the glossy film on the cover, it's basically thin poster-board, and susceptible to moisture and bends too easily.

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2 people found this helpful

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Professor59
Great condition
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2024
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I had been looking for this book for a while, since every site that claimed to have it, did not.
Among the used books, I chose this seller, paying a $15 premium over cover price. Luckily, the condition of the book, used only at a library (and never checked out) was pristine.
The gift recipient was very happy with it, and enjoyed updating his 3rd edition with this 9th edition. No longer will his musical takes end in the early 80s!

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S. Tong
Good reference guide for American pop music charts
Reviewed in Australia on August 8, 2023
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

A good reference for American Billboard pop music charts from 1955 to 2009. It includes mainly the top 40 charted singles released by the artists within the period. The book provides enough information for me to discover many other songs and artists that I haven't heard before. Great for any pop music lovers.

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Peter Höller
Tolle Aufmachung - toller Inhalt!
Reviewed in Germany on January 21, 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Endlich wieder auf einem neueren Stand! War bisher im Besitz einer Ausgabe
von 1973! Damals zwar noch Top 100, aber das hätte den Umfang der neuen
Ausgabe (900 Seiten) eindeutig gesprengt! Ein Muss für jeden Sammler!

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Ricardo V.
Excelente Libro
Reviewed in Mexico on May 3, 2022
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Es un excelente compendio de éxitos de los Artistas y Canciones de EUA de año 1955 al 2009.
Muy detallado y gráficamente sencillo de comprender.

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Barrie Kelley
Marvellous reference material
Reviewed in Canada on December 29, 2020
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This book is a wealth of information for collectors and music history nerds like myself.

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Edward L Swan
Good but not up to date at February 2025
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Good but now out of date.

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The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 9th Edition: Complete Chart Information about America's Most Popular Songs and Artists, 1955-2009 Paperback – October 5, 2010

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Top reviews from the United States

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Top reviews from other countries

4.0 out of 5 stars Good reference guide for American pop music charts

5.0 out of 5 stars Tolle Aufmachung - toller Inhalt!

5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente Libro

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvellous reference material

5.0 out of 5 stars Good but not up to date at February 2025

Good reference guide for American pop music charts

Tolle Aufmachung - toller Inhalt!

Excelente Libro

Marvellous reference material

Good but not up to date at February 2025