Weird Al emerged, post-punk exploded, and DJing matured in 1981
1. Kim Carnes, “Bette Davis Eyes”
2. Diana Ross & Lionel Richie, “Endless Love”
3. Kenny Roger, “Lady”
4. John Lennon,…
Off The Charts
To commemorate 60 years of the Billboard Hot 100, Off The Charts revisits each year since it was established to spotlight songs and artists that didn’t make the cut, yet still made a significant impact.
1998 somehow brought us boy bands, nü-metal, and Neutral Milk Hotel
1. Next, “Too Close”
2. Brandy and Monica, “The Boy Is Mine”
3. Shania Twain, “You’re Still The One”
4. Savage Garden,…
Beyond The Beatles: The protopunks, French classics, and ska pioneers of 1964
1. The Beatles, “I Want To Hold Your Hand”
2. The Beatles, “She Loves You”
3. Louis Armstrong, “Hello, Dolly!”
4. Roy…
The Modern Lovers, Pere Ubu, and Blondie were ready to rip up 1976
1. Wings, “Silly Love Songs”
2. Elton John & Kiki Dee, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”
3. Johnnie Taylor, “Disco Lady”
4. The…
Gram Parsons, Betty Davis, and Neu! punctured the bloat of 1973
1. Tony Orlando And Dawn, “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree”
2. Jim Croce, “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”
3. Roberta…
David Bowie, The Monks, and Steve Reich were buried under one of rock’s biggest years
1. The Mamas & The Papas, “California Dreamin”
2. Question Mark And The Mysterians, “96 Tears”
3. Jimmy Ruffin, “What…
St. Vincent, No Age, and Yeasayer were the next wave of 2007
1. Beyoncé, “Irreplaceable”
2. Rihanna, “Umbrella (feat. Jay Z)”
3. Gwen Stefani (feat. Akon), “The Sweet Escape”
4.…
Muddy Waters, Loretta Lynn, and The Phantom were the jukebox gems of 1960
1. Percy Faith, “Theme From A Summer Place”
2. Jim Reeves, “He’ll Have To Go”
3. The Everly Brothers, “Cathy’s Clown”
4.…
The Stooges, Nico, and Swamp Dogg were the underground heroes of 1970
1. Simon & Garfunkel, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
2. The Carpenters, “(They Long To Be) Close To You”
3. The Guess Who,…
The Rapture, Ladytron, and The Streets had the true hits of 2002
1. Nickelback, “How You Remind Me”
2. Ashanti, “Foolish”
3. Nelly, “Hot In Herre”
4. Nelly (feat. Kelly Rowland), “Dilemma”
…
Aphex Twin, Curve, and Jawbreaker had the best-kept secret hits of 1992
1. Boyz II Men, “End Of The Road”
2. Sir Mix-A-Lot, “Baby Got Back”
3. Kriss Kross, “Jump”
4. Vanessa Williams, “Save The…
Bauhaus, Run-DMC, Cocteau Twins, and other should’ve-been hits from 1983
On August 4, 1958, Billboard put Ricky Nelson’s “Poor Little Fool” atop a brand-new chart it dubbed the Hot 100. Prior…