Not So Lonely at the Top:Billboard#1s and a New Methodology for Comparing Records, 1958–75

Abstract

A Microsoft Excel database was constructed of the weekly entries in the Billboard Hot 100® from its appearance in 4 August 1958 through the lifecycle of all records entering the chart before 31 December 1975. The distribution of peak position of records in this era is shown, including the large percentage of #1s; more records peak at #1 than at any other rank. The number of records appearing annually and, consequently, the average chart time varies markedly over the period. The database is also used to compare previously published chart performance methodologies, all of which depend upon chart lifetime. A new system, normalizing individual record score against an internal standard of contemporaneous records, mitigates the effect of the varying average chart lifetime over the period. Thus, it allows improved comparison of chart performance over time, and near consensus on the 20 strongest-charting records of the chosen era.

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