Playlists

1986 Music Hits: Top Songs, Radio Favorites, and Pop Classics 1986 music was peak mid-80s: big pop ballads, MTV-ready rock, dance-pop, funk, synth-pop, movie soundtrack hits, rap crossover moments, and a few novelty records that somehow survived the decade with their leg warmers intact. Dionne & Friends, Robert Palmer, Prince, Run-D.M.C., Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Berlin, […]

1985 Music Hits: Big Rock, Pop Royalty, Movie Songs, R&B, and MTV Flash 1985 music hits sounded like the full middle chapter of the 1980s: bright, loud, dramatic, stylish, and occasionally wearing sunglasses indoors for no practical reason. Rock bands were everywhere, pop stars were becoming full-scale video icons, R&B was smooth and polished, and

1984 Music Hits: MTV Pop, Purple Rain, Movie Songs, Rock Anthems, and Synth-Pop Everywhere1984 music hits landed right in the sweet spot of the MTV era. Pop stars had become video stars, movie soundtracks were feeding the charts, rock bands were still filling arenas, and synth-pop seemed to be coming out of every keyboard with

1982 Music Hits: Rock Anthems, New Wave, R&B, Early Hip-Hop, and Big Soundtrack Moments 1982 music hits caught pop music in the middle of a major shift. Classic rock and arena rock still had plenty of power, new wave and synth-pop were moving into the mainstream, R&B and funk were getting sleeker, and hip-hop was

1981 Popular Music Chart: Arena Rock, Funk, Soft Rock, New Wave, and Early MTV Energy 1981 popular music sat right at the edge of a major pop-culture shift. MTV launched in August, rock bands were still ruling radio, funk and R&B were bringing deep grooves, soft rock ballads were everywhere, and new wave was starting

1980 Music Hits: Top Songs, Radio Favorites, and Pop Classics 1980 music was a true bridge year between the late 1970s and the new sound of the 1980s. Classic rock, disco, funk, soft rock, country crossover, early rap, new wave, and movie songs all shared the same radio space. AC/DC, Queen, Pink Floyd, Blondie, Michael

1979 Top 100 Pop Music Hits: Disco Peaks, Rock Pushes Back, New Wave Arrives, and Pop Gets Weird   1979 pop music hits captured one of the most fascinating handoff years in music history. Disco was still huge, rock was pushing back with guitars and attitude, new wave was starting to sneak into the mainstream,

1978 Music Hits: Disco, Grease, Classic Rock, Soft Rock, and New Wave Sparks1978 music hits were dominated by disco, movie soundtracks, classic rock, and soft rock, with new wave and punk-inspired sounds beginning to peek around the corner. The year still had one foot on the dance floor and the other in the arena, which

1977 Music Hits: Disco, Star Wars, Classic Rock, Soft Rock, and Funk 1977 music hits captured a huge transition year in pop culture. Disco was rising fast, classic rock was still filling arenas, movie themes were becoming radio events, and soft rock had a firm grip on the adult contemporary side of the dial. It

1976 Music Hits: Top Songs, Radio Favorites, and Pop Classics 1976 music mixed disco, funk, classic rock, soft rock, soul, novelty hits, and pop radio favorites. Wild Cherry, KC and the Sunshine Band, Donna Summer, Queen, Kiss, Boston, Heart, Steve Miller Band, and Peter Frampton all helped shape a year where dance floors, FM rock,

1975 Music Hits: Disco Breakthroughs, Funk, Classic Rock, Country-Pop, and Jaws 1975 music hits captured a year when disco and funk were moving hard into the mainstream, classic rock was still stretching out, and soft rock had no trouble finding a radio home. It was the kind of year where Get Down Tonight, Thank God

1974 Music Hits: Southern Rock, Funk, Soul, Soft Rock, Novelty Songs, and Movie Themes1974 music hits landed in a wide-open pop world where rock, soul, funk, country-pop, novelty records, and movie music could all share the same radio dial. It was the kind of year where Sweet Home Alabama, Tubular Bells, Piano Man, Kung Fu

1973 Music Hits: Soul, Classic Rock, Singer-Songwriters, Funk, and AM Radio Variety 1973 music hits captured a year when soul, classic rock, soft rock, funk, country crossover, and novelty songs all shared the same radio space. It was the kind of year where Let’s Get It On, Money, Time in a Bottle, Love Train, Frankenstein,

1972 Music Hits: Classic Rock, Soul, Singer-Songwriters, Country Crossover, and AM Radio Variety 1972 music hits came from a wide-open year on the radio, where rock, soul, folk-pop, country crossover, novelty songs, and early glam all shared space. It was the kind of year where American Pie, Lean on Me, Rock and Roll, Let’s Stay

1971 Music Hits: Classic Rock, Soul, Singer-Songwriters, Country Rock, and AM Radio Gold 1971 music hits captured one of the richest years of the early ’70s, with classic rock, soul, singer-songwriters, country crossover, gospel-flavored pop, and album rock all crowding the same radio dial. It was the kind of year where You’ve Got a Friend,

1969 Music Hits: Soul, Classic Rock, Pop, Psychedelia, Country Crossover, and AM Radio Gold 1969 music hits captured the sound of a decade as it reached its final act. Rock was getting heavier, soul and Motown were still powerful, country crossover was finding pop audiences, and bubblegum pop was cheerfully refusing to leave the room.

1968 Music Hits: Soul, Classic Rock, Psychedelia, Country-Pop, and AM Radio Variety 1968 music hits captured a year when soul, rock, psychedelia, country crossover, folk-pop, and novelty songs all shared the same crowded radio dial. It was the kind of year where (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay, Dance to the Music, I Heard

1967 Music Hits: Soul, Psychedelic Rock, Motown, Pop, and the Summer of Love 1967 music hits captured one of the most famous years in pop history, with soul, Motown, psychedelic rock, British Invasion bands, sunshine pop, and folk-rock all fighting for radio space. It was the year of the Summer of Love, but the charts

1966 Music Hits: Top Songs, Radio Favorites, and Pop Classics Summer Wind – Frank Sinatra I’m a Believer – The Monkees When a Man Loves a Woman – Percy Sledge Wild Thing – The Troggs Mustang Sally – Wilson Pickett This Old Heart of Mine – The Isley Brothers Devil with the Blue Dress –

1965 Music Hits: Motown, British Invasion, Soul, Folk Rock, and Pop Radio Gold1965 music hits captured a major turning point in pop history, with Motown, soul, British Invasion bands, folk rock, garage rock, and polished AM radio all fighting for space on the same dial. It was the kind of year where Unchained Melody, My

1964 Music Hits: Beatlemania, Motown, Surf Rock, Girl Groups, and AM Radio Classics1964 music hits captured a pop world in full motion, with Beatlemania reshaping radio, Motown gaining power, surf rock still riding high, and girl groups delivering some of the decade’s most dramatic singles. It was the kind of year where Twist and Shout,

1963 Music Hits: Surf Rock, Motown, Girl Groups, Novelty Songs, and Early ’60s Pop 1963 music hits captured a lively pre-Beatles pop world filled with surf rock, girl groups, Motown, teen idols, dance records, novelty songs, country crossover, and polished adult pop. It was the kind of year where Yakety Sax, Louie Louie, Up on

1962 Music Hits: Twist Records, Surf Rock, Girl Groups, Soul, Teen Idols, and Early ’60s Pop1962 music hits caught pop music in motion. The Twist was still going strong, surf rock was starting to rise, girl groups were moving toward their golden age, country and folk crossed into pop, and instrumental records could still become

1961 Music Hits: Soul, Doo-Wop, Teen Pop, Country Crossover, Dance Crazes, and Early Rock Classics1961 music hits captured pop music right before the British Invasion changed the whole conversation. American radio was packed with doo-wop groups, teen idols, early Motown, soul singers, country crossover hits, jazz instrumentals, novelty records, and dance songs that kept teenagers

1960 Music Hits: Top Songs, Radio Favorites, and Pop Classics 1960 music sat right at the crossroads between the 1950s rock-and-roll era and the smoother pop, soul, dance, and teen-idol sounds of the early 1960s. Chubby Checker, Elvis Presley, Brenda Lee, Sam Cooke, The Drifters, Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, Bobby Rydell, Connie Francis, and The