Top Ten

1980 Music Hits: New Wave, Rock, Dance-Pop, Early Rap, R&B, Disco Leftovers, and the Start of the 1980s Sound1980 music sounded like one decade was closing the door while the next one was already messing with the synthesizer. Disco was fading but not gone, New Wave was gaining ground, album rock stayed loud, pop radio […]

1982 Music Hits: New Wave, Dance, Early Hip-Hop, Pop Rock, MTV Favorites, Album Rock, and Early-1980s Hits 1982 music sounded like the 1980s had fully arrived and brought synthesizers, sharp guitars, dance beats, movie themes, early hip-hop, and an MTV-ready attitude with it. New Wave was everywhere, pop rock was bright and punchy, R&B and

1998 Music Hits: Pop Rock, Teen Pop, Hip-Hop, Swing Revival, Dance Hits, Alternative Rock, Soundtrack Ballads, and Late-1990s Favorites 1998 music had one foot in alternative rock and the other already stepping into the teen-pop explosion. Pop rock was everywhere, hip-hop crossover was huge, swing revival briefly made horn sections cool again, and movie soundtrack

1983 Music Hits: Michael Jackson, New Wave, MTV Pop, Dance Hits, Album Rock, Synth-Pop, and Early-1980s Favorites 1983 music sounded like the 1980s had found its full video-era identity. MTV was no longer a novelty; it was becoming a major force in pop culture. Michael Jackson dominated, New Wave went mainstream, synth-pop was everywhere, rock

1968 Music Hits: Soul, Psychedelic Rock, Motown, Bubblegum Pop, Hard Rock, Pop Dance, and Late-1960s Favorites 1968 music sounded like the late 1960s at full pressure. Soul was powerful, Motown was polished, psychedelic rock was stretching out, bubblegum pop was suddenly everywhere, and harder rock was starting to form the shape of the 1970s. AM

1984 Music Hits: MTV Pop, Dance Hits, Rock Anthems, Synth-Pop, Movie Songs, New Wave, and 1980s Favorites 1984 music was one of the defining years of the MTV era. Pop stars became video stars, movie soundtracks dominated radio, dance music got brighter, rock bands got bigger, and the line between music, fashion, video, and attitude

1986 Music Hits: Pop Rock, Dance Hits, Movie Songs, New Wave, R&B, Album Rock, and Mid-1980s Favorites 1986 music was polished, colorful, and fully locked into the MTV decade. Pop rock was huge, dance music was bright, R&B was sleek, movie soundtracks kept producing hits, and rock bands were learning how to sound big enough

1963 Music Hits: Girl Groups, Motown, Surf Rock, Doo-Wop, Dance Crazes, Novelty Songs, and Pre-Beatles Pop Favorites1963 music was the last full year of American pop before the Beatles and the British Invasion changed everything. Girl groups were booming, Motown was getting stronger, surf rock was all over the radio, doo-wop was still active, and

1990 Music Hits: Dance Pop, Hip-Hop, Club Hits, Alternative Rock, Hair Metal, R&B, and Early-1990s Favorites1990 music sounded like the 1980s were still in the building, but the 1990s had already grabbed the microphone. Dance-pop was huge, hip-hop crossed deeper into the mainstream, club music was everywhere, alternative rock kept gaining ground, and hair metal

1991 Music Hits: Dance Pop, Hip-Hop, New Jack Swing, Alternative Rock, R&B, Pop Rock, Power Ballads, and Early-1990s Favorites 1991 was a major turning point in music. Dance-pop, new jack swing, adult contemporary, hip-hop, and pop-rock were still dominating radio, but alternative rock was moving fast, and grunge was about to change the room. The

1955 Music Hits: Rock and Roll, Doo-Wop, Adult Pop, R&B, Jukebox Favorites, and Early Oldies Classics 1955 music was the year rock and roll stopped knocking politely and started rattling the windows. Traditional pop, vocal groups, movie songs, instrumentals, and crooners were still powerful, but records by Bill Haley, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley,

1992 Music Hits: Grunge, Hip-Hop, Dance Pop, Country Crossover, Alternative Rock, R&B, Power Ballads, and Early-1990s Favorites 1992 music was the year the early 1990s fully stopped sounding like leftover 1989. Grunge and alternative rock broke into the mainstream, hip-hop kept expanding, dance-pop filled clubs and radio, country crossover had a major moment, and R&B

1965 Music Hits: The Beatles, Motown, British Invasion Rock, Soul, Girl Groups, Garage Bands, Folk-Rock, and Pop Favorites1965 music was one of the great collision years in pop history. The Beatles were fully established, The Rolling Stones were getting louder, Motown was in peak form, soul music was becoming tougher, folk-rock was breaking through, and

1993 Music Hits: Dance Pop, Hip-Hop, Alternative Rock, R&B, Pop Rock, Grunge, and Early-1990s Favorites1993 music was loud, colorful, strange, and unmistakably early-1990s. Alternative rock had moved into the mainstream, hip-hop was getting sharper and bigger, dance-pop was still everywhere, R&B vocal groups ruled radio, and pop-rock bands filled the space between college radio and

1994 Music Hits: Alternative Rock, R&B, Hip-Hop, Dance Pop, Movie Songs, Women-Led Rock, and Mid-1990s Favorites 1994 music was one of the defining years of the mid-1990s. Alternative rock was everywhere, R&B vocal groups dominated pop radio, hip-hop had major crossover strength, dance-pop stayed active, and soundtrack songs still had huge cultural reach. The biggest

1957 Music Hits: Rock and Roll, Doo-Wop, Calypso, Teen Idols, R&B, Country Crossover, and Early Oldies Classics1957 was one of the great early rock and roll years. Elvis Presley was everywhere, Chuck Berry and Fats Domino were helping shape rock’s vocabulary, Jerry Lee Lewis was pounding the piano like it owed him money, doo-wop was

1995 Music Hits: Alternative Rock, Hip-Hop, Dance Pop, R&B, Adult Rock, Britpop, Post-Grunge, and Mid-1990s Favorites 1995 music had the mid-1990s in full swing. Alternative rock was still huge, hip-hop was becoming more central to pop culture, R&B vocal groups dominated radio, dance-pop kept clubs and school dances busy, and adult rock filled the space

1966 Music Hits: Motown, Soul, Garage Rock, British Invasion, Folk-Rock, Adult Pop, Dance Hits, and Classic 1960s Favorites 1966 music was one of the great turning-point years of the 1960s. Adult pop still had elegance; Motown and soul were running hot; garage rock was getting fuzzier and louder; folk-rock was blooming; and British Invasion bands

1996 Music Hits: Dance Pop, Alternative Rock, Hip-Hop, R&B, Britpop, Movie Songs, and Mid-1990s Favorites 1996 music was one of the most recognizable mid-1990s years. Dance-pop was still huge, alternative rock was everywhere, hip-hop and R&B were getting stronger, Britpop crossed into American awareness, and movie songs still had major radio power. The biggest 1996

1999 Music Hits: Teen Pop, Latin Pop, Dance Hits, Hip-Hop, Alternative Rock, Nu-Metal, Pop Rock, and TRL-Era Favorites 1999 music was a bright, loud, end-of-the-century explosion. Teen pop was suddenly massive, Latin pop had a major crossover moment, hip-hop was everywhere, pop-rock still filled radio, dance-pop stayed busy, and nu-metal and rap-rock were getting louder

1956 Music Hits: Elvis Presley, Rock and Roll, Doo-Wop, R&B, Country Crossover, Adult Pop, and Early Oldies Classics 1956 music was the year rock and roll fully kicked open the door. Elvis Presley crossed pop, R&B, and country in a way no one had quite done before, while Little Richard, Carl Perkins, Frankie Lymon, Fats

1967 Music Hits: Soul, Psychedelic Rock, San Francisco Sounds, Motown, Bubblegum Pop, Dance Hits, and Classic 1960s Favorites1967 music was one of the biggest turning points of the 1960s. Soul music was powerful, Motown was polished, psychedelic rock was breaking into the mainstream, San Francisco bands were becoming national names, and pop radio still had