Chart Beat
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On Feb. 13, 1988, Rosanne Cash’s “Tennessee Flat Top Box” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
The song, about a young boy aspiring to become a country music star, was authored by Cash’s father, the legendary Johnny Cash. The Man in Black’s version reached No. 11 in 1962.
“Tennessee,” from Cash’s LP King’s Record Shop, marked her seventh of 11 Hot Country Songs No. 1s among 15 top 10s banked in 1981-89.
With a quartet of Hot Country Songs No. 1s in 1988 alone, Cash is one of just nine acts with four or more leaders in a single year. Charlie Rich logged a one-year record five No. 1s in 1974, while Buck Owens (1965), Sonny James (1970), Dolly Parton (1974), Merle Haggard (1975), Ronnie Milsap (1980), Alabama (1985) and Garth Brooks (1991 and 1993) have each tallied four, in addition to Cash.
Here’s a recap of Cash’s 11 Hot Country Songs No. 1s:
“Seven Year Ache,” May 23, 1981“My Baby Thinks He’s a Train,” Nov. 14, 1981“Blue Moon With a Heartache,” March 13, 1982“I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me,” Sept. 7, 1985“Never Be You,” Jan. 25, 1986“The Way We Make a Broken Heart,” Oct. 10, 1987“Tennessee Flat Top Box,” Feb. 13, 1988“It’s Such a Small World,” with Rodney Crowell, April 30, 1988“If You Change Your Mind,” July 16, 1988“Runaway Train,” Nov. 12, 1988“I Don’t Want To Spoil the Party,” June 24, 1989
Cash, who wrote or co-wrote four of her Hot Country Songs No. 1 hits, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015. “This is the award that I’ve always wanted,” she told Billboard at the time. “[The] most compelling force in my life is to be a songwriter, and a good songwriter.”
The versatile artist, now 67, has infused rock, pop, and folk influences during her career. Her 2018 set She Remembers Everything reached No. 16 on Top Country Albums and No. 5 on Americana/Folk Albums.
Shania Twain is the undisputed queen of the U.K. albums chart as her sixth studio album, Queen of Me (EMI), opens at No. 1.
The Canadian country veteran bags her third Official U.K. No. 1, as Queen of Me sees off the challenge of Raye’s debut album My 21st Century Blues (Human Re Sources), less than 2,500 chart units behind for a second-place start, the Official Charts Company reports.
Queen Of Me is Shania’s sixth U.K. 10 top album, which includes the leaders Come On Over (1998) and Now (2017), and it’s the week’s best-seller on vinyl.
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A triumphant Twain showed off her chart award with a social post. “Wow! I’m Waking Up Dreaming in London!,” she writes. “I’ve been waiting and waiting to share this music with you and I’m glad it’s finally being heard – this is just the beginning and I can’t wait to see these songs live a long life!”
Queen of Me is just Twain’s third album in 20 years, and its release follows several major health setbacks for the 57-year-old singer. “It’s a really different time in the music industry, different to my previous experiences of releasing albums and it feels like it’s harder than ever to be heard – which makes this number one feel so frigging great! I love this record, it makes me feel good and I hope it makes you feel good too!”
Meanwhile, Scottish indie trio Young Fathers earn a career-first U.K. top 10 with Heavy Heavy (Ninja Tune), their fourth studio album. It’s new at No. 7, besting the chart performance of their 2014 Mercury Prize-winning debut Dead (No. 35 peak), and 2018’s Cocoa Sugar (No. 28).
With the announcement of her 2023 world tour, Beyoncé’s former leader Renaissance (Columbia/Parkwood Ent) finds new chart life, up 72-12.
Also making an impact on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published Feb. 10, is The WAEVE, as their eponymously-named Transgressive album bows at No. 30. The duo features Graham Coxon and former The Pipettes singer Rose Elinor Dougall.
Miley Cyrus “Flowers” (Columbia) continues to grow in the U.K., where it logs a full month at No. 1.
Accumulating more than 9.3 million streams during the latest cycle, “Flowers” continues its streak as the most-streamed track in the U.K. for a fourth consecutive week.
“Flowers” is by some distance Miley’s longest-reigning No. 1 in the U.K., beating the single-week runs for her previous leaders “We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball,” both from 2013.
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After enjoying a second, viral life on TikTok, U.S. R&B singer Miguel continues his march up the U.K. chart with “Sure Thing” (Jive). Miguel’s 2010 release lifts 6-4 for a new peak.
Hotly-tipped British singer and songwriter PinkPantheress nabs her first U.K. top 10 with “Boy’s a liar” (Warner Records), up 45-8 on the latest chart, published Feb. 10. “Boy’s a liar” flies following the release of a remix featuring rising U.S. rapper Ice Spice. PinkPantheress won the BBC Sound of 2022, an annual poll that has previously been awarded to the likes of Adele, Sam Smith, Haim and Jessie J.
Also cracking the U.K. top 10 is Tiësto and Tate McRae’s party number “10:35” up 13-10. “10:35” becomes Tiësto’s fifth and Tate’s second U.K. top 10 appearance.
Finally, there’s new peaks for U.S. rapper and singer Coi Leray, as “Players” (Uptown/Republic Records) improves 19-12; Australian rapper and singer The Kid LAROI’s “Love Again” (Columbia) rises 18-16; Afrobeats artist Libianca’s “People” (5K) bounces 22-17; Philadelphia singer and songwriter Lizzy McAlpine makes her top 40 debut with “Ceilings” (Harbour Artists & Music) up 50-27; Pink’s collaboration with Fred Again, “Trustfall” (RCA), soars 59-28, for the Philly native’s 38th U.K. top 40 single; and U.S. teen D4VD (pronounced David) snags a second top 40 entry as “Here With Me” (Darkroom) improves 46-40.
SZA’s SOS jumps back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Feb. 18), collecting an eighth nonconsecutive week atop the list. It earned 100,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 9 (up less than 1%), according to Luminate.
The last album by a woman with eight weeks at No. 1 was Taylor Swift’s Folklore, more than two years ago, as it notched its eighth and final week atop the list on the chart dated Oct. 31, 2020.
Also in the top 10 on the new Billboard 200, Shania Twain captures her sixth top 10-charting album, as her latest studio effort, Queen of Me, debuts at No. 10.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Feb. 18, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Feb. 14). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of SOS’ 100,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Feb. 9, SEA units comprise 99,000 (up less than 1%, equaling 135.4 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), album sales comprise 500 (up 2%) and TEA units comprise 500 (up 8%). SOS has yet to be released for sale on any configuration other than a digital download album.
The last R&B/hip-hop album with at least eight weeks atop the list was Drake’s Views, which 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 (May 21-Oct. 8, 2016). SOS has the most weeks at No. 1 for an R&B/hip-hop album by a woman, or an R&B album by a woman, since Mariah Carey’s Music Box spent eight nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in late 1993 and early 1994. SOS has the most weeks at No. 1 for an R&B album by any act since Usher‘s Confessions ruled for nine nonconsecutive weeks in 2004.
R&B/hip-hop and R&B albums are defined as those that have hit or are eligible for Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top R&B Albums charts, respectively.
Four former No. 1s trail SZA, as Swift’s Midnights rises 3-2 (62,000 equivalent album units; down 9%), TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION falls 1-3 (48,000; down 70%), Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album climbs 6-4 (46,000; up 8%) and Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains dips 4-5 (nearly 46,000; down 3%).
The Weeknd’s The Highlights vaults 41-6 with 45,000 equivalent album units earned (up 207%). The best-of effort contains such hits as “Blinding Lights” and the resurgent “Die for You” (from The Weeknd’s studio albums After Hours and Starboy, respectively). On the new chart, the TEA and SEA units for those songs contribute to The Highlights, as a song’s activity is assigned to the artist’s album with the most traditional album sales in a week. (The Highlights sold nearly 1,000 copies in the latest tracking week, while After Hours and Starboy each sold under 1,000.) A week ago, the TEA and SEA for the songs were directed to After Hours and Starboy, respectively, as they outsold The Highlights that week.
Bad Bunny’s chart-topping Un Verano Sin Ti rises 8-7 with 45,000 equivalent album units earned (up 16%), while Drake and 21 Savage’s former leader Her Loss falls 5-8 with 43,000 (down 2%).
Harry Styles’ former No. 1 Harry’s House returns to the top 10, climbing 13-9 (38,000; up 51%), following its win for album of the year at the Grammy Awards (Feb. 5). The set also took home the trophy for best pop vocal album, while Styles additionally performed on the show, singing the set’s single “As It Was.”
Twain closes out the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, as her latest studio album, Queen of Me, debuts at No. 10 with 38,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 34,000; SEA units comprise 3,500 (equaling 4.92 million official on-demand streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise 500. Twain previously visited the top 10 with Now (No. 1 in 2017), Greatest Hits (No. 2; 2004), Up! (No. 1, 2002), Come On Over (No. 2, 1997) and The Woman In Me (No. 5, 1996).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
Bizarrap and Shakira hold strong atop the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart as “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” leads for a third consecutive week on the Feb. 4-dated ranking.
While Luck Ra’s “Ya No Vuelvas,” featuring La K’Onga and Ke Personajes, remains at No. 2, “Muñecas,” the partnership by TINI, La Joaqui and Steve Aoki, lifts 5-3; the closest La Joaqui and Aoki have been to the top 10 the 100 title-deep chart.
Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” drops 3-4, while Cris Mj, Duki and Nicki Nicole’s “La Marisola,” featuring Standly, dips 4-5. Plus, Argentinian urban artist BM secures his first top 10 with “M. A. (Mejores amigos)” as the track ascends 13-7 in its ninth week.
The week’s Greatest Gainer honors goes to Lil Cake & Migrantes’ “Mercho,” featuring Nico Valdi, rallies up the chart 64 rankings: from No. 78 to No. 14; the most since Luar La L’s “Calle” also surged 64 positions (90-26) in Aug. 2022.
Elsewhere, Feid’s “Chorrito Pa Las Animas” scores the Hot Shot Debut of the week at No. 78, the Colombian’s 10th entry. Further, Rosalía’s latest single “LLYML” opens at No. 86. Plus, Callejero Fino claims his 11th career entry as “Que Te Vaya Bien” starts at No. 95.
Finally, Ovy On The Drums and Ozuna’s “Chao Bebe” debuts at No. 98.
Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown’s “Thank God” hits the penthouse on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated Feb. 18). In the week ending Feb. 9, the song increased by 7% to 32.6 million in audience, according to Luminate.
“Thank God” marks the first duet for the pair, who married on Oct. 12, 2018. The husband and wife make their ninth and first trips to No. 1 on Country Airplay, respectively.
Notably, the Browns mark the second married couple to go hand-in-hand to the top of Country Airplay with a duet: Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s “It’s Your Love” led for six weeks in 1997. (Plus, Blake Shelton’s “Boys ‘Round Here,” featuring Pistol Annies – with his then-wife Miranda Lambert – and Friends, reigned for a week in 2013.)
“Thank God” was penned by Christian Davis, Kyle Fishman, Jaxson Free, Josh Hoge and Jared Mullins, and Dann Huff produced.
It’s the third single, and Country Airplay leader, from Brown’s LP Different Man. “One Mississippi” ruled for a week last March and “Like I Love Country Music” led for a week in August. Starting with Brown’s duet with Chris Young, “Famous Friends,” which led for one frame in July 2021, he has rolled up four No. 1s in a row.
The singer-songwriter from northwest Georgia banked his first Country Airplay No. 1 in October 2017 with “What Ifs,” featuring Lauren Alaina.
On the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs survey dated Feb. 11, “Thank God” ranked at No. 3, with its airplay Jan. 27-Feb. 2 bolstered by 10.8 million official U.S. streams and 3,000 downloads sold.
The track is also being promoted to pop and adult radio and jumps 33-25 on the Pop Airplay chart and 30-26 on Adult Pop Airplay (both dated Feb. 18).
Top 10 ‘Place’-ment
Bailey Zimmerman scores his second Country Airplay top 10 in as many chart appearances as “Rock and a Hard Place” climbs 11-8 (21.1 million, up 12%). The song follows his “Fall in Love,” which led for a week in December.
All charts dated Feb. 18 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, Feb. 14.
Ava Max notches her first top 10 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Feb. 11) as her latest release, Diamonds & Dancefloors, debuts at No. 8. The set sold 7,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 2, according to Luminate. The new effort is her second charting title, following the No. 12-peaking Heaven & Hell in 2020.
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Also capturing her first top 10 on Top Album Sales is Elle King, as her new Come Get Your Wife starts at No. 9 with nearly 7,000 sold. She previously topped out at No. 15 in 2018 with Shake the Spirit.
Also in the top 10, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Grateful Dead, Sam Smith, Bob Dylan and Elle King all arrive with new releases, while Avril Lavigne’s Let Go re-enters the chart in the top 10 after its 20th anniversary reissue on vinyl.
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER snags its fourth No. 1 on Top Album Sales – and biggest sales week yet – as The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION enters with 152,000 copies sold.
The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION scores the largest sales week for any album since Taylor Swift’s Midnights debuted at No. 1 with 1.14 million copies sold on the Nov. 5, 2022-dated chart. Of The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION’s 152,000 sold, 98% were CD sales (148,500), while 2% were digital album sales (3,500). The set was not available to purchase in any other configuration (such as vinyl or cassette).
The CD configuration of The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION was issued in collectible packages (14 total, including exclusive editions for Barnes & Noble, Target and the Weverse webstore), each with a standard set of internal paper items and branded randomized mystery elements (photo cards, photo books, post cards). CD sales were also enhanced by autographed editions sold via the act’s webstore.
Grateful Dead’s latest archival live set, Dave’s Picks, Volume 45: Paramount Theatre, Portalnd, OR 10/1/77 & 10/2/77 debuts at No. 2 with 19,000 sold.
Dave’s Picks is the act’s continuing live archival release series, named for the group’s archivist, David Lemieux, that has been going strong since its first release in 2012. Releases in the series are issued exclusively on CD and in limited quantities.
On the Billboard 200 chart, Dave’s Picks, Vol. 45 debuts at No. 18, marking the band’s 55th top 40-charting album on the list. The act continues to have the most top 40 albums among groups since the chart began regularly publishing on a weekly basis in March of 1956. The band also surpasses Barbra Streisand to become the overall act with the third-most top 40-charting albums. The acts with the most top 40 albums on the Billboard 200 are: Frank Sinatra (58), Elvis Presley (58), Grateful Dead (55), Barbra Streisand (54) and Bob Dylan (51). (37 of Grateful Dead’s 55 top 40-charting albums are from the Dave’s Picks series.)
Taylor Swift’s former No. 1 on Top Album Sales, Midnights, falls 2-3 on the latest chart, with 18,000 sold (though up 4%). Sam Smith notches their fourth top 10-charting effort as Gloria bows at No. 4 with 14,000 sold.
Bob Dylan’s Fragments: Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996-1997) debuts at No. 5 on Top Album Sales with 11,000 sold. The effort is part of Dylan’s ongoing “Bootleg Series.” With this archival project, he revisits his 1997 album Time Out of Mind, presenting alternative versions and outtakes of songs from that album, in addition to other rare cuts and live performances.
Avril Lavigne’s debut album Let Go returns to the chart for the first time since 2004, and to the top 10 for the first time since 2003, as the set re-enters at No. 6 with 9,000 sold (up 3,586%). The album was originally released in 2002 and peaked at No. 2 that September. It bounds back onto the tally after it was reissued for its 20th anniversary on vinyl (nearly all of its sales for the week were from its vinyl LP configuration).
A charity effort A Philly Special Christmas vaults 24-7 (a new peak) on Top Album Sales with 9,000 sold (up 182%), largely owed to vinyl LP sales. Across all of its formats, the album has now sold 26,000 copies (15,000 on vinyl and 11,000 on digital download). The Philly album is led by Philadelphia Eagles players Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata, the seven-track set includes renditions of holiday favorites like “White Christmas” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” All profits from the album benefit Philadelphia’s Children’s Crisis Treatment Center.
Rounding out the top 10 is Michael Jackson’s Thriller, which falls 6-10 with 6,000 sold (though up 10%).
In the week ending Feb. 2, there were 1.883 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 13.9% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.552 million (up 18.2%) and digital albums comprised 331,000 (down 2.7%).
There were 723,000 CD albums sold in the week ending Feb. 2 (up 38.3% week-over-week) and 820,000 vinyl albums sold (up 4.9%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 3.053 million (up 0.4% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 4.499 million (up 28.2%).
Overall year-to-date album sales total 9.260 million (up 7.4% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 7.595 million (up 15.3%) and digital album sales total 1.664 million (down 18%).
You can’t talk about game changers in the music industry without talking about Rihanna. Whether you know her as the Caribbean Queen, the “good girl gone bad,” RiRi or simply Rih, the Barbadian singer has come a long way since her pre-Roc Nation days. Case in point: Robyn Fenty is the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner as the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles, making her the first headliner since Apple Music took over the Halftime Show.
In 2005, Rih dropped her first single “Pon De Replay” off her debut album, Music of The Sun. At just 17, the singer was already experiencing her first major hit: the reggae-influenced club track peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 27 weeks on the chart. But she quickly proved she was no one-hit wonder: The following year, her track “SOS” spent three weeks crowning the chart. Now, she has dozens of charting hits under her belt — including 14 No. 1s and features with Drake, Britney Spears, Eminem and more.
Though mainly known as a hitmaker, her talents go beyond music-making — she launched her Fenty Beauty line of cosmetics and skincare products in 2017 and lingerie brand Savage X Fenty in 2018. Plus, RiRi’s fashion consistently turns heads (in the best way possible) — whether she’s red carpet ready or simply taking a stroll around town.
With a Navy of fans who will wait a lifetime for the Barbadian singer’s next release — and her 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show performance — there’s no doubt that Rihanna has made her mark on music. Take a look back at her biggest hits on the chart below.
Rihanna’s Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits ranking is based on weekly performance on the Hot 100 (through Feb. 8, 2023). Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates during various periods.
Shania Twain’s long-overdue return to music has been warmly received in Australia, where Queen of Me cracks the top 5 on debut.
Queen of Me is Twain’s six studio LP and first album of new material since Now in 2017, and 2002’s Up before that.
With its No. 5 debut on the ARIA Chart, published Feb. 10, the Canadian country star bags her sixth top 20 in the land Down Under, a feat that includes three leaders — Come On Over (1997), Up, and Now.
The national albums chart is led by Taylor Swift’s Midnights, up 2-1; with SZA’s SOS (up 3-2) and Harry Styles’ Harry’s House — which enjoys a post-Grammys lift (up 6-3) — filling the podium positions respectively.
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Meanwhile, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ recent stadium tour of these parts has seen fans tune in to the California rockers’ classics, and latest. RHCP’s Greatest Hits from 2003 vaults 22 places to break into the top 10 at No. 10, while 2022’s Return Of The Dream Canteen roars 152-31.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” beds down for a fourth consecutive week at No. 1, ahead of SZA’s “Kill Bill” (unchanged at No. 2), and Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy,” which enjoys a post-Grammy Awards bump, up 5-3. Also noteworthy is Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” which climbs 15-9 after his winning ways at the Grammys.
The Kid Laroi makes a chart leap with “Love Again,” up 14-6 in its second week. It’s the Sydney-raised singer and rapper’s sixth top 10 single in Australia, a tally that includes leaders “Stay” and “Without You.”
“Love Again” is lifted from his forthcoming debut studio album, The First Time, due out later this year.
Finally, British producer Fred Again created a lot of frenzy in Australia in recent days with a string of “secret” shows which sold out in minutes and had fans scrambling for tickets. The buzz behind those gigs have translated to a new chart peak for “Delilah (pull me out of this),” up 69-37.
Burt Bacharach was a titan on Billboard’s charts and in the music industry at large. The iconic singer/songwriter/producer/composer, who died Wednesday (Feb. 8) at his home in Los Angeles at age 94, charted on Billboard in some capacity in the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, and then, largely via samples and covers, in the ‘90s, ’00s and ‘10s.
The Grammy and Academy Award winner wrote or co-wrote seven No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in his lifetime, and they reigned in four distinct decades. Here’s a rundown, listed chronologically:
Artist Billing, Title (Peak Date)Herb Alpert, “This Guy’s in Love With You” (No. 1 for four weeks, beginning June 22, 1968)B.J. Thomas, “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” (four, beginning June 3, 1970)Carpenters, “(They Long To Be) Close to You” (four, beginning July 25, 1970)Christopher Cross, “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” (three, beginning Oct. 17, 1981)Dionne & Friends (Elton John, Gladys Knight & Stevie Wonder), “That’s What Friends Are For” (four, beginning Jan. 18, 1986)Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald, “On My Own” (three, beginning June 14, 1986)Twista feat. Kanye West & Jamie Foxx, “Slow Jamz” (one, Feb. 21, 2004)
“Slow Jamz” contains a sample of Luther Vandross’ 1981 hit “A House Is Not a Home,” which Bacharach penned with frequent collaborator Hal David.
While the majority of Bacharach’s chart entries are as a songwriter or producer, he also tallied hits as a billed recording artist (all sung by chorus vocalists). His songs “Saturday Sunshine” and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” popularized further by Dionne Warwick and Tom Jones, both peaked at No. 93 on the Hot 100, in 1963 and 1969, respectively.
On the Adult Contemporary survey, Bacharach charted four songs as a billed recording act (also all sung by chorus vocalists): “Reach Out for Me” (No. 38 peak, 1967), “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” (No. 18, 1969), “All Kinds of People” (No. 18, 1971) and “Something Big” (No. 50, 1974).
Bacharach also charted eight sets on the Billboard 200, the highest-charting (No. 18) being his self-titled album in 1971.
Bacharach continued to impact Billboard charts over the last few years: In 2018, he scored his final songwriting entry on the Hot 100, via Meek Mill’s “What’s Free,” featuring Rick Ross and Jay-Z (No. 20 peak). The song samples Richard Evans’ 1972 hit “Close To You,” a cover of the Carpenters’ former No. 1. In October, Richard Marx’s LP Songwriter, which includes the track “Always” that he co-wrote with Bacharach, hit the Top Album Sales tally. “The experience of sitting in a room and writing a song with Burt is something I consider one of the greatest thrills of my life,” Marx mused.
Below is a recap of Bacharach’s most successful songs on the Hot 100 as a songwriter.
Burt Bacharach’s Biggest Billboard Hot 100 hits as a songwriter ranking is based on actual performance on the weekly Hot 100 from the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception through the chart dated Feb. 11, 2023. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, certain eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates over various periods. Additional research via Fred Bronson’s Billboard’s Hottest Hot 100 Hits reference book.