Talk:Record chart

List?
There's a million charts out there. This page is very short in comparison. Maybe it could be expanded with a list? Ewlyahoocom 07:43, 7 February 2006 (UTC)


 * I agree, with Cashbox returns, it could be interesting to add their charts as well -sd-100 20:12, 9 October 2007, (EST)

Where could I find trustful chart-peaking info? I mean in witch countries Prince have had number ones and stuff like that. Do anybody know any page?

Thank You

Prince-fan


 * There is such a page for all major artists at http://tsort.info/music/ (Prince is at [|Prince] ). This site also contains a list of the source song and album charts that provide positions for many countries (at http://tsort.info/music/charts.htm ).


 * Since I am one of the administrators of the site the conflict of interest rules mean that I cannot insert a reference to this site into this article. I believe that this article would be improved by including a link to [|Tsort Charts], I ask that some neutral editor look at our site and consider adding that as a link.  Steve.hawtin (talk) 10:51, 6 October 2008 (UTC)

External links?
Should all the external links be removed to List of record charts? &mdash; John Cardinal (talk) 00:39, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

material from the "pop music" article
the article that's supposed to be about pop music as a genre included a lot of material that might be more relevant to this article (and/or to Popular music) so i'm transferring it here in case someone wants to work it into the article. the US-centric banner and section headings make it look a bit weird as a talk-page entry - sorry! - but i felt it was better to keep them intact. hope the material is of some help. Sssoul (talk) 07:24, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

Evolution
In contrast to genres with clear origins and a traceable evolution, pop developed, and continues to expand, as a haphazard merging of styles. Pop is an amalgam of successive fashions, of elements of many differing styles that have been successful over the years and have ended up incorporated into the genre. This section introduces the most significant tunes of each decade, and shows the progression of pop to its current form. Because performers of all varieties have released tracks that can be classified as pop, this article analyses songs, and does not list names of acts, bands, musicians or singers. For these please see the List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.), List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and List of artists by total number of U.S. number-one singles.

1950s
At the start of the 1950s songs in the pop genre were crossover styles from the standard formats of the day. In country music, instrumental soloing was de-emphasised and more prominent vocals added, commonly backed by a string section and vocal chorus, as exemplified in "(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window", which became a hit in both the US and the UK in 1953. Two years later American folk music entered the pop spectrum with a modern version of a traditional tune, "The Yellow Rose of Texas" (1955).

Vocal performers of the great American songbook classics, crooners and big band singers, incorporated elements of other styles and orchestral enhancements to their repertoire, giving them greater formal complexity than their traditional antecedents. The Marc Blitzstein arrangement of "Mack the Knife" is an emblematic example, topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic in 1954, as did "Singing the Blues" in late 1956 and early 1957.

This was also the decade of the advent of rock and roll, a massively influential genre that spawned innumerable changes in the social and cultural fabric of the US and the world. The convulsion began when "Rock Around the Clock" crowned the charts in the spring and summer of 1955, and continued with "Heartbreak Hotel", All Shook Up and "Tutti Frutti"

Previously regional or niche formats became mainstream for the first time, some going on to become genres in their own right. Latin music entered the general consciousness with "Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" in 1955, and Italian popular music with "Nel blu dipinto di blu" in 1958.

In Europe, pop music was to show its increasing popularity with the arrival of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. This competition would span the continent and continue on for the next five decades. The main idea behind the show, which was televised throughout Europe (and other parts of the world), was to unite the various nations through popular music. Many successful songs emerged from the contest over the years, but few were significant outside of Europe.

1960s
The decade kicked off a style that is still recorded today, the novelty song, combining humorous or parodic lyrics and simple, catchy melodies: "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" (1960). In 1961 a new format arose around close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting the Californian relationship with surfing, girls and cars: Surf pop. This very successful style is epitomised by tunes like "Surfin' USA" (1963), "California Girls" (1965) and "Good Vibrations" (1966). An unusual combination of minor chords and an unexpected synthesizer formed the basis of one of the greatest hits of the first half of the decade, "Runaway" (1961), whilst in the second half a four-note electric bass riff offsetting a simple melodic arrangement brought commercial and critical success to "Windy" (1967).

The music that had radiated from the US to the rest of the World in the previous decade bounced back in this one, bringing with it nuances, variations and completely new styles. In the United Kingdom teens developed a feel for rock and roll and the blues, blending them with local traditions like skiffle and giving rise to music they could relate to and perform with conviction. Youths with electric guitars began joining beat bands and writing and playing up-tempo melodic pop. Some of these enjoyed success only in Europe ("Apache" (1960), "The Young Ones" (1962), "Keep On Running" (1965) and "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)" (1969)), as others crossed the Atlantic and became the British invasion (1964 to 1967), delivering a whole new range of influences to US pop with songs like "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Downtown" (all 1964), "Yesterday" (1965), "Yellow Submarine" (1966), "To Sir, with Love" (1967), "Hey Jude" (1968) and "Get Back" (1969).

African American music broke into popular culture in a big way in this decade, bringing with it new grooves and tempos, such as doo-wop, a style giving prevalence to melody-dominated homophony and vocal-based harmonies; rhythm and blues, a combination of jazz, gospel and blues; Motown, soul music with a prominent and melodic bass line, a distinctive chord structure and a call-and-response singing style:

"He's So Fine" (1963) "Hello Dolly!" (1964) "Baby Love" (1964) "Respect" (1968) "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" (1968) "I Can't Get Next to You" (1969)
 * "I Can't Stop Loving You" (1962)
 * "I Can't Stop Loving You" (1962)
 * "Reach Out I'll Be There" (1966)
 * }

In 1965 Raybert Productions set out to create a pop band from scratch, selecting the members by their looks, dancing ability and appeal to different personalities of fan, rather than musical prowess. The company controlled every aspect of the group, from choice of music to individual behaviours, and guided them to extraordinary success in music, television and cinema. This type of prefabricated band was termed manufactured pop and is the precursor of boy bands and girl groups. The hit "I'm a Believer" (1967) was soon followed by a number one from another manufactured group, "Sugar, Sugar" in 1969. Many new and different styles of popular music developed during the 1960s, in the aftermath of rock & roll - see the article on Popular music.

In the mid-1960s Sonny & Cher's smash hit single "I Got You Babe" became a defining recording of the early hippie countercultural movement and it helped them to become pop icons. A year later Cher, as a solo artist, released one of the most famous pop song ever recorded: "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)".

1970s
Singer-songwriters and other folk-based artists were the biggest contributors to the pop genre in the first half of this decade, from 1970's "Bridge over Troubled Water" and "(They Long to Be) Close to You"(although this was not actually a singer-songwriter effort, but a was written by one of the last remnants of the Tin-Pan-Alley/Brill Building days, Burt Bacharach and Hal David), through 1971's "It's Too Late", to 1972's "American Pie", "Alone Again (Naturally)" and "Without You".

The main influence in the second half of the decade came from disco, a dance-oriented style with soaring, reverberated vocals, a steady beat and prominent, syncopated electric bass lines: "Disco Lady" and "Play That Funky Music" (both 1976), "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" (1977), "Night Fever" and "Stayin' Alive" (both 1978), "Bad Girls", "Le Freak", "Take Me Home" and "YMCA" (all 1979).

Country music re-entered pop in 1973 with "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" and in 1975 with "Rhinestone Cowboy", whilst the African American rhythms that had so affected the genre in the previous decade were still producing hits and expanding limits in this one. Disco, an almost entirely African American creation, was joined in the charts by protest songs ("War" (1970)), soulful ballads ("The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (1972), "Killing Me Softly with His Song" and "Let's Get It On" (both 1973)), and by more upbeat compositions ("Best of My Love" (1977)).

Sounds from the UK continued to permeate pop music, with pop rock songs like "Maggie May" (1971), "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (1978) and "My Sharona" (1979); blues-based tunes in the style of "In the Summertime" (1970); and simple pop ditties such as "Save Your Kisses for Me", "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and "Silly Love Songs" (all 1976).

In the early 1970s Cher released other pop hit-singles: "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", "Half-Breed" and "Dark Lady" that established her status as a pop icon. Diana Ross released "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Touch Me In The Morning", "Do You Know Where You're Going To", and "Love Hangover". These for releases helped make her the most successful female singer of the 1970s.

In the same way that Britain contributed to the genre since the 1960s, pop artists started appearing in other nations in the 1970s, some with surprising longevity and significance.

Special mention must go to Sweden for ABBA who took over the music world with songs like "Waterloo" (1974), "Fernando" (1976), "Take a Chance on Me" (1978), "Dancing Queen", "The Name Of The Game" and to Boney M for the hits "Daddy Cool" (1976), "Ma Baker" (1977) and "Rivers of Babylon" (1978).

1990s
Many popular songs came from female artists. A few of the most significant are "Hold On", "Nothing Compares 2 U" and "Vogue" (all 1990), "Rush Rush" (1991), "Save the Best for Last" (1992), "The Power of Love" and "Hero" (both 1993), "Creep" (1994), "Waterfalls" (1995), "Wannabe" "Always Be My Baby" and "Un-Break My Heart" (all 1996), "You Were Meant for Me" (late 1996 and early 1997), "How Do I Live" (1997), "Ray of Light" and "Believe" (both 1998), and "If You Had My Love", "...Baby One More Time", "Have You Ever? and "Waiting For Tonight" (all in 1999).

Following-up on the positive results of the eighties, the music and film industries continued to benefit each other in this decade, including pop songs in movie soundtracks and releasing them as singles. Defining hits of the genre include "The Shoop Shoop Song" from 1990's Mermaids; "It Must Have Been Love" from 1990's Pretty Woman; "I Wanna Sex You Up" from New Jack City and "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (both 1991); "End of the Road" from Boomerang and "I Will Always Love You" from The Bodyguard (both 1992); "Can't Help Falling in Love" from 1993's Sliver; "Gangsta's Paradise" from Dangerous Minds, "Kiss from a Rose" from Batman Forever (both 1995), "Because You Loved Me" from Up Close & Personal (1996), and "My Heart Will Go On" from ''Titanic (1997).

Grunge and alternative music also pushed the boundaries of pop music in the 1990s. Most notably, Nirvana's song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" highlighted a mix of loud, garage band style punk rock ethic and catchy, pop music hooks and melodies that made a huge slash in the mainstream.

Dance music broke out of a specialised section of the market into pop in this decade, with hits such as "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" (1991) and "The Sign" (1993). Simultaneously, African American influences continued with traditional pop and hip hop-inspired tunes. Indicative examples of the first are "Black or White" (1991) and "You Are Not Alone" (1995), notable instances of the second being "Baby Got Back" and "Jump" (both 1992), "On Bended Knee" and "I'll Make Love to You" (both 1994), and "I'll Be Missing You" and "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" (both 1997).

Pop became truly international in the nineties, with hits coming from diverse and distant locations:
 * Germany, "The Power" (1990), "Rhythm Is a Dancer" (1992) and "Mr Vain" (1993);
 * France, "Désenchantée" (1991)"
 * the UK, "The One and Only" (1991), "Ebeneezer Goode" (1992), "Things Can Only Get Better" and "Love Is All Around" (both 1994), "Spaceman" (1996), plus one of the best selling singles of all time, "Candle in the Wind 1997";
 * Spain, "Macarena" (1996) ;
 * Italy, "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" (1998);
 * the Netherlands", "Boom Boom Boom Boom" (1998); and
 * Australia, "Truly Madly Deeply" (1998).
 * Puerto Rico, Latin pop singer Ricky Martin. His mega hits "Livin' la Vida Loca" (1999) & "The Cup of Life" (1998) and "Maria" (1995) ;

2000–present
In a similar vein to the previous decade, female singers had a big influence on the pop genre in the 2000s, with soulful ballads, hip hop pieces and dance tracks: "Music", "Genie in a Bottle", "Oops!... I Did It Again" (both 2000); "What a Girl Wants", "Fallin'","Love Don't Cost a Thing", "All for You" and "Can't Get You out of My Head" (all 2001); "Foolish", "Dirrty", "What about Us?" (2002); "Crazy in Love" and "White Flag" (both 2003); "Beautiful", "If I Ain't Got You", "Toxic", Left Outside Alone, and "1, 2 Step" (all 2004); "Hung Up", "We Belong Together", "Hollaback Girl" and "Since U Been Gone" (all 2005); "Girlfriend", "Bleeding Love", "Gimme More", "Piece of Me","With Love", "Ain't No Other Man",  "Umbrella", and "Say It Right" (all 2007); , "Disturbia","Womanizer", and "Circus" (all 2008).

Traditional rock and pop rock made forays into pop with consecrated artists and newcomers both introducing songs to the genre: "Smooth", "Maria Maria" and "It's My Life" (all 2000), "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" and "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (both 2001), "This Love" (2003), and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (2005), "Burnin' Up (2008)." Entirely digital productions integrated new technology and sounds, and as electronic dance music entered the mainstream, pop artists started using producers and remixers who contributed their styles to the genre: "Feel Good Inc." (2005) and "Crazy" (2006) are good examples.

Once more, African Americans contributed heartily to pop with diverse styles. Some hits were hip hop-based, such as "I'm Real" and "Dilemma" (2001 and 2002 respectively), "In da Club" and "Ignition" (both 2003), "Yeah!" (2004), "Candy Shop" and "Don't Phunk with My Heart" (both 2005). Other chart-toppers were variations on reggae beats ("It Wasn't Me" (2000) and "Get Busy" (2003)) or more traditional rap compositions ("The Way You Move" (2003)). The international appeal of pop was evident in the new millennium, with artists from around the world influencing the genre and local variants merging with the mainstream. Latin pop was successful with songs from Spain, "Hero" (late 2001/early 2002), "The Ketchup Song" (2002); and Colombia, "Whenever, Wherever" (2002) and "Hips Don't Lie" (2006). Russia made its breakthrough to the international charts with "All the Things She Said" (2002) which even topped the UK Singles Chart, while Moldavia hit the European charts with "Dragostea din Tei" (2003) and Romania with "Kylie" (2006).

Hit parade merger proposal
As far as I can tell, these articles cover identical subjects. If they really do cover different topics, the introductions will need to be rewritten substantially. Nyttend (talk) 18:04, 17 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Strong oppose/alt (knee jerk) The article is about sales charts and other thingsThis differentiation already warrants more demarcation/clarity, IMO, not less.  Our current allusion is increasing leading toward meaningless weasel worded illiteration of the word "chart"!


 * Also, on-demand music 'charts' are gaining credence, e.g. see User talk:DjScrawl. These are usefully partitioned by their listener base: subscriber, registered-user and anonymous (i.e. highly  botable, e.g. YouTube)Thus, more distinctions are soon to be demanded from the article.


 * Since, I think, hit parade is a near exclusively broadcast (radio) oriented sales chart term‽therefore, floating off a dedicated Chart (record sales)-ish article and merging hit parade there.


 * Does that sound an apposite way ahead? Ian, DjScrawl (talk) 15:26, 4 January 2014 (UTC)
 * No objections. I know very little about this kind of subject, and that's why I was open both to a merger and to a substantial rewrite/demand for more distinctions.  Nyttend (talk) 00:29, 5 January 2014 (UTC)

National albums/music charts
Proposal to rename, where appropriate, national music charts articles to territory and format rather than official name, so Swedish music charts rather than Sverigetopplistan, etc. Discussion at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Record Charts.  SilkTork  ✔Tea time  10:49, 8 November 2015 (UTC)

🐰💦
Wow! I'm as detail-oriented as anyone—but contemplating this much detail about describing things that already keep detailed track of other things, is making my head hurt. Does every WP article need to be as exhaustively detailed as possible—even when describing the many, many ways that many, many genres of music are tabulated in many, many places around the world? Yikes. When you get this "meta", isn't there a strong possibility of it becoming a rabbit hole from which some of us may never emerge—except, possibly, as rabbits? ✏️📃🕳️🐰 – AndyFielding (talk) 09:19, 4 June 2023 (UTC)