What is the Most Popular Song Ever? (According to the Billboard Hot 100)

What do you think is the most popular song EVER in the 50 year history of the Billboard Hot 100 Chart?

Would it be Whatever You Like by T. I.? (nope, but it is #1 today – September 16, 2008).

How about Poor Little Fool by Ricky Nelson? (no, but it was the first #1 – on the inaugural list on August 4, 1958).

Then it must be a Beatles song, right?  No.  Stones? Nope.  U2? Naw.  Bobby Darin? Nyet.  Dean Martin? Nee.

The top song… The Twist by Chubby Checker.

Billboard utilized a complex formula (you can read about it at their site) to weigh songs from different eras to ensure all would get a fair shake.  Although The Twist only spent three weeks at the top of the charts, it did so twice “in two separate runs more than a year apart” – the only song to be number one on two different chart runs.

Although the historic Billboard Hot 100 has (obviously) 100 songs listed, I’ll only list the top ten (click on top ten to see videos of the songs):

1. The Twist by Chubby Checker
2. Smooth by Santana, featuring Rob Thomas
3. Mack The Knife by Bobby Darin
4. How Do I Live? by LeAnn Rimes
5. Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix) by Los Del Rio (They’ve got to be kidding…)
6. Physical by Olivia Newton-John (um… it was the early 80’s)
7. You Light Up My Life by Debby Boone (…ok, now it’s getting ridiculous)
8. Hey Jude by The Beatles (…much better)
9. We Belong Together by Mariah Carey (the only song from this millenia on the top ten)
10. Un-Break My Heart by Toni Braxton

Enjoy!