The Biggest Hits of All Time*

* Well, not of the entire 15-billion-year history of the universe. That would be silly. For the purpose of this blog post, "all time" means from 1940 to the present, which is a more generous definition than most pop culture blogs would ever use. I've never even seen Billboard magazine attempt it. So there.

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I've always been fascinated by the pop music charts. Beginning on the Sunday afternoon in 1985 when I discovered Casey Kasem's American Top 40, I've always wanted to learn more about music popularity. It's part music appreciation, part sociology, and part geeking out in the world of statistics. So to those who enjoy sports statistics, hey, this is my version of that.

Many people know me as an Episcopal priest trying to figure out how the Church can be the Church during a pandemic and quarantine when we can't get together in person to worship. That truly gives me joy. But when it gets to be too much to deal with, I can always take refuge in my pop music collection and hobbies.

To that end, for the first time ever, I have just calculated the biggest hits of all time (1940-2020).

What are my criteria? Well ... it's complicated. It starts with the week-by-week Billboard pop music charts that go all the way back to 1940, collected in massive, decade-by-decade spreadsheets with all sorts of formulas in them. And I should note that I have calculated my own weekly charts for the years 1944-1958 and 1991-2020, using Billboard data but re-jiggering each weekly chart to produce something that, in my belief, better reflects the actual popularity of songs. I can do this because nobody's paying me to do it or will hold me to any standards other than my own. So take or leave this, and if you're curious about the differences, we can talk.

The other thing to take into account is the fact that at different times in history, the charts have worked differently. Sometimes (like in the mid- to late 1960s), hit songs have come and gone in a flash, becoming enduring classics despite not having stuck around long enough to rack up a ton of points. At other times (like 2020), the charts move at a glacial pace, with the biggest hits hanging around on the chart for a year or more. I have had to weight the songs from different eras so that they all match up somehow. This is also reflected here.

So, bearing in mind the sheer arbitrariness of this whole project, and bearing in mind that I'll change my methods again in the future ... I want to share my joy with you.

Here are the TOP 100 SONGS OF ALL TIME ...

100. We Found Love - Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris (2012)

99. Lose Yourself - Eminem (2003)

98. Sugar, Sugar - The Archies (1969)

97. Rolling In The Deep - Adele (2011)

96. I'll Never Smile Again - Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra (Vocal Frank Sinatra & Pied Pipers) (1940)

95. Another One Bites The Dust - Queen (1980)

94. Little Things Mean a Lot - Kitty Kallen (1954)

93. Hanging By A Moment - Lifehouse (2001)

92. The Ballad Of The Green Berets - S/Sgt. Barry Sadler (1966)

91. Radioactive - Imagine Dragons (2013)

90. I Can't Stop Loving You - Ray Charles (1962)

89. At The Hop - Danny & The Juniors (1958)

88. Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures) - The 5th Dimension (1969)

87. Sugar Shack - Jimmy Gilmer (1963)

86. (We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley & His Comets (1955)

85. Like A Virgin - Madonna (1985)

84. Perfect - Ed Sheeran (2018)

83. Flashdance...What A Feeling - Irene Cara (1983)

82. Silly Love Songs - Wings (1976)

81. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack (1972)

80. Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head - B.J. Thomas (1970)

79. Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley (1956)

78. Joy To The World - Three Dog Night (1971)

77. Old Town Road - Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (2019)

76. Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell (2013)

75. Just The Way You Are - Bruno Mars (2010)

74. Alone Again (Naturally) - Gilbert O'Sullivan (1972)

73. Big Girls Don't Cry - The Four Seasons (1963)

72. TiK ToK - Ke$ha (2010)

71. Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore (1948)

70. Rhinestone Cowboy - Glen Campbell (1975)

69. The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand (1974)

68. How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees (1978)

67. The Battle Of New Orleans - Johnny Horton (1959)

66. Run It! - Chris Brown (2006)

65. Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado & His Orchestra (1955)

64. Torn - Natalie Imbruglia (1998)

63. There Are Such Things - Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra (Vocal Frank Sinatra & Pied Pipers) (1943)

62. Say You, Say Me - Lionel Richie (1986)

61. Twelfth Street Rag - Pee Wee Hunt & His Orchestra (1948)

60. On Bended Knee - Boyz II Men (1995)

59. Every Breath You Take - The Police (1983)

58. That's What Friends Are For - Dionne & Friends (1986)

57. Apologize - Timbaland featuring OneRepublic (2008)

56. Big Girls Don't Cry - Fergie (2007)

55. You Were Meant For Me - Jewel (1997)

54. Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock (2011)

53. Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye featuring Kimbra (2012)

52. I Just Want To Be Your Everything - Andy Gibb (1977)

51. Don't Be Cruel - Elvis Presley (1956)

50. Iris - Goo Goo Dolls (1998)

49. I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston (1993)

48. Low - Flo Rida featuring T-Pain (2008)

47. The Gypsy - The Ink Spots (1946)

46. The Sign - Ace Of Base (1994)

45. Because of You - Tony Bennett (1951)

44. Girls Like You - Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B (2018)

43. You You You - The Ames Brothers (1953)

42. To Each His Own - Eddy Howard & His Orchestra (1946)

41. It's All In The Game - Tommy Edwards (1958)

40. Le Freak - Chic (1979)

39. Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend) - Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra (1949)

38. I'm A Believer - The Monkees (1967)

37. Physical - Olivia Newton-John (1982)

36. Goodnight Irene - Gordon Jenkins & the Weavers (1950)

35. Heartaches - Ted Weems & His Orchestra (1947)

34. Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson (1984)

33. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams (1991)

32. Endless Love - Diana Ross & Lionel Richie (1981)

31. Mona Lisa - Nat King Cole (Les Baxter & His Orchestra) (1950)

30. Cry - Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads (1952)

29. Despacito - Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee & Justin Bieber (2017)

28. Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes (1981)

27. Vaya Con Dios (May God Be With You) - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953)

26. Piano Concerto In B Flat - Freddy Martin & His Orchestra (1941)

25. The Theme From A Summer Place - Percy Faith (1960)

24. Sentimental Journey - Les Brown & His Orchestra (Vocal Doris Day) (1945)

23. How You Remind Me - Nickelback (2002)

22. I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas (2009)

21. Circles - Post Malone (2020)

20. Tossin' And Turnin' - Bobby Lewis (1961)

19. I Want To Hold Your Hand - The Beatles (1964)

18. Yeah! - Usher featuring Ludacris & Lil Jon (2004)

17. Chattanooga Choo Choo - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra (1942)

16. We Belong Together - Mariah Carey (2005)

15. I've Heard That Song Before - Harry James & His Orchestra (1943)

14. Shape of You - Ed Sheeran (2017)

13. Frenesi - Artie Shaw & His Orchestra (1941)

12. Uptown Funk! - Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (2015)

11. Closer - The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey (2016)

10. Smooth - Santana featuring Rob Thomas (2000)

9. You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone (1977)

8. Near You - Francis Craig & His Orchestra (1947)

7. End Of The Road - Boyz II Men (1992)

6. Paper Doll - The Mills Brothers (1944)

5. Mack The Knife - Bobby Darin (1959)

4. Hey Jude - The Beatles (1968)

3. In the Mood - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra (1940)

2. White Christmas - Bing Crosby (1942)

1. The Twist - Chubby Checker (1962)

Incidentally, "The Twist" is the only song in history to have hit #1, dropped off the chart, and returned later to hit #1 again. This happened in 1960 and 1962.

"White Christmas," on the other hand, was a #1 smash during the Christmas season of 1942 and kept coming back year by year for a long time. The recent effect of streaming music on the charts has given "White Christmas" another lease on life, with it returning to the weekly charts at Christmastime each year again.

The top two songs were well ahead of #3, and they were very close to each other in points. If streaming music continues to affect Christmas music on the charts, it might not take too many years for "White Christmas" to overtake "The Twist." That is, unless some other stunningly huge hit comes along first to displace them both!

On Baptism and Communion

In the Episcopal Church right now there's a lively debate about whether people who are not baptized should receive Holy Communion. There are very good arguments on both sides. In my life I’ve waffled back and forth on the question. Here are my current thoughts.

First, I will never refuse Communion from anyone who comes to me with hands outstretched. Period.

Next, I imagine a series of concentric circles called “Ways that Holy Communion makes sense.” The further you go toward the center, the more the whole thing hangs together.

At the center are baptized people. For us, Communion is a weekly reminder of the vows of baptism that we have either undertaken, or that were made on our behalf when we were little and that we can adopt as adults anytime we like. In this case, Communion is a refueling for a journey we have accepted.

At the next ring out are the unbaptized who are actively seeking Christ. They want to know more about Jesus and learn all they can. For them, Communion is like a promise, a spurring on toward deeper things. That may well lead to a conversation with other Christians about baptism.

Many others are at the third ring out: hungry for something, but not sure what. In that case, hey, we have food. Come and be fed, because nobody should be turned away. At this level we cannot let it be perceived to be about jumping through hoops, or gatekeeping, or some notion of theological correctness. It’s about feeding people who are hungry -- surprise guests for supper.

These days, the only people I ask to fast from Communion are those who are actively seeking baptism, have entered that process officially, and will find value in holding off in order to be hungry for the big feast after they’re baptized.

(There are also hypothetical situations in which a person who is being actively destructive to the faith community could be unseated from the table, at least for a time. Thankfully, there’s nobody like that in my church right now.)

If this feels squishy, it’s because I’ve come to understand Holy Communion as so mystical that I can’t possibly know enough about how God works to proclaim with confidence who should not receive. And I most certainly understand God’s love to be so huge and all-encompassing that I can see my notions of liturgical correctness as well-meant rules that are sometimes made to be broken.

Last week at my mother-in-law’s Roman Catholic funeral service, I was given the opportunity to receive Holy Communion. The priest probably saw it as “squishy” that I, a non-Catholic, might receive God’s grace in this way. But I really, really needed it. It meant so much to me, and I’m grateful to the priest for allowing it.