Last Saturday, Billboard celebrated its Hot 100 chart‘s 60th anniversary. The occasion’s main highlight was the magazine’s compilation of “All-Time Top 600 Songs.” In particular, Billboard released a huge tally of the top 600 songs over the chart’s six-decade history. Such ranking was based on the chart performances of the tunes as well as their longevity on the list. With the numerous hits including country songs that had been recorded in the past sixty years or so, there is an apparently high degree of competition.
While we have more male country music artists than females, the highest-ranking country star of all according to Billboard’s list was actually a woman. Results revealed LeAnn Rimes to be that artist. Her 1997 record of “How Do I Live” ranked No. 5 on the massive list of top songs. To be clear, the magazine provided a detailed explanation of the song’s ranking. During its heyday, the song peaked at No.2 on Hot 100. In addition, it set a record for most weeks (32 in total) in the Top 10 and spent the most weeks on the chart (69 all in all).
Country Music’s Place on Hot 100
With LeAnn Rimes entering the Top 5, that’s certainly a strong indication of the impact and appeal that country music has on the listeners. The next highest country song ranking at No. 11 was “You Light Up My Life” which became a hit for Debby Boone in 1977. Following her was Kenny Rogers with his 1980s rendition of “Lady” at No. 60 and finally, Shania Twain whose record of “Still the One” landed at No. 85. There were other country artists who made it to the list but just failed to reach the Top 100. They were Lonestar, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, and the country legend Glen Campbell.
Top 20 Songs on Billboard’s “All-Time Top 600 Hits”
For everybody’s information, below are the Top 20 tunes from the magazine’s huge list.
1. “The Twist” — Chubby Checker
2. “Smooth” — Santana featuring Rob Thomas
3. “Mack the Knife” — Bobby Darin
4. “Uptown Funk!” — Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
5. “How Do I Live” — LeAnn Rimes
6. “Party Rock Anthem” — LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock
7. “I Gotta Feeling” — The Black Eyed Peas
8. “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” — Los Del Rio
9. “Shape of You” — Ed Sheeran
10. “Physical” — Olivia Newton-John
11. “You Light Up My Life” — Debby Boone
12. “Hey Jude” — The Beatles
13. “Closer” — The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
14. “We Belong Together” — Mariah Carey
15. “Un-Break My Heart” — Toni Braxton
16. “Yeah!” — Usher featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris
17. “Bette Davis Eyes” — Kim Carnes
18. “Endless Love” — Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
19. “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” — Rod Stewart
20. “You Were Meant for Me”/”Foolish Games” — Jewel
The complete list of “All-Time Top 600 Hits” can be found from the magazine’s website.
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Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary, Highest-ranking Country Artist, how do i live, LeAnn Rimes