Discusses the popular hit singles that never reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, offering a history of each song and commenting on its significance in the history of pop music.

The Essential Reference Guide to America’s Most Popular Songs and Artists Spanning More than Fifty Years of Music Beginning with Bill Haley & His Comets’ seminal “Rock Around the Clock” all the way up to Lady Gaga and her glammed-out “Poker face,” this updated and unparalleled resource contains the most complete chart information on every artist and song to hit Billboard’s Top 40 pop singles chart all the way back to 1955. Inside, you’ll find all of the biggest-selling, most-played hits for the past six decades. Each alphabetized artist entry includes biographical info, the date their single reached the Top 40, the song’s highest position, and the number of weeks on the charts, as well as the original record label and catalog number. Other sections—such as “Record Holders,” “Top Artists by Decade,” and “#1 Singles 1955-2009”—make The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits the handiest and most indispensable music reference for record collectors, trivia enthusiasts, industry professionals and pop music fans alike. Did you know? • Beyoncé’s 2003 hit “Crazy in Love” spent 24 weeks in the Top 40 and eight of them in the #1 spot. • Billy Idol has had a total of nine Top 40 hits over his career, the last being “Cradle of Love” in 1990. • Of Madonna’s twelve #1 hits, her 1994 single “Take a Bow” held the spot the longest, for seven weeks—one week longer than her 1984 smash “Like a Virgin.” • Marvin Gaye’s song “Sexual Healing” spent 15 weeks at #3 in 1982, while the same song was #1 on the R&B chart for 10 weeks. • Male vocal group Boyz II Men had three of the biggest chart hits of all time during the 1990s. • The Grateful Dead finally enjoyed a Top 10 single in 1987 after 20 years of touring. • Janet Jackson has scored an impressive 39 Top 40 hits—one more than her megastar brother Michael!

Provides lists of hit songs by date with information on the artist, songwriter, producer, label, and offering interviews with popular artists.

When Bill Haley's song "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" hit number one on Billboard magazine's chart of best-selling single records in the US on July 9, 1955, the rock era began. For each of the 860 number one hits from July 1955, through October 1997, the author provides an interpretive history and a black-and-white photograph of the performers, and lists the writers, producers, record label and number, and the songs that filled the number 2 through 5 spots. Includes artist, title, and label indexes, and appends statistics regarding the charts. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Music industry pros and legions of fans wanting to know more about their favorite artists will find authoritative answers in this indispensable reference source.

Documents the history of rhythm and blues music by examining every song to top the Billboard R & B singles chart between 1965 and 1990 and offers inside stories from the singers, musicians, songwriters, arrangers, and producers who created the hits.

A descriptive list of top 40 hits with information on the performers, the names of their hits, number of weeks on the charts, and accompanying record labels.