Billboard magazine published their first record chart on this date in 1940.
Called the “National List of Best Selling Retail Records”, the chart was topped by Frank Sinatra’s first major hit, I’ll Never Smile Again, which was attributed to Tommy Dorsey. It was followed by Jimmy Dorsey’s The Breeze and I, Glenn Miller’s Imagination, Kay Kyzer’s Playmates and Glenn Miller’s Fools Rush In.
Billboard was first published on November 1, 1894 as “Billboard Advertising” concentrating on the bill posting industry. They later added circusses, carnivals, amusement parks and other forms of entertainment, including films in 1909 and radio in the 1920’s. In music, they first started following sheet music sales in 1913 and the jukebox industry in the 1930’s.
Then, on this date in 1940, they began to follow the sales of records, a technology that had been around for decades in one form or another, but was now coming into its own. Multiple charts were published for such areas as record sales, radio plays and juke box plays until 1957 when the first Hot 100 was put out.
To celebrate the 75 years of Billboard sales charts, here are all the records to be number 1 for ten weeks or more:
16 Weeks
One Sweet Day – Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men (1995)
14 Weeks
I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston (1992)
I’ll Make Love to You – Boyz II Men (1994)
Macarena – Los Del Rios (1996)
Candle in the Wind ’97 / Something About the Way You Look Tonight – Elton John (1997)
We Belong Together – Mariah Carey (2005)
I Got a Feeling – Black Eyed Peas (2009)
Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars (2015)
13 Weeks
Goodnight Irene – Gordon Jenkins & the Weavers (1950)
End of the Road – Boyz II Men (1992)
The Boy is Mine – Brandy & Monica (1999)
See You Again – Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth (2015)
12 Weeks
I’ll Never Smile Again – Tommy Dorsey / Frank Sinatra (1940)
Frenesi – Artie Shaw (1940)
I’ve Heard That Song Before – Harry James (1943)
Paper Doll – Mills Brothers (1943)
Heartaches – Ted Weems (1947)
Near You – Francis Craig & Bob Lamm (1947)
Smooth – Santana (1999)
Fallin’ – Alicia Keys (2001)
Lose Yourself – Eminem (2002)
Boom Boom Pow – Black Eyes Peas (2009)
Blurred Lines – Robin Thicke (2013)
11 Weeks
White Christmas – Bing Crosby (1942)
Till the End of Time – Perry Como (1945)
Riders in the Sky – Vaughn Monroe (1949)
Third Man Theme – Anton Karas (1950)
Cry – Johnnie Ray (1951)
I Swear – All-4-One (1994)
Unbreak My Heart – Toni Braxton (1996)
I’ll Be Missing You – Puff Daddy & Faith Evans (1997)
Independent Woman – Destiny’s Child (2000)
Yeah – Usher (2004)
10 Weeks
Amapola – Jimmy Dorsey / Bob Eberly (1941)
Moonlight Cocktail – Glenn Miller (1942)
The Gypsy – Ink Spots (1946)
Ballerina – Vaughn Monroe (1947)
Manana – Peggy Lee (1948)
Song From Moulin Rouge – Percy Faith (1954)
Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White – Perez Prado (1955)
You Light Up My Life – Debby Boone (1978)
Physical – Olivia Newton-John (1981)
Foolish – Ashanti (2002)
Dilema – Nelly (2002)
Low – Flo Rida (2008)
Happy – Pharrell (2014)
Number by decade:
1940’s – 14
1950’s – 5
1960’s – 0
1970’s – 1
1980’s – 1
1990’s – 11
2000’s – 10
2010’s – 3 (so far)
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