Since AllNumberOneRadio.com began in May of 2008, I’ve been predicting that the #1 song of 2008 would be the one that ended up being the number one song on the Billboard Year-End chart (see the #1 song at the end of this list to know what I’m talking about.) You may notice that not all of the songs on this top 20 list peaked at #1 originally. You have to keep in mind that the Year-End chart is calculated based on the number of weeks on the chart…so a #3 song could rank higher than a #1 song if the #3 song stayed on the chart longer. Not to act like an old fogey, but as a lover of the Hot 100, I think that digital downloads really skewed the chart in 2008 as the arbiter of what music is popular. Since MTV has stopped playing music videos in favor of reality shows, the main way to hear new music is through the old fallback…radio. With the popularity of digital downloads though, we are seeing songs make the chart that don’t ever get played on the radio until well after they have peaked on the Hot 100 (look at the “hits” by alumni from FOX’s “American Idol” and The Disney Channel.) While Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” became the third highest charting song of his career on the Hot 100 by peaking at #23 based on radio airplay alone, “Hit Masters,” a karaoke company whose version was made available in the iTunes Store, eclipsed Rock’s version on the chart when it peaked at #19. This was because Rock decided not to make the song available for digital download. I’ve heard the Rock version several times on both pop and country radio (it peaked at #4 on the Hot Country Songs chart), but I’ve never heard the Hit Masters version on the radio (I had to listen to it on YouTube for an editorial comparison.) Thanks to YouTube and the ever popular NOW That’s What I Call Music! compilation series, almost all of these songs are available for purchase through the old-fashioned method of buying the CD (I will indicate if a song on this top 20 list is on one of the NOW CD’s.) (more…)