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…)

I guess that T.I. is “Whatever You Like,” because his song is #1 for a third week with a bullet. It has sold 145,000 copies in the United States this week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and it is the Greatest Airplay Gainer for the week as well. To be honest with you…the song is a little boring. I certainly hope that Pink’s “So What” takes the top spot next week. Last week it became her highest charting song to date at #3 (beating her former peaks of 2000’s “Most Girls” and 2002’s “Get the Party Started”…both of which peaked at #4), but this week, it is at #2 with a bullet. It is also the Greatest Digital Gainer after selling 197,000 downloads. Other possible contenders to take T.I.’s crown many, as the top nine songs all have bullets. Pink is a big one, but another one is “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz, who moves from #9 to #6. Last week I said that he probably won’t make it to #1 because the song is too quirky, but I have been surprised before. I originally thought that Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” wouldn’t make it…but it went on to top the chart for seven weeks. The last big threat may be from Flo Rida featuring will.i.am’s “In the Ayer,” which jumps from #21 to #9. I have been hearing the song everywhere, from radio airplay to a featured appearance in an episode of the CW’s “One Tree Hill.” I don’t think that it will take the top spot next week, but it might in two weeks. I hope that it does, because it is a fun little dance song that I could see all the high school kids requesting that it be played at their homecoming dances this fall (I should know…I am a part-time mobile DJ on the weekends when I’m not being The Chart Guy.) One possible last contender is the charity single “Just Stand Up!” by Artists Stand Up to Cancer, featuring an all-star group of pop/R&B/rock performers, including Beyoncé Knowles, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge, Natasha Bedingfield, Miley Cyrus, Leona Lewis, Carrie Underwood, Keyshia Cole, LeAnn Rimes, Ashanti, and Ciara. Last week it debuted at #78, and this week it rockets to #11. Could it be the next “We are the World” by USA for Africa? (more…)