Billboard Top 100 Songs of All Time Continued…
20. “The Theme from ‘A Summer Place'” – Percy Faith
Hot 100 Peak: No. 1 for nine weeks (1960): Max Steiner composed the score for the 1959 film “A Summer Place,” and Toronto-born Faith covered the main theme, giving him the most successful instrumental of the rock era. (From Billboard)
19. “I’ll Make Love to You” – Boyz II Men
Hot 100 Peak: No. 1 for 14 weeks (1994): Another hit for Boyz II Men on this list. The early to mid nineties were ruled by this group. Here they team up with Babyface again and grab the biggest hit of their careers.
18. “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” – Bryan Adams
Hot 100 Peak: No. 1 for seven weeks (1991): Michael Kamen composed the music for “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” and wanted Kate Bush or Annie Lennox to sing the title song. Then Lisa Stansfield was in the running, along with a pairing of Peter Cetera and Julia Fordham. Ultimately, Bryan Adams was asked to co-write and record the film’s main vocal song and it became his biggest hit. Adams is the highest-ranking Canadian artist on the all-time Hot 100. (From Billboard)
17. “You Were Meant for Me / Foolish Games” – Jewel
Hot 100 Peak: No. 2 / No. 7 (1997): Just another example of a song that never reached the number 1 postion on the chart. However, it stayed on the chart so long and sold so many units that it became one of the top 20 songs of all time. The kicker here, the B side of this single contained the single “Foolish Games,” which would end up remaining on the chart for 65 weeks.
16. “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” – Rod Stewart
Hot 100 Peak: No. 1 for eight weeks (1976): Stewart tried to record his album “A Night on the Town” in Los Angeles but couldn’t hit a correct note, which he blamed on the smog. Then he went to Caribou Studios in Colorado, but couldn’t sing at 9,000 feet above sea level. So the vocals for this No. 1 hit were successfully recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami. Rod Stewart doesn’t have the best voice ever, but he does have one of the biggest songs ever.
15. “Endless Love” – Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
Hot 100 Peak: No. 1 for nine weeks (1981): During its chart run, the song became the most successful Motown single of all time, the most successful hit from a soundtrack, and the most successful duet, all thanks to its nine-week run at No. 1. (From Billboard)
14. “Bette Davis Eyes” – Kim Carnes
Hot 100 Peak: No. 1 for nine weeks (1981): Bette Davis was so flattered by the song, she wrote letters to songwriters Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss thanking them for making her “a part of modern times.” When the song won a Grammy, Davis sent the composers roses. (From Billboard)
13. “Yeah!” – Usher feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris
Hot 100 Peak: No. 1 for 12 weeks (2004): Usher started off this countdown at number 100 with “You Make Me Wanna.” He just misses out on having a top 10 Hot 100 song ever, but his catching “Yeah” featuring Ludacris did give him one of the 15 biggest songs in history.
12. “Un-Break My Heart” – Toni Braxton
Hot 100 Peak: No. 1 for 11 weeks (1996): The demo of Diane Warren’s song was recorded in a low key and producer David Foster was going to have Braxton sing in a higher key until LaFace owner Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds protested. “That’s almost a man’s key,” Foster replied. Babyface insisted: “It’ll be really sexy.” (From Billboard)
11. “We Belong Together” – Mariah Carey
Hot 100 Peak: No. 1 for 14 weeks (2005): This was the 16th number one of Carey’s career (she currently has 18) and ended up being her biggest hit ever. She also came only two weeks shy of tying her own record with Boyz II Men of 16 straight weeks at number 1. However, the song did stay on the chart for 43 weeks, which is her longest chart running hit ever.
So who has the number 1 song of all time? FInd out on the next page!
See #’s 10 – 1 on Next Page
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