Billboard's Top 100 Songs By Female Solo Artists

[renegade_killerbee]

The fourth edition of Billboard's Hottest Hot 100 Hits ($24.99, 640 pages) came out last month and inside is everything from the top 30 songs by American Idols to the top 30 songs about days of the week.

Although Madonna has placed five titles in the top 100 songs by solo female artists (1955-2007), it's Mariah Carey that makes the most contributions with twelve. Here, without further adieu, are the 100 biggest songs ever by the ladies:

1. We Belong Together - Mariah Carey
2. Un-Break My Heart - Toni Braxton
3. I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston
4. How Do I Live - LeAnn Rimes
5. You're Still The One - Shania Twain
6. Foolish - Ashanti
7. Family Affair - Mary J. Blige
8. Fallin' - Alicia Keys
9. You Light Up My Life - Debbie Boone
10. You Were Meant For Me/Foolish Games - Jewel
11. Breathe - Faith Hill
12. Physical - Olivia Newton-John
13. Because You Loved Me - Celine Dion
14. Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani
15. Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes
16. The First Night - Monica
17. Fantasy - Mariah Carey
18. Dreamlover - Mariah Carey
19. That's The Way Love Goes - Janet Jackson
20. All For You - Janet Jackson
21. Take A Bow - Madonna
22. I Love You Always Forever - Donna Lewis
23. You're Makin' Me High/Let It Flow - Toni Braxton
24. Believe - Cher
25. Always Be My Baby - Mariah Carey
26. Exhale (Shoop Shoop) - Whitney Houston
27. Music - Madonna
28. The Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant
29. Irreplaceable - Beyonce
30. Nobody's Supposed To Be Here - Deborah Cox
31. Flashdance ... What A Feeling - Irene Cara
32. The Power Of Love - Celine Dion
33. Work It - Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott
34. Hero - Mariah Carey
35. It's All Coming Back To Me Now - Celine Dion
36. Genie In A Bottle - Christina Aguilera
37. Hot Stuff - Donna Summer
38. Save The Best For Last - Vanessa Williams
39. Together Again - Janet Jackson
40. Tammy - Debbie Reynolds
41. Complicated - Avril Lavigne
42. Again - Janet Jackson
43. If You Had My Love - Jennifer Lopez
44. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
45. Angel Of Mine - Monica
46. ... Baby One More Time - Britney Spears
47. Woman In Love - Barbra Streisand
48. Upside Down - Diana Ross
49. I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
50. Try Again - Aaliyah
51. All I Wanna Do - Sheryl Crow
52. Total Eclipse Of The Heart - Bonnie Tyler
53. Bad Girls - Donna Summer
54. Don't Take It Personal (Just One Of Dem Days) - Monica
55. London Bridge - Fergie
56. Like A Virgin - Madonna
57. To Sir With Love - LuLu
58. It's Too Late/I Feel The Earth Move - Carole King
59. Give Me One Reason - Tracy Chapman
60. You're So Vain - Carly Simon
61. Doesn't Really Matter - Janet Jackson
62. Brand New Key - Melanie
63. Rush Rush - Paula Abdul
64. Rock And Roll Waltz - Kay Starr
65. Killing Me Softly With His Song - Roberta Flack
66. Shake It Off - Mariah Carey
67. I'm Sorry - Brenda Lee
68. Ode To Billie Joe - Bobbie Gentry
69. Ring My Bell - Anita Ward
70. Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson
71. What A Girl Wants - Christina Aguilera
72. Magic - Olivia Newton-John
73. The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand
74. Macarthur Park - Donna Summer
75. Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor
76. What's Love Got To Do With It - Tina Turner
77. Case Of The Ex (Whatcha Gonna Do) - Mya
78. Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!) - Blu Cantrell
79. Dominique - The Singing Nun
80. Breathe Again - Toni Braxton
81. Love Theme From "A Star Is Born" (Evergreen) - Barbra Streisand
82. My Heart Has A Mind Of It's Own - Connie Francis
83. I'll Remember - Madonna
84. He Wasn't Man Enough - Toni Braxton
85. 9 To 5 - Dolly Parton
86. Everybody's Somebody's Fool - Connie Francis
87. I'll Be There - Mariah Carey
88. Have You Ever? - Brandy
89. Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You) - Christina Aguilera
90. Bitch - Meredith Brooks
91. Love Takes Time - Mariah Carey
92. Vision Of Love - Mariah Carey
93. Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera) - Connie Francis
94. Sittin' Up In My Room - Brandy
95. My All - Mariah Carey
96. If I Ain't Got You - Alicia Keys
97. Vogue - Madonna
98. Pon De Replay - Rihanna
99. Let's Hear It For The Boy - Deniece Williams
100. Without You/Never Forget You - Mariah Carey

*** KEVIN IN SOUTH TULSA ***

http://profiles.yahoo.com/renegade_killerbee

 

[Paxton]

1. We Belong Together - Mariah Carey
2. Un-Break My Heart - Toni Braxton
3. I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston

"I will always love you" only made the N°3????.

 

[Danugh]

This list is bogus. How can "Pon de Replay" make it but Umbrella not make it and it is the biggest song the world have ever seen in this decade.

Henry's friend even referenced it last night on UGLY BETTY. Not that that is the epitome of greatness but it really is the hugest song this decade worldwide.

Umbrella is even bigger than alot of the songs on that list. Some of those songs didnt even make it to number 1.

Not to mention S.O.S was huge too, but maybe i could be ok with that not making it but there is no way in hell Umbrella could be left off, so with that this list is shit.

On second thought. S.O.S was bigger than Pon de replay so its double bogus now.

Mariah Carey and Boys II Men

Key word solo.

 

[naturist]

Mariah Carey??? Janet Jackson??? Whitney Houston??? Blech. Judging from the present top 40, it's only gonna get worse.

 

[Danugh]

"I will always love you" only made the N°3????.

I know right further reason to believe this list is bogus.

 

[renegade_killerbee]

Come on, Danno, isn't a dozen enough for Mariah? "One Sweet Day" (w/ Boyz II Men) and "What's It Gonna Be?" (w/ Busta Rhymes) weren't eligible because, of course, they were collaborations and this is a solo tally.

More interesting than Mariah Carey's domination (she kicks off the top 100, ends it and is the only woman to have back-to-back hits), is all of the women that don't even place one title in the top 100:

* ARETHA FRANKLIN
* CYNDI LAUPER
* GLORIA ESTEFAN
* BELINDA CARLISLE
* TAYLOR DAYNE

http://www.amazon.com/Billboards-Hottest-Hot-100-Hits/dp/0823015564

~ Kevin In South Tulsa

http://profiles.yahoo.com/ranch_acres_man

 

[prettyboysing]

This list is bogus. How can "Pon de Replay" make it but Umbrella not make it and it is the biggest song the world have ever seen in this decade.

Henry's friend even referenced it last night on UGLY BETTY. Not that that is the epitome of greatness but it really is the hugest song this decade worldwide.

Umbrella is even bigger than alot of the songs on that list. Some of those songs didnt even make it to number 1.

Not to mention S.O.S was huge too, but maybe i could be ok with that not making it but there is no way in hell Umbrella could be left off, so with that this list is shit.

On second thought. S.O.S was bigger than Pon de replay so its double bogus now.



Key word solo.

Not being a #1 is a moot point. A #2 song from one week could easily outsell a #1 song from another week depending on what kept the former out of the #1 spot.

This list seems right to me (especially if you factor in Danno's theory on "Umbrella").

 

[renegade_killerbee]

The list is not bogus. It's sitting here in front of me on page 307. It's not accessible on the internet (guess Fred Bronson does indeed want to make some $$$), thus the reason I painstakingly typed it out today.

If I were to create a bogus list, seeing as I have been obsessed with Madonna for the past 24 years, I probably would have sprinkled more than five of her songs to the list.

And thank you Danno and prettyboyrising, you're both 100% correct:

Songs received 500 points for every week they were in the No. 1 position, 400 points for every week at No. 2, 300 points for every week at No. 3, 200 points for every week at No. 4, and 100 points for every week at No. 5. Songs at No. 6 received 95 points, No. 7 received 94 points, and so on down to 71 points for No. 30. Fifty bonus points were added to a song's total for every week it was at No. 1. Don't shoot the messenger, shoot Billboard magazine.

So, in the long run, it's chart longevity that really matters rather than a huge, across-the-board No. 1. Notice LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live" sits as the 4th highest ranked song ever by a woman -- and it never even went to No. 1 !!!

That song entered the top 5 of Billboard's Hot 100 on Sept. 6, 1997 and stayed in the top 5 until Feb. 25, 1998, for a mind-boggling 25 weeks!

The chart criteria for this list is culled from Billboard magazine's weekly Hot 100 charts from July 9, 1955 to February 3, 2007.

~ Kevin in South Tulsa

 

[Danugh]

To comment about Umbrella and Rihanna: If this list came out last month, that means they probably began compiling it at least a month earlier, if not a few months earlier. Which brings us back to the summer. They might have even cut it off after the first quarter of 2007, that is why Umbrella isnt there.

Ok well that makes sense, but it still doesnt explain the absense of S.O.S,

In the United States, "SOS" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Pop 100, Hot Dance Music/Club Play, Hot Dance Airplay, Hot Digital Songs and Hot Digital Tracks. The track also hit number two on the Pop 100 Airplay, but it could not get past the massive airplay of "Temperature". The track was made available as a digital download upon the release of the album and its first week of digital sales prompted a dramatic jump from number thirty-four to number one, one of the biggest jumps to the number one position in Hot 100 history.

It was released in 2006 as the album's lead single. "SOS" reached number one in Australia and the United States and the top five in countries such as Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom. It is featured on Now Thats What I Call Music! 22

 

[prettyboysing]

Danugh--do you have any stats on actual sales as opposed to chart positions? Like I said before, it could have been #1 on every chart, but if competition at the time was slow, chart positions wouldn't be a good indicator or units sold.

I also noticed on the Wikipedia site (which is I believe where you got your quote) that "..."SOS" was kept off of most digital download services until her album was released to stimulate more album sales." So, if they achieved their goal, the album had better sales than the single which would explain why it's not on this list. (Again, just because it outsold everything else that week, doesn't mean it had amazing sales.)

Not to mention... a lot of the songs on the list came out before illegal downloading was popular. Major airplay, illegal downloads and mention on a high-rated tv show do not necessarily high sales make.

 

[renegade_killerbee]

I hate to sound like prettyboyrising's back-up here ... but he is correct.

"S.O.S.," although a No. 1 single ... isn't actually that big of a hit.

I don't know if Danugh/newboy11/whatever has the Billboard Double Year-End Issue (I have two) but if he does, he'll see that because "S.O.S." raced up and down the chart very quickly, that it didn't even fare very high for the year in general:

It ranked No. 19 in the top 100 Hot 100 songs of 2006. In fact, the No. 2 hit, "Pon De Replay" ranked higher than the No. 1, "S.O.S."

It was No. 18 for 2005 and as you can see, it barely edged onto the top 100 at No. 98.

~ Kevin in South Tulsa

http://my.manhunt.net/renegade_killerbee

 

[PreTTy PeTe]

yech you light up my life -----debby boone

but joan jett
I love rock and roll

not listed

the list is crap

other then donna summer
she be good i say

 

[prettyboysing]

yech you light up my life -----debby boone

but joan jett
I love rock and roll

not listed

the list is crap

other then donna summer
she be good i say

I think the Blackhearts disqualify "I Love Rock and Roll" from the list--they're considered a group, not a solo artist.

 

[LatinoSTAR]

That List Is Shit!

 

[matt1980111]

This list is completely accurate! And it's odd, it was only like 5 songs that I can't stand!

 

[starlight70]

From the looks of this list it is based soley on weeks at number one and how long they stayed on the charts. We Belong Together is the longest running #1 hit by a female artist.

To comment about Umbrella and Rihanna: If this list came out last month, that means they probably began compiling it at least a month earlier, if not a few months earlier. Which brings us back to the summer. They might have even cut it off after the first quarter of 2007, that is why Umbrella isnt there.

At Billboard, they mentioned again and again there is this point system where songs gain based on the chart positions they are at, each week. And as well as more points for repeating the feat of staying at no.1 for more weeks, or in the top 10 and more.. Hence, one can see Breathe by Faith Hill at a high position.

Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You did spend many weeks at no.1, but it rose and fell fast too relatively to the other songs, and hence, only managed a No.3. What I am surprised with, was the fact that Madonna's Music is higher than her Like A Virgin.

 

[PreTTy PeTe]

I think the Blackhearts disqualify "I Love Rock and Roll" from the list--they're considered a group, not a solo artist.

point taken

but heck if that's what the female talent is now
crap................

listening to some Aretha right now

 

[InternetEnthusiast]

I highly doubt that that list is completely objective and I can tell by other peoples responses here that I'm not the only one who thinks that way.

 

[prettyboysing]

People are getting too personal about this. The list isn't saying that one song is better than another...it's simply numbers. "Music" is higher than "Like a Virgin" because more people bought the full album of "Like a Virgin" as opposed to the single, whereas more people bought the "Music" single. This list has nothing to do with calibre, only sales of singles by a solo female artist.

 

[renegade_killerbee]

Interesting how when some individual artists song is say No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 that said person can't wait to post everyday about it "breaking records," yet when the same source (Billboard) publishes the top 100 songs by solo female artists, there are complaints galore. I guess if you don't like Billboard's rankings you should go to the less respected, Radio & Records?

And Pretty Pete, I was stunned that Aretha Franklin made no appearances whatsoever. I even did some research and found out why "Respect" isn't represented:

Although that classic spent two weeks at No. 1 in the summer of 1967, it spent only 12 weeks total on the Hot 100.

Deniece Williams' "Let's Hear It For The Boy" also spent two weeks at No. 1 but it managed a grand total of 19 weeks on the big chart .. and it barely managed to make the countdown, at No. 99.

Those times spents on the Hot 100 are crucial. They're a testimony to a song's enduring popularity at the time, regardless of final peak.

Starlight 70: I too was floored by my favorite Madonna track, the 6 weeks-at-No. 1 "Like A Virgin" at No. 56. I thought for sure it would rank in the top ten.

"Music," No. 1 for two weeks less than "Virgin," shows up higher for a couple of reasons:

1) It charted for 20 weeks vs. 18 weeks by "Like A Virgin"
2) After it's month-long run at No. 1, "Music" fell to No. 2 and
spent five more weeks at No. 2 (that is a lot of additional points)
Yet "Like A Virgin" fell from No. 1 to No. 7 during it's weekly run.

*** KEVIN IN SOUTH TULSA ***

http://my.gay.com/renegade_killerbee