Billboard's Top 100 Songs By Female Solo Artists

[starlight70]

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.

LOL. Prettyboysing.. Thanks for clarifying. It makes sense. But to my defense, I was not blasting the ranking. I'm all for it. I am accepting it. What I did state in my earlier posting was 'I was surprised...'.

I am entitled to be 'surprised', ain't I? : )

This is not about being personal. I was just surprised. : )

 

[starlight70]

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.

Umbrella is not a solo effort. It was by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z.

That is also the reason why Beyonce's Irreplacable is ranked here, and not her other bigger hits, such as Crazy In Love, Baby Boy, Check On It etc. Those were collaborated works, unlike Irreplacable, or Rihanna's Pon De Replay.

 

[starlight70]

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

I love Madonna, and her earlier work. But still, I'm beginning to respect Music for its ability to show its dominance in Madonna's later years of stardom. Hmm.. Go for Madonna.

 

[renegade_killerbee]

Very good point, Starlight.

Although she's "only" had four top 10 hits in the 2000's ("Music," "Don't Tell Me," "Die Another Day," and "Hung Up"), you'd be hard-pressed to find another female singer from two decades ago that has managed to have just as many.

You go, girl!

 

[Soilwork]

What is this list based on? Airplay? Record Sales? Certianly not whether the song is good or not.. half those on that list are long-forgotten dreck-fests.

 

[G-Lexington]

Dude, the Singing Nun.

Lex

 

[renegade_killerbee]

What is this list based on? Airplay? Record Sales? Certianly not whether the song is good or not.. half those on that list are long-forgotten dreck-fests.

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 ***

www.tagged.com/renegade_killerbee

 

[LarsVenice]

This just shows how at odds I am with popular taste. I hate almost every song (and/or singer) on the list. I prefer to hear masculine voices.

A decade or so ago, Billboard named the top female vocalists, and Aretha was #2, behind Connie Francis. This might have been announced some time in the 80s, but a list without Aretha is pretty meaningless to me.

 

[renegade_killerbee]

Dude, the Singing Nun.

Lex

Interesting that you point out the 79th most popular song by a solo female singer, "Dominique" by the Singing Nun, Lex.

I downloaded all of these songs and burnt them to CD (from this list and in this order) and when I played that one back I thought, "What a cool ... yet totally bizarro song!"

The Singing Nun (Jeanine Deckers) committed suicide in March of 1985. "Dominique" was her only Hot 100 entry.

*** KEVIN IN SOUTH TULSA ***

Below: "Dominique" was No. 1 for four weeks on the Hot 100 in 1964

 

[Boywonder89]

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

My sentiments exactly. I'd have ranked that as number 1. "We Belong Together" was overrated, but Un-Break My Heart is a good choice.

 

[RyanJ]

Very good point, Starlight.

Although she's "only" had four top 10 hits in the 2000's ("Music," "Don't Tell Me," "Die Another Day," and "Hung Up"), you'd be hard-pressed to find another female singer from two decades ago that has managed to have just as many.

You go, girl!

Janet would be the next do that: "Doesn't Really Matter," "All For You," and "Someone To Call My Lover". Gotta give props where she deserves it. She and Madonna have been around about the same time.

 

[Soilwork]

What I find the most funny is that it's nothing but songs that suck.

Janet Jackson has had some great songs.. none of which were on that list. Same with Madonna. I'll ever admit to liking a few songs by Mariah Carey, but the ones on that list are all sentimenal dreck. Syrupy tripe.

Most of the songs on that list sound like the crap that fat straight women want at their weddings. It's all garbage. I'm kinda of ashamed that so many gay men, who I would have thought would have more taste, like any of that shit.

 

[matt1980111]

I love mostly every song on that list.

 

[renegade_killerbee]

I agree, RyanJ

Janet can't sing her way out of a paper bag but ya know what, I still love the hell out of her.

I saw her in Las Vegas five years ago and wow, what a great show she put on.

Can't wait until la Jackson gets her groove back!!!

*** KEVIN IN SOUTH TULSA ***

 

[renegade_killerbee]

What I find the most funny is that it's nothing but songs that suck.

Janet Jackson has had some great songs.. none of which were on that list. Same with Madonna. I'll ever admit to liking a few songs by Mariah Carey, but the ones on that list are all sentimenal dreck. Syrupy tripe.

Hmmm, Soil, did you like miss the list? LOL

Madonna did place some songs on the list: 5. More than any other woman, next to Mariah Carey (12).

Queen Madonna's highest place comes at No. 21 with "Take A Bow."

Janet Jackson isn't forgotten either. She's got several placings including her highest showing at No. 19 with "That's The Way Love Goes." That song was No. 1 for eight weeks in 1993. Another entry from her "janet." opus shows up at No. 42 in "Again."

2001's "All For You" is at No. 20, right under "That's The Way Love Goes."

*** KEVIN IN SOUTH TULSA ***

 

[renegade_killerbee]

Ya know, I'm only 36-years-old so I grew up on 80's and 90's music.

But out of respect to my parents and grandparents, I am really sick of the whiners in this forum bitching about the songs that charted in the 50's and 60's.

The biggest hit of the 1950's by a female was "The Wayward Wind" (#twenty-eight) by Gigi Grant. So go her. Just because none of us remember that song is no reason we should dish out attitude or freak out thinking a song by Alanis Morissette or Celine Dion should have outranked it. Maybe Grant's song was in the top 10 for a superior amount of time? Gasp!

And for the 1960's it was LuLu's "To Sir With Love" (#57). That poor decade only had one huge hit by a woman and it was LuLu's song about a taboo subject which would be met with no criticism today.

You guys need to lighten up. There is more to the rock 'n' roll female vaults than Tina Turner, Mariah Carey and Britney Spears.

*** KEVIN IN SOUTH TULSA ***

 

[Soilwork]

Hmmm, Soil, did you like miss the list? LOL

Madonna did place some songs on the list: 5. More than any other woman, next to Mariah Carey (12).

Queen Madonna's highest place comes at No. 21 with "Take A Bow."

Janet Jackson isn't forgotten either. She's got several placings including her highest showing at No. 19 with "That's The Way Love Goes." That song was No. 1 for eight weeks in 1993. Another entry from her "janet." opus shows up at No. 42 in "Again."

2001's "All For You" is at No. 20, right under "That's The Way Love Goes."

*** KEVIN IN SOUTH TULSA ***

My point exaclty. None of the good songs by any of these artists.. just the fat-lady wedding songs.

This is the sentimental shite that seems to be bought by people with lots of cats.

 

[Ontariobear]

Songs from the 50s and 60s had such short chart lives that they are unable to compete against songs that had chart lives of well over 20 weeks. Peak position is just one factor in creating this list which puts Lulu etc at a disadvantage. Finding a way to assign weights to factor that in makes more math than I wanna think about. A list where just the most weeks at #1 was the sole factor would make a very different list.

 

[sean penn]

who is mariah carey and what songs does she sings? she is not popular here outside of USA...

 

[Soilwork]

Mariah Carey is very popular outside the US. Over 1/3 of her total worldwide sales comes from outside the US.

Where exactly are you from?

yeah.. I wanna move there.