Where Did the Bands Go? 1959–2025
Topic: Culture & Entertainment
In this chart: The year's top 20 hits, Second Layer
About this chart
The year's top 20 hits are split by who made them: groups in green at the bottom, duos in gold, solo artists in blue at the top, as shares averaged over three years. The readout counts that year's groups, duos and solo artists; the groups' high is marked. Point at any year, or tap it, to read its numbers. The animation draws the years from 1959 to 2025 over fifty-six seconds, holds on the last year for three seconds, and loops. The scrubber under the chart marks each year and pauses on any of them.
Method
The songs are the top 20 of Billboard's year-end Hot 100 for every year from 1959 to 2025, 1,340 songs, as the chart is reproduced on Wikipedia's “Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles” pages; a year-end chart covers Billboard's chart year, which does not match the calendar year exactly. The details of each song were compiled for DataSlapper from Wikipedia's song and artist pages, SongBPM and other song pages, with a cited page for every value, and checked by DataSlapper: every year's top 20 against Wikipedia's page, and a random sample of 112 songs against the pages cited. A value no source gave is left out, not guessed; a double-sided single that holds one chart position counts as one song.
Each hit is counted by its lead act as credited on the chart: a solo artist; a duo, meaning a two-person act or two acts credited together; or a group, meaning a named band. Featured guests are not counted. Each point pools a year's top 20 with the two years before it, so that one or two songs do not swing the bands; 1959 stands alone and 1960 pools two years. The readout counts that year alone. One hit of 1976 is not classified and is left out.
Data sources
- Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles, 1959–2025, the top 20 of each year, as reproduced by Wikipedia
- Lead acts (solo artist, duo or group): Wikipedia's song and artist pages, compiled for DataSlapper
Data table
Every year's top 20 hits from 1959 to 2025 counted by lead act, solo artist, duo or group, with the three-year shares the chart draws. Compiled by DataSlapper.
Show all 67 rows
| Year | Solo | Duos | Groups | Solo share, three years | Duo share, three years | Group share, three years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 65.0% | 10.0% | 25.0% |
| 1960 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 75.0% | 7.5% | 17.5% |
| 1961 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 71.7% | 6.7% | 21.7% |
| 1962 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 78.3% | 5.0% | 16.7% |
| 1963 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 65.0% | 5.0% | 30.0% |
| 1964 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 56.7% | 3.3% | 40.0% |
| 1965 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 40.0% | 5.0% | 55.0% |
| 1966 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 38.3% | 5.0% | 56.7% |
| 1967 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 36.7% | 8.3% | 55.0% |
| 1968 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 38.3% | 6.7% | 55.0% |
| 1969 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 35.0% | 5.0% | 60.0% |
| 1970 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 33.3% | 5.0% | 61.7% |
| 1971 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 36.7% | 3.3% | 60.0% |
| 1972 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 51.7% | 3.3% | 45.0% |
| 1973 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 68.3% | 0.0% | 31.7% |
| 1974 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 70.0% | 0.0% | 30.0% |
| 1975 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 63.3% | 1.7% | 35.0% |
| 1976 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 49.2% | 6.8% | 44.1% |
| 1977 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 52.5% | 6.8% | 40.7% |
| 1978 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 49.2% | 6.8% | 44.1% |
| 1979 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 51.7% | 3.3% | 45.0% |
| 1980 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 48.3% | 6.7% | 45.0% |
| 1981 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 50.0% | 10.0% | 40.0% |
| 1982 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 46.7% | 11.7% | 41.7% |
| 1983 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 43.3% | 15.0% | 41.7% |
| 1984 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 48.3% | 11.7% | 40.0% |
| 1985 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 48.3% | 13.3% | 38.3% |
| 1986 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 46.7% | 11.7% | 41.7% |
| 1987 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 40.0% | 10.0% | 50.0% |
| 1988 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 48.3% | 5.0% | 46.7% |
| 1989 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 53.3% | 6.7% | 40.0% |
| 1990 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 58.3% | 8.3% | 33.3% |
| 1991 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 53.3% | 8.3% | 38.3% |
| 1992 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 53.3% | 3.3% | 43.3% |
| 1993 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 45.0% | 6.7% | 48.3% |
| 1994 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 51.7% | 6.7% | 41.7% |
| 1995 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 53.3% | 5.0% | 41.7% |
| 1996 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 65.0% | 3.3% | 31.7% |
| 1997 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 65.0% | 5.0% | 30.0% |
| 1998 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 68.3% | 10.0% | 21.7% |
| 1999 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 61.7% | 8.3% | 30.0% |
| 2000 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 56.7% | 8.3% | 35.0% |
| 2001 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 55.0% | 3.3% | 41.7% |
| 2002 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 61.7% | 1.7% | 36.7% |
| 2003 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 70.0% | 1.7% | 28.3% |
| 2004 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 68.3% | 5.0% | 26.7% |
| 2005 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 68.3% | 5.0% | 26.7% |
| 2006 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 70.0% | 5.0% | 25.0% |
| 2007 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 76.7% | 1.7% | 21.7% |
| 2008 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 81.7% | 3.3% | 15.0% |
| 2009 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 80.0% | 1.7% | 18.3% |
| 2010 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 80.0% | 1.7% | 18.3% |
| 2011 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 78.3% | 1.7% | 20.0% |
| 2012 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 73.3% | 3.3% | 23.3% |
| 2013 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 70.0% | 10.0% | 20.0% |
| 2014 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 66.7% | 11.7% | 21.7% |
| 2015 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 73.3% | 11.7% | 15.0% |
| 2016 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 70.0% | 13.3% | 16.7% |
| 2017 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 68.3% | 16.7% | 15.0% |
| 2018 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 68.3% | 16.7% | 15.0% |
| 2019 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 66.7% | 16.7% | 16.7% |
| 2020 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 76.7% | 10.0% | 13.3% |
| 2021 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 73.3% | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| 2022 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 78.3% | 11.7% | 10.0% |
| 2023 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 68.3% | 21.7% | 10.0% |
| 2024 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 76.7% | 16.7% | 6.7% |
| 2025 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 80.0% | 16.7% | 3.3% |
Updated 2025
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