Dance Club Songs was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by Billboard magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the United States. [1]
The Dance Club Songs chart underwent several incarnations since its inception in 1974. Originally a top-10 list of tracks that garnered the largest audience response in New York City discothèques, the chart began on October 26, 1974, under the title Disco Action. The chart went on to feature playlists from various cities around the country from week to week. Billboard continued to run regional and city-specific charts throughout 1975 and 1976 until the issue dated August 28, 1976, when a 30-position National Disco Action Top 30 premiered. [2] The first number-one song on the chart for the issue dated August 28, 1976, was "You Should Be Dancing" by the Bee Gees, spending five weeks atop the chart and the group's only number-one song on the chart.
The chart would continue to be published continuously for over 40 years, but with changes. The chart soon expanded to 40 positions, then in 1979 the chart expanded to 60 positions, then 80, and eventually reached 100 positions from September 1979 until 1981, when it was reduced back to 80. [3] During the first half of the 1980s, the chart maintained 80 slots until March 16, 1985, when the Disco charts were splintered and renamed. Two charts appeared: Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, which ranked club play (at 50 positions), and Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales , which ranked 12-inch single (or maxi-single) sales (also 50 positions, later reduced to 10 and discontinued in 2013, since replaced by Dance/Electronic Digital Songs).
On January 26, 2013, Billboard introduced the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, which tracks the 50 most popular dance and electronic songs as determined by Billboard based on digital single sales, streaming, radio airplay across all formats, and club play, with Dance Club Songs serving as the club play component to the multi-metric chart. [4]
On March 31, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the closures of clubs, Billboard suspended the chart. [5] The last number-one song, for the issue dated March 28, 2020, was "Love Hangover 2020" by Diana Ross. [6] Even after the pandemic receded and club attendance increased again, Billboard has not revived the chart nor published any information about a possible revival, effectively ending the nearly 44-year run of the chart.
Although the disco chart began reporting popular songs in New York City nightclubs, Billboard soon expanded coverage to feature multiple charts each week which highlighted playlists in various cities such as San Francisco, San Diego, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, Detroit, and Houston. During this time, Billboard rival publication Record World was the first to compile a dance chart which incorporated club play on a national level. Noted Billboard statistician Joel Whitburn has since "adopted" Record Worlds chart data from the weeks between March 29, 1975, and August 21, 1976, into Billboards club play history. For the sake of continuity, Record Worlds national chart is incorporated into both Whitburn's Dance/Disco publication (via his Record Research company) as well as the 1975 and 1976 number-ones lists. [3]
With the issue dated August 28, 1976, Billboard premiered its own national chart (National Disco Action Top 30) and their data is used from this date forward. [3]
In January 2017, Billboard proclaimed Madonna as the most successful artist in the history of the chart, ranking her first in their list of the 100 top all-time dance artists. [7] Madonna holds the record for the most number-one songs with 50. [8] Katy Perry holds the record for having eighteen consecutive number-one songs. [8] Perry's third studio album, Teenage Dream (2010), became the first album in the history of the chart to produce at least seven number-one songs by a lead artist [note 1] It held this record until Rihanna's eighth studio album Anti produced eight chart toppers from 2016 to 2017. [9] [10] Rihanna is the only artist to have achieved five number-one songs in a calendar year. [10]
Rank | Artist name | Ref. |
---|---|---|
1 | Madonna | [7] |
2 | Janet Jackson | |
3 | Rihanna | |
4 | Beyoncé | |
5 | Pet Shop Boys | |
6 | Donna Summer | |
7 | Mariah Carey | |
8 | Kristine W | |
9 | Jennifer Lopez | |
10 | Depeche Mode |
Position | Artist name | Tally of number-ones |
---|---|---|
1 | Madonna [12] | 50 |
2 | Rihanna [13] | 33 |
3 | Beyoncé [14] | 22 |
4 | Janet Jackson [15] | 20 |
5 | Katy Perry [16] | 19 |
6 | Jennifer Lopez [17] | 18 |
7 | Mariah Carey [18] | 17 (tie) |
Kristine W [19] | ||
9 | Donna Summer [20] | 161 |
10 | Lady Gaga [21] | 15 |
Number of songs | Artist name | First hit and date | Last hit and date | Streak breaking song and date |
---|---|---|---|---|
18 | Katy Perry | "Waking Up in Vegas" [9] (August 22, 2009) | "Swish Swish" (featuring Nicki Minaj) (July 22, 2017) | "Bon Appétit" (featuring Migos) [8] (#28, April 18, 2017) |
11 | Jennifer Lopez | "Qué Hiciste" [22] (June 23, 2007) | "Live It Up" (featuring Pitbull) [22] (July 20, 2013) | "I Luh Ya Papi" (featuring French Montana) [23] [24] (#5, June 28, 2014) |
9 | Kristine W | "Feel What You Want" [25] (July 23, 1994) | "The Wonder of It All" [26] (January 2, 2005) | "I'll Be Your Light" [27] [28] (#2, February 26, 2006) |
Beyoncé | "Diva" [29] (March 28, 2009) | "Countdown" [30] (December 24, 2011) | "End of Time" [31] (#33, March 3, 2012) | |
Erika Jayne | "Rollercoaster" [32] (July 28, 2007) | "How Many Fucks" [32] (August 13, 2016) | Non-breaking streak | |
8 | Kylie Minogue [33] | "All The Lovers" (August 14, 2010) | "Into The Blue" (April 12, 2014) | "I Was Gonna Cancel" (#5, August 9, 2014) |
7 | Janet Jackson | "When I Think of You" [34] (September 20, 1986) | "Alright" [34] (May 5, 1990) | "Black Cat" [34] (#17, October 27, 1990) |
Madonna [35] | "Causing a Commotion" (October 31, 1987) | "Justify My Love" (January 19, 1991) | "Rescue Me" (#6, March 16, 1991) | |
"Nothing Really Matters" (March 13, 1999) | "Impressive Instant" (November 17, 2001) | "GHV2 Megamix" (#5, December 2, 2001) |
Number of songs | Artist name | Year charted | Name of songs | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
5 | Rihanna | 2017 | "Love on the Brain", "Sex with Me", "Pose", "Wild Thoughts" (DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller), "Desperado" | [10] |
4 | 2007 | "We Ride", "Umbrella" (featuring Jay-Z), "Don't Stop the Music", "Shut Up and Drive" | [36] [37] | |
2010 | "Russian Roulette", "Hard" (featuring Jeezy), "Rude Boy", "Only Girl (In the World)" | |||
2011 | "Who's That Chick?" (David Guetta featuring Rihanna), "S&M", "California King Bed", "We Found Love" (featuring Calvin Harris) | |||
2016 | "Work" (featuring Drake), "This Is What You Came For" (Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna), "Kiss It Better", "Needed Me" | |||
Beyoncé | 2009 | "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", "Diva", "Halo", "Sweet Dreams" | ||
Lady Gaga | "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Paparazzi", "Bad Romance" | |||
2011 | "Born This Way", "Judas", "The Edge of Glory", "You and I" | |||
Katy Perry | 2014 | "Unconditionally", "Dark Horse" (featuring Juicy J), "Birthday", "This Is How We Do" |
Number of weeks | Artist(s) | Song(s) | Year(s) |
---|---|---|---|
11 | Michael Jackson | Thriller (all cuts) [42] | 1983 |
9 | Change | "A Lover's Holiday"/"The Glow Of Love"/"Searching" [43] | 1980 |
8 | Chic | "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)"/"Everybody Dance"/"You Can Get By" [44] | 1977 |
7 | Village People | Village People (all cuts) [45] | |
T-Connection | "Do What You Wanna Do" [46] | ||
Chic | "Le Freak"/"I Want Your Love"/"Chic Cheer" [47] | 1978-79 | |
Donna Summer | "Hot Stuff"/"Bad Girls" [48] | 1979 | |
Geraldine Hunt | "Can't Fake the Feeling" [49] | 1980 | |
Chaz Jankel | "Glad to Know You"/"3,000,000 Synths"/"Ai No Corrida" [50] | 1982 |
Footnotes
Dance-pop is a subgenre of pop music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a combination of dance and pop with influences of disco, post-disco and synth-pop, it is generally characterised by strong beats with easy, uncomplicated song structures which are generally more similar to pop music than the more free-form dance genre, with an emphasis on melody as well as catchy tunes. The genre, on the whole, tends to be producer-driven, despite some notable exceptions.
The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by Billboard magazine. Although it originally started tracking song sales the week of October 30, 2004, it officially debuted in the issue dated January 22, 2005, and merged all versions of a song sold from digital music distributors. Its data was incorporated in the Hot 100 three weeks later. Since October 2004, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboard's music singles charts. The decision was based on the dramatic increase of the digital market while commercial single sales in a physical format were becoming negligible.
Dance/Mix Show Airplay is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is published weekly by Billboard magazine.
"Vogue" is a song by American singer Madonna from her soundtrack album, I'm Breathless (1990). Written and produced by herself and Shep Pettibone, it was inspired by voguing, a dance which was part of the underground gay scene in New York City. The song was released as the lead single from the album on March 20, 1990, by Sire Records and Warner Bros. Records. "Vogue" is a house song with influences of disco, which contains escapist lyrics describing the dance floor as "a place where no boundaries exist". Its middle eight features Madonna name-dropping several actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood. "Vogue" was later included on three of Madonna's compilation albums: The Immaculate Collection (1990), Celebration (2009), and Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022).
American singer Madonna has released 94 singles and 23 promotional singles and charted with 23 other songs. Among those releases, a total of 44 Madonna singles have topped the official chart in at least one of the world's top 10 music markets, from "Like a Virgin" (1984) to "Give Me All Your Luvin'" (2012). Globally, she has sold more than 100 million singles, which were predominantly in physical formats. According to Billboard, Madonna is the most successful solo artist in Hot 100 chart history, second overall behind the Beatles. In the United Kingdom, Madonna has scored a total of 64 top-ten hits and 12 number-two peaks. In 2012, she was ranked as the best-selling singles female artist in the UK with 17.6 million singles sold. At the 40th anniversary of the GfK Media Control Charts, Madonna was ranked as the most successful singles artist in German chart history. Her long-standing success with the single format was remarked upon in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), where editors wrote that she is a "deserving candidate for the title of greatest singles artist since the 1960s heyday of the single"; the staff of Slant commented in 2020 that "by every objective measure, she's the most successful singles artist of all time".
"Don't Stop the Music" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007). It was released worldwide on September 7, 2007, as the album's fourth single. The song was written by Tawanna Dabney and its producers StarGate. Michael Jackson also received a songwriting credit for the sampling of the line "Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-koosa" from Jackson's 1983 single "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'". Both Rihanna and Jackson were sued by Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango, who asserted that the hook originated in his 1972 song "Soul Makossa". "Don't Stop the Music" is a dance track that features rhythmic devices used primarily in hip hop music.
"Disturbia" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded (2008), a re-release of her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad (2007). It was written by Andre Merritt, Chris Brown, Brian Kennedy and Rob. A!, with the production of the song helmed by Kennedy. The song was released as the third single from the reloaded edition of the album, and seventh overall. "Disturbia" was sent to US contemporary hit radio on June 17, 2008, and was released as a CD single in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2008.
Teenage Dream is the third studio album by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on August 24, 2010, through Capitol Records. Primarily a pop record, Teenage Dream also contains elements of disco, electronic, rock, funk, house, Hi-NRG, and hip hop, that revolve around young love, partying, self-empowerment, and personal growth. Perry co-wrote the album, and worked with a number of producers such as Dr. Luke, Max Martin, Benny Blanco, Stargate and Greg Wells.
"Teenage Dream" is a song by American singer Katy Perry. It was released as the second single from her third studio album of the same name on July 23, 2010. This song was written by Perry, Bonnie McKee, Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Benny Blanco. McKee describes "Teenage Dream" as a throwback song to the euphoric feelings of being in love as a teenager while Perry described the song as reminiscent of her youth. Musically, "Teenage Dream" is a mid-tempo pop song with a retro sound. It is styled in the genres of power pop and electropop, while taking influence from other genres such as disco and pop rock. Perry starts the song in a high-pitched voice while her vocals grow stronger as the song progresses. Lyrically, "Teenage Dream" discusses being with a lover who makes one feel young again.
"Only Girl (In the World)" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her fifth album, Loud (2010). Serving as the album's lead single, it was released on September 10, 2010. Crystal Johnson wrote the song in collaboration with producers Stargate and Sandy Vee. Rihanna contacted Stargate before Loud's production and asked them to create lively, uptempo music. "Only Girl (In the World)" was the first song composed for the album, and the singer decided to include it on the track list before she recorded her vocals. Backed by strong bass and synthesizer, it is a dance-pop and Eurodance song that has an electronic composition. Its lyrics describe Rihanna demanding physical attention from her lover.
"Who's That Chick?" is a song by French DJ and producer David Guetta featuring vocals from Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released from the reissue of Guetta's fourth studio album One Love (2009), entitled One More Love (2010). The song was written by Guetta, Kinda "Kee" Hamid, Frédéric Riesterer, and Giorgio Tuinfort. Since the song contains an interpolation of "Who's That Girl", Madonna and Patrick Leonard are credited as co-writers as well. It was released internationally as the second single on 22 November 2010 as a digital single, and was also released as a CD single and an Extended play (EP), the latter of which was released in the United States and contained remixes of the song.
"We Found Love" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her sixth studio album, Talk That Talk (2011). The song features Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, whose 2012 album 18 Months also includes the track. "We Found Love" premiered on September 22, 2011, on the Capital FM radio station in the United Kingdom, and was made available to download on the same day as the lead single from Talk That Talk. "We Found Love" is an uptempo electro house song, with elements of dance-pop, techno and Europop. The song's lyrics speak of a couple who "found love in a hopeless place".
"Where Have You Been" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna, from her sixth studio album, Talk That Talk (2011) serving as the fifth single. The song was written by Ester Dean, Geoff Mack, Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, Henry "Cirkut" Walter, and Calvin Harris, with production handled by the latter three. "Where Have You Been" was released as the third international single on April 17, 2012. The track is a dance-pop song that draws influence from trance, R&B and hip hop. It is backed by "hard, chilly synths" and contains an electro-inspired breakdown sequence. The song's lyrics interpolate Geoff Mack's 1959 song "I've Been Everywhere" and speak of a woman who is searching for a partner who will sexually please her.
"Right Now" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna featuirng French DJ and producer David Guetta. It was released as part of Rihanna's seventh studio album, Unapologetic (2012). Rihanna and Guetta co-wrote the song with R&B singers Ne-Yo and The-Dream, while their longtime collaborators, Norwegian production duo Stargate, co-produced the track alongside Guetta and his own longtime collaborators Nicky Romero and Giorgio Tuinfort. It was sent to contemporary hit and rhythmic contemporary radios in the United States as the fourth single from the album on May 28, 2013. Musically, "Right Now" is an EDM and pop song. The lyrical content features Rihanna chanting to live life in the moment.
This is a list of artists with the most number-ones on the U.S. Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. Madonna currently holds the record for the most number-one songs in the 43-year history of the chart, with 50. The only other artists to have achieved more than 20 chart toppers are Rihanna (33) and Beyonce (22). Janet Jackson has accumulated 20 number-ones during her career, followed by Katy Perry with 19, and Jennifer Lopez with 18. Mariah Carey and Kristine W are tied with 17. Donna Summer has 16, Lady Gaga has 15, while Dave Audé, Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, Kylie Minogue, David Guetta, and Whitney Houston have attained 14 apiece. Two acts have attained thirteen number-one songs: Deborah Cox and Yoko Ono.
"Love on the Brain" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released as on 27 September 2016 by Westbury Road and Roc Nation as the fourth single from her eighth studio album, Anti (2016). Written by Joseph Angel, Rihanna, and its producer Fred Ball, "Love on the Brain" is a 1950s-and-1960s-inspired doo-wop and soul ballad. The production incorporates an orchestra consisting of guitar arpeggio, organ, and syncopated strings. The lyrics are about the highs and lows of a toxic love.
"Desperado" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her eighth studio album, Anti (2016). It was written and produced by Mick Schultz with additional writing by Krystin "Rook Monroe" Watkins, Rihanna, Iman Jordan, James Fauntleroy and Derrus Rachel. During the recording process of Anti, Rihanna rented a house in Malibu over several months and started extensively writing and composing music with her team consisting of various musicians. One of the songwriters in the house was Krystin "Rook Monroe" Watkins. He together with American producer Mick Schultz worked on the song. Their efforts resulted in mid-tempo song feature deep synths and vocal samples.
"Sex with Me" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her eighth studio album, Anti (2016); it is one of three bonus tracks included on the deluxe edition. She wrote the song in collaboration with PartyNextDoor, Chester Hansen, Boi-1da, Frank Dukes and Vinylz, and it was produced by the latter three. Kuk Harrell was also enlisted as Rihanna's vocal producer. On February 3, 2017, Rihanna released a five-track EP which included remixes of "Sex with Me" by MK, Salva, John Blake, Addal and DEVAULT.
"Chained to the Rhythm" is a song by American singer Katy Perry from her fifth studio album, Witness (2017). The track was released on February 10, 2017, through Capitol Records as the lead single from the album. It features vocals from Jamaican singer Skip Marley. The artists co-wrote the track with its producers Max Martin and Ali Payami, with additional writing from Sia. "Chained to the Rhythm" is a dance-pop, disco and dancehall song, with lyrics about political awareness.