All-Time Chart (1992-2017)

The second edition of the all-time chart was published on October 19, 2017 to celebrate the chart’s 25-year anniversary. The charts featured the top 100 songs and the top 50 artists of all time so far on the chart.

How The Chart Works
The Greatest of All-Time Pop Songs Artists and Songs rankings are based on weekly performance on the Pop Songs chart (from its Oct. 3, 1992, inception through Sept. 30, 2017). Artists and Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates over various periods. Artists are ranked based on a formula blending performance, as outlined above, of all their Pop Songs chart entries.

"Chart Beat Podcast: The Top 25 Pop Songs of the Past 25 Years, by Britney Spears, Rihanna & More"
Welcome to the Billboard Chart Beat Podcast, where each week co-hosts Gary Trust and Trevor Anderson, from the Billboard charts department, discuss why what's on the charts … is on the charts, while also looking at current chart action in a historical context for even greater insights.

This week, after counting down the top 40 of the weekly Billboard Hot 100 in recent podcasts from specific weeks in 1987 (in part one, with special guest Tiffany, and part two, with Debbie Gibson); 1996; 1997 (with Paula Cole); 2002 (with Kelly Clarkson); and 2007, Gary and Trevor recap the top 25 hits on Billboard's Pop Songs radio airplay chart over the survey's first 25 years, dating to its launch in October 1992.

Among the elite smashes (based on a methodology that encompasses chart performance) are hits from Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars and the chart's No. 1 artist over its 25-year history, Rihanna.

Plus, Edison Research vp of music programming and author of the Ross on Radio newsletter (and longtime Billboard radio writer) Sean Ross joins in to discuss top 40 radio's evolution over the past 25 years, along with its cautious approach to rap in 2017 and whether more rock and tempo could return to the format.

As for the No. 1 hit on Pop Songs since 1992 (don't click here if you want to instead find out by listening to the podcast!), did Ross think that it would reach such historic heights when he first heard it? "It seemed like the latest in the [Snap!] 'Rhythm Is a Dancer' / Captain Hollywood Project 'More and More' sequence. But I don't think I pegged it as the record that was going to [rank No. 1 all-time on Pop Songs].

"[But] I thought it was a hit. And, I was happy to hear it."

"Rihanna Rules as No. 1 Artist In Pop Songs Chart's 25-Year History"
After piling up record after record (musically and achievement-wise) on Billboard's Pop Songs radio airplay chart, Rihanna reigns as the No. 1 artist over the first 25 years of the survey, which began with the list dated Oct. 3, 1992.

Rihanna roared onto the ranking, which reflects the most-played songs each week on pop radio, according to Nielsen Music, in 2005 with her debut hit "Pon De Replay," her first of an unprecedented 30 top 10s. In 2006, she earned her first Pop Songs No. 1, "SOS," of 11, a record she shares with Katy Perry, the chart's No. 4 top artist.

Notably, Rihanna has reached historic heights despite having arrived on the chart more than halfway through its existence.

Rounding out the top five Pop Songs artists since the chart's inception 25 years ago, below Rihanna, P!nk places at No. 2; Maroon 5 ranks at No. 3, and reigns as the top group; Perry is No. 4; and Justin Timberlake claims the No. 5 spot, while ranking as the top solo male.

As for the biggest hits on the Pop Songs chart over the past quarter-century, Real McCoy's 1994 club classic "Another Night" leads the list. The single crowned the chart for six weeks and ranked in the top 10 for 28 weeks, a record it co-owns with Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" (the No. 8 all-time song). Nos. 2 through 5, respectively, are Santana's "Smooth," featuring Rob Thomas, from 1999; Lifehouse's "Hanging by a Moment" (2001); Timbaland's "Apologize," featuring OneRepublic (2007); and Nickelback's "How You Remind Me."

Rihanna's highest-ranking song on the 25-year ranking is "We Found Love," featuring Calvin Harris, at No. 17.

And, the top Pop Songs hit of the current decade ranks at No. 9 on the all-time recap: The Chainsmokers' 2016 smash "Closer," featuring Halsey.

Chart Beat Podcast: The Top 25 Pop Songs of the Past 25 Years, by Britney Spears, Rihanna & More In 2012, Billboard recapped the top artists and titles of the Pop Songs chart's first 20 years. (The two new tallies are based on a more advanced methodology, so certain titles released through 2012 rank in a different order relative to each other than they did on the recap published five years ago.) Still, in the relatively brief span since, several noteworthy acts have soared. As Rihanna retains her No. 1 Pop Songs artist ranking, Maroon 5 bounds from No. 19 to No. 5; Taylor Swift surges 39-7; and Bruno Mars blasts 32-10.