Hit single
Encyclopedia
A hit single is a recorded song
or instrumental released as a single
that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart
through repeated radio airplay
or significant commercial sales.
Historically, before the era of the dominance of recorded music, commercial sheet music
sales of individual songs were similarly promoted and tracked as singles and albums are now. For example, in 1894, Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern released "The Little Lost Child
", which sold more than a million copies nationwide based mainly on its success as an illustrated song, analogous to today's music video
s.
and the United Kingdom
, a single is usually considered to be a hit when it has reached the official Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100
or the Top 75 of the 'UK Singles Chart
' and stayed there for at least one week (the definition used by the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles since the 1970s). It can be argued that reaching at least the top 100 since the Official Charts Company increased the size of the chart on their website on the 23 June, 2007 can allow a single to be considered a hit due to the increasing singles market size, after chart rules were changed concerning download singles.
A hit single may be described as a "number one hit", a "top 10 hit", a "top 20 hit" or a "top 40 hit", depending on its peak position. In the UK, (where radio play is not included in the official charts) this not completely reflect the song's overall popularity, as the weekly chart position is solely based on a direct comparison with the sales of other singles released at around the same time. It is therefore not uncommon for a single to fail to chart, but to have actually sold more copies than other singles which are regarded as "hits" purely from their higher chart placement during a period of generally low sales.
; 2009 was a record year for UK singles sales. Actual figures vary considerably depending on the time of year. In 2006 a number one single usually sold around 30,000 copies per week; sales of around 13,000 were often sufficient to reach the top ten, and a single selling over 2,500 copies could make the top forty.
did not chart in the UK but became a top ten hit in Spain. Most established artists usually release their singles in several different countries in the hope of achieving a worldwide hit.
s, such as the Now That's What I Call Music!
series. Well known bands and artists also frequently release collections of their most popular singles as Greatest hits
albums.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
or instrumental released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
through repeated radio airplay
Airplay (song)
Airplay is a term used in the radio broadcasting industry to state how frequently a song is being played on over-the-air radio stations. For example, a song which is being played several times every day would be classed as receiving a large amount of airplay...
or significant commercial sales.
Historically, before the era of the dominance of recorded music, commercial sheet music
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
sales of individual songs were similarly promoted and tracked as singles and albums are now. For example, in 1894, Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern released "The Little Lost Child
The Little Lost Child
The Little Lost Child is a popular song of 1894 by Edward B. Marks and Joseph W. Stern which sold more than two million copies of its sheet music following its promotion as the first ever illustrated song, an early precursor to the music video...
", which sold more than a million copies nationwide based mainly on its success as an illustrated song, analogous to today's music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s.
Chart hits
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, a single is usually considered to be a hit when it has reached the official Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
or the Top 75 of the 'UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
' and stayed there for at least one week (the definition used by the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles since the 1970s). It can be argued that reaching at least the top 100 since the Official Charts Company increased the size of the chart on their website on the 23 June, 2007 can allow a single to be considered a hit due to the increasing singles market size, after chart rules were changed concerning download singles.
A hit single may be described as a "number one hit", a "top 10 hit", a "top 20 hit" or a "top 40 hit", depending on its peak position. In the UK, (where radio play is not included in the official charts) this not completely reflect the song's overall popularity, as the weekly chart position is solely based on a direct comparison with the sales of other singles released at around the same time. It is therefore not uncommon for a single to fail to chart, but to have actually sold more copies than other singles which are regarded as "hits" purely from their higher chart placement during a period of generally low sales.
Sales figures
In the UK the number of sales required to achieve a hit single steadily declined in line with a general decline in single sales until the early 2000s, but have recovered strongly with the growth in official digital downloadsMusic download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
; 2009 was a record year for UK singles sales. Actual figures vary considerably depending on the time of year. In 2006 a number one single usually sold around 30,000 copies per week; sales of around 13,000 were often sufficient to reach the top ten, and a single selling over 2,500 copies could make the top forty.
Hit singles worldwide
Whether or not a single becomes a hit can depend on geographical location. Musical taste varies considerably and singles which are not hits in their country of origin sometimes become chart topping hits in other parts of the world. For example "Blind To The Groove", released in 1998 by UK band UltraUltra (boy band)
Ultra is an English male pop band, which was most successful in the late 1990s. The original line-up consisted of James Hearn , Michael Harwood , Jon O'Mahony and Nick Keynes .-Musical history:Although sometimes mistakenly described as a...
did not chart in the UK but became a top ten hit in Spain. Most established artists usually release their singles in several different countries in the hope of achieving a worldwide hit.
Albums of hit singles
Collections of hit singles by various artists are often released as compilation albumCompilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s, such as the Now That's What I Call Music!
Now That's What I Call Music!
Now That's What I Call Music! is a series of various artists compilation albums released in the United Kingdom and Ireland by Polygram /EMI/Sony Music/Virgin Records ; spinoff series were later introduced in South Africa and many other countries worldwide, including the United States...
series. Well known bands and artists also frequently release collections of their most popular singles as Greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
albums.
See also
- Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
- Top 40 Mainstream
- UK Singles ChartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
- One hit wonder
- Single (music)Single (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...