My latest foray into countdown mania

[Dean]

I'm currently airing a 10-week special: the Top 500 Rock & Roll Hits of
the Oldies Era (1955-69).

I determined the rankings myself based on the old Billboard Magazine
singles charts. So far, I've counted down songs #500-351 in three
separate segments. You can hear them at the links below.

Part 1, #500-451:
https://www.mixcloud.com/dean-fiora/top-500-rock-roll-hits-of-the-oldies-era-1955-1969-part-1-of-10/

Part 2, #450-401:
https://www.mixcloud.com/dean-fiora/top-500-rock-roll-hits-of-the-oldies-era-1955-1969-part-2/

Part 3, #400-351:
https://www.mixcloud.com/dean-fiora/top-500-rock-roll-hits-of-the-oldies-era-1955-1969-part-3/

I should warn you: this top 500 contains quite a few songs that I
personally could do without. However, I've included them in the name of
historical accuracy. Listen at your own risk!

[Bruce]

I assume that number one is "The Twist."

[Dean]

Post by Bruce
I assume that number one is "The Twist."

You assume wrong.

[Bruce]

So what was your formula for tabulating this list?

Billboard published their own top singles of all time at some point and
"The Twist" was number one. You probably are using the Whitburn short
cut where the top songs are ranked first by how many weeks they were
number one rather than actually giving points for each chart position
that the record was at for each week it was on the chart. If it's done
that way it's "The Twist," but that would be a ton of work even if you
had access to every record's chart position for each week.

So the Whitburn short cut would maybe produce the two sided "Hound Dog"
and "Don't Be Cruel" at #1 for 11 weeks. If you are not counting 2
siders and are just counting the Top 100 and the Hot 100 rather than
also including the Jukebox and DJ charts, it could be something else. Do
you consider the "Singing The Blues" by Guy Mitchell to be rock and
roll? Because that one was 10 weeks.

If "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel" are separate entities here and you
are not counting the jukebox or DJ charts, and just the main Top 100
chart, than "Don't Be Cruel" only has 7 weeks and "Hound Dog" only has 2
weeks.

[Dean]

Post by Bruce
So what was your formula for tabulating this list?

I created a point system based on a single's chart peak and longevity.

A #1 hit got 100 points + 10 points for each week it peaked + one
additional point for each week it charted.

A #2 hit got 99 points + five points for each week it peaked + one
additional point for each week it charted.

A #3 hit got 98 points + three points for each week it peaked + one
additional point for each week it charted.

A #4 hit got 97 points + one additional point for each week it charted.
For songs that made #4 and lower, I didn't bother with how many weeks it
peaked.

Here are two examples:

HOUND DOG / DON'T BE CRUEL, Elvis Presley. #11 weeks at #1 + 28 weeks on
the chart = 238 points.

THE TWIST, Chubby Checker. Between its two chart runs, it was #1 for
three weeks and spent 40 weeks on the Hot 100. Total points: 170.

It may not be a perfect system, but it was the best I could think of.

[Bruce]

Post by Dean

Post by Bruce
So what was your formula for tabulating this list?

I created a point system based on a single's chart peak and longevity.
A #1 hit got 100 points + 10 points for each week it peaked + one
additional point for each week it charted.
A #2 hit got 99 points + five points for each week it peaked + one
additional point for each week it charted.
A #3 hit got 98 points + three points for each week it peaked + one
additional point for each week it charted.
A #4 hit got 97 points + one additional point for each week it charted.
For songs that made #4 and lower, I didn't bother with how many weeks it
peaked.
HOUND DOG / DON'T BE CRUEL, Elvis Presley. #11 weeks at #1 + 28 weeks on
the chart = 238 points.
THE TWIST, Chubby Checker. Between its two chart runs, it was #1 for
three weeks and spent 40 weeks on the Hot 100. Total points: 170.

You tabulated "The Twist" wrong. It gets 100 pts. for getting to number
pone in 1960 and then another 100 pts. for getting to number on in early
1962. That's 200 + 30 for 3 weeks at number one + 40 for its weeks on
the chart. 270.

You're royally fucking the record by only giving it the initial 100
points for getting to number one when it did that twice in 2 totally
different runs that were over a year apart.

If those were 2 separate unrelated records the 1960s one would get 128
points and the second release from 1961-62 would get 142 points. 128+142
is 270.

They were 2 separate records with different flip sides. The song that
was the A side on both issues should not get penalized by only getting
the 100 points once.

By the way, I see 39 weeks, not 40 weeks. The 1960 one was 18 weeks and
the 1961-62 one was 21 weeks. So 269 points. There's still time to fix
that before you get up to the top 50 in the countdown.

[Dean]

Bruce, when you're right, you're right.

I hadn't thought of "The Twist" in that way before. So I awarded it an
extra 100 points for its second stay at #1. That gives the record 270
points total, making it #1 on my survey.

I guess I should thank you!

[Dean]

I meant 269 points, not 270. But it's still #1 now.

[DianeE]

Post by Dean
I'm currently airing a 10-week special: the Top 500 Rock & Roll Hits of
the Oldies Era (1955-69).
I determined the rankings myself based on the old Billboard Magazine
singles charts. So far, I've counted down songs #500-351 in three
separate segments. You can hear them at the links below.

-----------
See what you can accomplish when you stay out of those karaoke bars?!

[Dean]

Post by DianeE
See what you can accomplish when you stay out of those karaoke bars?!

I lost interest in that quite some time ago.