The Hot 100 began in 1958, as one main singles chart. It tracked the best-selling records in stores, disc jockey playlists and jukebox plays. The first No. 1 was Poor Little Fool by Ricky Nelson. Published in the United States of America, it provides chart rankings based on figures collated weekly. This is across all genres, and includes sales and airplay through all media. Physical sales of vinyl singles were at their height in 1973, the first year tracked by the RIAA (the Recording Industry Association of America). The Billboard singles charts reached their peak in the 1970's: it was the decade that saw the highest sales for vinyl singles in the USA (although revenue figures may need to be adjusted for inflation to measure the success of the singles format). The decline in physical sales of music, in the 2000's, may have lead to a shift in the type of music appearing in the chart. The Beatles charted 64 total songs on the Hot 100 between 1964 and 1970, of which a total of 20 hit the top - a record for the most leaders that still stands. In total the Beatles have charted on the Hot 100 in five distinct decades: the 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's and the 2020's.
The Hot 100
