Highest charting, biggest and signature hit

[dukelightning]

Casey uses these terms a lot to describe an artists songs. But how many artists have different songs representing their highest charting hit, their biggest hit and their signature hit. An artist like John Mellancamp comes close to that status. His highest charting hit is "Jack and Diane" (#1), but his biggest hit is "Hurts so Good" (#2) and Casey said just that during the top 100 of 1982 when the latter ranked higher than the former. However, his signature hit is also HSG so he is not in this category. BTW, I realize that signature hits are a bit subjective in nature. So this might start some arguments but most of like arguments....lol

I will submit one artist who had different songs representing their highest charting hit, their biggest hit and their signature hit....Air Supply.

Highest charting hit....The One That You Love, #1
Biggest hit.............All Out of Love, #2
Signature hit.........Lost in Love

AOOL had more weeks on the chart, in the top 10 and in the top 5 than TOTYL and was also their highest ranking song on a year end countdown.

[Big Red Machine]

I can also think of Billy Joel. His signature hit, "Piano Man" didn't even reach the Top 10. His biggest hits in my opinion were "Just The Way You Are" , "My Life", and "Uptown Girl" which all reached # 3. And yet "Tell Her About It" , "It's Still Rock N Roll To Me", and "We Didn't Start the Fire" reached #1. Go figure.

[mstgator]

Apr 14, 2012 9:41:29 GMT -5 dukelightning said:

However, his signature hit is also HSG so he is not in this category. BTW, I realize that signature hits are a bit subjective in nature. So this might start some arguments but most of like arguments....lol

Yep... just from a lyrical/musical standpoint, I'd probably pick something like "Small Town" or even "Pink Houses" to be his signature hit.

[jlthorpe]

What about the Bee Gees?

Highest charting hit: Night Fever
Biggest hit: How Deep Is Your Love
Signature hit: Stayin' Alive

All from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.

[bestmusicexpert]

I'll give it a go:

Journey:
Highest Charting Hit: Open Arms
Biggest Hit: Seperate Ways (Spent 2 more weeks on the charts)
Signature Hit: Don't Stop Believin'

Queen:
Highest Charting Hit: Crazy Little Thing Called Love (#1 for 4 weeks)
Biggest Hit: Another One Bites The Dust (#1 for 3 weeks, on charts 21 weeks)
Signature Hit: Body Language (HAH, Just kidding) Bohemian Rhapsody (#9 in 1976 & #2 in 1992)

[dukelightning]

For Journey, Open Arms was #19 for 1982 while Separate Ways was #40 for 1983 so OA would be their highest charting and biggest hit.
As a footnote because a lot of people follow R&R, OA was one of the biggest hits of the 80s on that chart.

[jlthorpe]

Janet Jackson:

Highest charting hit: That's the Way Love Goes
Biggest hit: If I remember correctly, when bestmusicexpert ranked the biggest hits of the Jacksons, Together Again was Janet's biggest hit in that countdown.
Signature hit: I can't figure out what would be considered her signature hit. What Have You Done for Me Lately? Nasty? Control? Rhythm Nation? I'd just as soon say her wardrobe malfunction, but that wasn't a song.

[vto66]

John Lennon:
Signature Hit: "Imagine" (No. 3 in 1971)
Biggest Hit/Highest Charting Hit: "Just Like Starting Over" (5 weeks at No. 1 in late 1980-early 1981)

[kahunaburger61]

Styx: Biggest Charting Hit "Babe" Signature Song: "Come Sail Away" or "Renegade" KISS:Biggest Charting Hit "Beth" Signature Song "Rock n Roll All Night" (live version) Kinks: Biggest Charting Hit "Come Dancing" Signature song "You Really Got Me" REO Speedwagon Biggest Charting Hit "Keep on Loving You" Signature "Ridin' the Storm Out" or "Time For Me To Fly" Aerosmith Biggest Charting Hit "I Don't Want To Miss a Thing" Signature Song "Sweet Emotion" or "Dream On" or even "Walk This Way" Steely Dan Biggest Hit "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" Signature song "Reelin' In The Years"

[bestmusicexpert]

Kahuna: For Styx, Come Sail Away would definately be it. For REO, I'd say there isn't really anything that stands out more than any other. Though classic rock stations seem to play Roll With The Changes the most. As for Steely Dan, I'd have to disagree with Reelin In The Years. It depends on the format but Do It Again and Peg seem to be more popular on playlists than Reelin.

Dukedeb, I was going on weeks in Billboard for Journey. But 6 weeks at #2 for Open Arms probably gives it a higher ranking anyhow.

[jlthorpe]

I thought "Can't Fight This Feeling" spent more weeks at #1 than "Keep On Loving You". If so, then "CFTF" was the highest charting, and maybe "KOLY" was the signature (or at least, that's what I'd consider their signature).

For Toto, their highest charting hit was "Africa" and their biggest hit was "Rosanna", but for a signature, I was thinking instead of "Rosanna", I'd say it's "Hold The Line".

[Caseyfan4everRyanfanNever]

Determining whether a song is bigger than another can be measured in several ways:
1. Weeks at the peak position
2. Weeks on the chart

Can't Fight This Feeling did spend more weeks at the peak (#1) than Keep on Loving You. But Keep on Loving You had more weeks on the chart (Top 40). So either song could lay claim to being the biggest.

The interesting thing is that many artists have #1 songs that spend fewer weeks than another of their songs that spend more time on the chart. Adding up chart points, "Rosanna", Toto's #2 hit, has more than Africa, Toto's #1 hit. Joel Whitburn relies more on peak position and would probably count Africa higher, but if American Top 40 had broadcast an extensive end of the 80s countdown, their calculations would have probably put Rosanna higher, since they generally used a combination of weeks on the chart along with peak position and bonuses (Rosanna spent 5 weeks at #2, Africa spent 1 week at #1).

If Vince is around, maybe he can weigh in on this a bit more. He's our chart calculation expert.

[dukelightning]

There are 2 ways to determine an artists biggest hit IMO. One is to compare rankings in year end charts and in this case, "Rosanna" was at 14 and "Africa" was at 26. The other is to use someone like Fred Bronson who compiled a list of the 3000 songs of the rock era and in that case, "Rosanna" was at 167 and "Africa" was at 449. So "Rosanna" is their biggest hit either way.

[kahunaburger61]

Apr 16, 2012 4:23:24 GMT -5 bestmusicexpert said:

Kahuna: For Styx, Come Sail Away would definately be it. For REO, I'd say there isn't really anything that stands out more than any other. Though classic rock stations seem to play Roll With The Changes the most. As for Steely Dan, I'd have to disagree with Reelin In The Years. It depends on the format but Do It Again and Peg seem to be more popular on playlists than Reelin.

Dukedeb, I was going on weeks in Billboard for Journey. But 6 weeks at #2 for Open Arms probably gives it a higher ranking anyhow.

In regard to Styx signature song depends on whether you are a Dennis DeYoung or Tommy Shaw fan. Around here (Omaha) "Time For Me To Fly" gets more airplay than "Roll With the Changes". Live version of "Ridin' The Storm Out" gets equal play. "Reelin' In The Years" gets loads more airplay and when I saw them live they didn't even do "Do It Again" in concert.

[donwa001]

Whenever I think of Air Supply, I immediately think of Christopher Cross (who's first chart record debuted one week after Air Supply's first chart record)

Highest charting hits....Sailing & Arthur's Theme, #1
Biggest hit.............Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) #1 for 3 weeks
Signature hit.........Ride Like The Wind