American Top 40
Encyclopedia
American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program
created by Casey Kasem
, Don Bustany
, Tom Rounds
and Ron Jacobs
. Originally a production of Watermark Inc.
(later a division of ABC Radio, now Citadel Media), it is now distributed by Premiere Radio Networks
in the United States
, Canada
, Australia
, the Philippines
, Singapore
, China
, India
, the United Kingdom
, Malaysia and several other territories worldwide.
Co-creator Casey Kasem hosted the original AT40 from its inauguration on July 4, 1970 until August 6, 1988, and returned to host the revived version from March 28, 1998 to January 3, 2004. (For much of the interim, he hosted the competing Casey's Top 40
.) Its other two regular hosts have been Shadoe Stevens
(1988–1995) and current host Ryan Seacrest
(since 2004).
As of March 2009, AT40 with Seacrest airs in two different formats - one for Contemporary Hit Radio
and one for Adult Contemporary (formerly Hot Adult Contemporary) stations - with no on-air differentiation other than the charts themselves. Kasem is still heard in two weekly replays of vintage shows from the '70s and '80s, respectively.
As its title implies, AT40 counts down the forty most popular songs in the United States of America, from #40 to #1. The show used Billboard
charts in its early years, touting it as "the only source" for the countdown; then, switched to those from Radio and Records upon its late 1990s return. The charts currently are based on data from Mediabase
, and published in the Tuesday Edition of USA Today
.
(now KECR
), which broadcasted the inaugural show the evening of July 3, 1970. The chart data broadcast actually included the top 40 songs from the week ending July 11, 1970. The very first show featured the very last time both Elvis Presley
and The Beatles
had songs simultaneously in the Top 10. It was originally distributed by Watermark Inc.
, and was first presented in mono until it started recording in stereo
in September 1972. In early 1982, Watermark was purchased by ABC Radio and AT40 became a program of the "ABC Contemporary Radio Network". The program was hosted by Casey Kasem
and co-created by Kasem; Don Bustany
; Tom Rounds
; and legendary 93/KHJ Program Director Ron Jacobs, who produced and directed the various production elements. Rounds was also the marketing genius; the initial funder was California strawberry grower Tom Driscoll
.
The show began as a three-hour program written and directed by Bustany, counting down the top 40 songs on Billboard' s Hot 100
Singles chart. The show quickly gained popularity once it was commissioned, and expanded to a four hour-program on October 7, 1978, to reflect the increasing average length of singles on Billboard' s Hot 100 chart. The producing staff expanded to eight people, some of them still in the business: Nikki Wine, Ben Marichal, Scott Paton, Matt Wilson
, Merrill Shindler, Guy Aoki
, Ronnie Allen and Sandy Stert Benjamin. (Bustany retired from AT40 in 1989; since 1994, he has hosted a political talk show on listener-sponsored KPFK
.) By the early 1980s, the show could be heard on 520 stations in the United States and around the world in 50 countries.
Although the show's format obviously implied an average of ten countdown songs per hour (once the show had gone to a four-hour format), this was not rigidly enforced; however, by the mid-1980s it had become increasingly rare for the final hour of the show to have any more than the top eleven or any fewer than the top nine songs left to play. The songs' run times determined how many would comfortably fit into each hour. The show bent to fit the Billboard rankings which, to many listeners, were sacred, and some songs had to be edited (in addition to whatever edits had been done for single release), with a verse and/or chorus chopped out, in order to fit into the show. But Casey and his producers never lost sight of the fact that the same music was being played on other stations everywhere, and that the stories behind the songs were the chief reason that listeners tuned to AT40.
Kasem was replaced by Shadoe Stevens
, whose first American Top 40 show aired on August 13, 1988, on 1,014 stations. Kasem joined the Westwood One
radio network less than a year later to start a rival show, Casey's Top 40
. Many AT40 listeners were upset by Kasem's departure and, as a result, many stations dropped American Top 40 in favor of Casey's Top 40 once it hit the airwaves on January 21, 1989. In an attempt to win back an audience, AT40 tried new show features, including interview clips, music news, top 5 flashbacks, and previews of upcoming chart hits (called the "AT40 Sneek Peek"). AT40 in its later Shadoe years frequently used a "No Nuttin'" gimmick, in which the number jingle was followed by the song, with no introduction by Shadoe; this tactic irked critics of the show.
Casey's Top 40 was based on the Contemporary Hit Radio/Pop tracks chart in Radio & Records
magazine, which at the time was the same chart source as Rick Dees
' Weekly Top 40. American Top 40 was briefly canceled in the USA on July 9, 1994, when then-owner ABC
withdrew the show and acquired the rights to rival Rick Dees Weekly Top 40
(since headed back to ABC Radio/Citadel Media). AT40 ended up in the hands of Radio Express
(its overseas distributors since the 1980s, founded by AT40 co-founder Tom Rounds), and was also canceled in the remaining foreign markets on January 28, 1995. These foreign markets replaced it with a similar format called The World Chart Show.
to rename "Casey's Top 40" as "American Top 40", after getting the rights to the name from ABC, since Shadoe's AT40 had been off the air for over two years. Westwood One
refused, so Kasem took himself and the AT40 name to AMFM Radio syndication (AMFM, once owned by Chancellor Media, was later absorbed into Premiere Radio Networks
).
The resurrected American Top 40 kept the Radio and Records CHR/Pop chart previously used for "Casey's Top 40" and was used as the basis for the show for the majority of this period. The only exception was a brief period from October 2000 to August 2001 when an obscure Mediabase
chart was used. This chart had a rather ambiguous recurrent rule
, which would see songs removed weekly from the chart from as high as #10.
took over the hosting duties of American Top 40 from Kasem, although Kasem would continue to host American Top 20 and American Top 10 until his retirement in July 2009. With the host change, AT40 underwent a makeover, using a new theme song and introducing several new features. These extras included interviews with celebrities (which were not restricted to musical or countdown artists), a gossip section, and an update on movies screening in cinemas. Other extras inducted on a regular basis include "AT40 Breakout", a song predicted to crack the chart within the next few weeks (formerly known as the "Out of The Box" hit); "Request Line", a segment in which Ryan Seacrest will play a song requested by a listener; "Double Play", a former hit from the artist just played; "AT40 Sleaze" (inspired by the "Dees Sleaze" segment of the Rick Dees
Weekly Top 40 radio show); and "AT40 Rewind", a hit song from the past decade or so. In between songs, Seacrest and his guest hosts often make deadpan one-liners while writers and producers can be heard laughing frequently, including the security guard "Roger". Additionally, Seacrest initially opened most shows by playing the previous week's #1 song, as Kasem often did in the 1980s; this was discontinued after 2006, but in mid-2009 Seacrest began including a shorter recap segment in the show's introduction, in which he would play brief segments of the previous week's top three hits.
The show also began using a new chart that used no recurrent rule. On the first show with Ryan Seacrest, this led to several older songs reappearing after having dropped off many weeks earlier. Over the long term, it meant songs could spend long runs for about a year on the chart even after they went to recurrent status on other published charts. "Here Without You
" by 3 Doors Down
set a longevity record in 2004 for the CHR show by lasting 50 weeks before finally falling off. In 2006, "Scars" by Papa Roach
would go on to tie the record. In 2011, Taio Cruz
set the all time record on the Top 40 chart with his song "Dynamite (Taio Cruz song)
|Dynamite" by Taio Cruz
. This song is on the chart for over 60 weeks and counting. On the Hot AC version of AT40, "Love Song (Sara Bareilles song)
|Love song by Sara Bareilles
set the all-time record in 2009 at 103 consecutive weeks. American Top 40 also became more interactive, involving online song voting and e-mail
. In December 2006, the series' website was revamped, and the online song voting was discontinued in favor of publishing the Hot AC chart. The website also includes a toll-free number where fans can make requests and "shoutouts", as they would to a local radio station, and by 2009 replayed clips of shoutouts became part of the show.
In March 2010, Premiere Radio Networks announced that "American Top 5," a condensed daily top-5 countdown, would begin airing as part of the daily radio program On Air
, also hosted by Seacrest.
For schedule reasons, some songs are shortened by removing some verses and the bridge.
As of , American Top 40 is produced and engineered by Claudine Cazian and Sal Cocio.
As of 2011
, the hot adult contemporary version of the American Top 40 countdown has been renamed as the adult contemporary countdown. Almost all of the hot AC songs on the countdown show have been played by other adult contemporary stations, and was meant to fill the void left by American Top 10.
. In its early weeks the shows were the original four hour format of an American Top 40 episode, but after the first month and a half the show was reduced to three hours. Although American Top 40 Flashback ceased in December 2002, radio station WMMX
in Dayton, Ohio
continued to carry American Top 40 Flashback on Saturday mornings until the premiere of Casey Kasem's American Top 40: The 80s.
began replays of the original 1970s and 1980s AT40 shows with Casey Kasem that were digitally remastered from the original vinyl LPs by Shannon Lynn of Charis Music Group. The event began with a weekend long marathon of original shows, with AT40 then being added as a regular show on two of XM's Decades channels, "The 70s on 7
" and "The 80s on 8
". With the merger of Sirius Satellite Radio
and XM Satellite Radio, these AT40 shows could also be heard on Sirius. As of October 11, 2009, Sirius XM replaced the AT40 countdowns airing on "80s on 8" with an original countdown show hosted by former MTV VJs Nina Blackwood
, Mark Goodman
, and Alan Hunter, along with Martha Quinn
's Big 80s trivia.
Sirius XM "70s on 7" currently runs AT40 each Saturday at 12PM with encore broadcasts the following Sunday at 9AM and at 12 midnight. Most show dates roughly correspond to the current week in real time. The mix of AT40 episodes being run on XM include the year-end countdowns, which are typically run in two parts: the first half (#100-#51) in one time slot, and then the second half (#50-#1) in the following time slot. The AT40 specials are also part of XM's rotation; for instance, "AT40 Goes to the Movies" aired prior to the 2007 Academy Awards
, and on February 24, "The Top 40 Acts Of The 80s So Far" aired on XM 80s the first week of July 2007. Also, "The Top 40 Songs of the Disco Era (1974-1979)" aired on Sirius XM "70s on 7" the second weekend of July 2011.
From October through early November 2006, oldies
radio station KQQL
in Minneapolis/St. Paul, which is owned by Clear Channel Communications
, ran a series of American Top 40 episodes from the 1970s. Aside from one week, when the station attempted to air a four-hour episode from 1979 in the three-hour timeslot (resulting in the show getting cut off at #11 and the top 10 not being heard), this test run was largely successful. Because of the success, Premiere Radio Networks decided to launch "Casey Kasem's American Top 40: The 1970s" into national syndication featuring the three hour shows from 1970 to 1978, and the last three hours of shows originally aired from October 1978 through December 1979. (One original four-hour program, first aired in October 1978, was edited into a three-hour program for reairing in 2007, and the four-hour "Disco Hits" special from July 1979 with the first hour optional was aired in 2008, but until the fall of 2010, no other program from the last 15 months of the 1970s was included in the "AT40: The 70s" package.) Newly produced extra segments hosted by voiceover talent Larry Morgan are available for use at stations' discretion. Prior to Casey leaving Premiere Radio, these segments were hosted by his son Mike. When the series first began, these segments were hosted by one of Casey's former guest hosts, Ed McMann
. These extra segments are also heard on the 80s show. KQQL was the first to sign on, airing programs beginning on December 30, 2006.
The 1980s version premiered on April 8, 2007, replacing the American Top 40 Flashback reruns. The shows are available in either their full original four hour format, or an abbreviated three-hour version that omits the first hour of the show. To date, the latest program to air as part of the "AT40: The 80s" package has been August 6, 1988—Kasem's last show with the original program.
In March 2008, XM Satellite Radio rebranded the XM broadcasts with the "Casey Kasem's American Top 40" name and logo used for terrestrial broadcasts, although XM still aired the commercial-free broadcasts, while Premiere Radio carries edited and recut broadcasts with commercials. Following the merger of Sirius and XM, the AT40 shows airing on those platforms have occasionally been edited. In some cases, extras and LDDs have been cut from the original broadcasts.
singles chart from the show's inception in 1970 to November 23, 1991. The chart was widely regarded as the industry standard in tracking the most popular songs in the country, and was thus a natural choice to be used. While using these charts worked well for the first half of the 1970s, as music changed during the decade, and disco became popular on the charts, some rock stations began to drop the show because of complaints from program directors that AT40 was "playing too many songs not on their playlist."
This gradually became a wide schism as rock splintered into a half-dozen formats in the early 1980s. Historians have noted that no one station actually played all of the songs on the Billboard Hot 100
list, because they represented overlapping formats—hard rock, mainstream rock, heavy metal, dance, new wave, punk, rap, pop, easy listening/adult contemporary, country, and so on. Stations tended to specialize in only one or two of these formats, and completely ignore the others. As a result, AT40s weekly playlist could be very diverse in the styles and formats of the songs played.
One solution for the AT40 producers was to air frequent specials (at least three or four times a year) that concentrated on the classic music of the past, such as Rock in the Movies, Top Hits of the Seventies, and so on. But as Top 40 stations evolved into CHR
, they began to avoid syndicated shows like AT40, preferring to stick with their own special niche formats.
By the early 1990s
, many songs, mostly rap or heavy metal/grunge songs, would appear on the chart being fueled by single sales, and had received low airplay; several were very long, others were too controversial or risqué for mainstream airplay (for instance, the very sexually explicit "Me So Horny
" by 2 Live Crew
made it to #26 on the Hot 100 in 1989). These songs would generally only be aired in brief snippets during the show.
Because of this, American Top 40 began using the Top 40 portion from the Hot 100 Airplay chart (then known as the Top 40 Radio Monitor) in lieu of the Hot 100
. These songs generally scored much higher radio airplay, and some were not even released as singles (such as "Steel Bars" by Michael Bolton
). During this time, a few songs made big debuts, including 2 that almost debuted in the #1 spot: "I'll Be There" by Mariah Carey
, which entered American Top 40 at #4, and "Erotica" by Madonna
, which entered at #2.
In January 1993, American Top 40 switched charts again, this time to the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart. This chart had more Top 40 Mainstream hits but fewer urban/dance/rap songs.
AT40 did not always use the official year-end chart from Billboard during the 25 years that they used their charts. In 1972 and 1973; in 1977; from 1980 to 1984; and again from 1990 to 1994, AT40 compiled its own year-end chart. These charts were very close to Billboard's, but AT40 would go with a mid-December to early-December time period where Billboard's survey year varied from year to year. AT40 matched Billboard's number one song of the year every time except in 1977, 1984, 1990 and 1993.
was used on the show, albeit indirectly. Songs that were below #25 and had exceeded 26 weeks in the top 50 were removed, and these removals, if they occurred in the top 40, would be reflected on the appropriate week's program. In 1999, the rule was modified to further restrict long chart runs. Songs falling below #20 with at least 20 weeks in the top 50 would now be removed.
On October 21, 2000 American Top 40 began using an unpublished chart on a weekly basis for the first time in its history. The chart seemed to be a variant of the CHR/Pop chart provided by Mediabase
, the data provider to Radio & Records. The most noticeable feature of this new chart was its ambiguous recurrent rule. Songs would be removed regularly from within the top 15, seemingly regardless of the number of weeks it had spent on the chart. This chart lasted until August 11, 2001, when AT40 returned to the Radio & Records Pop chart. The return coincided with another modification in the recurrent rule; songs would be removed below #25 after 3 consecutive weeks without a bullet (an increase in radio plays). This change would be short-lived, and in November 2001, Radio & Records returned to the 20 weeks/below #20 rule, which remained in place for the remainder of Kasem's tenure.
Kasem's countdown for Mainstream and Soft Adult Contemporary radio stations debuted in 1992 under the name Casey's Countdown. Originally Casey's Countdown consisted of 25 songs, but in 1994 it was shortened to 20. With the revival of the AT40 brand name, the AC chart became American Top 20. In March 2004, the Mainstream AC edition was shortened again, this time from twenty to ten songs, and became known as American Top 10.
Another show for Hot Adult Contemporary radio stations debuted in November 1994, since the Hot AC or "Adult Top 40" format was rapidly growing in popularity at the time. The original name of the show was Casey's Hot 20. Like its sister Mainstream AC show, it, too, was renamed American Top 20 once AT40 was relaunched (resulting in two different shows being entitled "American Top 20").
Originally both AC shows were three hours in length and included many AT40 staple features, including chart "extras" and Long Distance Dedications (known as "Requests and Dedications" during the Westwood One years), as well as spotlight features on number one hits of each chart week from years past. AT10 continued to feature Long Distance Dedications, and some additional features that were staples on the original AT40 were re-added to both shows over the last several years, including the "Book of Records" and "Whatever Happened To...?" AT10 also featured additional chart extras under the banner of "AT10 Spotlight," built around a particular theme (the theme for the first week of the revamped AT10 in 2004 was "Band Members Gone Solo").
As with the Top 40 show, both Casey's Countdown/AT20/10 AC and Casey's Hot 20/AT20 Hot AC initially used the AC charts published by Radio & Records from their inception until 2003, except for a brief period in 2000-2001 when both used unpublished Mediabase 24/7 charts. From 2003 to August 2006 (when R&R stopped using Mediabase to compile its charts), both shows used the Mediabase charts. From August 2006 until the end of its run, the AC shows once again were based on unpublished charts.
In 2005, WLTW
-FM in New York City
commissioned a shortened one-hour version of American Top 10 featuring only the current hits of the week and eliminating the "extras."
In December, AT10 focused on Christmas music because many of its affiliates broadcast a holiday/Christmas music format around the holiday season.
Kasem retired from AT10 and AT20 the weekend of July 4/5, 2009, and Premiere discontinued the programs. Taking their place in Premiere's lineup in early 2010 is the rock-themed The Side Show Countdown, hosted by Nikki Sixx
and Kasem's daughter, Kerri Kasem
.
version of the show entitled America's Top 10
was aired in syndication to television stations across the United States. Kasem hosted this version from 1980 to 1989. When Kasem left American Top 40 in 1988, he remained as host of America's Top 10 until the end of 1989, when he would be replaced by Siedah Garrett
and later Tommy Puett. Kasem returned by 1991, and the show ran until 1992.
, patterned after Kasem's program. "ACC" premiered in 1973, and was hosted by Don Bowman until 1978, then by Bob Kingsley
until 2005 when Kix Brooks
of the late country music duo Brooks & Dunn
took over, and has been doing so since.
After Kasem left ABC, the network launched American Gold, a spinoff oldies countdown (featuring far fewer songs, and often focusing on a particular artist) hosted by Dick Bartley
. American Gold's last show aired at the end of March 2009, replaced with another show hosted by Barkley for United Stations Radio Networks
, Classic Countdown.
The American Top 40 format was adapted in an Australian show titled Take 40 Australia, similarly counting down the top 40 songs in the country.
Casey Kasem and Watermark's policy regarding putting American Top 40 together was to always play the 40 most popular songs in the United States and never to ban a record from the countdown. However, whenever songs with potentially offensive lyrical content made the top 40, Watermark would send out memos to affiliated stations alerting them of the presence of that song in the countdown and sometimes provide stations with suggestions on how to edit the song out of their AT40 broadcasts. The first song to receive this advisory was in April and May 1971, with a spoken word piece, "The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley
", by Terry Nelson
and C-Company. Some more well-known songs which received this treatment included "Kodachrome
" by Paul Simon
, "Roxanne
" by The Police
, "Ain't Love a Bitch
" by Rod Stewart
, and "Paradise by the Dashboard Light
" by Meat Loaf.
Perhaps the most infamous of these songs was Chuck Berry
's number-one hit "My Ding-a-Ling
", which put some stations in the odd position of having to air AT40 without playing the number one song. The censorship of this song continues even today as some stations, such as WOGL
in Philadelphia, replaced this song with an optional extra when it aired a rerun of the November 18, 1972 broadcast (where it ranked at #14) on December 6, 2008.
In the summer of 1977, radio station KRNQ
in Des Moines, Iowa
, edited out "The Killing of Georgie" by Rod Stewart, because of the subject matter of a homosexual being murdered; that song peaked at #30 on the countdown.
Another example of this policy dates from 1978, when Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young
" was on the charts. Because of the nature of the song (Joel singing about urging pre-marital sex by a teen Catholic girl, Virginia), AT40 had placed warnings in shipments to warn affiliates in highly Catholic populated areas along with a special break in the countdown for stations to substitute another song in its place. The affiliates usually used the suggestion, though some did not and no major complaints were ever heard. Many of these memos have been reprinted in Pete Battistini's book, "American Top 40 with Casey Kasem (The 1970s)."
Although Kasem and his crew never banned a song from airplay on the countdown, there was at least one instance in which Kasem refused to announce the title of a song on his show. When George Michael
's "I Want Your Sex
" hit the Billboard charts in the summer of 1987, Kasem refused to announce the name of the song; only its artist. Also, as had been done with previous controversial hits, because of the song's suggestiveness, the show's structure was altered slightly, so stations could opt out of the song. This pattern was also evident during the 1987 Year End countdown. The song title was mentioned five times during its chart run (6/20/1987; 6/27/1987; 7/4/1987; 9/12/1987 and 9/19/1987), during the week-ending episode of September 26, 1987, when it dropped out of the Top 40, and during the Top 100 of 1987 show; Shadoe Stevens, his successor, however did mention the title on the show from July 31, 1993 as part of the Flashback feature, as it was in the top 5 from that week in 1987. In the spring of 1991, when "People Are Still Having Sex
" by LaTour
and "I Wanna Sex You Up
" by Color Me Badd debuted the same week, their titles were announced in full.
Another song that had its title unannounced after its first week was "Me So Horny
" by 2 Live Crew
, in the fall of 1989 [the Shadoe Stevens era]. It was mentioned twice at the beginning of the song, and back announced once, its debut week. For the rest of its chart run, the title was never again mentioned. When the 2 Live Crew
returned to the top 40 in the Summer of 1990, with "Banned in the U.S.A.
", Shadoe did mention that it was the follow-up to "Me So Horny
". The song did come with edit out instructions for stations as well. Other songs around that time with edit out warnings were "The Humpty Dance
" by The Digital Underground, and "Tic Tac Toe" by Kyper.
As has been mentioned previously, many rock radio stations in the late 1970s adopted anti-disco stances, and this, too, was reflected in the way some affiliates edited AT40. For example, one 1979 show featured a story about disco saving New York; again, the show was structured so that anti-disco stations could edit the story out of the show. (Notably, Kasem ended the monologue with the prediction that "disco is here to stay," which was proven false in short order, as disco rapidly fell out of fashion by 1980.)
More famously, on the weekend of July 7–8, 1979, Cleveland, Ohio
AT40 affiliate WGCL
(now WNCX
), instead of carrying the "American Top 40 Top 40 Disco Songs" special because of being an anti-disco radio station, did its own version of American Top 40 using the July 7, 1979 Billboard chart as the source with Townsend Coleman
handling the hosting duties for Casey Kasem. The special Cleveland-only American Top 40 episode did not feature the AT40 Archives, extras, or Long Distance Dedications — just the top 40 singles of that week, which was preceded by a recap of the previous week's top three. Most of the songs played were longer album versions or 12-inch extended versions. Through clever editing, Coleman also took the "Casey's Coast to Coast" jingle and spliced in a "T," to provide an appropriate "TC's Coast to Coast" jingle. Kasem did not learn about the deception until 1996, laughing the whole thing off by saying, "Maybe I don't want to hear it!"
Coleman's sleight-of-hand was actually the second time a version of the AT40 had aired that was not quite on the up and up. According to Rob Durkee's book "American Top 40: The Countdown of the Century", Dave Morgan of WDHF (now WNUA
) in Chicago ghosted an edition of the program sometime in the summer of 1975. When the station's copy of the show did not arrive in time, he used Billboards list and merely played the records, apparently heavily implying (but not actually identifying) the show as American Top 40. "My program director made me do it!" Morgan said years later.
From 1992 to 1994, two radio stations still carrying American Top 40 had to carry customized versions of the show. WPLJ
in New York City
aired the show with the urban/dance/rap songs mentioned but not played and were replaced here and there by Hot Adult Contemporary leaning extras. KUBE in Seattle, Washington aired AT40 with a few songs that did not fit the station's Top 40 Rhythm format omitted each week. It has also been reported that WSTR
in Atlanta, Georgia
, being an anti-rap station and a very Adult Contemporary-leaning CHR, edited "Another Night
" by Real McCoy
(a Eurodisco record with rap breaks) out of its broadcasts of Casey's Top 40 in 1994, even while the song was at #1 on the show (which used the Radio & Records CHR/Pop chart). "Fuck You
" by Cee Lo Green was changed to "Forget You" for radio airplay in 2010. The most recent radio edits was for "Fuckin' Perfect
" by Pink
, which was changed to "Perfect" for radio airplay.
Additionally, the top songs of the year were counted down at the end of every year. In 1970 & 1972, AT40 counted down the year's top 80 hits. In 1971 & 1973, they only counted down the top 40 because of their top 40 Christmas
Countdowns those two years. Beginning in 1974, the top 100 songs of the year were counted down and was done so every year with few exceptions. In 1979, they did the top 50 songs of that year and followed it with the top 50 songs of the 1970s. This was done again in 1999, except only the top 40 of the year and decade were aired. In 2009, the year-end countdown took place as usual (two weeks long, with the top 100 songs of the year being counted down), but on the first week of 2010, the top 40 songs of the decade were counted down. The year-end shows were counted down over a two week period (although stations could edit the shows into one long show) until 1983, when the year-end show ran just one week for eight hours. In 1992, the year end countdown was temporary back to its two-week format, in 1994 (the last year of the old AT40) the year end countdown was only 50, and with the AT40 return in 1998 the year end countdowns were the 2 week format (except for 1999 when it was 50).
During the run of "American Top 20" and "American Top 10," an updated Christmas countdown, the "Top 60 Christmas Songs," would air annually the two weeks immediately preceding Christmas.
hosts, and even charting artists—have substituted for these three throughout the show's run. Radio announcer Charlie Van Dyke
filled in for Casey a record 31 times in the 1980s.
Substitutes for Ryan Seacrest have included:
Some well-known guest hosts for Casey Kasem have included:
Los Angeles deejay "Emperor" Bob Hudson
attempted to substitute for Casey sometime between 1976 and 1978 (no specific date was given); however, Hudson had trouble recording his material for AT40, giving up after realizing that he could not host AT40 the same way he would host his morning drive show. As a result, Casey cancelled his vacation and returned to Los Angeles to record that week's AT40, but made sure that Hudson, a legendary disk jockey and comedian, got paid for his work anyway.
Shadoe Stevens
' guest hosts for his American Top 40 reign included:
1 -- The week Jay Thomas hosted, October 31, 1992,, Chris Cox of KEZY in Anaheim, California
(now KFSH-FM
) taped a special version for that station at Watermark's studios, because of contractual stipulations that prohibit talent from Los Angeles-based stations from being heard on KEZY.
Radio programming
Radio programming is the Broadcast programming of a Radio format or content that is organized for Commercial broadcasting and Public broadcasting radio stations....
created by Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
, Don Bustany
Don Bustany
Donald S. Bustany is an American radio and television broadcaster.Bustany was born in Detroit to Lebanese-American parents. He and Casey Kasem were co-creators of the syndicated radio program American Top 40 and American Country Countdown...
, Tom Rounds
Tom Rounds
Tom Rounds is an American radio broadcasting executive, founder and chief executive officer of Radio Express in Burbank, California.-Early years:...
and Ron Jacobs
Ron Jacobs (broadcaster)
Ron Jacobs is an American broadcaster, author, record producer and concert promoter. He is best known as the program director of KHJ radio in Los Angeles during its ground-breaking "Boss Radio" period , and as co-creator of the countdown show American Top 40, and the seminal radio program The...
. Originally a production of Watermark Inc.
Watermark Inc.
Watermark Inc. was a radio syndication company that was founded in 1969 by Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Watermark's best known programs were American Top 40 and its spinoff American Country Countdown. Both shows were created by Casey Kasem and Don Bustany....
(later a division of ABC Radio, now Citadel Media), it is now distributed by Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Networks is an American radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of programming...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, 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...
, Malaysia and several other territories worldwide.
Co-creator Casey Kasem hosted the original AT40 from its inauguration on July 4, 1970 until August 6, 1988, and returned to host the revived version from March 28, 1998 to January 3, 2004. (For much of the interim, he hosted the competing Casey's Top 40
Casey's Top 40
Casey's Top 40 was a CHR/Pop music countdown that was hosted by Casey Kasem and distributed by Westwood One from 1989-1998. Kasem joined Westwood One when he was unable to reach an agreement with ABC Radio Networks in 1988, who was the distributor of American Top 40 at the time.-Similarities...
.) Its other two regular hosts have been Shadoe Stevens
Shadoe Stevens
Shadoe Stevens is an American radio host, voiceover actor, and television personality. He was the host of American Top 40 from 1988 to 1995...
(1988–1995) and current host Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
(since 2004).
As of March 2009, AT40 with Seacrest airs in two different formats - one for Contemporary Hit Radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
and one for Adult Contemporary (formerly Hot Adult Contemporary) stations - with no on-air differentiation other than the charts themselves. Kasem is still heard in two weekly replays of vintage shows from the '70s and '80s, respectively.
As its title implies, AT40 counts down the forty most popular songs in the United States of America, from #40 to #1. The show used Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts in its early years, touting it as "the only source" for the countdown; then, switched to those from Radio and Records upon its late 1990s return. The charts currently are based on data from Mediabase
Mediabase
Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytical tools for radio and record industry professionals...
, and published in the Tuesday Edition of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
.
1970-1988: First Casey Kasem era
American Top 40 began on the Independence Day weekend in 1970, on seven radio stations, the very first being KDEO in El Cajon, CaliforniaEl Cajon, California
-History:El Cajon is located on the Rancho El Cajon Mexican land grant made in 1845 to María Antonia Estudillo, wife of Miguel Pedrorena. In 1876 Amaziah Lord Knox , a New Englander who had recently moved to California, established a hotel there to serve the growing number of people traveling...
(now KECR
KECR
KECR or Family Radio is the San Diego Family Radio affiliate. It has been on the AM band since the mid-1990s, at 910 KHz. It previously broadcast on 93.3 FM . The studio and the transmitter site is near Moreno Avenue, north of Lakeside, California by Highway 67.The transmitter site is also the...
), which broadcasted the inaugural show the evening of July 3, 1970. The chart data broadcast actually included the top 40 songs from the week ending July 11, 1970. The very first show featured the very last time both Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
had songs simultaneously in the Top 10. It was originally distributed by Watermark Inc.
Watermark Inc.
Watermark Inc. was a radio syndication company that was founded in 1969 by Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Watermark's best known programs were American Top 40 and its spinoff American Country Countdown. Both shows were created by Casey Kasem and Don Bustany....
, and was first presented in mono until it started recording in stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
in September 1972. In early 1982, Watermark was purchased by ABC Radio and AT40 became a program of the "ABC Contemporary Radio Network". The program was hosted by Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
and co-created by Kasem; Don Bustany
Don Bustany
Donald S. Bustany is an American radio and television broadcaster.Bustany was born in Detroit to Lebanese-American parents. He and Casey Kasem were co-creators of the syndicated radio program American Top 40 and American Country Countdown...
; Tom Rounds
Tom Rounds
Tom Rounds is an American radio broadcasting executive, founder and chief executive officer of Radio Express in Burbank, California.-Early years:...
; and legendary 93/KHJ Program Director Ron Jacobs, who produced and directed the various production elements. Rounds was also the marketing genius; the initial funder was California strawberry grower Tom Driscoll
Driscoll's
Driscoll's is the brand name of Driscoll Strawberry Associates, Inc., a Watsonville, California-based producer and distributor of fresh berries. Driscoll's is a supplier and marketer of both organic and conventional berries, including strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and other...
.
The show began as a three-hour program written and directed by Bustany, counting down the top 40 songs on Billboard
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...
Singles chart. The show quickly gained popularity once it was commissioned, and expanded to a four hour-program on October 7, 1978, to reflect the increasing average length of singles on Billboard
Matt Wilson
Matthew Wilson may refer to:* Matt Wilson , Irish international footballer of 1880s.* Matt Wilson , of Trip Shakespeare and the Flops* Matt Wilson , New York jazz drummer & composer* Matthew Wilson, British rally driver...
, Merrill Shindler, Guy Aoki
Guy Aoki
Guy Aoki is the head and co-founder of the Media Action Network for Asian Americans. He is also a contributing columnist for the Rafu Shimpo, and debates publicly on Asian American issues.-Sarah Silverman Controversy:...
, Ronnie Allen and Sandy Stert Benjamin. (Bustany retired from AT40 in 1989; since 1994, he has hosted a political talk show on listener-sponsored KPFK
KPFK
KPFK is a listener-sponsored radio station based in North Hollywood, California, United States, which serves the Greater Los Angeles Area, and also streams 24 hours a day via the Internet...
.) By the early 1980s, the show could be heard on 520 stations in the United States and around the world in 50 countries.
Features of the Kasem-era shows
During Kasem's run as host, the AT40 show had a number of popular and distinguishing features:- Bios & stories: Most segments of the show included two countdown songs. Often Kasem would introduce the second song in the segment with a "story" about the song and/or its recording artist (often teasedTeaserA teaser is a type of gambling bet that allows the bettor to combine his bets on two different games. The bettor can adjust the point spreads for the two games, but realizes a lower return on the bets in the event of a win....
at the preceding commercial break), with the No. 1 song frequently being preceded by a story. Here is an example from the week of October 8, 1983:
-
- Stunning achievement for 33-year-old New York born Jim SteinmanJim SteinmanJames Richard "Jim" Steinman is an American composer, lyricist, and Grammy Award-winning record producer responsible for several hit songs. He has also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer...
. Jim was writing musicals when he was going to Amherst CollegeAmherst CollegeAmherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
in Massachusetts. But not just your basic rock & roll tunes, but words and music for a full-blown musical called the Dream Engine. That show was seen by a man who heads up the New York Shakespeare FestivalNew York Shakespeare FestivalNew York Shakespeare Festival is the previous name of the New York City theatrical producing organization now known as the Public Theater. The Festival produced shows at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, as part of its free Shakespeare in the Park series, at the Public Theatre near Astor Place...
, Joseph PappJoseph PappJoseph Papp was an American theatrical producer and director. Papp established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in downtown New York . "The Public," as it is known, has many small theatres within it...
, and he was so impressed, that he bought the rights to it and commissioned Jim Steinman to write another musical. Jim came up with a show called More Than You Deserve. And it was at auditions for that show, that he met a singer calling himself Meat LoafMeat LoafMichael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
. The two men started working together and that collaboration resulted in Jim's writing and arranging songs for Meat Loaf, including the big hit "Two out of Three Ain't BadTwo out of Three Ain't Bad"Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" is a love song by the American musician Meat Loaf in his solo career, preceded by "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" and followed by "Paradise by the Dashboard Light". It is a track off his 1977 album Bat out of Hell, written by Jim Steinman. It reached #11 on...
". In 1981 Jim Steinman released his first solo album Bad for GoodBad for GoodOn the original vinyl release, "The Storm" and "Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through" were the A-side and B-side, respectively, of a 33-rpm 7" single, enclosed with the album. These tracks, according to Steinman's concept, are supposed to be the prelude and epilogue, respectively, of the album. The...
. It featured the Top 40 hit "Rock and Roll Dreams Come ThroughRock and Roll Dreams Come Through"Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through" is a song composed and written by Jim Steinman. It first featured on Steinman's 1981 solo album Bad for Good, with lead vocals by an uncredited Rory Dodd...
". But so far it seems as though the thing that Jim Steinman does best, is write and arrange songs for other artists. And his latest productions are his biggest yet: The number 2 and the number 1 song this week. Probably first time on the chart for one individual. We just heard the number 2 song he wrote and produced for Air SupplyAir SupplyAir Supply is an Australian soft rock duo, consisting of Graham Russell as guitarist and singer-songwriter and Russell Hitchcock as lead vocalist. They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight Top Ten hits in the United States, in the early 1980s...
, "Making Love out of Nothing at AllMaking Love out of Nothing at All"Making Love Out of Nothing At All" is a power ballad written and composed by Jim Steinman and first released by Australian rock band Air Supply for their 1983 compilation album Greatest Hits. It reached #2 on the U.S...
". Now here is the other one, the one at the very top. (drumroll) The most popular song in the land, for the second consecutive week is a hit written and produced by Jim Steinman. At number 1 Bonnie TylerBonnie TylerBonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
's "Total Eclipse of the HeartTotal Eclipse of the Heart"Total Eclipse of the Heart" is a song written and produced by Jim Steinman and recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for her fifth studio album, Faster Than the Speed of Night...
."
- Stunning achievement for 33-year-old New York born Jim Steinman
- "Number" jingles: Occasionally a song would be preceded by a brief audio clip of a group of singers announcing the song's position on the chart (e.g. "Number 40!"). This was especially common for the first song played in each hour of the show, but was usually not done for the #1 song (which was usually introduced with a drum roll), or for songs preceded by a story. The "number" jingles were updated and re-recorded from time to time, and by the mid-1980s the show had begun using two sets of "number" jingles: the standard set, to be used with up-tempo songs; and a softer alternate set, usually used with low-key or romantic songs.
- Chart trivia: AT40 also featured several question letters in each show, where a listener would write to ask a chart trivia question. Sometimes these letters led to an extra song being played, though this became less common as songs increased in length in the 1980s.
- Long Distance Dedication: This feature had evolved from a spoken-word 45 single that Kasem had recorded in 1964, "Letter from Elaina". The LDD feature began with the August 26, 1978 broadcast, two months before the show expanded to four hours (the first LDD, located in the mail by staffer Matt Wilson, was "Desiree" by Neil DiamondNeil DiamondNeil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
, sent in by a man whose girlfriend, named Desiree, was moving to Germany to live with parents on an American air base). When that show was rebroadcast the weekend of August 25–26, 2007, Kasem recorded two optional segments (played at the discretion of the station) in which he did phone interviews with the man and his former girlfriend about the LDD. Most shows featured two long distance dedications; one would be taken care of during each half of the show. (Sometimes a song currently in the countdown would also be requested as a LDD; in such cases, Kasem would typically read the dedication first, and sometimes not even announce the song's chart status until after the song was played.) This feature endured on AT40 into Shadoe Stevens' run as host of the show, from 1988 to '95, and has also followed Casey (first as the "Request and Dedication") on his Westwood OneWestwood OneWestwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
shows and then back as the LDD when he returned to AT40 in 1998. Long Distance Dedications were dropped from AT40 after Ryan Seacrest became host in 2004, but they continued as part of Kasem's adult contemporary countdowns. - Top Three recaps: Beginning the weekend of February 24–25, 1979, a recap of the previous week's top three songs started off each AT40 episode. Originally all three songs would actually be played before the countdown began in earnest, but when time constraints became an issue, Kasem would simply announce the #3 and #2 songs and play only the #1 song; or just announce all three songs before beginning the current week's countdown. By mid-1983, abbreviated recaps had become the norm.
- Dropoffs: Generally during the first hour on most shows, Casey would announce songs that had left the top 40 that week.
- 1's on other Billboard charts: Casey would give a rundown on songs and albums that have made #1 on other Billboard charts, such as country, soul/R&B, and dance/disco. These would typically be announced during the Top 10, often before the #1 song on AT40.
- Predicting next week's #1 song: For a time in 1972 and 1973, following the week's #1 song, Casey would try to predict what the #1 song would be on the following week's countdown, based on a poll of the AT40 staff. During the 46-week period that the predictions were used, the poll was successful only 22 weeks, and failures 24 weeks. The final song predicted, on the December 8, 1973 broadcast, was The Most Beautiful GirlThe Most Beautiful Girl"The Most Beautiful Girl" is a song recorded by Charlie Rich and written by Bill Sherrill, Norris Wilson, and Rory Michael Bourke. The country & western ballad reached #1 in the United States in 1973 on three Billboard music charts: the pop chart ; the country chart ; and the adult contemporary...
by Charlie RichCharlie RichCharles Rich was an American country music singer and musician. A Grammy Award winner, his eclectic-style of music was often hard to classify in a single genre, playing in the rockabilly, jazz, blues, country, and gospel genres.In the latter part of his life, Rich acquired the nickname The Silver...
, which was #1 the next week. - Great Radio Stations: Once an hour, generally halfway into the hour, Casey would give a list of three or four radio stations that carry AT40, beginning each list with "American Top 40" is heard in the fifty states and around the world every week on great radio stations like.... Usually at least once a program, a foreign AT40 affiliate, or a mention of Armed Forces RadioAmerican Forces NetworkThe American Forces Network is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces American Forces Radio and Television Service for its entertainment and command internal information networks worldwide...
, is given, usually as the last station in the list. In addition, new AT40 affiliates are mentioned at the top of one of the hours (never the first hour). The multiple station mentions became a regular feature in 1972; prior to then, only one station would be mentioned per hour. The first station mentioned on AT40 was KMEN (now KKDDKKDDKKDD is a commercial radio station located in San Bernardino, California, broadcasting to the San Bernardino-Riverside Metropolitan Area on 1290 AM. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, KKDD airs children's music programming syndicated by Radio Disney...
) in San Bernardino, CaliforniaSan Bernardino, CaliforniaSan Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
, on the August 29, 1970 program. - Special Reports: Occasionally, Casey would do a special report on a particular subject involving the music industry, usually related to a particular song or artist on that week's countdown. For example, when Musical YouthMusical YouthMusical Youth are a British reggae band. The group originally formed in 1979 at Duddeston Manor School in Birmingham, UK. They are best remembered for their successful 1982 Grammy-nominated single, "Pass the Dutchie". The group featured two sets of brothers, Kelvin and Michael Grant, plus Junior...
were in the countdown in 1983 with Pass the DutchiePass the Dutchie"Pass the Dutchie" was a song recorded by the British group Musical Youth from their 1982 album The Youth of Today. It was a major hit, holding the number one position on the UK singles charts for three weeks in September and October 1982.-Background:...
, Casey did a report on the history of reggaeReggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
music. - Whatever happened to...: Casey would periodically do a segment giving an update on an artist who has not been on the charts for some time.
- Oldies: During its first year, each AT40 show would feature 3 or 4 "oldies", or chart topping songs of the past. Normally, one old song would air per hour, which at the time mirrored the format of most Top 40 stations. Most of the oldies included were from the Rock 'N Roll era (post 1955). But occasionally, songs by pre-rock artists like Kay Starr, Perry Como or Nat King Cole would be included. Each song was heavily promoted by Casey and contained a story about the artist or some sort of fact making it relevant to the contemporary audience. By the fall of 1971, only 1 old song appeared per show. The following year, the "oldie" feature was dropped altogether. Oldies were brought back to AT40 in the fall of 1975 under the title "AT40 Extra". But the feature was phased out again by the end of 1976. Old songs would rarely appear again until the AT40 Archives feature began in 1978. Today, some classic rock stations airing re-runs of these early shows will edit some of the "oldies" features out of the broadcast, as songs from the 40s, 50s and 60s do not reflect the stations' mostly 70s and 80s music format.
- AT40 Archives: Once the show expanded to four hours, each of the first three hours ended with the "AT40 Archives" segment that featured a number one song of the past. From October 1978 to June 1980 the number one songs of the 1970s were featured in the "AT40 Archives", and from June 1980 to November 1981 the number one songs of the 1960s were featured. The "AT40 Archives" feature was gone by the end of November 1981; for a short time in 1985, however, the show did feature a segment known as the "AT40 Hall of Fame" spotlighting a noteworthy artist (who may or may not have been charting that week).
- Commercial bumpers: Many commercial breaks generally have a singing jingle at the start and end of the breaks. At the start of each break is generally the singers singing either "Casey's coast to coast" or "The hits from coast to coast"; both were used interchangeably. The end of the breaks are marked by the singers singing the name of the program, "American Top 40". The bumpers were originally designed so that stations with no local ads at that point could continue straight to the next segment, with the bumpers changing to a mere jingle: "Casey's coast to coast American Top 40".
- Bumper music: The end of each hour's worth of programming would typically be indicated by an approximately one-minute-long piece of nondescript bumper musicBumper musicBumper music, or a bump, is a term used in the radio broadcasting industry to refer to short clips of signature or theme music used to buffer transitions between programming elements. Bumper music is commonly employed when a syndicated program takes a break for local station identification or...
. For the first few years of the program, the bumper music was merely the AT40 theme, but beginning in 1978, different pieces began to be used. Like the "number" jingles and the AT40 theme music, this musical segment was occasionally updated and re-recorded, but its only distinguishing feature was the occasional use of the AT40 theme as a leitmotifLeitmotifA leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...
. This bumper music was typically and often cut off before it ended by the local station carrying the program, usually to give the station identificationStation identificationStation identification is the practice of radio or television stations or networks identifying themselves on air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name...
before starting the next hour, and was also used by stations to "pad out" the show so that it would always end on time. - Sign-off: After the #1 song was played, the bumper music would begin playing, and over that, Kasem would typically give that week's chart date and read the end credits, then sign off with what would become his, and the show's, unofficial motto: "Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars." In the early years of the show, he usually added "and keep your radio tuned right where it is"; this phrase had returned to the show by the time the AT40 brand name was revived in the late 1990s (Kasem had used it also on "Casey's Top 40" and its Adult Contemporary-format spinoffs). Even his sign-off music became popular, as "ShuckatoomShuckatoomShuckatoom is a theme music jingle written by James R. Kirk for Casey Kasem's weekly radio program, American Top 40.Initially, the jingles and music beds were created by PAMS, a radio jingle company from Dallas, Texas...
" (written by: James R. KirkJames R. KirkJames R. Kirk serves as President and Chief Creative Officer of Corporate Magic, a production company based in Dallas, Texas.-Career:...
) became a highly requested song, although it was never used apart from the show.
Although the show's format obviously implied an average of ten countdown songs per hour (once the show had gone to a four-hour format), this was not rigidly enforced; however, by the mid-1980s it had become increasingly rare for the final hour of the show to have any more than the top eleven or any fewer than the top nine songs left to play. The songs' run times determined how many would comfortably fit into each hour. The show bent to fit the Billboard rankings which, to many listeners, were sacred, and some songs had to be edited (in addition to whatever edits had been done for single release), with a verse and/or chorus chopped out, in order to fit into the show. But Casey and his producers never lost sight of the fact that the same music was being played on other stations everywhere, and that the stories behind the songs were the chief reason that listeners tuned to AT40.
1988-1995: Shadoe Stevens era
In 1988, Kasem left the show over contract concerns with ABC. Industry trade paper Billboard magazine reported that the main disputes between Kasem and Watermark/ABC were over his salary, because of declining ratings and a smaller group of stations airing the show. Casey's final AT40 show aired on August 6, 1988. At no point during that final show did Kasem ever let on that any changes were afoot, and simply omitted the phrase "join me next week" while closing the show.Kasem was replaced by Shadoe Stevens
Shadoe Stevens
Shadoe Stevens is an American radio host, voiceover actor, and television personality. He was the host of American Top 40 from 1988 to 1995...
, whose first American Top 40 show aired on August 13, 1988, on 1,014 stations. Kasem joined the Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
radio network less than a year later to start a rival show, Casey's Top 40
Casey's Top 40
Casey's Top 40 was a CHR/Pop music countdown that was hosted by Casey Kasem and distributed by Westwood One from 1989-1998. Kasem joined Westwood One when he was unable to reach an agreement with ABC Radio Networks in 1988, who was the distributor of American Top 40 at the time.-Similarities...
. Many AT40 listeners were upset by Kasem's departure and, as a result, many stations dropped American Top 40 in favor of Casey's Top 40 once it hit the airwaves on January 21, 1989. In an attempt to win back an audience, AT40 tried new show features, including interview clips, music news, top 5 flashbacks, and previews of upcoming chart hits (called the "AT40 Sneek Peek"). AT40 in its later Shadoe years frequently used a "No Nuttin'" gimmick, in which the number jingle was followed by the song, with no introduction by Shadoe; this tactic irked critics of the show.
Casey's Top 40 was based on the Contemporary Hit Radio/Pop tracks chart in Radio & Records
Radio & Records
Radio & Records was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It originally started out as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006, up until its final issue in 2009.-History:The company was founded in 1973 and...
magazine, which at the time was the same chart source as Rick Dees
Rick Dees
Rigdon Osmond "Rick" Dees III is an American comedic performer, entertainer, and radio personality, best known for his internationally syndicated radio show The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown and for the novelty song "Disco Duck." He is a People's Choice Award recipient, a Grammy-nominated...
' Weekly Top 40. American Top 40 was briefly canceled in the USA on July 9, 1994, when then-owner ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
withdrew the show and acquired the rights to rival Rick Dees Weekly Top 40
Rick Dees Weekly Top 40
Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40 is an internationally-syndicated radio program created and hosted by American radio personality Rick Dees. It is currently heard on over 200 radio stations worldwide and the American Forces Network. It is distributed domestically by Citadel Media Networks and...
(since headed back to ABC Radio/Citadel Media). AT40 ended up in the hands of Radio Express
Radio Express
Radio Express is an independent radio syndication company based in Burbank, California, whose main focus is in markets outside the USA. The company was founded by Tom Rounds, one of the creators of American Top 40...
(its overseas distributors since the 1980s, founded by AT40 co-founder Tom Rounds), and was also canceled in the remaining foreign markets on January 28, 1995. These foreign markets replaced it with a similar format called The World Chart Show.
1998-2003: American Top 40 returns; second Casey Kasem era
American Top 40 was revived on March 28, 1998, when original host Casey Kasem pitched the idea to his network Westwood OneWestwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
to rename "Casey's Top 40" as "American Top 40", after getting the rights to the name from ABC, since Shadoe's AT40 had been off the air for over two years. Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
refused, so Kasem took himself and the AT40 name to AMFM Radio syndication (AMFM, once owned by Chancellor Media, was later absorbed into Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Networks is an American radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of programming...
).
The resurrected American Top 40 kept the Radio and Records CHR/Pop chart previously used for "Casey's Top 40" and was used as the basis for the show for the majority of this period. The only exception was a brief period from October 2000 to August 2001 when an obscure Mediabase
Mediabase
Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytical tools for radio and record industry professionals...
chart was used. This chart had a rather ambiguous recurrent rule
Recurrent rotation
Recurrent rotation refers to a group of songs still frequently aired on a contemporary hit radio station even several months or even years after the initial debut. It is also used to describe core songs in other radio formats as well...
, which would see songs removed weekly from the chart from as high as #10.
2004-present: Ryan Seacrest era
On January 10, 2004, Ryan SeacrestRyan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
took over the hosting duties of American Top 40 from Kasem, although Kasem would continue to host American Top 20 and American Top 10 until his retirement in July 2009. With the host change, AT40 underwent a makeover, using a new theme song and introducing several new features. These extras included interviews with celebrities (which were not restricted to musical or countdown artists), a gossip section, and an update on movies screening in cinemas. Other extras inducted on a regular basis include "AT40 Breakout", a song predicted to crack the chart within the next few weeks (formerly known as the "Out of The Box" hit); "Request Line", a segment in which Ryan Seacrest will play a song requested by a listener; "Double Play", a former hit from the artist just played; "AT40 Sleaze" (inspired by the "Dees Sleaze" segment of the Rick Dees
Rick Dees
Rigdon Osmond "Rick" Dees III is an American comedic performer, entertainer, and radio personality, best known for his internationally syndicated radio show The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown and for the novelty song "Disco Duck." He is a People's Choice Award recipient, a Grammy-nominated...
Weekly Top 40 radio show); and "AT40 Rewind", a hit song from the past decade or so. In between songs, Seacrest and his guest hosts often make deadpan one-liners while writers and producers can be heard laughing frequently, including the security guard "Roger". Additionally, Seacrest initially opened most shows by playing the previous week's #1 song, as Kasem often did in the 1980s; this was discontinued after 2006, but in mid-2009 Seacrest began including a shorter recap segment in the show's introduction, in which he would play brief segments of the previous week's top three hits.
The show also began using a new chart that used no recurrent rule. On the first show with Ryan Seacrest, this led to several older songs reappearing after having dropped off many weeks earlier. Over the long term, it meant songs could spend long runs for about a year on the chart even after they went to recurrent status on other published charts. "Here Without You
Here Without You
"Here Without You" is the title of a song recorded by American rock band 3 Doors Down. It was released in August 2003 as the third single from the album Away from the Sun. It peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending November 8, 2003. Only their songs "Kryptonite" and "When...
" by 3 Doors Down
3 Doors Down
3 Doors Down is an American rock band from Escatawpa formed in 1996. The band consists of Brad Arnold , Matt Roberts , Todd Harrell , Chris Henderson , and Greg Upchurch ....
set a longevity record in 2004 for the CHR show by lasting 50 weeks before finally falling off. In 2006, "Scars" by Papa Roach
Papa Roach
Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California. Their first major-label release was the triple-platinum album Infest . The group's success continued with their gold album Lovehatetragedy , their platinum album Getting Away with Murder , The Paramour Sessions , and Metamorphosis...
would go on to tie the record. In 2011, Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz is a British singer-songwriter, record producer, occasional rapper, and entrepreneur. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which Cruz wrote, arranged and produced himself. It achieved initial success in the UK and earned him a MOBO Award nomination...
set the all time record on the Top 40 chart with his song "Dynamite (Taio Cruz song)
Dynamite (Taio Cruz song)
"Dynamite" is the fourth single from English recording artist Taio Cruz's second album Rokstarr. It was written by Cruz, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, and Dr. Luke, and produced by Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco for the international version of Rokstarr. In the UK, the song was released as the first single...
|Dynamite" by Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz is a British singer-songwriter, record producer, occasional rapper, and entrepreneur. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which Cruz wrote, arranged and produced himself. It achieved initial success in the UK and earned him a MOBO Award nomination...
. This song is on the chart for over 60 weeks and counting. On the Hot AC version of AT40, "Love Song (Sara Bareilles song)
Love Song (Sara Bareilles song)
"Love Song" is Sara Bareilles' first single, released in 2007. She has stated during live performances that it was actually written in response to her record label's request that she write a "marketable love song," rather than about an actual person...
|Love song by Sara Bareilles
Sara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She achieved mainstream success in 2007 with the hit single "Love Song", which brought her into the number one spot on the Billboard Pop 100 chart. She has sold over 1 million records in the United States alone and has been...
set the all-time record in 2009 at 103 consecutive weeks. American Top 40 also became more interactive, involving online song voting and e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
. In December 2006, the series' website was revamped, and the online song voting was discontinued in favor of publishing the Hot AC chart. The website also includes a toll-free number where fans can make requests and "shoutouts", as they would to a local radio station, and by 2009 replayed clips of shoutouts became part of the show.
In March 2010, Premiere Radio Networks announced that "American Top 5," a condensed daily top-5 countdown, would begin airing as part of the daily radio program On Air
On Air with Ryan Seacrest (radio)
On Air with Ryan Seacrest is the name of an American syndicated radio program hosted by Ryan Seacrest. As of 2010, the daily morning radio show airs on Los Angeles top 40 station KIIS-FM and was launched at the same time as the television show with the same name, although Seacrest had hosted a...
, also hosted by Seacrest.
For schedule reasons, some songs are shortened by removing some verses and the bridge.
As of , American Top 40 is produced and engineered by Claudine Cazian and Sal Cocio.
As of 2011
2011 in radio
The following events occurred in radio broadcasting in 2011.-Events:*January 1: 2 Knoxville stations change formats as WDLF and WYLV flip to K-LOVE and Air 1 , and a few Pittsburgh station change formats, as ESPN Radio moves from WEAE to WBGG, and Radio Disney moves from WWCS to the renamed WDDZ,...
, the hot adult contemporary version of the American Top 40 countdown has been renamed as the adult contemporary countdown. Almost all of the hot AC songs on the countdown show have been played by other adult contemporary stations, and was meant to fill the void left by American Top 10.
AT40 Flashback
From January 2001 to December 2002, many radio stations aired reruns of 1980-1988 episodes under the title American Top 40 Flashback. The show was syndicated by Premiere Radio NetworksPremiere Radio Networks
Premiere Networks is an American radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of programming...
. In its early weeks the shows were the original four hour format of an American Top 40 episode, but after the first month and a half the show was reduced to three hours. Although American Top 40 Flashback ceased in December 2002, radio station WMMX
WMMX
WMMX is a radio station broadcasting a Hot Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Dayton, Ohio, USA, it serves the Dayton area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications as Citicasters Licenses, L.P.-History:...
in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
continued to carry American Top 40 Flashback on Saturday mornings until the premiere of Casey Kasem's American Top 40: The 80s.
Casey Kasem's American Top 40 — The 70s and 80s
On August 4, 2006, XM Satellite RadioXM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
began replays of the original 1970s and 1980s AT40 shows with Casey Kasem that were digitally remastered from the original vinyl LPs by Shannon Lynn of Charis Music Group. The event began with a weekend long marathon of original shows, with AT40 then being added as a regular show on two of XM's Decades channels, "The 70s on 7
The 70s on 7
70s on 7 is a commercial-free, satellite radio channel on the Sirius XM Radio platform. It plays music from the 1970s, mostly being the hits, although the program list has shrunk considerably since Jon Clay was fired as Program Director...
" and "The 80s on 8
The 80s on 8
The '80s on 8 is a commercial-free, satellite radio station on the Sirius XM Radio platform, broadcasting on XM Satellite Radio and on DirecTV channel 805. As a result of the Sirius/XM merger on November 12, 2008, the channel was merged with the Big '80s channel on Sirius 8 and Dish Network 6008,...
". With the merger of Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
and XM Satellite Radio, these AT40 shows could also be heard on Sirius. As of October 11, 2009, Sirius XM replaced the AT40 countdowns airing on "80s on 8" with an original countdown show hosted by former MTV VJs Nina Blackwood
Nina Blackwood
Nina Blackwood is an American disc jockey and music journalist, who was the first of the original five MTV VJs. She has also been an actress and model.-Early life and career:...
, Mark Goodman
Mark Goodman
Mark Goodman is a radio DJ, TV personality, and actor. He is best known as one of the original five VJs on MTV, from 1981-1987. He was supposed to be the first of the five to be broadcast at MTV's premier on August 1, 1981...
, and Alan Hunter, along with Martha Quinn
Martha Quinn
Martha Quinn is best known as one of the original video jockeys on MTV .-Early life:...
's Big 80s trivia.
Sirius XM "70s on 7" currently runs AT40 each Saturday at 12PM with encore broadcasts the following Sunday at 9AM and at 12 midnight. Most show dates roughly correspond to the current week in real time. The mix of AT40 episodes being run on XM include the year-end countdowns, which are typically run in two parts: the first half (#100-#51) in one time slot, and then the second half (#50-#1) in the following time slot. The AT40 specials are also part of XM's rotation; for instance, "AT40 Goes to the Movies" aired prior to the 2007 Academy Awards
2007 Academy Awards
2007 Academy Awards may refer to:* 79th Academy Awards, the 2007 ceremony honoring the best in film for 2006* 80th Academy Awards, the 2008 ceremony honoring the best in film for 2007...
, and on February 24, "The Top 40 Acts Of The 80s So Far" aired on XM 80s the first week of July 2007. Also, "The Top 40 Songs of the Disco Era (1974-1979)" aired on Sirius XM "70s on 7" the second weekend of July 2011.
From October through early November 2006, oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
radio station KQQL
KQQL
KQQL is a classic hits music formatted radio station serving the Twin Cities region of Minnesota, licensed to the suburb of Anoka...
in Minneapolis/St. Paul, which is owned by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
, ran a series of American Top 40 episodes from the 1970s. Aside from one week, when the station attempted to air a four-hour episode from 1979 in the three-hour timeslot (resulting in the show getting cut off at #11 and the top 10 not being heard), this test run was largely successful. Because of the success, Premiere Radio Networks decided to launch "Casey Kasem's American Top 40: The 1970s" into national syndication featuring the three hour shows from 1970 to 1978, and the last three hours of shows originally aired from October 1978 through December 1979. (One original four-hour program, first aired in October 1978, was edited into a three-hour program for reairing in 2007, and the four-hour "Disco Hits" special from July 1979 with the first hour optional was aired in 2008, but until the fall of 2010, no other program from the last 15 months of the 1970s was included in the "AT40: The 70s" package.) Newly produced extra segments hosted by voiceover talent Larry Morgan are available for use at stations' discretion. Prior to Casey leaving Premiere Radio, these segments were hosted by his son Mike. When the series first began, these segments were hosted by one of Casey's former guest hosts, Ed McMann
Ed McMann
Ed McMann is a disc jockey, voice-over talent and radio personality best known for his work for Clear Channel Communications.Based in Boston, Massachusetts, McMann's voice can be heard on many stations, including WXKS-FM in Boston , WXKS-AM in Boston , WHCN in Hartford, Connecticut, WWHT Ed...
. These extra segments are also heard on the 80s show. KQQL was the first to sign on, airing programs beginning on December 30, 2006.
The 1980s version premiered on April 8, 2007, replacing the American Top 40 Flashback reruns. The shows are available in either their full original four hour format, or an abbreviated three-hour version that omits the first hour of the show. To date, the latest program to air as part of the "AT40: The 80s" package has been August 6, 1988—Kasem's last show with the original program.
In March 2008, XM Satellite Radio rebranded the XM broadcasts with the "Casey Kasem's American Top 40" name and logo used for terrestrial broadcasts, although XM still aired the commercial-free broadcasts, while Premiere Radio carries edited and recut broadcasts with commercials. Following the merger of Sirius and XM, the AT40 shows airing on those platforms have occasionally been edited. In some cases, extras and LDDs have been cut from the original broadcasts.
Billboard magazine
AT40 used the Top 40 portion of the Billboard Hot 100Billboard 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...
singles chart from the show's inception in 1970 to November 23, 1991. The chart was widely regarded as the industry standard in tracking the most popular songs in the country, and was thus a natural choice to be used. While using these charts worked well for the first half of the 1970s, as music changed during the decade, and disco became popular on the charts, some rock stations began to drop the show because of complaints from program directors that AT40 was "playing too many songs not on their playlist."
This gradually became a wide schism as rock splintered into a half-dozen formats in the early 1980s. Historians have noted that no one station actually played all of the songs on the Billboard 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...
list, because they represented overlapping formats—hard rock, mainstream rock, heavy metal, dance, new wave, punk, rap, pop, easy listening/adult contemporary, country, and so on. Stations tended to specialize in only one or two of these formats, and completely ignore the others. As a result, AT40s weekly playlist could be very diverse in the styles and formats of the songs played.
One solution for the AT40 producers was to air frequent specials (at least three or four times a year) that concentrated on the classic music of the past, such as Rock in the Movies, Top Hits of the Seventies, and so on. But as Top 40 stations evolved into CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
, they began to avoid syndicated shows like AT40, preferring to stick with their own special niche formats.
By the early 1990s
1990s in music
For music from a year in the 1990s, go to 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99This article includes trends in popular music in the 1990s....
, many songs, mostly rap or heavy metal/grunge songs, would appear on the chart being fueled by single sales, and had received low airplay; several were very long, others were too controversial or risqué for mainstream airplay (for instance, the very sexually explicit "Me So Horny
Me So Horny
"Me So Horny" is a song by rap group 2 Live Crew on their album As Nasty As They Wanna Be. It reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart and #26 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1989 despite lack of airplay due to the controversial nature of the lyrics...
" by 2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew was a hip hop group from Miami, Florida. They caused considerable controversy with the sexual themes in their work, particularly on their 1989 album As Nasty As They Wanna Be.- Early career :...
made it to #26 on the Hot 100 in 1989). These songs would generally only be aired in brief snippets during the show.
Because of this, American Top 40 began using the Top 40 portion from the Hot 100 Airplay chart (then known as the Top 40 Radio Monitor) in lieu of the 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...
. These songs generally scored much higher radio airplay, and some were not even released as singles (such as "Steel Bars" by Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
). During this time, a few songs made big debuts, including 2 that almost debuted in the #1 spot: "I'll Be There" by Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, which entered American Top 40 at #4, and "Erotica" by Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, which entered at #2.
In January 1993, American Top 40 switched charts again, this time to the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart. This chart had more Top 40 Mainstream hits but fewer urban/dance/rap songs.
AT40 did not always use the official year-end chart from Billboard during the 25 years that they used their charts. In 1972 and 1973; in 1977; from 1980 to 1984; and again from 1990 to 1994, AT40 compiled its own year-end chart. These charts were very close to Billboard's, but AT40 would go with a mid-December to early-December time period where Billboard's survey year varied from year to year. AT40 matched Billboard's number one song of the year every time except in 1977, 1984, 1990 and 1993.
Radio & Records magazine
With the show's revival in 1998, a new chart was implemented, the top 40 portion of Radio and Records CHR/Pop top 50 chart, which was already in use on Casey's Top 40. This would also be a first time a recurrent ruleRecurrent rotation
Recurrent rotation refers to a group of songs still frequently aired on a contemporary hit radio station even several months or even years after the initial debut. It is also used to describe core songs in other radio formats as well...
was used on the show, albeit indirectly. Songs that were below #25 and had exceeded 26 weeks in the top 50 were removed, and these removals, if they occurred in the top 40, would be reflected on the appropriate week's program. In 1999, the rule was modified to further restrict long chart runs. Songs falling below #20 with at least 20 weeks in the top 50 would now be removed.
On October 21, 2000 American Top 40 began using an unpublished chart on a weekly basis for the first time in its history. The chart seemed to be a variant of the CHR/Pop chart provided by Mediabase
Mediabase
Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytical tools for radio and record industry professionals...
, the data provider to Radio & Records. The most noticeable feature of this new chart was its ambiguous recurrent rule. Songs would be removed regularly from within the top 15, seemingly regardless of the number of weeks it had spent on the chart. This chart lasted until August 11, 2001, when AT40 returned to the Radio & Records Pop chart. The return coincided with another modification in the recurrent rule; songs would be removed below #25 after 3 consecutive weeks without a bullet (an increase in radio plays). This change would be short-lived, and in November 2001, Radio & Records returned to the 20 weeks/below #20 rule, which remained in place for the remainder of Kasem's tenure.
Adult Contemporary countdowns (AT20 and AT10)
Beginning in the early 1990s, Casey Kasem also hosted two other shows counting down the top adult contemporary hits of the week. He continued to host both shows even after Ryan Seacrest took over the reins of American Top 40.Kasem's countdown for Mainstream and Soft Adult Contemporary radio stations debuted in 1992 under the name Casey's Countdown. Originally Casey's Countdown consisted of 25 songs, but in 1994 it was shortened to 20. With the revival of the AT40 brand name, the AC chart became American Top 20. In March 2004, the Mainstream AC edition was shortened again, this time from twenty to ten songs, and became known as American Top 10.
Another show for Hot Adult Contemporary radio stations debuted in November 1994, since the Hot AC or "Adult Top 40" format was rapidly growing in popularity at the time. The original name of the show was Casey's Hot 20. Like its sister Mainstream AC show, it, too, was renamed American Top 20 once AT40 was relaunched (resulting in two different shows being entitled "American Top 20").
Originally both AC shows were three hours in length and included many AT40 staple features, including chart "extras" and Long Distance Dedications (known as "Requests and Dedications" during the Westwood One years), as well as spotlight features on number one hits of each chart week from years past. AT10 continued to feature Long Distance Dedications, and some additional features that were staples on the original AT40 were re-added to both shows over the last several years, including the "Book of Records" and "Whatever Happened To...?" AT10 also featured additional chart extras under the banner of "AT10 Spotlight," built around a particular theme (the theme for the first week of the revamped AT10 in 2004 was "Band Members Gone Solo").
As with the Top 40 show, both Casey's Countdown/AT20/10 AC and Casey's Hot 20/AT20 Hot AC initially used the AC charts published by Radio & Records from their inception until 2003, except for a brief period in 2000-2001 when both used unpublished Mediabase 24/7 charts. From 2003 to August 2006 (when R&R stopped using Mediabase to compile its charts), both shows used the Mediabase charts. From August 2006 until the end of its run, the AC shows once again were based on unpublished charts.
In 2005, WLTW
WLTW
WLTW is a radio station with an Adult Contemporary format in New York City.The station is often number one or close to it in Arbitron ratings for New York City. From 2002 to 2004, the station generated more revenue than any other radio station in the New York market...
-FM in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
commissioned a shortened one-hour version of American Top 10 featuring only the current hits of the week and eliminating the "extras."
In December, AT10 focused on Christmas music because many of its affiliates broadcast a holiday/Christmas music format around the holiday season.
Kasem retired from AT10 and AT20 the weekend of July 4/5, 2009, and Premiere discontinued the programs. Taking their place in Premiere's lineup in early 2010 is the rock-themed The Side Show Countdown, hosted by Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx is an American musician, songwriter, author, fashion designer, radio host, and photographer, best known as the co-founder and bassist of the band Mötley Crüe. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a member of Sister before going on to form London with his Sister band mate Lizzie Grey...
and Kasem's daughter, Kerri Kasem
Kerri Kasem
Kerri Kasem July 12, 1978 in Los Angeles, California) is a radio and television host, actress and covermodel.She is the daughter of the radio host Casey Kasem and his first wife, Linda Myers Kasem, a Republican Party fund raiser.BIOGRAPHY...
.
Television spinoff
From 1980 to 1992, a videoMusic 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...
version of the show entitled America's Top 10
America's Top 10
America's Top 10 was a television program of music hits based on Billboard's Hot 100, with the exception of the last season in 1992 which used the Radio and Records chart. It aired in syndication by Gold Key Media from 1980-1982 and by All American Television from 1982-1992. The show was hosted by...
was aired in syndication to television stations across the United States. Kasem hosted this version from 1980 to 1989. When Kasem left American Top 40 in 1988, he remained as host of America's Top 10 until the end of 1989, when he would be replaced by Siedah Garrett
Siedah Garrett
Siedah Garrett is an American songwriter and singer.-Biography:She appeared as a contestant on Password Plus in 1980.She performed "One Man Woman" on Quincy Jones' Grammy-Award winning "Back on the Block."...
and later Tommy Puett. Kasem returned by 1991, and the show ran until 1992.
Other formats
Based on the success of American Top 40, Kasem and Don Bustany created a spinoff top 40 countdown for Watermark for Country Radio called American Country CountdownAmerican Country Countdown
American Country Countdown, also known as ACC or American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks, is an internationally syndicated radio program which counts down the top 30 country songs of the previous week, from No. 30 to No. 1, according to the Mediabase country chart...
, patterned after Kasem's program. "ACC" premiered in 1973, and was hosted by Don Bowman until 1978, then by Bob Kingsley
Bob Kingsley
Bob Kingsley is an American country music radio personality and host of the nationally syndicated programs "Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40" and "Bob Kingsley with Today's Hit Makers."...
until 2005 when Kix Brooks
Kix Brooks
Leon Eric "Kix" Brooks III , is an American country music artist, best known for being one half of the duo Brooks & Dunn.-Early life:...
of the late country music duo Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn was an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, who were both vocalists and songwriters. They were paired by record producer Tim DuBois in 1990. Before the duo's foundation, both members of the duo were solo recording artists...
took over, and has been doing so since.
After Kasem left ABC, the network launched American Gold, a spinoff oldies countdown (featuring far fewer songs, and often focusing on a particular artist) hosted by Dick Bartley
Dick Bartley
Dick Bartley, a popular American radio disc jockey since 21 June 1969, hosts several popular syndicated radio shows of the oldies/classic hits genre, including the current Classic Countdown since 1991 and the Saturday night call-in request show Rock & Roll's Greatest Hits since 1982...
. American Gold's last show aired at the end of March 2009, replaced with another show hosted by Barkley for United Stations Radio Networks
United Stations Radio Networks
United Stations Radio Networks is a radio network providing a wide range of programs and programming services for radio stations across the US and elsewhere...
, Classic Countdown.
The American Top 40 format was adapted in an Australian show titled Take 40 Australia, similarly counting down the top 40 songs in the country.
Censorship, offensive songs and affiliate standards
American Top 40 airs radio edits for American radio stations, no matter what the country it airs in.Casey Kasem and Watermark's policy regarding putting American Top 40 together was to always play the 40 most popular songs in the United States and never to ban a record from the countdown. However, whenever songs with potentially offensive lyrical content made the top 40, Watermark would send out memos to affiliated stations alerting them of the presence of that song in the countdown and sometimes provide stations with suggestions on how to edit the song out of their AT40 broadcasts. The first song to receive this advisory was in April and May 1971, with a spoken word piece, "The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley
The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley
The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley is a 1971 spoken word recording with vocals by Terry Nelson and music by pick-up group C-Company.- Inspiration and meaning :The song is set to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"...
", by Terry Nelson
Terry Nelson (musician)
Terry Nelson Skinner was an American disc jockey from Russellville, Alabama. Together with a group of studio musicians, Nelson released a single in 1971 on Plantation Records under the name C. Company featuring Terry Nelson. The single, entitled "Battle Hymn of Lt...
and C-Company. Some more well-known songs which received this treatment included "Kodachrome
Kodachrome (song)
"Kodachrome" is a song written and recorded by Paul Simon. It appeared on his 1973 album There Goes Rhymin' Simon.-Description:The song is named after the Kodak 35mm film Kodachrome...
" by Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
, "Roxanne
Roxanne (song)
"Roxanne" is a hit song by the rock band The Police, first released in 1978 as a single and on their album Outlandos d'Amour. It was written from the point-of-view of a man who falls in love with a prostitute.- History :...
" by The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
, "Ain't Love a Bitch
Ain't Love a Bitch
"Ain't Love a Bitch" is the name of a song written by Gary Grainger and Rod Stewart. Stewart released it on his 1978 album Blondes Have More Fun, and it was one of four songs on the album co-written by Stewart and Grainger. The song was released as a single in 1979, reaching #11 on the UK charts,...
" by Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, and "Paradise by the Dashboard Light
Paradise by the Dashboard Light
"Paradise by the Dashboard Light" is a song written by Jim Steinman. It was first released in 1977 on the album Bat Out of Hell, with vocals by the American musician Meat Loaf alongside Ellen Foley...
" by Meat Loaf.
Perhaps the most infamous of these songs was Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
's number-one hit "My Ding-a-Ling
My Ding-a-Ling
"My Ding-a-Ling" was the title of a novelty song recorded by Chuck Berry, and his only U.S. number-one single on the pop charts. Later that year the song, in a longer unedited form, was on the album The London Chuck Berry Sessions...
", which put some stations in the odd position of having to air AT40 without playing the number one song. The censorship of this song continues even today as some stations, such as WOGL
WOGL
WOGL is an FM radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.The station plays mostly post 1964 pop leaning Oldies positioned Classic Hits music, including Motown, soul and rock and roll spanning roughly 1964–1985. An occasional pre-1964 song is played. WOGL is owned by CBS Radio...
in Philadelphia, replaced this song with an optional extra when it aired a rerun of the November 18, 1972 broadcast (where it ranked at #14) on December 6, 2008.
In the summer of 1977, radio station KRNQ
KSTZ
KSTZ, known as "Star 102.5," is an FM radio station based in Des Moines, Iowa. The station plays Hot Adult Contemporary music. KSTZ is part of Saga Communications' Des Moines Radio Group, along with KPSZ, KRNT, KAZR, KIOA, and KLTI-FM.-History:...
in Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, edited out "The Killing of Georgie" by Rod Stewart, because of the subject matter of a homosexual being murdered; that song peaked at #30 on the countdown.
Another example of this policy dates from 1978, when Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young
Only The Good Die Young
"Only the Good Die Young" is a song from Billy Joel's 1977 pop rock album, The Stranger. The song was controversial for its time, with the lyrics describing a boy who tries to convince a Catholic girl who is a virgin to have sex with him....
" was on the charts. Because of the nature of the song (Joel singing about urging pre-marital sex by a teen Catholic girl, Virginia), AT40 had placed warnings in shipments to warn affiliates in highly Catholic populated areas along with a special break in the countdown for stations to substitute another song in its place. The affiliates usually used the suggestion, though some did not and no major complaints were ever heard. Many of these memos have been reprinted in Pete Battistini's book, "American Top 40 with Casey Kasem (The 1970s)."
Although Kasem and his crew never banned a song from airplay on the countdown, there was at least one instance in which Kasem refused to announce the title of a song on his show. When George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
's "I Want Your Sex
I Want Your Sex
"I Want Your Sex" was a single which first charted in June 1987, appearing on George Michael's Faith album, and the soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop II....
" hit the Billboard charts in the summer of 1987, Kasem refused to announce the name of the song; only its artist. Also, as had been done with previous controversial hits, because of the song's suggestiveness, the show's structure was altered slightly, so stations could opt out of the song. This pattern was also evident during the 1987 Year End countdown. The song title was mentioned five times during its chart run (6/20/1987; 6/27/1987; 7/4/1987; 9/12/1987 and 9/19/1987), during the week-ending episode of September 26, 1987, when it dropped out of the Top 40, and during the Top 100 of 1987 show; Shadoe Stevens, his successor, however did mention the title on the show from July 31, 1993 as part of the Flashback feature, as it was in the top 5 from that week in 1987. In the spring of 1991, when "People Are Still Having Sex
People Are Still Having Sex
"People Are Still Having Sex" is a song written and composed by American musician LaTour and released as the firstsingle from his self-titled debut album LaTour .-Song content:...
" by LaTour
LaTour
William LaTour, better known by his stage name LaTour and also known as "Bud" Latour, is an American singer, songwriter, and voice over artist...
and "I Wanna Sex You Up
I Wanna Sex You Up
"I Wanna Sex You Up" is a hit single for R&B group Color Me Badd in 1991, released as the first single from their debut album C.M.B.. It achieved a huge success in the U.S., UK and New Zealand, where it reached #1 on the charts. It spent four weeks at No...
" by Color Me Badd debuted the same week, their titles were announced in full.
Another song that had its title unannounced after its first week was "Me So Horny
Me So Horny
"Me So Horny" is a song by rap group 2 Live Crew on their album As Nasty As They Wanna Be. It reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart and #26 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1989 despite lack of airplay due to the controversial nature of the lyrics...
" by 2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew was a hip hop group from Miami, Florida. They caused considerable controversy with the sexual themes in their work, particularly on their 1989 album As Nasty As They Wanna Be.- Early career :...
, in the fall of 1989 [the Shadoe Stevens era]. It was mentioned twice at the beginning of the song, and back announced once, its debut week. For the rest of its chart run, the title was never again mentioned. When the 2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew was a hip hop group from Miami, Florida. They caused considerable controversy with the sexual themes in their work, particularly on their 1989 album As Nasty As They Wanna Be.- Early career :...
returned to the top 40 in the Summer of 1990, with "Banned in the U.S.A.
Banned in the U.S.A. (song)
"Banned in the U.S.A." is the title of a song recorded by American hip hop group 2 Live Crew. It was released in July 1990 as the lead single from their album of the same name. It peaked at number 20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and is their highest charting song on that chart. It reached...
", Shadoe did mention that it was the follow-up to "Me So Horny
Me So Horny
"Me So Horny" is a song by rap group 2 Live Crew on their album As Nasty As They Wanna Be. It reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart and #26 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1989 despite lack of airplay due to the controversial nature of the lyrics...
". The song did come with edit out instructions for stations as well. Other songs around that time with edit out warnings were "The Humpty Dance
The Humpty Dance
"The Humpty Dance" is a 1990 hip hop song by Digital Underground, which was featured on their debut album Sex Packets. The single climbed all the way to #11 on the pop charts, #7 on the R&B charts, and #1 on the Billboard Rap Singles chart...
" by The Digital Underground, and "Tic Tac Toe" by Kyper.
As has been mentioned previously, many rock radio stations in the late 1970s adopted anti-disco stances, and this, too, was reflected in the way some affiliates edited AT40. For example, one 1979 show featured a story about disco saving New York; again, the show was structured so that anti-disco stations could edit the story out of the show. (Notably, Kasem ended the monologue with the prediction that "disco is here to stay," which was proven false in short order, as disco rapidly fell out of fashion by 1980.)
More famously, on the weekend of July 7–8, 1979, Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
AT40 affiliate WGCL
WNCX
WNCX — branded 98.5 WNCX — is commercial radio station in Cleveland, Ohio, broadcasting a classic rock format. The station's studios are currently located in Cleveland's historic Halle Building, in the Playhouse Square District...
(now WNCX
WNCX
WNCX — branded 98.5 WNCX — is commercial radio station in Cleveland, Ohio, broadcasting a classic rock format. The station's studios are currently located in Cleveland's historic Halle Building, in the Playhouse Square District...
), instead of carrying the "American Top 40 Top 40 Disco Songs" special because of being an anti-disco radio station, did its own version of American Top 40 using the July 7, 1979 Billboard chart as the source with Townsend Coleman
Townsend Coleman
Townsend Coleman is an American voice actor who performed in many animated series and TV commercials beginning in the early 1980s...
handling the hosting duties for Casey Kasem. The special Cleveland-only American Top 40 episode did not feature the AT40 Archives, extras, or Long Distance Dedications — just the top 40 singles of that week, which was preceded by a recap of the previous week's top three. Most of the songs played were longer album versions or 12-inch extended versions. Through clever editing, Coleman also took the "Casey's Coast to Coast" jingle and spliced in a "T," to provide an appropriate "TC's Coast to Coast" jingle. Kasem did not learn about the deception until 1996, laughing the whole thing off by saying, "Maybe I don't want to hear it!"
Coleman's sleight-of-hand was actually the second time a version of the AT40 had aired that was not quite on the up and up. According to Rob Durkee's book "American Top 40: The Countdown of the Century", Dave Morgan of WDHF (now WNUA
WNUA
WNUA is a Spanish Pop radio station located in Chicago, Illinois, owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications and branded as Mega 95.5.-History:...
) in Chicago ghosted an edition of the program sometime in the summer of 1975. When the station's copy of the show did not arrive in time, he used Billboards list and merely played the records, apparently heavily implying (but not actually identifying) the show as American Top 40. "My program director made me do it!" Morgan said years later.
From 1992 to 1994, two radio stations still carrying American Top 40 had to carry customized versions of the show. WPLJ
WPLJ
WPLJ is a radio station in New York City owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media. WPLJ shares studio facilities with sister station WABC inside 2 Penn Plaza in midtown Manhattan, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building. The station currently plays a Hot Adult...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
aired the show with the urban/dance/rap songs mentioned but not played and were replaced here and there by Hot Adult Contemporary leaning extras. KUBE in Seattle, Washington aired AT40 with a few songs that did not fit the station's Top 40 Rhythm format omitted each week. It has also been reported that WSTR
WSTR (FM)
WSTR is an Atlanta FM radio station airing an Hot Adult Contemporary format during the week and a 1990's pop music format on weekends. It is owned by Lincoln Financial Media, and has Smyrna, Georgia as its city of license.-History:...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, being an anti-rap station and a very Adult Contemporary-leaning CHR, edited "Another Night
Another Night (song)
"Another Night" is a dance song by Real McCoy from their album Another Night. It was one of their biggest hits, reaching number 18 in Germany, number three on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the U.S. during the holiday season of 1994-1995, number two on the UK Singles Chart and number one on...
" by Real McCoy
Real McCoy (band)
Real McCoy, originally known as M.C. Sar & The Real McCoy, is a German band, best known for their 1993/1994 singles "Another Night" and "Run Away", which were both Top 10 hits in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.-Formation:...
(a Eurodisco record with rap breaks) out of its broadcasts of Casey's Top 40 in 1994, even while the song was at #1 on the show (which used the Radio & Records CHR/Pop chart). "Fuck You
Fuck You!
"Fuck You!", also titled "Forget You" or "FU" for clean versions, is a single by American recording artist Cee Lo Green. It was released on August 19, 2010 as the first single from his third studio album, The Lady Killer.-Versions:...
" by Cee Lo Green was changed to "Forget You" for radio airplay in 2010. The most recent radio edits was for "Fuckin' Perfect
Fuckin' Perfect
"Fuckin' Perfect" is a song by American singer-songwriter Pink. It was released as the second and final single from her first greatest hits album, Greatest Hits... So Far!!! on December 14, 2010...
" by Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
, which was changed to "Perfect" for radio airplay.
Special Countdowns
Occasionally American Top 40 airs special countdowns in place of the regular American Top 40 countdown show. These included1:- "Top 40 Recording Acts of the Rock Era 1955-1971" (Weekend of May 1–2, 1971)
- "Top 40 Christmas Songs" (Weekend of Dec 25-26, 1971)
- "Top 40 Songs of the Rock Era 1955-1972" (Weekend of July 1–2, 1972)
- "Top 40 Albums of the Week" (Weekend of Aug 5-6, 1972)
- "Top 40 Artists from Sept 1, 1967 to Sept 1, 1972" (Weekend of Sept 30-Oct 1, 1972)
- "Top 40 Songs from March 1968 to March 1973" (Weekend of Apr 7-8, 1973)
- "Top 40 Disappearing Acts" (Weekend of July 7–8, 1973)
- "Top 40 Recording Acts of the Rock Era 1955-1973" (Weekend of Oct 6-7, 1973)
- "Top 40 Christmas Songs" (Weekend of Dec 22-23, 1973)
- "Top 40 Hits of British Artists 1955-1974" (Weekend of Apr 6-7, 1974)
- "Top 40 Acts of the 1970s, So Far" (Weekend of Jul 6-7, 1974)
- "Top 10 Producers of the 1970s" (Weekend of Oct 5-6, 1974)
- "Top 40 Disappearing Acts" (Weekend of Apr 1-2, 1975)
- "Top 40 Rock 'n' Roll Acts of the 1950s" (Weekend of Oct 4-5, 1975)
- "Bicentennial Special: #1 July 4 Songs of the Past 40 Years" (Weekend of Jul 3-4, 1976)
- "Top 40 Songs of the 'Beatle Years'[1964-1970]" (Weekend of Oct 2-3, 1976)
- "Top 40 Girls of the Rock Era 1955-1977" (Weekend of July 2–3, 1977)
- "Top 40 Movie Songs 1960-1978" (Weekend of Apr 4-5, 1978)
- "Top 40 Acts of the 1970s, So Far" (Weekend of Jul 1-2, 1978)
- "The Top 40 Songs of the Disco Era 1974-1979" (Weekend of Jul 7-8, 1979)(Repeated on weekend of Jul 5-6 2008 with stations choosing either The full four-hour show or a Top 30 three-hour show)
- "The Top 50 Songs of the 1970s" (Weekend of Jan 5-6, 1980)
- "AT40 Book of Records" (Weekend of Jul 5-6, 1980)
- "Top 40 Hits of the Beatles: Together and Apart" (Weekend of Jul 4-5, 1981)
- "Top 40 Acts of the 1980s, So Far" (Weekend of Jul 2-3, 1983)
- "Giants of Rock" (Weekend of Jul 5-6, 1986)
- "Top 40 Hits of the 1980s, So Far" (Weekend of Jul 4-5, 1987)
- "Top 40 Newcomers of the 1980s, So Far" (Weekend of May 30–31, 1988)
- "Triathlon of Rock 'n Roll" (Weekend of Jul 4-5, 1988)
- "World Tour" (Weekend of May 27–29, 1989)
- "AT40 Book of Records, 1980s Edition" (Weekend of Aug 31-Sept 4, 1989)
- "Top 40 American Acts of the Previous 10 Years" (Weekend of Jul 1-2, 1991)
- "Top 40 Hits of the Past Decade" (Weekend of Jan 2-3, 2010)
- "Top 40 songs of 2010" (Weekend of Dec 25-26, 2010 and Jan 1-2, 2011)
Additionally, the top songs of the year were counted down at the end of every year. In 1970 & 1972, AT40 counted down the year's top 80 hits. In 1971 & 1973, they only counted down the top 40 because of their top 40 Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
Countdowns those two years. Beginning in 1974, the top 100 songs of the year were counted down and was done so every year with few exceptions. In 1979, they did the top 50 songs of that year and followed it with the top 50 songs of the 1970s. This was done again in 1999, except only the top 40 of the year and decade were aired. In 2009, the year-end countdown took place as usual (two weeks long, with the top 100 songs of the year being counted down), but on the first week of 2010, the top 40 songs of the decade were counted down. The year-end shows were counted down over a two week period (although stations could edit the shows into one long show) until 1983, when the year-end show ran just one week for eight hours. In 1992, the year end countdown was temporary back to its two-week format, in 1994 (the last year of the old AT40) the year end countdown was only 50, and with the AT40 return in 1998 the year end countdowns were the 2 week format (except for 1999 when it was 50).
During the run of "American Top 20" and "American Top 10," an updated Christmas countdown, the "Top 60 Christmas Songs," would air annually the two weeks immediately preceding Christmas.
Substitute hosts
Over 50 celebrities—among them radio personalities, game showGame show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
hosts, and even charting artists—have substituted for these three throughout the show's run. Radio announcer Charlie Van Dyke
Charlie Van Dyke
Charlie Van Dyke is a former radio disc jockey who is best known for the voice work he has done for numerous radio and television stations....
filled in for Casey a record 31 times in the 1980s.
Substitutes for Ryan Seacrest have included:
- Christina AguileraChristina AguileraChristina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
- Kris AllenKris AllenKristopher Neil "Kris" Allen is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of American Idol...
- Adam LambertAdam LambertAdam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer, songwriter, and actor from San Diego, California. In May 2009, he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol...
- Pamela AndersonPamela AndersonPamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
- Nick CannonNick CannonNicholas Scott "Nick" Cannon is an American actor, comedian, rapper, entrepreneur, record producer, radio, and television personality. On television, Cannon began as a teenage sketch comedian on All That before going on to host The Nick Cannon Show, Wild 'N Out, and America's Got Talent...
- Steve CarellSteve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
- Kelly ClarksonKelly ClarksonKelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
- Miley CyrusMiley CyrusMiley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
- Billy Ray CyrusBilly Ray CyrusWilliam "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...
- Gavin DeGrawGavin DeGrawGavin Shane DeGraw is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He is known for his songs "Chariot", "Follow Through", "I Don't Want to Be" , "In Love with a Girl", and "Not Over You".-Early life:DeGraw grew up in the Catskills in South Fallsburg,...
- Hilary DuffHilary DuffHilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
- Brody JennerBrody JennerSam Brody Jenner is an American television personality. He is the son of Olympic decathlete Bruce Jenner and his former wife Linda Thompson.-Reality television:...
- Nick LacheyNick LacheyNicholas Scott "Nick" Lachey is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and television personality. Lachey rose to fame as a member of the boy band 98 Degrees. He later starred in the reality television series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica with his then-wife, Jessica Simpson. He has released...
- Mario LopezMario LópezMario Michael Lopez, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared on several television series, in films, and on Broadway. He is best known for his portrayal of the character A.C. Slater on Saved By The Bell, which he also portrayed as a regular on Saved by the Bell: The College Years...
- Rob ThomasRob Thomas (musician)Robert Kelly "Rob" Thomas is an American rock recording artist and songwriter. He is the primary songwriter and lead singer of the band Matchbox Twenty. Thomas also records and performs as a solo artist...
- Paul DoucettePaul DoucettePaul John Doucette is the rhythm guitarist and former drummer for the band Matchbox Twenty. A native of North Huntington, Pennsylvania – a suburb located roughly 15 miles SE of Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County – Doucette graduated from Norwin High School in June 1990. He now lives in...
- Jesse McCartneyJesse McCartneyJesse McCartney is an American singer-songwriter, actor and voice actor. McCartney achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama All My Children as JR Chandler. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo musical career...
- Mandy MooreMandy MooreAmanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore is an American singer-songwriter, actress and fashion designer. Moore became famous as a teenager in the late 1990s, after the release of her teen pop albums So Real, I Wanna Be with You, and Mandy Moore. In 2007, she took an adult pop-folk direction with the release of...
- Katy PerryKaty PerryKaty Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
- DiddySean CombsSean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
- Jessica SimpsonJessica SimpsonJessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...
- TimbalandTimbalandTimothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
- Ashley TisdaleAshley TisdaleAshley Michelle Tisdale is an American actress and singer who rose to prominence portraying the candy-counter girl Maddie Fitzpatrick in Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and the female antagonist Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical film series...
- Taylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
- George LopezGeorge LopezGeorge Lopez is an American comedian, actor, and talk show host. He is mostly known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom George Lopez. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including the Mexican American culture...
- Mariah CareyMariah CareyMariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
- Ke$ha
- Selena GomezSelena GomezSelena Marie Gomez is an American actress and singer best known for portraying Alex Russo in the Emmy Award-winning Disney Channel television series Wizards of Waverly Place...
- Neil Patrick HarrisNeil Patrick HarrisNeil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
- Joe JonasJoe JonasJoseph Adam "Joe" Jonas is a Pop American singer, musician, actor, and dancer. He is a member of the Jonas Brothers, a pop-rock band made up of him and his two brothers, Nick and Kevin...
- Kevin McHale
- Amber RileyAmber RileyAmber Patrice Riley is an American actress and singer best known for her role on the series Glee as Mercedes Jones.-Early life and career:...
- Jimmy FallonJimmy FallonJames Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
Some well-known guest hosts for Casey Kasem have included:
- Jerry C. Bishop
- Joe CiprianoJoe CiprianoJoe Cipriano is an American voice over actor.-Career:Joe Cipriano began his career as a broadcaster in Waterbury, Connecticut , while still in high school. Since then he has worked for the NBC, ABC, Fox and CBS TV and radio networks...
- Dick ClarkDick Clark (entertainer)Richard Wagstaff "Dick" Clark is an American businessman; game-show host; and radio and television personality. He served as chairman and chief executive officer of Dick Clark Productions, which he has sold part of in recent years...
- Mike ClearyMike ClearyMike Cleary was an Irish-American boxer.Cleary was born in County Laois, and emigrated to the United States. He was known as a quick and "scrappy" fighter. On October 18, 1882 he defeated the Middleweight Champion of America, John Rooke, in 3 rounds...
- Gordon ElliottGordon ElliottGordon Elliott is a British-born Australian journalist and producer. He is the executive producer of ABC's daytime program The Chew, but is probably better known for his 1990s TV talk show program, The Gordon Elliott Show....
- Mark ElliottMark Elliot (Disney)Mark Elliot is the primary voice-over artist for Walt Disney Entertainment since 1983. He provides voice overs for trailers, logos, feature presentations and commercials. He is well known for his voice overs in Disney's television series. He was also the voice of CBS throughout the 1980s and...
- Bob EubanksBob EubanksRobert Leland "Bob" Eubanks is an American television/radio personality and game show host, best known for hosting the game show The Newlywed Game on and off since 1966, where he was known for using the catchphrase, "Makin' Whoopee"...
- Hall & OatesHall & OatesHall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
- Dave HullDave HullDave Hull, aka "The Hullabalooer", is a Los Angeles radio personality voted one of the top ten LA radio personalities of all time. Born Jan. 20, 1934, he admits to being 77 with his personal addition herewith dated Mar. 3, 2011....
(AT40's first substitute host, weekend of November 6, 1971) - Mike Kasem
- Wink MartindaleWink MartindaleWinston Conrad Martindale , known professionally as Wink Martindale, is an American disc jockey and television game show host.-Radio:...
- Ed McMannEd McMannEd McMann is a disc jockey, voice-over talent and radio personality best known for his work for Clear Channel Communications.Based in Boston, Massachusetts, McMann's voice can be heard on many stations, including WXKS-FM in Boston , WXKS-AM in Boston , WHCN in Hartford, Connecticut, WWHT Ed...
- Sonny MelendrezSonny MelendrezSonny Melendrez is an American actor, radio-TV personality, and keynote speaker based in San Antonio, Texas, USA, and is the host of SonnyRadio.com....
- Humble Harve Miller
- Al MitchellAl MitchellAlbert Edwin Mitchell was a professional American football player for the Buffalo Bisons, playing six games in 1924. He went to Thiel College. He was born in Greenville, Pennsylvania. He was a tailback, a center and an end....
- Lon Thomas
- Bumper Morgan
- Robert W. MorganRobert W. MorganRobert Wilbur Morgan was an award-winning morning radio personality best known for his work at several stations in Los Angeles, California, in particular KHJ-AM....
- Pat O'BrienPat O'Brien (television)Pat O'Brien is currently a radio host with Fox Sports Radio as well as an author. He is best known for his time as a sportscaster with CBS Sports and as anchor/host of Access Hollywood and The Insider .O'Brien covered five Olympic Games, two for CBS...
- Five for FightingFive for FightingFive for Fighting is the stage name of American singer-songwriter John Ondrasik. He is best known for his piano-based rock, such as the Top 40 songs "Superman " , "100 Years" , and "The Riddle" .-Early years:...
- Gary OwensGary OwensGary Owens is an American disc jockey and voice actor. His polished baritone speaking voice generally offers deadpan recitations of total nonsense, which he frequently demonstrated as the announcer on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Owens is equally proficient in straight or silly assignments and is...
- David PerryDavid PerryDavid Perry is an Northern Irish video game developer who has created dozens of video games, the best known of which include Earthworm Jim, MDK, Messiah, Wild 9 and Enter the Matrix. He also founded Shiny Entertainment, where he worked from 1993 to 2006...
- Dave Roberts
- Ryan SeacrestRyan SeacrestRyan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
- Lee Sherwood
- Keri Tombazian
- Charlie TunaCharlie TunaCharlie Tuna is the stage name of Art Ferguson , a radio personality based in Los Angeles, California currently working at KRTH-FM....
- Charlie Van DykeCharlie Van DykeCharlie Van Dyke is a former radio disc jockey who is best known for the voice work he has done for numerous radio and television stations....
Los Angeles deejay "Emperor" Bob Hudson
Hudson & Landry
Hudson & Landry were an American comedy team who wrote and recorded four gold albums on the Dore Records label in the 1970s: "Hanging In There" , "Losing Their Heads" , "Right Off" , and "The Weird Kingdom"...
attempted to substitute for Casey sometime between 1976 and 1978 (no specific date was given); however, Hudson had trouble recording his material for AT40, giving up after realizing that he could not host AT40 the same way he would host his morning drive show. As a result, Casey cancelled his vacation and returned to Los Angeles to record that week's AT40, but made sure that Hudson, a legendary disk jockey and comedian, got paid for his work anyway.
Shadoe Stevens
Shadoe Stevens
Shadoe Stevens is an American radio host, voiceover actor, and television personality. He was the host of American Top 40 from 1988 to 1995...
' guest hosts for his American Top 40 reign included:
- Harry AndersonHarry AndersonHarry Laverne Anderson is an American actor and magician.-Early life:Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Anderson was a street magician before becoming an actor.-Career:...
- Joe CiprianoJoe CiprianoJoe Cipriano is an American voice over actor.-Career:Joe Cipriano began his career as a broadcaster in Waterbury, Connecticut , while still in high school. Since then he has worked for the NBC, ABC, Fox and CBS TV and radio networks...
- Debbie Gibson
- David HallDavid Hall-Sportsmen:*David Hall , American middle distance runner*David Hall , English professional footballer active in the 1970s*David Hall , Australian horse trainer...
- Eduardo Nereo Marino
- Richard MarxRichard MarxRichard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"...
- NelsonNelson (band)NELSON is a American hard rock band founded by singer/songwriters Matthew and Gunnar Nelson . NELSON featuring the twin lead front men had a No. 1 hit in the United States with " Love and Affection" during the week of September 29, 1990...
- Donny OsmondDonny OsmondDonald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...
- Martha QuinnMartha QuinnMartha Quinn is best known as one of the original video jockeys on MTV .-Early life:...
- Meshach TaylorMeshach TaylorMeshach Taylor is an American actor.He is perhaps best known for his role as Anthony Bouvier on the sitcom Designing Women. He also had a major role on the sitcom Dave's World, playing Sheldon Baylor, and appeared in Buffalo Bill.-Personal life:Taylor was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of...
- Jay ThomasJay ThomasJay Thomas is an American actor, comedian and radio talk show host.-Personal life:Thomas was born in Kermit, Texas. He was raised in his Italian American mother's Roman Catholic faith, although his father was Protestant....
1 - Jack WagnerJack Wagner (actor)Peter John "Jack" Wagner, II is an American actor and singer, best-known for his roles on the soap operas General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful, and Melrose Place.-Early years:...
- Adrienne Walker
- Jody WatleyJody WatleyJody Vanessa Watley is an American, singer, songwriter, record producer, and founder of Avitone Records whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul....
1 -- The week Jay Thomas hosted, October 31, 1992,, Chris Cox of KEZY in Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
(now KFSH-FM
KFSH-FM
KFSH-FM is a radio station in the Los Angeles metropolitan area broadcasting on the FM dial at 95.9 mHz with a contemporary Christian music format full time. It is owned by Salem Communications and is known as "The Fish"...
) taped a special version for that station at Watermark's studios, because of contractual stipulations that prohibit talent from Los Angeles-based stations from being heard on KEZY.
Notable songs played on American Top 40
- The first song played on the first American Top 40 in 1970 at #40 was "The End of Our RoadThe End of Our Road"The End of Our Road" is a single written by Roger Penzabene, Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1967. Originally recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips and issued as a single in 1968, the Pips' version of the song, which talked about the demise of a couple's relationship, became another top...
" by Marvin GayeMarvin GayeMarvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
. It would remain and peak at #40 on the second episode of the AT40 countdown. - The first #1 song on American Top 40 's inaugural 1970 broadcast was "Mama Told Me Not to ComeMama Told Me Not to Come"Mama Told Me " is a song by Randy Newman written for Eric Burdon's first solo album in 1966. Three Dog Night's 1970 cover of the song topped the U.S. pop singles charts.-Newman original and first recordings:...
" by Three Dog NightThree Dog NightThree Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One...
. - The first top 10 countdown on the first American Top 40 featured songs by both Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
("The Wonder of YouThe Wonder of You"The Wonder of You" is a song written by Baker Knight. In 1959, Ray Peterson released it as a single. The song became a Top 40 hit for him on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #25. That same year it was recorded by Ronnie Hilton in the United Kingdom, his version reaching #22 on the UK Singles...
") and The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
("The Long and Winding RoadThe Long and Winding Road"The Long and Winding Road" is a ballad written by Paul McCartney that originally appeared on The Beatles' album Let It Be. It became The Beatles' 20th and last number-one song in the United States on 23 May 1970, and was the last single released by the quartet...
"). These are the top two artists of the entire rock era according to AT40's original source, Billboard magazine. - Rick DeesRick DeesRigdon Osmond "Rick" Dees III is an American comedic performer, entertainer, and radio personality, best known for his internationally syndicated radio show The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown and for the novelty song "Disco Duck." He is a People's Choice Award recipient, a Grammy-nominated...
had the #1 song "Disco DuckDisco Duck"Disco Duck" is a satirical disco novelty song performed by Memphis disc jockey Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots. It became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week in October 1976 . It also made the top 20 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart, peaking at number 15...
" on American Top 40 in 1976 long before Dees would launch a rival countdown show, "Rick Dees Weekly Top 40Rick Dees Weekly Top 40Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40 is an internationally-syndicated radio program created and hosted by American radio personality Rick Dees. It is currently heard on over 200 radio stations worldwide and the American Forces Network. It is distributed domestically by Citadel Media Networks and...
". - When American Top 40 expanded from three to four hours in October 1978, the #1 song was "Kiss You All OverKiss You All Over"Kiss You All Over" is a number one single in the United States during 1978 by the group Exile. It was included on the band's album Mixed Emotions, and it featured primarily the late Jimmy Stokley on lead vocals...
" by ExileExile (American band)Exile, originally known as The Exiles, is an American band founded in Richmond, Kentucky by J.P. Pennington. They started by playing local clubs which led to touring with Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars opening shows and providing backup for major rock artists of the period.Their name was shortened...
. - The first "Long-Distance Dedication" ever played in 1978 was Neil DiamondNeil DiamondNeil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
's "Desirée". - When Shadoe Stevens replaced Casey Kasem in August 1988, the #1 song was "Roll With ItRoll With ItRoll with It may refer to:* Roll with It , an album by Steve Winwood* Roll with It , an album by Pat Nicholson* "Roll with It" * "Roll with It" * "Roll with It"...
" by Steve WinwoodSteve WinwoodStephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
. - When American Top 40 switched from the Billboard Hot 100 to the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay in November 1991, the #1 song was "When a Man Loves a WomanWhen a Man Loves a WomanWhen a Man Loves a Woman may refer to:* "When a Man Loves a Woman" , a song by Percy Sledge, also covered by Michael Bolton* "When a Man Loves a Woman" * When a Man Loves a Woman...
" by Michael BoltonMichael BoltonMichael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
. - When American Top 40 switched from the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay to the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream in January 1993, the #1 song was "I Will Always Love YouI Will Always Love You"I Will Always Love You" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton in 1973, who first released the song as a single in 1974.-Dolly Parton version:...
" by Whitney HoustonWhitney HoustonWhitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
. - The last #1 song on American Top 40 on July 9, 1994, when the show was pulled from American stations, was "Don't Turn AroundDon't Turn Around"Don't Turn Around" is a popular song written by Diane Warren and Albert Hammond. It was originally recorded by Tina Turner as the B-side to the single "Typical Male" in 1986. Warren is said to have been disappointed that Turner's record company treated the song as a B-side and never included it on...
" by Ace of BaseAce of BaseAce of Base is a pop band based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Its original lineup consisted of Ulf "Buddha" Ekberg, and three siblings, Jonas "Joker" Berggren, Malin "Linn" Berggren and Jenny Berggren...
. - The last #1 song on American Top 40 in January 1995 before its 3-year hiatus was "On Bended KneeOn Bended Knee"On Bended Knee" is a 1994 number-one hit single by Boyz II Men for the Motown label.Written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the single is notable for having replaced the previous Boyz II Men single, "I'll Make Love to You", as the top song on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States...
" by Boyz II MenBoyz II MenBoyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
. - Before playing the #1 song on the final original-run episode of American Top 40, Shadoe Stevens played a special Long-Distance Dedication to his fans: "So Tired of Standing Still, We Got to Move On" by James BrownJames BrownJames Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
. As Stevens did his closing at the end of the show, the song "Happy TrailsHappy Trails (song)"Happy Trails," by Dale Evans Rogers, was the theme song for the 1940s and 1950s radio program and the 1950s television show starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Rogers, always sung over the end credits of the program. Happy Trails was released in 1952 as a 78 RPM and 45 RPM by Rogers and Evans with...
" by Roy RogersRoy RogersRoy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
was played in the background. - When American Top 40 returned in March 1998, the #1 song was "My Heart Will Go OnMy Heart Will Go On"My Heart Will Go On" is the theme song/love theme of the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic. With music by James Horner, lyrics by Will Jennings, and production by Simon Franglen, James Horner and Walter Afanasieff ,, it was recorded by Céline Dion...
" by Celine DionCeline DionCéline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
. - The #1 song on Casey Kasem's final AT40 show in January 2004 was "Hey Ya!Hey Ya!"Hey Ya!" is a song written and produced by André 3000 for his 2003 album The Love Below, part of the hip hop duo OutKast's double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. The song takes influence from funk and rock music...
" by OutkastOutKastOutkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
. It stayed at #1 when Ryan Seacrest replaced Kasem. - On July 5, 2009, the final #1 song on American Top 20 was "Second ChanceSecond Chance (Shinedown song)"Second Chance" is a song by American hard rock band Shinedown and the second single from their 2008 album, The Sound of Madness. However, the song is not included on the UK release of The Sound of Madness...
" by ShinedownShinedownShinedown is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 2001 and founded by members Brent Smith , Brad Stewart , Jasin Todd , and Barry Kerch . A few line-up changes followed, and the band's current line-up consists of Smith and Kerch, the band's only two remaining original...
. The final #1 song on American Top 10 was "Love StoryLove Story (Taylor Swift song)"Love Story" is a country pop song performed by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was written by Swift and produced by Nathan Chapman, alongside Swift. It was released on September 12, 2008 by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from Swift's second studio album Fearless...
" by Taylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
. - The youngest artist to enter the chart is WillowWillow SmithWillow Camille Reign Smith , often known simply as Willow, is an American child actress and singer. She is the daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, and the younger sister of Jaden Smith. Smith made her acting debut in 2007 in the film I Am Legend and later appeared in Kit Kittredge: An...
, when her song "Whip My HairWhip My Hair"Whip My Hair" is a song sung by American recording artist Willow Smith. The song is the debut single from her eponymous debut album, Willow. The song was written by Janae Rockwell and Ronald "Jukebox" Jackson, with the latter producing the track...
" debuted at #35 on chart week of December 11, 2010. - On March 5, 2011, Lady GagaLady GaGaStefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
became the artist with the highest song debut in the American Top 40 when her song, "Born This WayBorn This Way (song)"Born This Way" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga, from her second studio album, Born This Way. Written and produced by Gaga, Fernando Garibay, Jeppe Laursen and DJ White Shadow, "Born This Way" was developed while Gaga was on the road with The Monster Ball Tour...
", debuted at #9. On March 26, 2011, the song reached #1 in just its fourth week on the countdown, thus making it the fastest song to hit #1. The song would go on to spend the next two weeks at #2, before rebounding to claim a second week at #1 on April 16, 2011 (its seventh week on the countdown), but then it fell to #4, as "Forget You" by Cee-Lo Green took over. - The song that has been on the American Top 40 the longest is "DynamiteDynamite (Taio Cruz song)"Dynamite" is the fourth single from English recording artist Taio Cruz's second album Rokstarr. It was written by Cruz, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, and Dr. Luke, and produced by Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco for the international version of Rokstarr. In the UK, the song was released as the first single...
" by Taio CruzTaio CruzTaio Cruz is a British singer-songwriter, record producer, occasional rapper, and entrepreneur. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which Cruz wrote, arranged and produced himself. It achieved initial success in the UK and earned him a MOBO Award nomination...
. It has been on for 72 weeks and is still charting. - The #1 song of the 1970s was "You Light Up My LifeYou Light Up My Life (song)Many artists have covered "You Light Up My Life" since 1977. The following year, Johnny Mathis recorded and named his album after the song. LeAnn Rimes released her version as a single in 1997, 20 years after Boone's version was released and on the same record label . Her version fared modestly...
" by Debby BooneDebby BooneDeborah Anne Boone is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life," which spent a then record ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist the following year...
. - The #1 song of the 1980s was "PhysicalPhysical (Olivia Newton-John song)"Physical" is a song by Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John, released in September 1981. The song was an immediate success, shipping 2 million copies in the United States, being certified Platinum, and spending 10 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, ultimately becoming Newton-John's...
" by Olivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
. - The #1 song of the 1990s was "I Love You Always ForeverI Love You Always Forever"I Love You Always Forever" is a single released in 1996 by Welsh singer Donna Lewis, from her debut album, Now in a Minute. Inspired by the H. E. Bates novel Love for Lydia, it was successful, reaching number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and staying there for nine weeks during the summer of...
" by Donna LewisDonna LewisDonna Lewis is a Welsh singer-songwriter and record producer, best known for the 1996 pop hit single "I Love You Always Forever", and the adult contemporary chart-topper "At the Beginning" with Richard Marx. After releasing her second LP Blue Planet, Lewis left Atlantic Records and independently...
. - The #1 song of the 2000s was "Yeah!Yeah! (Usher song)"Yeah!" is a song by American singer Usher, released on 3 February 2004 as the lead single from his hit fourth studio album Confessions. The song was written by Lil Jon, Sean Garrett, Patrick J. Que Smith, Ludacris, Robert McDowell, and LRoc. It was produced by Lil Jon, who combined crunk and R&B...
" by UsherUsher (entertainer)Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
. - The #1 song of 2010 was "Tik TokTiK ToK"Tik Tok" is the debut single by American recording artist Kesha. The song was produced by Benny Blanco and Dr. Luke and co-written by Blanco, Dr. Luke and Kesha. It was released on August 7, 2009 as the lead single from Kesha's debut studio album, Animal...
" by Ke$ha.
Further reading
- Battistini, Pete. American Top 40 with Casey Kasem (The 1970s). Authorhouse.com, January 31, 2005. ISBN 1-4184-1070-5.
External links
- Official website
- Charis Music Group The Restoration Authority on American Top 40 for Premiere Radio and Clear Channel Communications. Site also features a lot of information on other countdown shows and syndicated programs
- AT40 calendar from July 1970 to January 1995 from Charis Music Group featuring all the cue sheets in PDF format.
- AT40 with Casey and Shadoe - Learn more about the history of the show as well as see pictures and scans of AT40 cue sheets, memos, and more.
- Listen to American Top 40 online - Lists of radio stations carrying American Top 40 and all of its spinoffs, with scheduled times and streaming links.
- Listen to American Top 40 on iheartradio.com