List of Adult Top 40 number-one songs of the 1990s

The Adult Top 40 chart is published weekly by Billboard magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen BDS."[1] The chart was first published in the March 16, 1996, issue of Billboard; however, historically, the chart's introduction was in October 1995, when it began as a test chart.[2]

The Adult Top 40 chart was formed following a split of the "Hot Adult Contemporary" chart due to the growing emergence of Adult Top 40 radio stations in the 1990s. These stations played a wider variety of artists and saw a faster turnover of songs compared to traditional adult contemporary radio. Songs by modern rock, dance, and R&B artists were mixed in with acts more closely associated with adult contemporary. According to Billboard, splitting the chart "better reflect[s] the music being played on adult contemporary and adult/top 40 stations."[2]

Chart history

Issue date Song Artist Weeks at
number one		 Ref.
1995
October 7 "Kiss from a Rose" Seal 6 [3]
November 18 "As I Lay Me Down" Sophie B. Hawkins 3 [4]
December 9 "Roll to Me" Del Amitri 1 [5]
December 16 "As I Lay Me Down" Sophie B. Hawkins 4 [4]
1996
January 13 "One Sweet Day" Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men 10 [6]
March 23 "Time" Hootie & the Blowfish 2 [7]
April 6 "Because You Loved Me" Celine Dion 12 [8]
June 29 "Give Me One Reason" Tracy Chapman 8 [9]
August 24 "Change the World" Eric Clapton 6 [10]
October 5 "I Love You Always Forever" Donna Lewis 1 [11]
October 12 "Change the World" Eric Clapton 1 [10]
October 19 "I Love You Always Forever" Donna Lewis 7 [11]
December 7 "Head Over Feet" Alanis Morissette 3 [12]
December 28 "Don't Speak" No Doubt 15 [13]
1997
April 12 "You Were Meant for Me" Jewel 6 [14]
May 24 "One Headlight" The Wallflowers 5 [15]
June 28 "Sunny Came Home" Shawn Colvin 7 [16]
August 16 "All for You" Sister Hazel 7 [17]
October 4 "Foolish Games" Jewel 5 [18]
November 8 "I Don't Want to Wait" Paula Cole 6 [19]
December 20 "Tubthumping" Chumbawamba 5 [20]
1998
January 24 "Walking on the Sun" Smash Mouth 3 [21]
February 14 "3 a.m." Matchbox Twenty 10 [22]
April 25 "Torn" Natalie Imbruglia 14 [23]
August 1 "Iris" Goo Goo Dolls 17 [24]
November 28 "Thank U" Alanis Morissette 2 [25]
December 12 "Lullaby" Shawn Mullins 8 [26]
1999
February 6 "Angel" Sarah McLachlan 7 [27]
March 27 "Slide" Goo Goo Dolls 2 [28]
April 10 "Every Morning" Sugar Ray 10 [29]
June 19 "Livin' La Vida Loca" Ricky Martin 6 [30]
July 31 "All Star" Smash Mouth 8 [31]
September 25 "She's So High" Tal Bachman 1 [32]
October 2 "All Star" Smash Mouth 1 [31]
October 9 "She's So High" Tal Bachman 2 [32]
October 23 "Smooth" Santana featuring Rob Thomas 25[A] [33]
  • A ^ "Smooth" spent the last 10 weeks of 1999 and the first 15 weeks of 2000 at number one
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See also

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References

  1. ^ "Current Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2013. 
  2. ^ a b "Updated Charts: Heatseekers, AC". Billboard 108 (11): 109. March 16, 1996. Retrieved February 9, 2013. 
  3. ^ "Kiss from a Rose" October 7 – November 11, 1995:
  4. ^ a b "As I Lay Me Down" November 18 – December 2, 1995; December 16, 1995 – January 6, 1996:
  5. ^ "Roll to Me" December 9, 1995:
  6. ^ "One Sweet Day" January 13 – March 16, 1996:
  7. ^ "Time" March 23–30, 1996:
  8. ^ "Because You Loved Me" April 6 – June 22, 1996:
  9. ^ "Give Me One Reason" June 29 – August 17, 1996:
  10. ^ a b "Change the World" August 24 – September 28, 1996; October 12, 1996:
  11. ^ a b "I Love You Always Forever" October 5, 1996; October 19 – November 30, 1996:
  12. ^ "Head Over Feet" December 7–21, 1996:
  13. ^ "Don't Speak" December 28, 1996 – April 5, 1997:
  14. ^ "You Were Meant for Me" April 12 – May 17, 1997
  15. ^ "One Headlight" May 24 – June 21, 1997
  16. ^ "Sunny Came Home" June 28 – August 9, 1997
  17. ^ "All for You" August 16 – September 27, 1997
  18. ^ "Foolish Games" October 4 – November 1, 1997
  19. ^ "I Don't Want to Wait" November 8 – December 13, 1997
  20. ^ "Tubthumping" December 20, 1997 – January 17, 1998
  21. ^ "Walking on the Sun" January 24 – February 7, 1998
  22. ^ "3 a.m." February 14 – April 18, 1998
  23. ^ "Torn" April 25 – July 25, 1998
  24. ^ "Iris" August 1 – November 21, 1998
  25. ^ "Thank U" November 28 – December 5, 1998
  26. ^ "Lullaby" December 12, 1998 – January 30, 1999
  27. ^ "Angel" February 6 – March 20, 1999
  28. ^ "Slide" March 27 – April 3, 1999
  29. ^ "Every Morning" April 10 – June 12, 1999
  30. ^ "Livin' La Vida Loca" June 19 – July 24, 1999
  31. ^ a b "All Star" July 31 – September 18, 1999; October 2, 1999
  32. ^ a b "She's So High" September 25, 1999; October 9–16, 1999
  33. ^ "Smooth" October 23 – April, 2000
Lists of Adult Top 40 number-one singles
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Last modified on 27 February 2013, at 00:56