From October 26, 1974[1] until August 28, 1976, Billboard's Disco Action section published weekly single retail sales charts from various local regions along with Top Audience Response Records in their magazine.[2] Billboard debuted its first national chart devoted exclusively to 12-inch Singles Sales in their issue dated March 16, 1985.[3] This record type is most commonly used in disco and dance music genres where DJs use them to play in discos or dance clubs because of the exclusive extended remixes that are often only made available on this format, but Billboard's 12-inch Single Sales chart ranks releases by artists from all styles of music that release maxi-singles.[4]

The 50-position weekly ranking joined Billboard's established Dance/Disco Top 80 chart, reduced to the same 50 positions, both under the title Hot Dance/Disco, becoming two separate Top 50 charts: 12-Inch Singles Sales and Club Play. A coupling from MCA Records' Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, Patti LaBelle's "New Attitude"[5] and Harold Faltermeyer's "Axel F",[6] held the No. 1 slot for the 12-inch Singles Sales chart's first week[7] and was also No. 1 for the second consecutive week on the most played dance/disco chart.[8][7]

History

Madonna's "Angel" 12" vinyl single from 1985 contains one of the most famous B-sides in U.S. history: "Into the Groove," featured in the film Desperately Seeking Susan.[9] While receiving a proper release in other countries, Warner Bros. Records relegated the song to 12-inch B-side status in America despite its enormous popularity on radio and MTV, thus making it ineligible to enter the Billboard U.S. Hot 100.[10] The dance mix edit of "Angel" is the B-side of the 7-inch single that did chart the Hot 100.[11] "Into The Groove" has been cited by multiple publications as Madonna's best single, but only charted Billboard in the Hot Dance/Disco section as a dual sided single peaking at #1 for 7 weeks on the 12-inch Single Sales survey & #1 for 1 week on the Club Play survey[12] and on the Hot Black Singles chart as a single track peaking at #19.[13] Only later remixes by Shep Pettibone and Goh Hotoda[14] are available on Madonna's albums.

The word "disco" was removed from the title of the section of both charts beginning September 19, 1987.[15] After being temporarily renamed Hot Dance 50,[16] Billboard retitled the section Hot Dance Music on October 24, 1987.[17]

On the first Billboard Music Awards in 1990, Janet Jackson[18] was awarded #1 Hot Dance 12-inch Singles Sales Artist.[19] The 1991 winner for #1 Hot Dance 12" Singles Sales was C + C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams' "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)".[20][21]

On June 20, 1992, Billboard began to also survey cassette tape and CD maxi-singles along with vinyl twelve-inch singles renaming the chart Maxi-Singles Sales.[22] In 1993, the Billboard Music Award winner for #1 12" Dance Single was RuPaul's[23] "Supermodel (You Better Work)".[24][25] The Maxi-Singles Sales survey began using actual sales figures (SoundScan) to compile the chart on August 28, 1993.[26]

On July 28, 2001, Billboard launches the 15 position Top Electronic Albums chart and reduces the Maxi-Singles Sales chart size from 50 to 25 positions, 30 positions online.[27] Top Electronic Albums chart is expanded to 25 positions on December 2, 2001.[28]

Billboard renamed the Maxi-Singles Sales survey to Dance Singles Sales[29] on March 1, 2003,[30] although the survey would continue to chart popular maxi-singles[31] by artists from other genres of music besides dance even more frequently such as hip hop & rap artists like Public Enemy[32] and 2Pac[33][34] and alternative rock & industrial metal bands such as The Smiths[35] and Ministry.[36][37] 2006's "Every Day Is Exactly the Same" by Nine Inch Nails[38] topped the sales chart more than any other single with 36 inconsecutive weeks, yet never appeared on the Hot Dance Club Play survey.[39][40]

Billboard launches the 40 position Hot Dance Radio Airplay chart online August 16, 2003, ranking the songs on stations playing mainly dance music.[41] Dance Singles Sales is retitled Hot Dance Single Sales when the top 25 Hot Dance Radio Airplay begins to appear in print on October 25 of that year.[42] The single "Me Against The Music" by Britney Spears and Madonna won the award for "Hot Dance Singles Sales Single of the Year"[43] at the Billboard Music Awards in 2004.[44][45]

Singles Sales decline and Dance section reorganization

Beginning April 30, 2005, the Billboard Dance section started alternately printing Hot Dance Single Sales and Top Electronic Albums every other week in the magazine[46] until Hot Dance Single Sales[47] became only available at billboard.biz after the February 24, 2007 issue.[48] Billboard reduces the position size of the Hot Dance Singles chart from 25 to 15 positions on March 30, 2007.[49] Stevie Nicks' 2007 remix single of "Stand Back" debuted at #3 on the chart on September 15, 2007,[50] peaking at #2 the following week where it stayed for two weeks.[51]

Top Electronic Albums is renamed Top Dance/Electronic Albums by Billboard on June 20, 2009.[52] The size of the Dance Singles Sales chart is reduced further down to 10 positions on October 3, 2009.[53] Billboard's Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales, a 50 position chart ranking of the most popular downloaded songs ranked by sales data as compiled by Luminate, debuts online January 23, 2010.[54] Hot Dance Airplay is retitled Dance/Mix Show Airplay[55][56] on November 19, 2011, and reconfigured to rank total weekly plays as monitored by Nielsen BDS from full-time dance-formatted stations, as well as plays on Mainstream Top 40 and select Rhythmic and Adult Top 40 stations that have submitted their hours of mix show programming.[57][58]

The Hot Dance/Electronic Songs[59] chart is launched in Billboard magazine's newly restructured Dance/Electronic music section on January 26, 2013.[60] Similar to the Hot 100, Dance/Electronic Songs is Billboard's first-ever ranking of the nation's top dance songs combining sales (tracked by Nielsen SoundScan), radio airplay, streaming data and club play.[61] Billboard's Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs chart debuted online April 20, 2013, ranking the week's most popular streamed dance songs (audio + video) on leading U.S. digital music services.[62]

After years of falling record sales,[63] Billboard discontinued their weekly Dance Singles Sales survey later that year.[64] The last chart of the nearly 29 year old national survey was published online November 30, 2013.[65] On June 1, 2019, Billboard introduced their weeekly Dance/Electronic Producers[66] and Songwriters[67] surveys. After almost 45 years of continuous weekly national charts, Billboard's Dance Club Songs survey has been suspended since March 28, 2020, due to widespread social distancing being practiced in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic.[68][69]

Top charting Dance Singles

The following are the top charting singles for each year of the duration of the Hot Dance Singles Sales survey.[70]

More information Peak Year, Weeks at #1 ...
Peak
Year
Weeks
at #1
Total
Weeks
Single Artist Ref
1985 8 24 "I Like You" Phyllis Nelson [71]
1986 9 19 "Brand New Lover" Dead or Alive [72][73]
1987 5 15 "Head to Toe" Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam [74]
1988 4 21 "Never Gonna Give You Up" Rick Astley [75][76]
1989 8 11 "Pump Up The Jam" Technotronic f/Felly [77]
1990 6 13 "Vogue" Madonna [78][79]
1991 6 18 "Gypsy Woman (She's Homless)" Crystal Waters [80][81]
1992 5 11 "Remember the Time" Michael Jackson [82]
1993 6 18 "Hey Mr. D.J." Zhané [83]
1994 9 30 "Take It Easy" Mad Lion [84]
1995 8 28 "Fantasy" Mariah Carey [85][86]
1996 12 37 "How Do U Want It" / "California Love" 2PAC Featuring K-Ci & JoJo [87][88][89]
1997 12 37 "I'll Be Missing You" Puff Daddy & Faith Evans (Feat. 112) [90][91][92]
1998 21 65 "The Boy Is Mine" Brandy & Monica [93][94]
1999 16 50 "Sexual (Li Da Di)" Amber [95]
2000 11 86 "Music" Madonna [96]
2001 15 34 "Lifetime" (Ben Watt Remix) Maxwell [97]
2002 16 57 "Die Another Day" (Remixes) Madonna [98]
2003 12 39 "Rubberneckin'" (Paul Oakenfold Remix) Elvis Presley [99][100]
2004 15 41 "Amazing" (Full Intention & Jack 'N' Rory Mixes) George Michael [101]
2005 17 113 "We Will Become Silhouettes" / "Be Still My Heart" The Postal Service [102]
2006 36[103] 102 "Every Day Is Exactly the Same" Nine Inch Nails [104]
2007 9 26 "Cuntry Boner" Puscifer [105][106]
2008 8 114 "Just Dance" Lady Gaga Featuring Colby O'Donis [107][108]
2009 8 16 "Halo" Beyoncé [109][110]
2010 16 61 "Stereo Love" Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina [111]
2011 18 49 "Born This Way" Lady Gaga [112]
2012 22 33 "Call Me Maybe" Carly Rae Jepsen [113]
2013 10 56 "Forever" Haim [114][115]
Close

The following singles peaked at #1 for more than 12 weeks on the Hot Dance Singles Sales survey.

More information Peak date, Weeks at #1 ...
Peak date Weeks
at #1
Total
Weeks
Single Artist Ref
April 22, 2006 36 102 "Every Day Is Exactly the Same" Nine Inch Nails [104]
June 9, 2012 22 33 "Call Me Maybe" Carly Rae Jepsen [116]
June 6, 1998 21 65 "The Boy Is Mine" Brandy & Monica [117][118]
December 5, 1998 20 102 "Believe" Cher [119][120]
April 2, 2011 18 49 "Born This Way" Lady Gaga
February 26, 2005 17 113 "We Will Become Silhouettes" / "Be Still My Heart" The Postal Service [121][122]
November 13, 2010 16 61 "Stereo Love" Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina [123]
November 9, 2002 57 "Die Another Day" (Remixes) Madonna
August 14, 1999 50 "Sexual (Li Da Di)" Amber [124]
June 5, 2004 15 41 "Amazing" (Full Intention & Jack 'N' Rory Mixes) George Michael [125]
November 10, 2001 34 "Lifetime" (Ben Watt Remix) Maxwell [126]
January 3, 2004 13 78 "Me Against The Music" Britney Spears Featuring Madonna [127][128]
October 29, 2011 16 "Video Games" Lana Del Rey [129][130]
Close

The following #1 singles charted over 100 total weeks each on the Hot Dance Singles Sales survey.[131]

More information Debut date, Artist ...
Debut date Artist Single Total
Weeks
Ref
May 5, 1998 Mariah Carey "My All" / "Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise)" 101 [132][133]
November 28, 1998 Cher "Believe" 102 [134]
May 13, 2000 Sting Featuring Cheb Mami "Desert Rose" (Victor Calderone Remix) 103 [135][136][137]
February 19, 2005 The Postal Service "We Will Become Silhouettes" / "Be Still My Heart" 113 [138]
April 22, 2006 Nine Inch Nails "Every Day Is Exactly the Same" 102
July 12, 2008 Lady Gaga Featuring Colby O'Donis "Just Dance" 114 [139]
Close

The following artists charted 5 or more #1 singles on the Hot Dance Singles Sales survey between 1985 and 2013.

Lists of number-one Dance Singles

80s-90s

1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

2000s

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Dance Club Songs

Dance Singles Sales

Dance/Electronic year-end charts

Dance/Mix Show Airplay

References

Wikiwand in your browser!

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.

Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.