ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — What do The Beatles and Rihanna have in common?
One’s a British rock-and-roll band from the 60s. The other is a modern-day solo pop star from Barbados. It doesn’t seem like they have much in common at all.
But, they do! The Beatles and Rihanna both landed on Billboard’s list of the top 10 “Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Artists.”
And, like trying to determine the greatest of all time for anything, this list will likely conjure up some debate.
However, it’s hard to deny the body of work of any of the artists on Billboard’s list, which includes both the King of Pop and the King of Rock-and-Roll as well as the Queen of Christmas:
- The Beatles
- Madonna
- Elton John
- Elvis Presley
- Mariah Carey
- Stevie Wonder
- Janet Jackson
- Michael Jackson
- Whitney Houston
- Rihanna
You may have already begun arguing against the list in your mind. Or, you could 100 percent agree with it from top to bottom. Either way, let’s take a look at how these artists rounded out the top 10:
The Beatles
No. 1 hits: 20
Top 10 hits: 34
Total # of songs to make the Hot 100: 71
Longest lasting song at No. 1: Hey Jude (9 weeks)
Longest lasting song on the Hot 100: Twist and Shout (26 weeks)
Click here for more of The Beatle's hits.
Madonna
No. 1 hits: 12
Top 10 hits: 38
Total # of songs to make the Hot 100: 57
Longest lasting song at No. 1: Take a Bow (7 weeks)
Longest lasting song on the Hot 100: Borderline (30 weeks), Take a Bow (30 weeks)
Click here for more of Madonna's hits.
Elton John
No. 1 hits: 9
Top 10 hits: 27
Total # of songs to make the Hot 100: 69
Longest lasting song at No. 1: Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight (14 weeks)
Longest lasting song on the Hot 100: Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight (42 weeks)
Click here for more of Elton John's hits.
Elvis Presley
No. 1 hits: 7
Top 10 hits: 25
Total # of songs to make the Hot 100: 109
Longest lasting song at No. 1: Are You Lonesome To-night? (6 weeks)
Longest lasting song on the Hot 100: Way Down (21 weeks)
Click here for more of Elvis Presley's hits.
Mariah Carey
No. 1 hits: 19
Top 10 hits: 28
Total # of songs to make the Hot 100: 49
Longest lasting song at No. 1: One Sweet Day (16 weeks)
Longest lasting song on the Hot 100: All I Want for Christmas is You (45 weeks)
Click here for more of Mariah Carey's hits.
Stevie Wonder
No. 1 hits: 10
Top 10 hits: 28
Total # of songs to make the Hot 100: 63
Longest lasting song at No. 1: Ebony and Ivory (7 weeks)
Longest lasting song on the Hot 100: I Just Called to Say I Love You (26 weeks)
Click here for more of Stevie Wonder's hits.
Janet Jackson
No. 1 hits: 10
Top 10 hits: 27
Total # of songs to make the Hot 100: 41
Longest lasting song at No. 1: That's The Way Love Goes (8 weeks)
Longest lasting song on the Hot 100: Together Again (46 weeks)
Click here for more of Janet Jackson's hits.
Michael Jackson
No. 1 hits: 13
Top 10 hits: 30
Total # of songs to make the Hot 100: 51
Longest lasting song at No. 1: Billie Jean (7 weeks), Black or White (7 weeks)
Longest lasting song on the Hot 100: Billie Jean (25 weeks), Beat It (25 weeks)
Click here for more of Michael Jackson's hits.
Whitney Houston
No. 1 hits: 10
Top 10 hits: 26
Total # of songs to make the Hot 100: 34
Longest lasting song at No. 1: I Will Always Love You (5 weeks), Greatest Love of All (5 weeks)
Longest lasting song on the Hot 100: Higher Love (40 weeks)
Click here for more of Whitney Houston's hits.
Rihanna
No. 1 hits: 14
Top 10 hits: 31
Total # of songs to make the Hot 100: 62
Longest lasting song at No. 1: We Found Love (10 weeks)
Longest lasting song on the Hot 100: Needed Me (45 weeks)
Click here for more of Rihanna's hits.
To learn more about the artists on this list and to learn about the methodology behind it, click here.
