I enjoyed "The Number Ones" quite a bit. Tom Breihan did a great deal of research and brought it into each essay in a fun way that connected to the overall message. Due to the greater passage of time, and the greater about of ink spilled, about pop music from 1980 and before, he was able to really dive deep into those songs and showed how they influenced the pop charts in subsequent years. The essays on songs from 2000 and after were a little less meaty, because we don't have the full effect of the Number Ones (although I guess that's just my opinion).

Overall, a really enjoyable music history. Easy to pick up here and there. Breihan's writing was engaging and conversational, but still professional. Almost like a teacher who is really good at lectures.

My only criticism is that while he always found ways to connect the dots, it did sometimes feel like we were really wandering off the range with the stories he would decide to share, that sometimes seemed only tangentially connected to the song that gave the chapter it's name.

I loved this book. Wonderful idea of looking at the history of pop music through Billboard #1 songs. Breihan looks back at the song’s influences and forward at those the song
and artist then influenced. Breihan also highlights new techniques in the making of the music. All of this is done successfully in a fun read. Highly recommended.

"The Number Ones," by Tom Breihan is a fascinating history of pop music. It examines this world through the lens of Billboard Hot 100 #1 hits, focusing on 20 iconic #1s to explore the cultural forces that have shaped music over the years. A must-read for music fans.

Full disclosure: I was given a free eARC copy of this book by NetGalley and Hachette Books in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been excited to read books over the years. However, it’s been awhile since I’ve felt that way for a particular title. That changed this year when word got out that Tom Breihan – author of the “The Number Ones” column on Stereogum – was going to publish a book covering the most important number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Naturally, it’s called "The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music." I had to read it. Now, what do I think about it? Reader, it was great because it analyzed those ditties in a condensed, informative way.

In "The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music," Breihan takes 20 songs that hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and reveals how significant they were in shaping music trends. He looks at the historical context surrounding them and how they played a pivotal role in music chart history. Breihan features the greatest pop artists of all time like The Beatles, Michael Jackson, and Prince, and he gives musicians who never hit #1 like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and James Brown their due as well.

When I was working as an Adult Librarian in Clarkston, Michigan, I was in charge of maintaining the music CD collection. This meant adding items to and removing them from the shelves as well as keeping up to date on the latest music news. One day, while I was looking at the latest stories, I came across “The Number Ones” column. In it, Breihan analyzes every number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 since its inception in 1958, and he’s still in the early 2000s (in fact, today’s review was about “The Way You Move” by Outkast featuring Sleepy Brown). On the day that I discovered it, he was taking a look at Paul Anka’s 1974 number 1 song “(You’re) Having My Baby” (featuring Odia Coates (that’s not one of the tunes analyzed in The Number Ones book). After reading his snark-filled, but fully analyzed review of the ditty, I knew I had to read more. I’ve been a fan of Breihan’s column since.

The main difference between the column and this book is the tone. In the former, Breihan evaluates the chart topper in question with snark, sincerity, and complete bias (he’s fully aware that no journalism is wholly objective). That’s why he has rated songs like “Hotel California” a 4 and “We Didn’t Start the Fire” a 1. In the book, the tone is more academic and as balanced as it can be. This makes sense as the overall goal of the research is to see how each of the selected songs contributed to the evolution of pop music as we know it even if they’re not great. Also, in an interview with Billboard (surprise surprise), Breihan revealed that his father was a history professor. I wouldn’t be shocked if he was channeling his dad while writing his book.

As he discusses the #1 hits, Breihan also manages to find the time to write something about the most famous artists that never topped the charts. These get woven into the chapters on the number one tunes. During his chapter on The Byrds’ cover of “Mr. Tambourine Man,” Breihan mentions that Bob Dylan never had a number one hit, yet the cover ushered in the Hot 100’s acceptance of folk-inspired pop songs. Moreover, Bruce Springsteen’s biggest hit “Dancing in the Dark” reached #2 on the Hot 100 right behind another ditty selected for this book “When Doves Cry” by Prince, which reigned on top for 5 weeks and displayed how a musician could take their musical and artistic persona even further. Breihan proves that sometimes, it’s a game of chance of which artists obtain #1 hits or which one don’t.

As I mentioned earlier, the main strengths of the book are twofold. The first is that Breihan leaves no stone unturned when analyzing these tunes. For instance, when he talks about “Dynamite” by the K-pop group BTS, he goes into how American listeners embraced foreign language ditties as well as a brief history of K-pop’s attempts to break into the American music scene to set up the context of how the band managed reach #1. This is especially true when those songs are steeped in controversy. For example, the success of “The Twist” by Chubby Checkers mainly came by because its presentation had been diluted enough for a white audience in the early 1960s. And don’t get him started with how Berry Gordy Jr. screwed over so many careers at Motown as well as the legacy of Michael Jackson.

The second is that the information itself is condensed, but concise enough that readers won’t miss a thing while reading The Number Ones. Even though there’s plenty of detail about each chosen song, each chapter is no more than 20 pages. This makes reading the book digestible, especially for readers who have a rather limited time or a tight schedule.

Other reviewers have noted that it’s best to read this while listening to the songs in question. I wish I would’ve done that because it would’ve immersed me in the tunes more. Luckily, I’ve been correcting that by putting them on when I have some downtime, especially while I wrote this review.

The only complaints that I have are two factual errors Breihan makes in the book. In the “Ice Ice Baby” chapter, he discusses how that tune in question infamously sampled “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie. In talking about who came up with the famous bass riff, he mistakes Queen bassist John Deacon as Roger Deacon (p. 209). I was disappointed by this not only because I’m a Queen fan, but also, he referred to the bass player correctly in his review of “Another One Bites The Dust” on Stereogum. Additionally, in the “Dynamite” chapter, Breihan points out how BTS had slowly climbed their way onto the charts without manipulating it. This included showing up on remixes like the Seoul Town Road one with Lil Nas X. Breihan incorrectly lists member Suga on that “Old Town Road” version when it really was leader RM on that track (p. 310). Despite these errors, I still enjoyed the book.

Overall, "The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music" by Tom Breihan is worth the read. The author discusses how each of the 20 chosen chart toppers played a role in the evolution of pop music in an effectively informative and concise manner. I’m still surprised that he’s able to analyze every aspect of a song without being too long winded. I would definitely recommend this to music lovers, especially the ones who watch the Billboard Hot 100 on a regular basis and love Breihan’s “The Number Ones” column on Stereogum, as well as to those who enjoy reading about pop culture. The book is out now, so go take a look if you haven’t already!

I'm a longtime reader of Tom Breihan's column, The Number Ones, published on the independent music blog Stereogum. I found it sometime in the mid-virtual-70's and have been faithfully following along ever since, really enjoying the experience as the column found its voice and made me think of music and pop culture history in new and challenging ways. I have a deep affection for the community that grew in the comments section (TNOCS) and the whole thing holds a special place in my heart.

Excited as I was about the book, my first question was naturally "Is this just a retread of the column?" Happily, it is not! The write-ups for each song are unique and have a subtle difference in tone. The book seems to focus more closely on what factors in the music industry led to the development and success of each song and what the implications were for the business and pop culture. Each song chosen for the book marks a specific, pivotal point in American popular music, from the beginning of the British Invasion to the advent of Auto-Tune and music-as-technology.

The articles are thoughtful, well-researched, and unabashedly nerdy. There is a lot of technical discussion about how the industry works, how chart performance is measured, and how music is delivered to the public. That said, it still remains very accessible and readable. The cultural contexts of various music phenomena, from disco to boy bands, are absolutely fascinating and I'm just awed by how interconnected everything is--it truly feels like a butterfly flaps its wings and somehow we get K-Pop!

I would heartily recommend this to anyone interested in music, pop culture, or contemporary American history. I learned a lot while reading this and had a great time along the way!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

The subtitle for The Number Ones is Twenty Chart-topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music. It sounds like hyperbole—but it’s not. Get ready to give your favorite music streaming service a workout as you revisit old favorite songs and find new ones.

The book covers music from 1960 through 2020. It’s amazing how well even surprisingly mundane hits, like The Human League’s 1981 hit “Don’t You Want Me”, changed the path of music going forward. For the book is very successful in convincing its readers that individual songs moved music in surprisingly new directions over the decades. It is hard for an average pop music listener to see how Chubby Checker led to The Byrds much less Gucci Mane and BTS.

The Number Ones is a fun ride for readers old enough to remember at least a few of these songs firsthand. But even casual modern listeners can learn a bit about how a single thing can cause a mountain of difference eventually. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to Hachette Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Books for an ARC of this title.

I've been a massive fan of The Number Ones column since it first dropped at Stereogum, and I've been eagerly awaiting this book to see how it would build on the community that's formed there. This isn't a reprint of anything you've already seen on the site - it's taking 20 songs that have all hit number one and showing how they act as inflection points in the history of pop music, changing and shaping what could go to number one. Each song acts as a jumping off point to discuss in greater detail trends from the sixties through today, and it's a very satisfying read that taught me a few new things about songs I thought I knew well. It's a delightful book from start to finish, and I hope we get more writing from Breihan on the history of pop outside the column sooner rather than later.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Hachette Books for an advanced copy of this book on the history of hit songs and their influences.

When I worked at an independent music store, we had our own charts and our own lists of what we thought was hip hop and happening in music. For all our pretentiousness, for all the the other too cool for radio customers we had, it was the bread and butter Billboard popular albums that kept our store going, and kept me in bootlegs and import singles. DJ's both wedding and club, a lot from strip clubs actually, would come in with their copy of Billboard Hot 100 or paw through ours, and buy what they needed for their weekend gigs, either by request from savvy listeners or in an attempt to be ahead of the zeitgeist and be considered cool. I was never much of a Billboard music listener, I read it to keep up and answer questions, but the bands I liked with exceptions wouldn't usually be on the top twenty, and never the Hot 100. Boy did I miss a lot and cheat myself out of a lot of cool stories. Tom Breihan, journalist and music historian has in his book The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music written a history on how certain songs changed quite a lot of things in music, sometimes for the good, sometimes for the worse.

Twenty songs are featured in the book, each with a particular influence to the era and the music that followed, from Chubby Checker, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, and BTS. Looking at the table of contents it is interesting to see how music changed in 60 years, from early rock n roll to disco to pop to what it is today. Each chapter features information on the song, who wrote the song, a biography on the singer and the making of the song, the producer, and the reception from the label and the public. The essays reflect on the times, the influence the song had on music, who tried to copy the song, and who used the song to grow as artists and make even more and sometimes better music. There is a lot of diverse information. As the book goes on readers see how music taste change, the importance of charts and how corporations used this information, and how listeners tastes and how the acquired information evolved MTV and Limewire and other pirate sites.

The book is very well written and even better humorous, which does not take away from the information of the writing. As I wrote readers learn quite a bit about music, and the eras in which the songs came out, and this is presented quite well, in a nice style that is easy to follow, and even better fun and informative to follow. Breihan has a snappy writing ability to share information and not make it seem like a slog to get through, nor seem like a pretentious record clerk making fun of a person for not knowing the bassist in a regional math band that almost made it. That's is hard in music, and Breihan does it quite well. I never thought that I would care how Soulja Boy recorded and marketed his music, but honestly that was one of my favorite chapters.

A book for music fans, scholars and nerd who love not only knowing about songs but the minutiae that all songs have, from creation to reception and history. The book tells not only about songs, but about the industry, how it rose, and fell, and became what is is today, sort of a mess. A very good gift for people who love music and musical trivia.

Here is a good book about different chart-topping songs. Each that the author has chosen has risen to number one, he starts from 1960 with the Twist and works his way through the 2000s. He also gives a background on the formation of billboards and how they pick the number one song through sales. Most of the songs I was familiar with since I had either grown up listening to them or eventually my children would be listening to new artists, as well as my youngest daughter now who has been listening to BTS which is where he stops. But between Chubby Checker and BTS you get a real look at many different styles of music and many different artists and were surprised at how many top artists made it to the number two spot but never made it to number one. A good book though and though he talks a little about disco it really was not that bad it got a lot of people out dancing especially in high school. A very good book.

This is a fascinating and revealing look at influential #1 songs, arranged by decade. Some readers may quibble with the song(s) selected for the decade, but that's to be expected with books like this.

Readers looking for an entertaining journey across the pop music landscape should not miss this.

Many thanks to Hachette and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a big fan of Breihan's Stereogum column and this book does a great job contextualizing the cultural significance of many songs. It's engaging and had some fascinating insights into why pop charts matter and what they reflect about society at large.

Highly recommend this one! This was my first book to read by this author but definitely won't be my last. The characters will stay with you long after you finish the book and you will find yourself wishing the story would never end.

If you ever wanted a brief history of American pop culture through song, over the last 60-or-so years, this is the pick for you. Based on a popular Stereogum series, a selection of #1 Billboard hits (and how the biz helped/barricaded) are analyzed & riffed off, in depth. From the nepotism of Ricky Nelson to the public oblivious to the message of the anti-occupation ballad “Sukiyaki”, the dance-crazes inspired by “The Twist” & moonwalk spurred “Billie Jean” (or did the dance come first?), the marketing of the powerhouse pipes & exceptional words of lyricists Mariah Carey & Carole King, to many, many , others — the Billboard Top 100 #1’s catalogue not just sounds of an era… Read on to find out for your own curiosity!

I'm a big fan of Tom's Number Ones column over on Stereogum and this book delivers what I wanted from him. He chooses a handful of important #1 songs and uses them as sign posts to give a history of popular music. Each song leads into the next and the reader can see the evolution of trends and tastes from the '50s to today. It's masterfully done. I'd recommend this for all chart watchers, young and old and fans of pop music in general.

The Number Ones is a deep dive into the Billboard Hot 100. Tom Breihan writes about twenty pivotal number 1's in the history of the chart from 1960 to present day. He explains the history of each song chosen and the impact the song left behind, while also providing the chart details (release date, chart date, length of time on chart). It's a fascinating look at how music has changed or stayed the same as the decades change. Breihan clearly did his research. Highly recommended!

The Number Ones really deep dives into the history of the Billboard Top 100 by picking 20 of the songs that made it to #1 and their history. What was really interesting was each chapter was not just a look into that song and artist, but some history as to what led up to that song being created, what other artists were inspired by the song, and so much more. The songs that Breihan chose for this book were from all different genres and points in history. While most were songs that I know very well, but with each chapter I learned more and more about (mostly) American music history. A definite read for music fans!

What a gem!

I absolutely devoured this book from start to finish. Tom Breihan does a brilliant and entertaining job describing 20 #1 hits to land on the Billboard Hot 100. I was a huge Mariah Carey fan when I was a kid so reading about "Vision of Love" was the highlight for me here. I also enjoyed reading about the history of each song and how radio and MTV were big deciding factors when it came to song recognition. "The Number Ones" will definitely be one of my favorite non-fiction books of 2022. I had such a blast reading this. If you love pop culture, then you will enjoy this.

Thank you, Netgalley and Hachette for the digital ARC.

I never thought of how pop music sets cultural markers for songs released afterwards. It’s cool to think of ‘firsts’ and Breihan chooses a diverse cast of artists in his #1 choices. From 1960 to 2020, each chapter is its own mini-essay on why a #1 hit remains a significant song and how it affected music afterwards. While my eyes glossed over at the mention of chart numbers, the joy is reading about the times you’re familiar with and how artists you love cemented themselves in from their own drama, created waves in rap music, or became anomalies in Korean pop music. I had a lot of fun with this as Breihan covers my musical coming-of-age with Limewire downloads and choosing ringtones… look out for that Soulja Boy chapter.

I think this book is best enjoyed while playing each song while you’re reading the chapter. I always love reading deep-dives into music and appreciating it for more than just lyrics I hear. Fans of Pitchfork and other music columns will love this read. Overall, fun, well-researched, and presents an impressive, in-depth coverage of each time period, even from contexts of race and generational gaps.

I will preface this review by saying that I am a enormous stan of Tom Breihan's Stereogum column, The Number Ones. It is well researched and written, often humorous, and with an appropriate amount of declarative profanity and sarcasm. Not only does he review all aspects of the song and artist, he is a master at placing all of these aspects in chronological, historical, and often surprising context. So, in case you've missed all the signs, arrows, and flashing lights leading to clues, I was very excited to read this book.

Having said all that. I was both very pleased and mildly disappointed with The Number Ones. On one hand, it is a work of amazing, in-depth cultural and musical scholarship spanning twenty songs over nearly seventy years. For instance, did you know that Boomer America's favorite music Dad, Dick Clark, was one toothy smile away from being swept up in the Payola scandal? On the other hand, the sarcasm and humor-my personal favorites-are absent with only one mild f-bomb doing the gargantuan level lifting in repping the column style and tone.

I understand the importance of this work to Mr. Breihan and I applaud him on the incredible job he has done here. However, for readers of the column like myself, this may feel like one of your favorite songs that has been censored. Still, I recommend this book for anyone who wants to read fascinating, knowledgeable, and vibrant musical criticism.

What a fantastic book. Love the concept. A history of Top 100 sons from the Billboard charts. Each song chosen gives the release date, when it charted and how long it was on the chart. This is interesting, but, the author goes one step further by giving information about the song. Learned a lot from this book. Wonderful job by the author. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving this book in this manner had no bearing on this review.