Top 40
Popular song rankings
Top 40 refers to the forty most popular songs at any given time, ranked by sales, radio play, or streaming.
The term originated with radio formats that played only the current hits on heavy rotation.
As an adjective, Top 40 describes mainstream pop music designed for wide appeal: Top 40 radio, a Top 40 hit.
The format shaped American pop culture from the 1950s onward, though streaming has complicated how popularity is measured.
- BillboardLarge outdoor advertising display
- countdownBackward enumeration to zero
- music chartSong popularity ranking
- playlistArranged media collection
- gold recordSales milestone plaque
radio station · radio play · pop music · pop star · dance music · hit singles · airplay · Casey Kasem · ranking · power pop · chart-toppers · synthpop · pop ballads · electropop · rotation · Grammy winners · record label · music industry
- radio hitsradio hits, radio singles, radio airplay, airplay, number ones
- songssong, songs, tune, folk ballads, melody
- radioFM radio, crystal set, AM radio, radio station, radio broadcast
- Stock ExchangesNYSE, NASDAQ, London Stock Exchange, Tokyo Stock Exchange, Frankfurt Stock Exchange
- UK MusicBritpop, British rock, UK drill, grime, dubstep
Top 40deep cuts
Obscure songs by artists
obscure · underground · B-sides · unknown · forgotten
Top 40avant-garde
Innovative cultural pioneers
experimental · noise music · inaccessible · challenging · esoteric
Top 40indie
Produced outside majors
underground · independent · DIY · alternative · non-commercial