Mainstream Rock (chart) facts for kids

Mainstream Rock is a special list from Billboard magazine. It shows the most popular rock songs played on radio stations in the United States. This chart includes songs from both active rock and heritage rock radio. The chart started in March 1981. It had a few different names over the years, like "Rock Albums & Top Tracks" and "Album Rock Tracks." In 1996, it became "Mainstream Rock," which is its name today.

History of the Mainstream Rock Chart

The first rock music charts appeared in Billboard magazine on March 21, 1981. They were called "Rock Albums & Top Tracks." These lists showed which songs were played most on album rock radio stations in the U.S.

Album rock stations often played many songs from one album, not just single songs. So, these charts helped track all the popular songs from an album. "Rock Albums" listed the top albums, and "Top Tracks" listed the most played individual songs. The very first song to reach number one on the Top Tracks chart was "I Can't Stand It" by Eric Clapton.

Changes Over Time

The "Rock Albums" chart stopped in September 1984. The "Top Tracks" chart was renamed "Top Rock Tracks." It also changed from 60 songs to 50 songs. In April 1986, it was renamed again to "Album Rock Tracks."

Later, in November 1991, Billboard started using a new way to track songs. They used a system called Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. This system watched exactly which songs were played on the radio. This new method showed that some songs stayed on the chart for a very long time.

So, in June 1992, the chart changed to 40 songs. Songs that fell out of the top 20 and had been on the chart for 20 weeks moved to a special "recurrent" chart. This helped make space for newer songs.

Becoming Mainstream Rock

In April 1996, the chart's name changed to "Mainstream Rock Tracks." This helped tell the difference between classic rock and newer alternative rock songs. For a while, the chart was only available online. But in late 2013, it returned to the main Billboard website and magazine.

In June 2009, Billboard added two other rock charts, "Active Rock" and "Heritage Rock," into its own system. These two charts combined to create the Mainstream Rock chart. Active rock stations play more new hits, while heritage rock stations focus on classic rock with some new songs. By late 2013, Billboard stopped listing Active Rock and Heritage Rock separately. This was because the two types of stations were becoming very similar.

In June 2021, Billboard celebrated the chart's 40th birthday. They released lists of the top songs and artists in the chart's history. "Touch, Peel and Stand" by Days of the New was named the number-one Mainstream Rock song of all time. Shinedown was named the number-one Mainstream Rock artist of all time.

The current number-one song on the chart is "Lowest in Me" by Staind.

Chart Achievements

This section shows some amazing achievements by artists and songs on the Mainstream Rock chart.

Artists with the Most Number-One Songs

These artists have had at least 8 songs reach number one on the Mainstream Rock chart.

Artists with the Most Consecutive Number-One Songs

These artists had many number-one songs in a row!

Artists with the Most Weeks at Number One

These artists have spent the most total weeks at the number one spot.

Artists with the Most Top-Ten Songs

These artists have had the most songs reach the top ten on the chart.

Artists with the Most Charted Songs

These artists have had the most songs appear on the Mainstream Rock chart.

Songs with the Most Weeks on the Chart

These songs stayed on the Mainstream Rock chart for at least one year (52 weeks)!

Songs with Ten or More Weeks at Number One

These songs were number one for ten weeks or longer!

See also

In Spanish: Mainstream Rock Tracks para niños