Hit (popular)
Related: popular music - commercial
poster for Lottie "Tar-ra-ra-boom-der-ay" Collins show
image sourced here.
Definition
In music, any song that makes the top 40 of the charts. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hit [Apr 2005]In marketing, a success involving (sudden) popularity of and demand for a particular item, such as a song that reaches the hit parade. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hit [Apr 2005]
Hit parade
The hit parade is the list of songs most popular at any given time. The term originated in the late 1930s and has also been used for broadcast programs featuring hit tunes, such as Your Hit Parade, which was broadcast on radio and television in the United States for many years.
Through the late 1940s, the term was definitely a list of songs, not a list of records. Typically, in those times, when a song became a hit, it was recorded by several different artists. In later years, such rerecording was called covering a song, and often rejected by fans of particular artists.
As rock and roll became popular, it was more difficult for generic singers to cover the tunes. It is said that Your Hit Parade was nearly cancelled after many weeks of unsuccessful attempts by big band singer Snooky Lanson to perform Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog". The program finally ended in 1959. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hit_parade [Apr 2005]
Chart-topper
In popular music, a chart-topper is an extremely popular recording, identified by its inclusion in a ranked list-a chart-of top selling or otherwise judged most popular releases. Chart-topper and related terms like No. 1 hit, top of the charts, chart hit, and so forth, are widely used in common conversation and in marketing, and loosely defined. In North America, the weekly charts from trade publication Billboard magazine are most often referenced (quite often internationally, as well), particularly the Billboard Hot 100 singles and Billboard 200 album charts, although there are many other charts and sources. Because of its value in promoting artists and releases, both directly to the consumer, and by encouraging exposure on radio, TV and through other media, chart positioning has long been a subject of scrutiny and controversy. Chart compilation methodology and data sources vary, ranging from buzz charts based on opinions of various experts and tastemakers, to charts that reflect empirical data, like retail sales. Therefore, a chart-topper may be anything from an insiders' pick to a runaway seller. The term is also used similarly to some extent in video games. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chart-topper [Apr 2005]