RockOnTheNet
presents The Top Pop Songs
Of All Time !
We have ranked the top pop songs that have charted over the past
50+ years on The ARC Weekly Top 40 and Billboard Hot 100, and
come up with
a definitive list that will continue to expand as we add to it,
and continue to modify as new songs chart on The ARC Weekly Top
40.
"Sometimes
I think we've become totally redundant
because we're this big band now, we've made a
lot of money - we're not punk rock any more.
But then I think about it and just say 'You
can take us out of a punk rock environment,
but you can't take the punk rock out of us.'" - Billie Joe
Armstrong, Green Day, 2005
TIMELINE
Green Day consists of
childhood friends Billie Joe Armstrong (guitars,
vocals) and Mike Dirnt (bass), along with Tre
Cool (drums). The band got started in California
when Armstrong and Dirnt formed a band named
'Sweet Children' while in their teens. When
drummer, Al Sobrante (also known as John
Kiffmeyer), was added to the mix in 1989, Green
Day was formed (Tre Cool became the band's
permanent drummer after the release of their
first EP and after Sobrante decided to go to
college). Green Day is often credited with some
other similar groups for reviving interest in
punk rock music. In a review of one of their LPs,
Green Day was summed up by a Rolling Stone's
Mark Coleman: "The beauty of classic punk
rock lies in its utter simplicity: Crude rhythms,
rude attitude, pumping adrenaline and a loudly
pronounced point of view are key. Once you get
sucked in by that formula, any punk band sounds
good at first - because the musical rush is so
basic, familiar and overwhelming. That's also the
reason most punk bands - and records - ultimately
turn out to be crap. In punk the good stuff
actually unfolds and gains meaning as you listen
without sacrificing any of its electric, haywire
immediacy. And Green Day are a good as this stuff
gets.
February 17: Billie Joe Armstrong was
born and raised in California.
May 4: Mike Dirnt was born as
'Michael Ryan Pritchard' in California and was
given up for adoption when he was 6 weeks old.
December 9: Tre Cool was born as
'Frank Edwin Wright III' in Germany.
October 17: 'Sweet Children' had
their first live performance in California.
'Sweet
Children' were signed to the independent label
Lookout! Records and changed their name to 'Green
Day' prior to their first EP release.
April: Green Day released their
debut EP 1,000
Hours.
The band found some success with the local punk
scene and was signed to Lookout Records - a local
independent label.
April 13: Green Day released 39
/ Smooth. The LP featured John Kiffmeyer on
drums.
February 1: Green Day released Dookie. The LP was recorded in 3
weeks and was the band's first release on a major
label - Reprise Records. The LP hit #1 in
Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, and the Top
10 in the US, Finland, and Sweden.
June 11: Green Day topped the
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for 1 week
with "Longview."
August 20: Green Day topped the
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for 5 weeks
with "Basket Case."
September 4: About 100 people were
hurt at a Green Day performance in Boston which
was stopped after 7 songs when unruliness broke
out during the concert.
October 14: Green Day released Nimrod. The LP, considered
'experimental' and a shift from Green Day's
typical sound, hit the Top 10 in the US,
Australia, and Canada.
November 11: Green Day performed a 40
minute set at Tower Records in New York City in
support of their latest LP, Nimrod, and then reportedly
trashed the place to the tune of $50,000. Billy
Joe Armstrong proclaimed: "You can start a
riot... 'cause you're not at Tower Records,
you're at a Green Day concert." The band's
antics included mooning the crowd of over 500,
spray-painting a profanity on the store windows,
pouring beer on CD racks, and attempting to throw
heavy rental musical equipment over a ledge. The
store manager told MTV that "...almost all
the damage was done by the band." There were
no injuries and fans did not part-take in the
ruckus. The band was suppose to sign their LPs
after the performance, but the record store
cancelled that part of the event in order to
clean up the store. No charges were filed against
the band and the band will most likely not be
asked back to the store.
June 22: At a Los Angeles radio
station festival, the bassist for Green Day and
the bassist for Third
Eye Blind reportedly got into a scuffle that
resulted in scull injury and concert
cancellation. Reports stated: Salazer of Third
Eye Blind appeared on stage during Green
Day's set and was kicked by Dirnt of Green Day
after being tackled by security guards and later,
Salazer hit Dirnt in the head with a beer bottle
resulting in a skull fracture. Other reports
state a fan hit Dirnt with the beer bottle.
Salazer later stated: "I am sorry that my
attempt at doing something I thought would be
funny escalated into Mike getting hurt. That was
never my intention. I simply had too much to
drink and made a very bad decision..." Green
Day cancelled a concert in Sacramento the next
night.
November 13: Green Day released the
hits package International
Superhits. The collection also included 2 new
tracks: "Maria" and "Poprocks And
Coke." The LP hit the Top 10 in Japan and
New Zealand.
April 23: Green Day could be heard
on the soundtrack for New
Guywith "Outsider."
July 2: Green Day released the
compilation of b-sides and rarities - Shenanigans.
January 5: Armstrong was arrested in
California for driving under the influence after
being pulled over for speeding. He was arrested
after failing a sobriety test and released from
jail the following morning.
February 21: Green Day topped the
Billboard Digital Tracks chart for 1 week with
"I Fought The Law."
September 21: Green Day released American
Idiot.
The LP was the band's efforts of creating a 'punk
rock opera' following the life of a character
named 'Jesus of Suburbia' and became their first
#1 LP in the US.
September 25: Green Day topped the
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for 6 weeks
with "American Idiot."
October 9: Green Day topped the
Billboard 200 LP chart for 3 non-consecutive
weeks with American
Idiot.
The LP sold over 267,000 copies its first week of
release in the US. The LP also topped the charts
in Australia, Austria, Canada, Norway, Sweden,
Switzerland, Ireland and the UK, and hit the Top
10 in Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan, New Zealand, and Holland.
September 10: Green Day performed on ReAct
Now: Music & Relief - a benefit program
shown on music video channels to raise money for
those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
November 15: Green Day released the
live CD/DVD Bullet
In A Bible. The set included live performances
from the UK recorded on June 18th and 19th to
over 130,000 people. The LP hit the Top 10 in the
US, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and
the UK.
November 17: Armstrong appeared on the
cover of Rolling Stone.
December 31: Green Day had the # 4
selling LP of 2005 with American
Idiot
selling over 3.3 million copies during the year.
December 31: Green Day topped the Billboard Year-End
Charts as the Top Pop Artist - Duo/Group
(singles & albums), Top Billboard 200 Album
Artist - Duo/Group, Top Hot 100 Singles -
Duo/Group, and Top Modern Rock Artist, and with
the Top Hot Adult Top 40 Song ("Boulevard Of Broken Dreams").
December 9: Green Day teamed up with U2 to record a benefit
single, "The Saints Are Coming," to benefit an
organization that replaces instruments for
musicians resulting from Hurricane Katrina and
hit the ARC Weekly Top 40.
May 28: Green Day appeared on the
cover of Rolling Stone.
May 30: Green Day topped the
Billboard 200 LP chart for 1 week, Top Rock
Albums chart for 3 weeks, Top Alternative Albums
chart for 3 weeks, Top Internet Albums chart for
2 weeks, and Top Digital Albums chart for 1 week
with 21st
Century Breakdown. The LP sold over 215,000 copies
its first week of release in the US. Green Day's
sales of 21st
Century Breakdownwere even more impressive
considering the LP was not found in Wal-Mart
because the band refused to edit the LP and the
chain does not carry music with parental advisory
stickers. The band stated: "There's nothing
dirty about our record... They want artists to
censor their records in order to be carried in
there. We just said no. We've never done it
before. You feel like you're in 1953 or
something." The LP also topped the charts in
Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
Norway, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, and New
Zealand, and hit the Top 10 in Finland, Hungary,
Ireland, Poland, Portugal, and the Netherlands.
May 30: Green Day topped the
Billboard Rock Songs chart for 3 weeks "Know Your Enemy."
March 22: Green Day released the
live CD/DVD Awesome
As F***. The set included performances from
the '21st Century Breakdown World Tour' of 2009
and 2010. The LP topped the charts in Argentina,
and hit the Top 10 in Austria, Denmark, Finland,
Germany, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Portugal,
Scotland, Spain, Sweden, and Italy.
September 1: Armstrong was kicked off
a Southwest flight in California after having a
conflict with a flight attendant who asked him to
pull up his sagging pants.
January 29: The live LP On
The Radio was released. The set included
performances from May 28, 1992 in New Jersey for
a radio station.
August 4: Green Day topped the
Billboard Rock Songs chart for 7 weeks with
"Oh Love."
September 23: It was announced that
Armstrong would be heading to a treatment
facility for substance abuse. The announcement
came after the band performed at the iHeartRadio
Music Festival in Las Vegas, and Armstrong had a
'meltdown' on stage when they ran out of time to
perform.
October 22: Green Day topped the
Billboard Rock Airplay chart for 3 weeks with
"Bang Bang."
October 29: Green Day topped the
Billboard 200 LP chart for 1 week, Digital Albums
chart for 1 week, Internet Albums chart for 1
week, Album Sales chart for 1 week, Rock Albums
chart for 1 week, and Alternative Albums chart
for 1 week with Revolution
Radio.
November 12: Green Day topped the
Billboard Alternative Songs chart for 1 week with
"Bang Bang."
January 14: Green Day topped the
Billboard Rock Airplay chart for 13 weeks with
"Still Breathing."
February 4: Green Day topped the
Billboard Alternative Songs chart for 5 weeks
with "Still Breathing."
February 11: Green Day topped the
Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart for 1 week
with "Still Breathing."
February 22: Green Day topped the
Billboard Album Sales chart for 1 week, Rock
Albums chart for 1 week, and Alternative Albums
chart for 1 week with Father
Of All....
April 4: Green Day topped the
Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart for 2 weeks
with "Oh Yeah!"
April 18: Green Day topped the
Billboard Rock Airplay chart for 2 weeks and
Alternative Songs chart for 1 week with "Oh
Yeah!"
November 27: Armstrong released the
solo LP No
Fun Monday. Tracks: "I Think We're Alone
Now" - "War Stories" - "Manic
Monday" - "Corpus Christi" -
"That Thing You Do!" -
"Amico" - "You Can't Put Your Arms
Round A Memory" - "Kids In
America" - "That's Rock 'N' Roll"
- "Gimme Some Truth" - "Whole Wide
World" - "Police On My Back" -
"A New England"
available for download at iTunes and Amazon.mp3
available on vinyl
Released: April 13, 1990 US: Gold Tracks: "At The
Library" - "Don't Leave Me" -
"I Was There" - "Disappearing
Boy" - "Green Day" -
"Going To Pasalacqua" -
"16" - "Road To
Acceptance" - "Rest" -
"The Judge's Daughter"
Released: July 1, 1991 Rolling Stone: Tracks: "At The
Library" - "Don't Leave Me" -
"I Was There" - "Disappearing
Boy" - "Green Day" -
"Going To Pasalacqua" -
"16" - "Road To
Acceptance" - "Rest" -
"The Judge's Daughter" -
"Paper Lanterns" - "Why Do You
Want Him?" - "409 In Your
Coffeemaker" - "Knowledge" -
"1,000 Hours" - "Dry Ice"
- "Only Of You" - "The One I
Want" - "I Want To Be Alone"
Released: January 17, 1992 US: Platinum Tracks: "2000 Light
Years Away" - "One For The
Razorbacks" - "Welcome To
Paradise" - "Christie Road" -
"Private Ale" - "Dominated
Love Slave" - "One Of My Lies"
- "80" - "Android" -
"No One Knows" - "Who Wrote
Holden Caulfield" - Words I Might Have
Ate" - "Sweet Children" -
"Best Thing In Town" -
"Strangeland" - "My
Generation"
Released: April 25, 1996 Live Tracks: "Going To
Pasalacqua" - "Welcome To
Paradise" - "Geek Stink Breath" - "One Of
My Lies" - "Stuck With Me" -
"Chump" - "Longview" - "2,000
Light Years Away" - "When I Come Around" -
"Burnout" - "F.O.D."
Released: July 2, 2002 Billboard Top
200 LPs
peak: # 16 Rolling Stone: Tracks: "Suffocate"
- "Desensitized" - "You
Lied" - "Outsider" -
"Don't Wanna Fall In Love" -
"Espionage" - "I Want To Be On
TV" - "Scumbag" - "Tired
Of Waiting For You" - "Sick Of
Me" - "Rotting" - "Do Da
Do" - "On The Wagon" -
"Ha Ha Your Dead"
Released: May 15, 2009 US: Platinum Billboard Top
200 LPs
peak: # 1 (for 1 week) Billboard # 1: Digital Albums, Rock
Albums, Alternative Albums, Internet Albums Grammy Winner: Best Rock Album Rolling Stone: - Entertainment
Weekly: B Tracks: "Song Of The
Century" - "21st Century
Breakdown" - "Know Your Enemy" - "iViva La
Gloria" - "Before The
Lobotomy" - "Christians
Inferno" - "Last Night On
Earth" - "East Jesus Nowhere"
- "Peacemaker" - "Last Of The
American Girls" - "Murder
City" - "Viva La Gloria (Little
Girl)" - "Restless Heart
Syndrome" - "Horseshoes And
Handgrenades" - "The Static
Age" - "21 Guns" - "American
Eulogy (Mass Hysteria / Modern World)" -
"See The Light"
Released: January 29, 2012 Live Tracks: "Don't Leave
Me" - "409 In Your
Coffeemaker" - "Welcome To
Paradise" - "2,000 Light Years
Away" - "At The Library" -
"80" - "The Judge's
Daughter" - "Christie Road" -
"Only Of You" - "Who Wrote
Holden Caulfield?" - "Going To
Pasalacqua" - "16" -
"Paper Lanterns" - "C Yo
Us" - "Intermission" -
"One Of My Lies" - "Dominated
Love Slave" - "All By Myself"
- "knowledge" - "Words I Might
Have Ate"
Released: October 7, 2016 Billboard Top
200 LPs
peak: # 8 Rolling Stone: Billboard # 1: Digital Albums, Album
Sales, Rock Albums, Alternative Albums,
Internet Albums Tracks: "Somewhere
Now" - "Bang Bang" -
"Revolution Radio" - "Say
Goodbye" - "Outlaws" -
"Bouncing Off The Wall" -
"Still Breathing" -
"Youngblood" - "Too Dumb To
Die" - "Troubled Times" -
"Forever Now" - "Ordinary
World"
Released: February 7, 2020 Billboard Top
200 LPs
peak: # 4 Billboard # 1: Album Sales Rolling Stone: - Entertainment
Weekly: C- Tracks: "Father Of
All..." - "Fire, Ready, Aim" -
"Oh Yeah!" - "Meet Me On The
Roof" - "I Was A Teenage
Teenager" - "Stab You In The
Heart" - "Sugar Youth" -
"Junkies On A High" - "Take
The Money And Crawl" -
"Graffitia"
Note: Song title and position
links lead you to the song's ARC Weekly Top 40 chart run, LP links take
you to Amazon.com for that LP's info (often
including track listings and track samples), and
single cover art takes you to Amazon.com for that CD single (if
available). Songs charting prior to 1980 have
information from Billboard magazine.
Green Day consists of
childhood friends Billie Joe Armstrong (guitars,
vocals) and Mike Dirnt (bass), along with Tre
Cool (drums). The band got started in California
when Armstrong and Dirnt formed a band named
'Sweet Children' while in their teens. When
drummer, Al Sobrante (also known as John
Kiffmeyer), was added to the mix in 1989, Green
Day was formed (Tre Cool became the band's
permanent drummer after the release of their
first EP and after Sobrante decided to go to
college). Green Day is often credited with some
other similar groups for reviving interest in
punk rock music. In a review of one of their LPs,
Green Day was summed up by a Rolling Stone's
Mark Coleman: "The beauty of classic punk
rock lies in its utter simplicity: Crude rhythms,
rude attitude, pumping adrenaline and a loudly
pronounced point of view are key. Once you get
sucked in by that formula, any punk band sounds
good at first - because the musical rush is so
basic, familiar and overwhelming. That's also the
reason most punk bands - and records - ultimately
turn out to be crap. In punk the good stuff
actually unfolds and gains meaning as you listen
without sacrificing any of its electric, haywire
immediacy. And Green Day are a good as this stuff
gets.
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