Mainstream Rock is a music chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, which that being a administrative category that combines the business formats of "active rock" and "heritage rock". The chart was launched in March 1981 as Rock Albums & Top Tracks. The name changed multiple times afterwards: first to Top Rock Tracks, then to Album Rock Tracks, and finally to its current Mainstream Rock in 1996. The first number-one song on this particular chart was "I Can't Stand It", which was a single released by the musician Eric Clapton that earned that slot on March 21, 1981.
The "Rock Albums & Top Tracks" charts were introduced in the issue of Billboard that the parent company published on March 21, 1981. [1] The 50-slot based and 60-slot based positional charts ranked airplay on album rock type radio stations in the United States. [2] Because album-oriented rock stations often focused on playing tracks from entire albums rather than specifically released singles, these charts were designed to measure the airplay of any and all tracks from an album, regardless of context. Rock Albums was a survey of the top albums on American rock radio, while Top Tracks listed the top individual songs being played. Mike Harrison of Billboard explained that when major artists release albums, more than one song from the album can become popular at the same time. [2]
The first number-one song on the Top Tracks chart was "I Can't Stand It", which was a single released by the musician Eric Clapton. Billboard later commemorated that moment with an anniversary statement on March 21, 2014, which the social media platform then known as 'Twitter' (later known as 'X') published. Clapton's single came off of the album Another Ticket and had the track "Black Rose" on its alternate side. [2] [3]
On September 15, 1984, the Rock Albums chart was discontinued and Top Tracks was renamed Top Rock Tracks. [1] [4] It reduced from a 60-song tally to 50 songs on October 20, 1984, [1] following a major revamp to the magazine. Coinciding with an increase in its reporting panel of album rock stations in the United States, the name of the chart was changed again with the issue dated April 12, 1986, to Album Rock Tracks. [5]
On November 23, 1991, instead of reporting panels, Billboard changed its methodology of measuring airplay by using monitored airplay as provided by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems to compile many of its charts. [1] As a result, this data showed that many songs could spend months to over a year on the Album Rock Tracks chart. Billboard decided to drop to a 40-position chart on the week of June 27, 1992 (still its current format), and songs that fell out of the top 20 and after spending 20 weeks on the chart were moved to a new 10-position recurrent chart. [6] [1] The recurrent chart was scrapped two years later, but not the methodology.
To differentiate between classic and alternative album rock radio formats, Billboard changed the name of the chart to Mainstream Rock Tracks beginning with issue dated April 13, 1996. [1] [7] The Mainstream Rock Tracks chart did not appear in the print edition of Billboard from its issue dated August 2, 2003, [8] being accessible only through the magazine's subscription-based website, Billboard.biz. In late 2013, the chart was reintroduced to its primary website and magazine.
When R&R ceased publication in June 2009, Billboard incorporated its rock charts, Active Rock and Heritage Rock into its own publication. The radio station reporters of the two charts combine to make up the Mainstream Rock chart. [9] In the United States, Active rock stations concentrate on current hits over classic rock standards while heritage rock stations put a greater emphasis on classic rock with a few newer tracks mixed in. [10] The individual Active Rock and Heritage Rock components were discontinued by Billboard at the end of November 2013 due to a growing lack of difference between the two charts. [11]
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the chart, in June 2021, Billboard released two charts ranking the top songs and artists in the history of the chart. "Touch, Peel and Stand" by Days of the New was the number-one song on the Greatest of All Time Mainstream Rock Songs and Shinedown was named the number-one artist on the ranking of Greatest of All Time Mainstream Rock Artists. [12] The current number-one song on the chart is "Awaken" by Breaking Benjamin. [13]
These are the artists with at least 8 songs that topped the Mainstream Rock chart.
| Songs | Artist | References |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Shinedown | [14] [15] |
| 17 | Three Days Grace | [16] |
| 15 | Five Finger Death Punch | [17] |
| 14 | Foo Fighters | [18] [19] |
| Metallica | [20] | |
| 13 | Van Halen | [21] [22] |
| Godsmack | [23] | |
| 12 | Disturbed | [21] [24] |
| 11 | Linkin Park | [18] [25] |
| 10 | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | [21] [26] |
| Volbeat | [18] [27] | |
| Papa Roach | [28] | |
| Seether | [18] [29] | |
| 9 | Aerosmith | [21] [30] |
| Green Day | [31] | |
| 8 | Nickelback | [18] [32] |
| Pop Evil | [33] | |
| Breaking Benjamin | [34] |
| Songs | Artist | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Five Finger Death Punch | [35] |
| 8 | Shinedown | [14] |
| 7 | Disturbed | [24] |
| Artist | Total cumulative weeks | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Three Days Grace | 92 | [16] |
| Shinedown | 86 | [36] [15] |
| Metallica | 70 | [20] |
| Foo Fighters | 61 | [19] |
| Disturbed | 59 | [24] |
| 3 Doors Down | 53 | [37] |
| Nickelback | 51 | [32] |
| Seether | 50 | [38] |
| Collective Soul | 47 | [39] |
| Godsmack | 47 | [23] |
| Songs | Artist | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | Foo Fighters | [19] |
| 31 | Shinedown | [36] |
| 30 | Five Finger Death Punch | [17] |
| 29 | Godsmack | [23] |
| 28 | Metallica | [20] |
| Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | [40] | |
| 27 | Disturbed | [24] |
| 26 | Papa Roach | [28] |
| Van Halen | [40] | |
| 25 | Pearl Jam | [41] |
| Seether | [42] | |
| Three Days Grace | [43] | |
| 24 | Aerosmith | [40] |
| 23 | John Mellencamp | [40] |
| 21 | Linkin Park | [44] |
| 20 | Nickelback | [32] |
| Songs | Artist | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | U2 | [45] |
| 48 | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | [46] |
| 47 | Van Halen | [47] |
| Pearl Jam | [41] | |
| 46 | John Mellencamp | [48] |
| 44 | Aerosmith | [49] |
| 43 | Metallica | [20] |
| 42 | Rush | [50] |
| 40 | Foo Fighters | [19] |
| Ozzy Osbourne | [51] | |
| 37 | Papa Roach | [28] |
| The Rolling Stones | [52] | |
| 35 | AC/DC | [53] |
| Korn | [54] | |
| R.E.M. | [55] | |
| Godsmack | [23] | |
| 33 | Green Day | [31] |
| 32 | Five Finger Death Punch | [17] |
| 31 | Disturbed | [24] |
| Nickelback | [32] | |
| Shinedown | [36] | |
| 30 | Stone Temple Pilots | [56] |
These are the songs that have spent at least one year (52 weeks) on the Mainstream Rock chart.
| Number of weeks | Song | Artist | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | "So Cold" | Breaking Benjamin | [57] |
| 56 | "Cold" | Crossfade | [58] |
| "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" | Fuel | [59] | |
| 55 | "Headstrong" | Trapt | [60] |
| 53 | "Loser" | 3 Doors Down | [61] |
| "Awake" | Godsmack | [62] | |
| 52 | "Wasteland" | 10 Years | [63] |
| "Paralyzer" | Finger Eleven | [64] | |
| "Remedy" | Seether | [65] | |
| "Life Is Beautiful" | Sixx: A.M. | [66] |
Three Days Grace is a Canadian rock band formed in Norwood, Ontario, in 1992 originally as Groundswell. Groundswell played in various local Norwood backyard parties and area establishments before disbanding in 1995 and regrouping in 1997 under its current name.
Shinedown is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed by singer Brent Smith in 2001 after the dissolution of his previous band, Dreve. Smith, still under contract with record label Atlantic Records, recruited the band's original lineup of Jasin Todd as guitarist, Brad Stewart on bass, and Barry Kerch on drums. Consistent for the first two album cycles, several lineup changes followed in the late 2000s, eventually stabilizing with Smith and Kerch alongside Zach Myers on guitar and Eric Bass on bass. The group has released seven studio albums: Leave a Whisper (2003), Us and Them (2005), The Sound of Madness (2008), Amaryllis (2012), Threat to Survival (2015), Attention Attention (2018), and Planet Zero (2022).
"Never Again" is a song by Canadian rock band Nickelback. The song was released on July 8, 2002, as the third and final single from their third album, Silver Side Up (2001). It became a number one hit on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, making it the band's third straight number one on this chart.
"Lightning Crashes" is a song by American rock band Live. It was released in September 1994 as the third single from their second studio album, Throwing Copper. Although the track was not released as a single in the United States, it received enough radio airplay to peak at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart in 1995. The song also topped the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart for 10 weeks and the Modern Rock Tracks chart for nine weeks. Internationally, the song reached No. 3 in Canada, No. 8 in Iceland, and No. 13 in Australia.
"Animal I Have Become" is a song by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. It was released on April 10, 2006, as the first single from their second studio album, One-X. The song was released digitally on April 18, 2006. The song spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and two weeks at No. 1 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song alongside "Riot" are used in the video game, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007. It is the band's first single with their fourth member Barry Stock. Critical reception to the song was generally favorable, with emphasis on the song's catchiness combined with its thick guitars.
"So Far Away" is a song by American rock band Staind, released on June 23, 2003 as the second single from their fourth album 14 Shades of Grey. The song enjoyed much success on both rock and mainstream radio, reaching number-one on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks for fourteen consecutive weeks, one of the longest runs in the chart's history, and number-one on the Modern Rock Tracks for seven non-consecutive weeks. The song also became the band's second top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 24.
Leave a Whisper is the debut studio album by American rock band Shinedown. The album was released on May 27, 2003, by Atlantic Records, faring well due to the success of the singles "Fly from the Inside" and "45". Recording took place at Henson Recording Studios and The Blue Room, both in Los Angeles. Leave a Whisper paved the way for Shinedown's successful second album, Us and Them, and was re-released on June 15, 2004, to incorporate a cover version of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man". The album's singles also fared well, with "Fly from the Inside" reaching No. 5, "45" reaching No. 3, "Simple Man" reaching No. 5, and "Burning Bright" reaching No. 2 on the US Mainstream Rock list.
"Rockstar" a song by Canadian rock band Nickelback, released as the fifth overall single from their fifth album, All the Right Reasons (2005). It was initially only released in the United States and Canada, and has since been re-released worldwide. The lyrics feature the hopes of someone who desires to be a rockstar. Spoken-word vocals between each verse are provided by Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.
"Broken" is a song by South African rock band Seether, first appearing on their debut album, Disclaimer (2002). It was reworked and recorded again in 2004, this time featuring American singer Amy Lee, the lead singer of Evanescence and then-girlfriend of Seether vocalist Shaun Morgan. It was included on the soundtrack to the 2004 Marvel Comics superhero film The Punisher, and was also on Seether's second studio album, Disclaimer II.
"Fake It" is a song by South African rock band Seether. It is the first single from the band's album Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces. The single quickly rose to number one on both the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Hot Modern Rock Tracks charts. It also reached number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100, the second highest of their singles after "Broken", which reached number 20. The single was certified platinum by the RIAA and silver by the BPI.
This is the general discography of the South African rock band Seether.
"Second Chance" is a song by American rock band Shinedown and the second single from their 2008 album, The Sound of Madness. It was released on September 9, 2008, and has become Shinedown's highest-charting single. To date, "Second Chance" is the second-to-last hard rock song to make the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100.
The American rock band Shinedown has released seven studio albums, two live albums, five extended plays, three video albums, and 31 singles.
"Let You Down" is a song by South African rock band Seether. It is the first single from their seventh studio album Poison the Parish. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in 2017.
"Devil" is a song by American rock band Shinedown. It was their first single off of their sixth studio album Attention Attention. It reached number one on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in May 2018.
"Get Up" is a song by American rock band Shinedown. It was the second song off of their sixth studio album Attention Attention. The song's accompanying music video was released on August 8, 2018. In November 2018, the song gave Shinedown their eleventh song to reach the top ten on the Billboard Rock Airplay chart and broke the Foo Fighters previous record with ten songs. The following month, "Get Up" reached number one on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in December 2018 where it remained for two consecutive weeks. The song's number one peak gave Shinedown their 13th Mainstream Rock number one, and tied them for second place with Van Halen for the most number ones on the chart. It was also the band's first single to chart on the Adult Top 40 chart since 2010's "If You Only Knew".
"Monsters" is a song by American rock band Shinedown. It was their third single from their sixth studio album Attention Attention. It reached the top of the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in June 2019. Upon reaching number one on the Mainstream Rock, Shinedown moved into second place for the most Mainstream Rock number ones with fourteen songs. "Monsters" was nominated for iHeartRadio's rock song of the year award.
"Atlas Falls" is a song by American rock band Shinedown. Originally conceived and recorded for the band's 2012 album Amaryllis, the song was left off the album and unreleased until 2020, when the band released it to raise money in support of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. It was later released as a non-album single, and topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart for a week in August 2020, marking the band's 16th number one, the most by any musician since the chart's inception in 1981.
Explosions is the seventh studio album by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. It was released on May 6, 2022, through RCA Records. The album was produced by Howard Benson and by the band themselves. It the band's third album to feature Matt Walst as lead vocalist, and their last before the return of founding vocalist Adam Gontier in 2024.
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