Want to have a hit whose popularity is never-ending? Then you might want to release a song called “Stay.” Or, also fittingly, “Forever.”
It tends to work, as multiple songs by those titles have hit the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10.
But over the Hot 100’s history, which dates to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception, what is the most frequently-appearing title for a top 10 hit?
We sifted through the nearly 5,000 top 10 smashes in the Hot 100’s archives for the answer, as, below, we list every example of titles that have hit the tier via at least four versions. (For the purposes of this research, only exact titles were deemed eligible, so, among others, Rihanna’s “Stay” was treated as separate from Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories’ “Stay [I Missed You].”)
Notably, brevity is key to the song titles below, as five of the seven consist of one word and the other two comprise two. Plus, per the two most popular top 10 titles, companionship is a key lyrical theme.
(Meanwhile, The Kid LAROI and Madonna each appear twice below.)
Here are the most common song titles among Hot 100 top 10s all-time. (Versions of the same composition are noted with an asterisk for each title.)
Six versions
“Without You”
Johnny Tillotson, No. 7 peak, 1961
Nilsson, No. 1 (four weeks), 1972*
Motley Crue, No. 8, 1990
Mariah Carey, No. 3, 1994* (listed with B-side “Never Forget You”)
David Guetta feat. Usher, No. 4, 2011
The Kid LAROI & Miley Cyrus, No. 8, 2021
Five versions
“Stay”
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs, No. 1 (one week), 1960
Shakespear’s Sister, No. 4, 1992
Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko, No. 3, 2013
Zedd & Alessia Cara, No. 7, 2017
The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, No. 3 (to-date), 2021
Four versions
“Angel”
Madonna, No. 5, 1985
Aerosmith, No. 3, 1988
Sarah McLachlan, No. 4, 1999
Shaggy feat. Rayvon, No. 1 (one week), 2001
“Cherish”
The Association, No. 1 (three weeks), 1966*
David Cassidy, No. 9, 1971*
Kool & The Gang, No. 2, 1985
Madonna, No. 2, 1989
“Forever”
The Little Dippers, No. 9, 1960
Kiss, No. 8, 1990
Chris Brown, No. 2, 2008
Drake feat. Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Eminem, No. 8, 2009
“Lady”
Styx, No. 6, 1975
Little River Band, No. 10, 1979
Kenny Rogers, No. 1 (six weeks), 1980
D’Angelo, No. 10, 1996
“My Love”
Petula Clark, No. 1 (two weeks), 1966
Paul McCartney & Wings, No. 1 (four weeks), 1973
Lionel Richie, No. 5, 1983
Justin Timberlake feat. T.I., No. 1 (three weeks), 2006
