The 50+ Club

I'm way past caring for the music in the Top 40 these days. What does keep me interested though is my almost life long interest in chart stats. A few years ago I concluded the majority of chart heavyweights from years gone by in terms of number of hits were now finished and it was only a matter of time before the likes of Drake and Ed Sheeran would have more Top 40 hits than them.

Recent Top 40 hits for Kylie Minogue and Madonna as well as a chart topping comeback from Elton John a couple of years ago shows you never know what's going to happen and that's what keeps it interesting for me.

I therefore thought now would be a good time to look at those acts who have had 50+ Top 40 hits. I use the criteria the British Hit Singles book uses as to what a single hit is.

1. Elvis Presley (124)

It was 1958 when Elvis Presley overtook Frankie Laine to become the act with the most hits. He had made it to 96 Top 40 hits at the point of his death in 1977. A handful of posthumous hits took him to 101 in 1983 and he would have another Top 40 hit until 1995. He held onto top spot until 1991 when he was caught by Cliff Richard. He would reclaim top spot in 2005 with reissues of his number ones. It's questionable whether these should be counted, the British Hit Singles book had stopped listing the acts with the most hits by that point. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. His final original Top 40 hit at the time of writing was "My Baby Left Me" in 2007.

= Cliff Richard (124)

In 1989 Cliff Richard had his 100th hit with "The Best Of Me". Then according to my first British Hit Singles book which went to the end of 1990 Cliff Richard had 99 Top 75 hits to that point. Even back then he was very much old hat but the hits kept coming until 2009. It seem highly unlikely we'll see him in the Top 40 again.

3. Drake (82)

It was a matter of when not if Drake would get into 3rd place. Cracking the Top 2 is a different matter though as he requires another 42 Top 40 hits to achieve it. Saying that his last 42 Top 40 hits came in the last 5 years so I can definitely see that happening.

4. Elton John (73)

The Top 40 career of Elton John ran out of steam in 2005 at which point he'd clocked up 68 Top 40 hits. He was comfortably in 3rd place but then looked like it was a matter of time before he'd get overtaken by Madonna. He had a further hit in 2009 thanks to "Tiny Dancer" being used on a record by Ironik and Chipmunk and then he was back in 2021 with a handful of collaborations with more modern artists which has kept him ahead of Madonna but he was never staying ahead of Drake.

5. Madonna (69)

Madonna was looking on track to overtake Elton John into 3rd place but the hits started to dry up after 2009 and she seemed to have had her last Top 40 hit in 2015 which put her one behind Elton John on 68. She's finally returned to the Top 40 this year but Elton John has since pulled ahead.

6. Ed Sheeran (61)

It was because of Ed Sheeran having 16 records in the Top 20 that the charts introduced the cap of 3 hits per act in the charts. That hasn't stopped him clocking up a further 26 hits since then, but had this rule not been applied he'd not doubt have clocked up a lot more. I can see him overtaking Madonna and Elton John but I don't think he'll get into the Top 3.

7. David Bowie (58)

The bulk of his Top 40 hits came in the 70s and 80s. There was a gap in Top 40 hits between 1987 and 1993 and then he managed to keep the hits going until the start of the 21st century. One final hit came in 2013 with "Where Are We Now". I don't think we can rule out a posthumous hit for him.

= Justin Bieber (58)

The 3rd act alongside Drake and Ed Sheeran who looked like they'd get amongst those with the most Top 40 hits. He's not had a Top 40 hit since Nov 21 though, not sure if that means he's now finished or not. I suspect not.

9. Status Quo (57)

Status Quo are still around and releasing new music at the time of writing. They've not been in the Top 40 though since 2010 and their last Top 10 hit came in 1990. It therefore isn't looking likely that we'll see them in the Top 40 again.

10. Queen (53)

Queens chart topping double a-side "Bohemian Rhapsody / These Are The Days Of Our Lives" following the death of Freddie Mercury was their 40th Top 40 hit. Then came the "Five Live EP" and then the "Made In Heaven" album which gave them a few more Top 40 hits. Since then the majority of the hits are them receiving a credit when other artists have used their song, the most recent being "Bohemian Rhapsody" by The Muppets in 2009.

11. Michael Jackson (52)

The main reason why Michael Jackson has had so many singles is because he released so many singles from his albums. His Top 40 career looked to be over by 2003 at which point he'd had 48 Top 40 hits. However other artists working with his music since then has given him a further 4 Top 40 hits since, the most recent being Drake.

= Kylie Minogue (52)

It looked like Kylie Minogue was more or less finished by the end of the 90s. Then came the big comeback in the year 2000 which lasted a decade or so. Then the hits started to dry up but she's now back in the Top 10 having been away from the Top 40 for 5 years. It could be argued that she's too old now for this big comeback to last, but then again she is younger than David Guetta.

13. Rihanna (50)

If Rihanna had been around in the 90s I have no doubt her Top 40 career would have been over in 2 minutes. However she emerged in an era where pop singers started to hang around forever. Part of the reason she'd had so many hits is because all she's had to do is mutter a couple of words on some of them. Over half her Top 40 hits have been collaborations. She's not been in the Top 40 much in more recent years but she is a prime example of why a lot of people see the modern charts as a joke.