Over the last few years, I’ve often wondered if Today’s Top Hits, Spotify’s showcase CHR playlist, will resonate with today’s young adults the way that my generation remembers American Top 40. While everything I’ve seen so far suggests that radio has been usurped, but not replaced as a shared experience of the same magnitude, I wonder if how, say, “Todo de Ti” by Rauw Alejandro will endure. It was routinely near the top of TTH last year without getting past Latin formats at radio. But will the class of ’22 remember it as a pop hit?
Some of what I’ve liked about TTH has been the excitement of new music on a regular basis when Top 40 has so few consensus hits and little music enterprise. With the headlines about fewer recent hits and the increased dominance of older music at streaming, I’ve sometimes sensed that TTH wasn’t quite as aggressive on new music — relying more on hits that linger longer, as well as more mid-chart songs that come drifting back after their chart peak. It has always had a few of them; TTH was a harbinger of both “Heat Waves” and “Levitating” making a second CHR run as currents.
So how do Spotify’s choices stack up against radio? Here’s a look at this week’s Today’s Top Hits, based on its July 20 rankings (shown in parenthesis). It’s a look at how an ISP’s perspective on the hits overlaps or differs from radio.
Currently a CHR Radio Power
There aren’t that many consensus powers at CHR radio (and even “Sunroof” is only on the cusp now). The current CHR hit not on Today’s Top Hits is Doja Cat’s “Get Into It (Yuh).” That song was a viral hit last summer; TTH is already supporting “Vegas” in its top 10 instead.
- Lizzo, “About Damn Time” (1 at Today’s Top Hits)
- Harry Styles, “As It Was” (2)
- Harry Styles, “Late Night Talking” (11)
- Nicky Youre f/Dazy, “Sunroof” (12)
- Jack Harlow, “First Class” (13)
Currently Growing at CHR Radio
TTH includes the top 10 biggest growers at CHR. As for the next five titles, besides “Get Into It (Yuh),” it’s not currently playlisting No. 11 (Morgan Wallen’s “Wasted on You”), No. 13 (Black Eyed Peas, “Don’t You Worry”), or No. 15 (Halsey, “So Good”).
- Kate Bush, “Running Up That Hill” (3)
- Post Malone f/Doja Cat, “I Like You” (4)
- Charlie Puth f/Jung Kook, “Left and Right” (6)
- OneRepublic, “I Ain’t Worried” (7)
- Doja Cat, “Vegas” (8)
- Joji, “Glimpse of Life” (10)
- Beyoncé, “Break My Soul” (14)
- Lost Frequencies f/Calum Scott, “Where Are You Now” (18)
- Drake, “Massive” (22)
- Marshmello f/Khalid, “Numb” (26)
- Calvin Harris f/Dua Lipa, “Potion” (27)
- Cardi B f/Ye & Lil Durk, “Hot Ish” (33)
- Future f/Drake & Tems, “Wait for U” (37)
- Stephen Sanchez, “Until I Found You” (44)
- The Kid Laroi, “Thousand Miles” (45)
- Maneskin, “Supermodel” (49)
Former CHR Powers
Spotify’s rankings and radio’s spin counts don’t reflect the same thing, but there are still several post-powers in CHR radio’s Top 10, including Dove Cameron (No. 8) and Latto (No. 9).
- Justin Bieber, “Ghost” (16)
- Doja Cat, “Woman” (17)
- Lil Nas X, “That’s What I Want” (19)
- Latto, “Big Energy” (23)
- The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber, “Stay” (29)
- Glass Animals, “Heat Waves” (38)
- Dove Cameron, “Boyfriend” (40)
- Ed Sheeran, “Shivers” (43)
CHR Songs That Peaked Short of Power
A few of these are records that radio came around on shortly after they had peaked on the charts. “Cold Heart” received significant post-peak bumps and recurrent airplay. “Sweetest Pie” is power-rotation now at WBLI Long Island, N.Y., and numerous iHeart CHRs, including WHTZ (Z100) New York, WHYI (Y100) Miami and WXKS (Kiss 108) Boston.
Bounces on other titles are less consistent, but most have a few post-peak stories noted below:
- Camila Cabello f/Ed Sheeran, “Bam Bam” (15) — still in sub-power for a number of Cumulus CHRs; just went back into rotation at KIIS Los Angeles
- Post Malone f/Roddy Ricch, “Cooped Up” (21) — still the No. 2 song at Rhythmic
- Charlie Puth, “Light Switch” (25) — still getting significant SiriusXM Hits1 airplay;
- Tate McRae, “She’s All I Wanna Be” (30) — rebounding at Y100 and Kiss 108
- Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa, “Sweetest Pie” (34)
- Elton John & Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart” (46)
- Lady Gaga, “Hold My Hand” (50) — just went into power at WIXX Green Bay, Wis., a station that I use as a bellwether for pop-leaning outlets
Not Receiving Significant CHR Airplay
Spotify is where you see vividly the industry dominance of Bad Bunny, but the streaming-only stories here range from Hip-Hop to acoustic pop to dance. To follow those songs with an ISP or Tik-Tok story is increasingly to hear songs that sound like radio records. Some will eventually make their way here. That others will not is increasingly an indication that labels don’t see an upside in taking every phenomenal song to radio.
- Bad Bunny f/Chencho Corleone, “Me Porto Bonito” (5)
- Bizarrap f/Quevedo, “Quevedo: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52” (9)
- Steve Lacy, “Bad Habit” (20)
- Karol G, “Provenza” (24) — a top-25 Rhythmic hit
- Bad Bunny f/Bomba Estereo, “Ojitos Lindos” (28)
- Rosa Linn, “Snap” (31)
- Shakira f/Rauw Alejandro, “Te Felicito” (32) — No. 3 at Latin Pop
- Elley Duhe, “Middle of the Night” (35) — a two-year-old song by an artist no longer signed to RCA; a long-running fixture on TTH
- Burna Boy, “Last Last” (36) — just cracked the top 40 at Hip-Hop/R&B radio
- Benson Boone, “In the Stars” (39)
- Drake f/21 Savage, “Jimmy Cooks” (41)
- James Hype f/Miggy Dela Rosa, “Ferrari” (42)
- Sleepy Hallow f/347, “Die Young” (47)
- Kendrick Lamar f/Blxst & Amanda Reifer, “Die Hard” (48)
Looking for a playlist with even more new music? Check out my Big Hits Energy 2022 list.
