Colorado Media Newsroom
January 27th, 2023, 12:30 PM
From Radio Insight:
https://i0.wp.com/radioinsight.com/wp-content/images/2022/11/algreen.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1Throughout the two-and-a-half years of calculating a Lost Factor on 50 years of hit records, I?ve proceeded from the notion that Billboard?s year-end chart, despite the omission of some notable songs, was consistent and accurate enough to provide a benchmark. Those year-end points were divided by a recent week?s worth of airplay to get a sense of whether songs had endured.
Some very enduring songs indeed ? from ?Good Vibrations? to ?Sweet Home Alabama? to ?Purple Rain? ? never made a year-end Top 100 ? sometimes, but not always, because they came out at the end of the chart year. We know those songs are not lost. But there are also those songs that we?ve come to think of as defining ?Lost 45s,? since Boston radio host Barry Scott coined that phrase in the 1980s. Some felt like big hits at the time (e.g, ?Xanadu? or ?Run Joey Run?). Some felt more like turntable hits; if they weren?t big enough to make the year-end chart to begin with, didn?t that just prove it? Some are in between, like “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” a song you might be hearing on the Nov. 10 anniversary of the tragedy that inspired it.
ROR reader Pat Kelly has a project of his own. He has calculated Top 100 charts from 1960 to 1989 that place songs in their peak years, rather than, say, allowing 1977?s ?You Light Up My Life? to drift on to the Top 100 of 1978. Kelly based his algorithm on Billboard?s Greatest Hits of All-Time Chart. You can see his entire fascinating project here (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yYeSGiBi9vpwRqyfQ-EUUkK6w6uD3q3z/edit#gid=327898591). There are 195 songs from the ?60s, 141 from the ?70s, and 85 hits from the ?80s that qualify.
Kelly also had a great name for those songs abandoned first by Billboard, then, perhaps by listeners ? Ghosted Hits. Now I?ve calculated a Lost Factor for those songs as well, assigning year-end points based on where songs placed on Kelly?s remixed year-end, then dividing them by a week?s worth of spins from BDSradio?s monitored U.S. radio stations. As with my other Lost Factor rankings, because early-?60s titles were so dominant, I?ve divided the results into four time periods: 1980s, 1970s, 1965-69, and 1960-64.
The calculations were derived during BDSradio?s last week of operations in late October. Part of the reason for not including Canadian airplay, as I?ve done in the past, was because of the sheer number of Lost Factor projects that were completed before that deadline. (More about that below.) Canadian airplay sometimes buoys not just Canadian-content songs, but also a few unlikely international hits that endure in Quebec and Ottawa. But not even airplay in Francophone markets would have helped ?Dominique? by the Singing Nun, the widely derided 1963 hit that would be tied for No. 3 if it had been included in our regular calculations.
Many of the patterns seen in other Lost Factor calculations hold ? particularly the disappearance of songs by teen idols and female pop artists, including 1980s leaders Donna Summer and Olivia Newton-John. There are also my usual handful of ?why is this lost? records, such as Al Green?s ?You Ought to Be With Me.? Here are the ghosted Lost Factor leaders from the ?60s to the ?80s, beginning with 1960-64.
LF Rank
Artist
Title
Song #..
.. Of Year
LF
Spins
1
The Singing Nun (Soeur Sourire)
Dominique
2
1963
99
0
2
Marcie Blane
Bobby's Girl
21
1962
80
0
3
Kathy Young w/Innocents
A Thousand Stars
24
1960
77
0
4
Lorne Greene
Ringo
24
1964
77
0
5
Bobby Vee
Run to Him
32
1961
69
0
6
Bobby Rydell
Forget Him
38
1964
63
0
7
Brenda Lee
Fool #1
41
1961
60
0
8
Gladys Knight & Pips
Every Beat of My Heart
48
1961
53
0
9
Lolita
Sailor (Your Home is the Sea)
50
1960
51
0
10
Johnny Mathis
Gina
55
1962
46
0
11
Hank Ballard & Midnighters
Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go
56
1960
45
0
12
Gene McDaniels
Tower Of Strength
56
1961
45
0
13
Caravelles
You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry
61
1963
40
0
14
Ray Peterson
Corinna, Corinna
62
1961
39
1
15
"Little" Esther Phillips
Release Me
62
1962
39
0
16
Brook Benton
Hotel Happiness
62
1963
39
0
17
Connie Francis
Many Tears Ago
63
1960
38
0
18
Paul Petersen
My Dad
63
1963
38
0
19
Lettermen
When I Fall in Love
66
1962
35
0
20
Johnny Burnette
You're Sixteen
68
1960
33
0
21
Gary "U.S." Bonds
New Orleans
71
1960
30
0
22
Connie Francis
Together
71
1961
30
0
23
Sandy Nelson
Let There Be Drums
72
1961
29
0
24
Frank Ifield
I Remember You
72
1962
29
0
25
Brenda Lee
Emotions
73
1961
28
0
1965-69
LF Rank
Artist
Title
Song #..
.. Of Year
LF
Spins
1
Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass
A Taste of Honey
43
1965
58
1
2
Larks
The Jerk
58
1965
43
0
3
Kenny Rogers & First Edition
Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
66
1968
35
0
4
Shangri-Las
I Can Never Go Home Anymore
69
1965
32
0
5
Fantastic Johnny C
Boogaloo Down Broadway
52
1967
25
2
6
McCoys
Fever
77
1965
24
0
7
Mike Douglas
The Men in My Little Girl's Life
78
1966
23
0
8
Nancy Sinatra
Sugar Town
43
1966
19
3
9
Cher
You Better Sit Down Kids
84
1967
17
0
10
Archie Bell & Drells
I Can't Stop Dancing
87
1968
14
1
11
Frank Sinatra
That's Life
47
1966
14
4
12
Bobby Vinton
I Love How You Love Me
62
1968
13
3
13
Johnnie Taylor
Who's Making Love
25
1968
13
6
14
New Vaudeville Band
Winchester Cathedral
2
1966
12
8
15
Righteous Brothers
Ebb Tide
68
1966
11
3
16
Aretha Franklin
The House That Jack Built
80
1968
11
2
17
Peter, Paul & Mary
Leaving on a Jet Plane
11
1969
9
10
18
Roger Miller
England Swings
84
1965
9
2
19
Lovin' Spoonful
Nashville Cats
94
1967
7
0
20
Bee Gees
I Started a Joke
81
1969
7
3
21
The Toys
A Lover's Concerto
29
1965
7
11
22
Herman's Hermits
A Must to Avoid
88
1966
7
2
23
Impressions
Amen
95
1965
6
0
24
Napoleon XIV
They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!
89
1966
6
2
25
Herman's Hermits
Listen People
65
1966
6
6
1970-79
LF Rank
Artist
Title
Song #..
.. Of Year
LF
Spins
1
Al Green
You Ought to Be With Me
32
1972
69
1
2
Bobby Vinton
My Melody of Love
55
1974
46
1
3
Barry DeVorzon & Perry Botkin Jr.
Nadia's Theme (The Young and the Restless)
60
1976
41
0
4
Elvis Presley
Don't Cry Daddy
67
1970
34
0
5
David Cassidy
Cherish
67
1971
34
0
6
Sonny & Cher
All I Ever Need Is You
69
1971
32
0
7
Captain & Tennille
You Never Done It Like That
71
1978
30
0
8
Tommy Roe
Jam Up Jelly Tight
73
1970
28
0
9
David Geddes
Run Joey Run
75
1975
26
0
10
Supremes
Stoned Love
54
1970
24
2
11
Frijid Pink
House Of the Rising Sun
78
1970
23
0
12
Byron MacGregor
Americans
78
1974
23
0
13
Les Crane
Desiderata
79
1971
22
0
14
Barbra Streisand
Stoney End
59
1971
21
2
15
Donny Osmond
Hey Girl
82
1972
19
0
16
Ferrante & Teicher
Midnight Cowboy
84
1970
17
0
17
Tom Clay
What The World Needs?/Abraham, Martin?
85
1971
16
0
18
Brian Hyland
Gypsy Woman
29
1970
14
5
19
Larry Groce
Junk Food Junkie
87
1976
14
0
20
DeFranco Family
Heartbeat - It's a Lovebeat
34
1973
13
5
21
Bobby Sherman
La La La (If I Had You)
88
1970
13
0
22
Archies
Jingle Jangle
89
1970
12
0
23
Partridge Family
I'll Meet You Halfway
89
1971
12
0
24
Gordon Lightfoot
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
38
1976
11
6
25
Stevie Wonder
Heaven Help Us All
91
1970
10
0
26
Helen Reddy
I Am Woman
14
1972
10
9
27
Billy Preston
Space Race
43
1973
10
6
28
Pratt & McClain
Happy Days
65
1976
9
4
29
Partridge Family
I Think I Love You
4
1970
9
11
30
Paul Nicholas
Heaven on the 7th Floor
43
1977
8
7
31
5th Dimension
If I Could Reach You
93
1972
8
0
32
Captain & Tennille
The Way I Want to Touch You
49
1975
7
8
33
Stevie Wonder
You Haven't Done Nothin
15
1974
6
14
34
Tony Orlando & Dawn
Steppin' Out (Gonna Boogie Tonight)
95
1974
6
0
35
Jigsaw
Sky High
39
1975
6
11
36
Helen Reddy
Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady
85
1975
5
3
37
Lobo
I'd Love You to Want Me
48
1972
5
10
38
Michael Jackson
Got to Be There
22
1971
5
17
39
Donna Summer
I Feel Love
55
1977
5
10
40
Gary Glitter
Rock and Roll Part 2
79
1972
4
5
1980-89
LF Rank
Artist
Title
Song #..
.. Of Year
LF
Spins
1
Donna Summer
The Wanderer
38
1980
63
1
2
Olivia Newton-John
Heart Attack
29
1982
36
2
3
Richard Marx
Angelia
68
1989
33
1
4
Mike Post ft. Larry Carlton
Theme From Hill Street Blues
76
1981
25
0
5
Jimmy Ruffin
Hold On to My Love
86
1980
15
0
6
Neil Diamond
Heartlight
45
1982
14
4
7
Bon Jovi
Living in Sin
88
1989
13
0
8
Cliff Richard
Dreaming
68
1980
11
3
9
Robbie Dupree
Hot Rod Hearts
91
1980
10
1
10
Bruce Springsteen
War
91
1986
10
1
11
Diana Ross
Muscles
54
1982
9
5
12
Don Johnson
Heartbeat
86
1986
8
2
13
Olivia Newton-John & ELO
Xanadu
72
1980
7
4
14
Dennis DeYoung
Desert Moon
87
1984
7
2
15
Information Society
Walking Away
94
1989
7
1
16
Doobie Brothers
Real Love
57
1980
6
7
17
Rolling Stones
Harlem Shuffle
71
1986
6
5
18
Little River Band
The Night Owls
49
1981
6
9
19
Miami Sound Machine
Bad Boy
84
1986
6
3
20
Supertramp
It's Raining Again
78
1982
5
5
21
Carly Simon
Jesse
85
1980
4
4
22
Bob Seger
Tryin' to Live My Life Without You
56
1981
3
13
23
Dan Fogelberg
Hard to Say
64
1981
3
12
24
Steel Breeze
You Don't Want Me Anymore
98
1982
3
1
25
Mr. Mister
Is It Love
99
1986
2
1
Because the ghosted hits were calculated in, appropriately enough, Halloween week, I made an executive decision not to use the nine spins that ?They?re Coming to Take Me Away? got in Halloween week, but the two from the week before. On the other hand, readers have chastened me for not calculating a perennial like ?Monster Mash??s Halloween airplay. Using Kelly?s numbers from 1962, when that song did not make the year end (it did in 1973), it would have well outperformed its chart points with an 0.12 LF.
Then there’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” A decade ago, that song became a secret weapon for some programmers. These days, the Gordon Lightfoot song has a Lost Factor of 11; (anything over a 1.0 can be considered “Lost.”) That number would be lower, but not sharply so, if we included Canadian airplay or airplay from today’s anniversary of the real-life tragedy that inspired the song.
Over the last two-and-a-half years, the Lost Factorhas had neither a coda nor a dedication. Thus far, we?ve published data through 2002. With a hard stop coming, I was also able to complete 2003-09, taking us into an era of songs that are beyond the purview of Classic Hits stations, but still featured on Hot AC and Top 40 radio. Look for a Top 100 of 2000-09 as well as a slightly updated 1960-2009 as well. It?s a logical stopping place, especially as a new generation starts to change out the songs in the eternal jukebox, still influenced by radio, but also by input from far beyond it.
The dedication is to Adam Foster, the product director of BDSradio parent Luminate, who died after a three-year battle with ALS on Oct 13. Foster helped facilitate a lot of the data seen in Ross on Radio stories, particularly our annual summary of how many hits each radio format had over the previous year. I am also grateful to readers such as Kelly and Josh Hosler who took the time to share their own calculations, and to you for your support. Look for more in the next few weeks.
more (https://radioinsight.com/blogs/244954/the-lost-factor-vs-billboards-ghosted-hits/)
https://i0.wp.com/radioinsight.com/wp-content/images/2022/11/algreen.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1Throughout the two-and-a-half years of calculating a Lost Factor on 50 years of hit records, I?ve proceeded from the notion that Billboard?s year-end chart, despite the omission of some notable songs, was consistent and accurate enough to provide a benchmark. Those year-end points were divided by a recent week?s worth of airplay to get a sense of whether songs had endured.
Some very enduring songs indeed ? from ?Good Vibrations? to ?Sweet Home Alabama? to ?Purple Rain? ? never made a year-end Top 100 ? sometimes, but not always, because they came out at the end of the chart year. We know those songs are not lost. But there are also those songs that we?ve come to think of as defining ?Lost 45s,? since Boston radio host Barry Scott coined that phrase in the 1980s. Some felt like big hits at the time (e.g, ?Xanadu? or ?Run Joey Run?). Some felt more like turntable hits; if they weren?t big enough to make the year-end chart to begin with, didn?t that just prove it? Some are in between, like “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” a song you might be hearing on the Nov. 10 anniversary of the tragedy that inspired it.
ROR reader Pat Kelly has a project of his own. He has calculated Top 100 charts from 1960 to 1989 that place songs in their peak years, rather than, say, allowing 1977?s ?You Light Up My Life? to drift on to the Top 100 of 1978. Kelly based his algorithm on Billboard?s Greatest Hits of All-Time Chart. You can see his entire fascinating project here (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yYeSGiBi9vpwRqyfQ-EUUkK6w6uD3q3z/edit#gid=327898591). There are 195 songs from the ?60s, 141 from the ?70s, and 85 hits from the ?80s that qualify.
Kelly also had a great name for those songs abandoned first by Billboard, then, perhaps by listeners ? Ghosted Hits. Now I?ve calculated a Lost Factor for those songs as well, assigning year-end points based on where songs placed on Kelly?s remixed year-end, then dividing them by a week?s worth of spins from BDSradio?s monitored U.S. radio stations. As with my other Lost Factor rankings, because early-?60s titles were so dominant, I?ve divided the results into four time periods: 1980s, 1970s, 1965-69, and 1960-64.
The calculations were derived during BDSradio?s last week of operations in late October. Part of the reason for not including Canadian airplay, as I?ve done in the past, was because of the sheer number of Lost Factor projects that were completed before that deadline. (More about that below.) Canadian airplay sometimes buoys not just Canadian-content songs, but also a few unlikely international hits that endure in Quebec and Ottawa. But not even airplay in Francophone markets would have helped ?Dominique? by the Singing Nun, the widely derided 1963 hit that would be tied for No. 3 if it had been included in our regular calculations.
Many of the patterns seen in other Lost Factor calculations hold ? particularly the disappearance of songs by teen idols and female pop artists, including 1980s leaders Donna Summer and Olivia Newton-John. There are also my usual handful of ?why is this lost? records, such as Al Green?s ?You Ought to Be With Me.? Here are the ghosted Lost Factor leaders from the ?60s to the ?80s, beginning with 1960-64.
LF Rank
Artist
Title
Song #..
.. Of Year
LF
Spins
1
The Singing Nun (Soeur Sourire)
Dominique
2
1963
99
0
2
Marcie Blane
Bobby's Girl
21
1962
80
0
3
Kathy Young w/Innocents
A Thousand Stars
24
1960
77
0
4
Lorne Greene
Ringo
24
1964
77
0
5
Bobby Vee
Run to Him
32
1961
69
0
6
Bobby Rydell
Forget Him
38
1964
63
0
7
Brenda Lee
Fool #1
41
1961
60
0
8
Gladys Knight & Pips
Every Beat of My Heart
48
1961
53
0
9
Lolita
Sailor (Your Home is the Sea)
50
1960
51
0
10
Johnny Mathis
Gina
55
1962
46
0
11
Hank Ballard & Midnighters
Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go
56
1960
45
0
12
Gene McDaniels
Tower Of Strength
56
1961
45
0
13
Caravelles
You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry
61
1963
40
0
14
Ray Peterson
Corinna, Corinna
62
1961
39
1
15
"Little" Esther Phillips
Release Me
62
1962
39
0
16
Brook Benton
Hotel Happiness
62
1963
39
0
17
Connie Francis
Many Tears Ago
63
1960
38
0
18
Paul Petersen
My Dad
63
1963
38
0
19
Lettermen
When I Fall in Love
66
1962
35
0
20
Johnny Burnette
You're Sixteen
68
1960
33
0
21
Gary "U.S." Bonds
New Orleans
71
1960
30
0
22
Connie Francis
Together
71
1961
30
0
23
Sandy Nelson
Let There Be Drums
72
1961
29
0
24
Frank Ifield
I Remember You
72
1962
29
0
25
Brenda Lee
Emotions
73
1961
28
0
1965-69
LF Rank
Artist
Title
Song #..
.. Of Year
LF
Spins
1
Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass
A Taste of Honey
43
1965
58
1
2
Larks
The Jerk
58
1965
43
0
3
Kenny Rogers & First Edition
Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
66
1968
35
0
4
Shangri-Las
I Can Never Go Home Anymore
69
1965
32
0
5
Fantastic Johnny C
Boogaloo Down Broadway
52
1967
25
2
6
McCoys
Fever
77
1965
24
0
7
Mike Douglas
The Men in My Little Girl's Life
78
1966
23
0
8
Nancy Sinatra
Sugar Town
43
1966
19
3
9
Cher
You Better Sit Down Kids
84
1967
17
0
10
Archie Bell & Drells
I Can't Stop Dancing
87
1968
14
1
11
Frank Sinatra
That's Life
47
1966
14
4
12
Bobby Vinton
I Love How You Love Me
62
1968
13
3
13
Johnnie Taylor
Who's Making Love
25
1968
13
6
14
New Vaudeville Band
Winchester Cathedral
2
1966
12
8
15
Righteous Brothers
Ebb Tide
68
1966
11
3
16
Aretha Franklin
The House That Jack Built
80
1968
11
2
17
Peter, Paul & Mary
Leaving on a Jet Plane
11
1969
9
10
18
Roger Miller
England Swings
84
1965
9
2
19
Lovin' Spoonful
Nashville Cats
94
1967
7
0
20
Bee Gees
I Started a Joke
81
1969
7
3
21
The Toys
A Lover's Concerto
29
1965
7
11
22
Herman's Hermits
A Must to Avoid
88
1966
7
2
23
Impressions
Amen
95
1965
6
0
24
Napoleon XIV
They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!
89
1966
6
2
25
Herman's Hermits
Listen People
65
1966
6
6
1970-79
LF Rank
Artist
Title
Song #..
.. Of Year
LF
Spins
1
Al Green
You Ought to Be With Me
32
1972
69
1
2
Bobby Vinton
My Melody of Love
55
1974
46
1
3
Barry DeVorzon & Perry Botkin Jr.
Nadia's Theme (The Young and the Restless)
60
1976
41
0
4
Elvis Presley
Don't Cry Daddy
67
1970
34
0
5
David Cassidy
Cherish
67
1971
34
0
6
Sonny & Cher
All I Ever Need Is You
69
1971
32
0
7
Captain & Tennille
You Never Done It Like That
71
1978
30
0
8
Tommy Roe
Jam Up Jelly Tight
73
1970
28
0
9
David Geddes
Run Joey Run
75
1975
26
0
10
Supremes
Stoned Love
54
1970
24
2
11
Frijid Pink
House Of the Rising Sun
78
1970
23
0
12
Byron MacGregor
Americans
78
1974
23
0
13
Les Crane
Desiderata
79
1971
22
0
14
Barbra Streisand
Stoney End
59
1971
21
2
15
Donny Osmond
Hey Girl
82
1972
19
0
16
Ferrante & Teicher
Midnight Cowboy
84
1970
17
0
17
Tom Clay
What The World Needs?/Abraham, Martin?
85
1971
16
0
18
Brian Hyland
Gypsy Woman
29
1970
14
5
19
Larry Groce
Junk Food Junkie
87
1976
14
0
20
DeFranco Family
Heartbeat - It's a Lovebeat
34
1973
13
5
21
Bobby Sherman
La La La (If I Had You)
88
1970
13
0
22
Archies
Jingle Jangle
89
1970
12
0
23
Partridge Family
I'll Meet You Halfway
89
1971
12
0
24
Gordon Lightfoot
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
38
1976
11
6
25
Stevie Wonder
Heaven Help Us All
91
1970
10
0
26
Helen Reddy
I Am Woman
14
1972
10
9
27
Billy Preston
Space Race
43
1973
10
6
28
Pratt & McClain
Happy Days
65
1976
9
4
29
Partridge Family
I Think I Love You
4
1970
9
11
30
Paul Nicholas
Heaven on the 7th Floor
43
1977
8
7
31
5th Dimension
If I Could Reach You
93
1972
8
0
32
Captain & Tennille
The Way I Want to Touch You
49
1975
7
8
33
Stevie Wonder
You Haven't Done Nothin
15
1974
6
14
34
Tony Orlando & Dawn
Steppin' Out (Gonna Boogie Tonight)
95
1974
6
0
35
Jigsaw
Sky High
39
1975
6
11
36
Helen Reddy
Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady
85
1975
5
3
37
Lobo
I'd Love You to Want Me
48
1972
5
10
38
Michael Jackson
Got to Be There
22
1971
5
17
39
Donna Summer
I Feel Love
55
1977
5
10
40
Gary Glitter
Rock and Roll Part 2
79
1972
4
5
1980-89
LF Rank
Artist
Title
Song #..
.. Of Year
LF
Spins
1
Donna Summer
The Wanderer
38
1980
63
1
2
Olivia Newton-John
Heart Attack
29
1982
36
2
3
Richard Marx
Angelia
68
1989
33
1
4
Mike Post ft. Larry Carlton
Theme From Hill Street Blues
76
1981
25
0
5
Jimmy Ruffin
Hold On to My Love
86
1980
15
0
6
Neil Diamond
Heartlight
45
1982
14
4
7
Bon Jovi
Living in Sin
88
1989
13
0
8
Cliff Richard
Dreaming
68
1980
11
3
9
Robbie Dupree
Hot Rod Hearts
91
1980
10
1
10
Bruce Springsteen
War
91
1986
10
1
11
Diana Ross
Muscles
54
1982
9
5
12
Don Johnson
Heartbeat
86
1986
8
2
13
Olivia Newton-John & ELO
Xanadu
72
1980
7
4
14
Dennis DeYoung
Desert Moon
87
1984
7
2
15
Information Society
Walking Away
94
1989
7
1
16
Doobie Brothers
Real Love
57
1980
6
7
17
Rolling Stones
Harlem Shuffle
71
1986
6
5
18
Little River Band
The Night Owls
49
1981
6
9
19
Miami Sound Machine
Bad Boy
84
1986
6
3
20
Supertramp
It's Raining Again
78
1982
5
5
21
Carly Simon
Jesse
85
1980
4
4
22
Bob Seger
Tryin' to Live My Life Without You
56
1981
3
13
23
Dan Fogelberg
Hard to Say
64
1981
3
12
24
Steel Breeze
You Don't Want Me Anymore
98
1982
3
1
25
Mr. Mister
Is It Love
99
1986
2
1
Because the ghosted hits were calculated in, appropriately enough, Halloween week, I made an executive decision not to use the nine spins that ?They?re Coming to Take Me Away? got in Halloween week, but the two from the week before. On the other hand, readers have chastened me for not calculating a perennial like ?Monster Mash??s Halloween airplay. Using Kelly?s numbers from 1962, when that song did not make the year end (it did in 1973), it would have well outperformed its chart points with an 0.12 LF.
Then there’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” A decade ago, that song became a secret weapon for some programmers. These days, the Gordon Lightfoot song has a Lost Factor of 11; (anything over a 1.0 can be considered “Lost.”) That number would be lower, but not sharply so, if we included Canadian airplay or airplay from today’s anniversary of the real-life tragedy that inspired the song.
Over the last two-and-a-half years, the Lost Factorhas had neither a coda nor a dedication. Thus far, we?ve published data through 2002. With a hard stop coming, I was also able to complete 2003-09, taking us into an era of songs that are beyond the purview of Classic Hits stations, but still featured on Hot AC and Top 40 radio. Look for a Top 100 of 2000-09 as well as a slightly updated 1960-2009 as well. It?s a logical stopping place, especially as a new generation starts to change out the songs in the eternal jukebox, still influenced by radio, but also by input from far beyond it.
The dedication is to Adam Foster, the product director of BDSradio parent Luminate, who died after a three-year battle with ALS on Oct 13. Foster helped facilitate a lot of the data seen in Ross on Radio stories, particularly our annual summary of how many hits each radio format had over the previous year. I am also grateful to readers such as Kelly and Josh Hosler who took the time to share their own calculations, and to you for your support. Look for more in the next few weeks.
more (https://radioinsight.com/blogs/244954/the-lost-factor-vs-billboards-ghosted-hits/)