Could it be that we already know the Song of the Summer? This year, contenders are taking their turns atop Billboard’s Hot 100 exceptionally early and rapidly. Just since late April, the revolving door at No. 1 has been remarkable. Four new songs topped the chart in four consecutive weeks: tracks by Kendrick Lamar, Bruno [...] Read more

What if “We Are the World” wasn’t about feeding starving people? This month 32 years ago, America’s No. 1 song was nominally about helping to alleviate sub-Saharan famine, but what folks remember best about USA for Africa’s chart-topping 1985 single (and especially its video) was all the superstars getting their turn at the mic. Critics [...] Read more

About four months into 2017, we know who music’s reliable headline-grabbers are: Kendrick Lamar. Ed Sheeran. Drake. Future. The Weeknd. Those danged Chainsmokers. A string of viral, heavily streamed rappers. All have topped the Billboard charts so far this year—either the Hot 100 song chart or the Billboard 200 album chart. But this week, a [...] Read more