American Top 40 (commonly abbreviated to AT40) is an internationally-syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem and Don Bustany. In Broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast Radio shows and Television shows to multiple individual stations without going through Radio programming is the content that is broadcast by Radio stations The original inventors of radio such as Nikola Tesla and Guglielmo Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem, (born on April 27 1932, in Detroit Michigan) is an American Radio personality and Voice Donald S (Don Bustany (born August 10, 1928) is an American Radio and Television broadcaster Originally a production of Watermark Inc. (later a division of ABC Radio), it is now distributed by Premiere Radio Networks in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, China, Singapore, India, the United Kingdom, and several other territories worldwide. Watermark Inc was a radio syndication company that was founded in 1969 by Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs ABC Radio Networks, known as ABC Radio for short is an American Radio network. Premiere Radio Networks is an American Radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Singapore India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

Co-creator Casey Kasem hosted the series from its inauguration on July 4, 1970 until August 6, 1988, and again from March 28, 1998 to January 3, 2004. Its other two regular hosts have been Shadoe Stevens (1988-1995) and American Idol's Ryan Seacrest (since 2004). Shadoe Stevens (born Terry Ingstad on November 3, 1947 in Jamestown, North Dakota) was the host of American Top 40 American Idol, with the full title American Idol The Search for a Superstar for the first season only is an American reality-competition Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an Emmy Award -nominated American television / radio host and Television Over 50 celebrities—among them radio personalities, game show hosts, and even charting artists—have substituted for these three throughout the show's run. Radio announcer Charlie Van Dyke filled in for Casey a record 31 times in the 1980s. Charlie Van Dyke (nee Charles Leo Steinle, born 1947 is a former radio Disc jockey who is better known for the voice work he has done for numerous radio and television ^[1]

As its title implies, AT40 counts down, in a backwards fashion, the forty most popular songs in the U. S. , from #40 to #1. The show used Billboard charts in its early years, then switched to those from Radio and Records upon its late 1990s return. See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry Radio & Records ( R&R) was a weekly trade magazine that tracked radio airplay from the various genres including pop country R&B and many others ^[2] The charts on Seacrest's version are based on request data from Mediabase, and affiliates carrying the series. Mediabase is a division of Premiere Radio Networks, located in Sherman Oaks California.

Contents 1 History 1.1 1970-1988: First Casey Kasem era 1.1.1 Features of the Kasem-era shows 1.2 1988-1995: Shadoe Stevens era 1.3 1998-2003: American Top 40 returns; second Casey Kasem era 1.4 2004-present: Ryan Seacrest 2 Reairing of older shows 2.1 AT40 Flashback 2.2 Casey Kasem's American Top 40 - The 70s and 80s 3 Chart data used by American Top 40 3.1 Billboard magazine 3.2 Radio & Records magazine 4 Spin-Off programming 4.1 Adult Contemporary countdowns (AT20 and AT10) 4.2 Television spinoff 4.3 Other formats 5 Censorship, offensive songs and affiliate standards 6 Special Countdowns 7 Substitute hosts 8 Notable songs played on American Top 40 9 Chart feats 10 Trivia 11 Number-one songs 12 References 13 Sources 14 Further reading 15 See also 16 External links

History

1970-1988: First Casey Kasem era

“	Here we go with the Top 40 hits of the nation this week on American Top 40, the best-selling and most-played songs from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Canada to Mexico. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. This is Casey Kasem in Hollywood, and in the next 3 hours, we'll count down the 40 most popular hits in the United States this week, hot off the record charts of Billboard magazine for the week ending July 11, 1970. Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem, (born on April 27 1932, in Detroit Michigan) is an American Radio personality and Voice See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry Events 911 - Signing of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple and Rollo of Normandy. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In this hour at #32 in the countdown, a song that's been a hit 4 different times in 19 years! And we're just one tune away from the singer with the $10,000 gold hubcaps on his car! [3] Now, on with the countdown!	”
	— Casey Kasem at the beginning of the inaugural AT40 broadcast

American Top 40 began on the Independence Day weekend in 1970, on seven radio stations. " It's All in the Game " was a 1958 hit for Tommy Edwards. Mark Lindsay is an American Musician, best known as the singer for the group Paul Revere & the Raiders. Events 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[4] It was originally distributed by Watermark Inc., and was first presented in mono until it started recording in stereo in September 1972. Watermark Inc was a radio syndication company that was founded in 1969 by Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of Sound, using two or more independent audio channels through a Symmetrical Events in September It is the start of the academic year in many countries in the Northern Hemisphere. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [1] In early 1982, Watermark was purchased by ABC Radio and AT40 became a program of the "ABC Contemporary Radio Network". Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) ABC Radio Networks, known as ABC Radio for short is an American Radio network. The program was hosted by Casey Kasem and co-created by Kasem; Don Bustany; Tom Rounds; and legendary 93/KHJ Program Director Ron Jacobs, who produced and directed the various production elements. Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem, (born on April 27 1932, in Detroit Michigan) is an American Radio personality and Voice Donald S (Don Bustany (born August 10, 1928) is an American Radio and Television broadcaster Rounds was also the marketing genius; the initial funder was California strawberry grower Tom Driscoll. Driscoll's is the brand name of Driscoll Strawberry Associates Inc

The show began as a three hour program written and directed by Bustany, counting down the top 40 songs on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart. The show quickly gained popularity once it was commissioned, and expanded to a four hour program on October 7, 1978, to reflect the increasing average length of singles on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) The producing staff expanded to eight people, some of them still in the business: Nikki Wine, Ben Marichal, Scott Paton, Matt Wilson, Merrill Shindler, Guy Aoki, Ronnie Allen and Sandy Stert Benjamin. Guy Aoki is the head and co-founder of the Media Action Network for Asian Americans. (Bustany retired from AT40 in 1989; since 1994, he has hosted a political talk show on listener-sponsored KPFK. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) KPFK (907 FM) is a Radio station in Los Angeles California, United States, which serves the Greater Los Angeles Area, and streams ) By the early 1980s, the show could be heard on 520 stations in the United States^[5] and around the world in 50 countries. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989.

Features of the Kasem-era shows

During Kasem's run as host, the AT40 show had a number of popular and distinguishing features:

• Bios & stories: Most segments of the show included two countdown songs. Often Kasem would introduce the second song in the segment with a "story" about the song and/or its recording artist.
• "Number" jingles: Occasionally a song would be preceded by a brief audio clip of a group of singers announcing the song's position on the chart (e. g. "Number 40!"). This was especially common for the first song played in each hour of the show, but was usually not done for the #1 song (which was usually introduced with a drum roll), or for songs preceded by a story. The "number" jingles were updated and re-recorded from time to time, and by the mid-1980s the show had begun using two sets of "number" jingles: the standard set, to be used with up-tempo songs; and a softer alternate set, usually used with low-key or romantic songs.
• Chart trivia: AT40 also featured several question letters in each show, where a listener would write to ask a chart trivia question. Sometimes these letters led to an extra song being played, though this became less common as songs increased in length in the 1980s.
• Long Distance Dedication: This feature had evolved from a spoken-word 45 single that Kasem had recorded in 1964, "Letter from Elaina". ^[6] The LDD feature began in August 1978, two months before the show expanded to four hours (the first LDD was "Desiree" by Neil Diamond). Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American Singer-songwriter and occasional Actor. Most shows featured two long distance dedications; one would be taken care of during each half of the show. (Sometimes a song currently in the countdown would also be requested as a LDD; in such cases, Kasem would typically read the dedication first, and sometimes not even announce the song's chart status until after the song was played. ) This feature endured on AT40 into Shadoe Stevens' run as host of the show, from 1988 to '95, and has also followed Casey (first as the "Request and Dedication") on his Westwood One shows and then back as the LDD when he returned to AT40 in 1998. Westwood One ( is an American Radio network. It is based in New York City, and it was previously managed by CBS Radio, the Radio
• Top Three recaps: Beginning the weekend of February 24-25, 1979, a recap of the previous week's top three songs started off each AT40 episode. Originally all three songs would actually be played before the countdown began in earnest, but when time constraints became an issue, Kasem would simply announce the #3 and perhaps #2 songs and play only the #1 song; or just announce all three songs before beginning the current week's countdown. By mid-1983, abbreviated recaps had become the norm.
• Dropoffs: Generally during the first hour on most shows, Casey would announce songs that had left the top 40 that week.
• #1s on other Billboard charts: Before the #1 song on AT40, Casey would give a rundown on songs and albums that have made #1 on other Billboard charts. These would often be announced around the time of the highest debut.
• Predicting next week's #1 song: For a time in 1973, Casey would try to predict what the #1 song would be on the following week's countdown.
• Great Radio Stations: Once an hour, generally halfway into the hour, Casey would give a list of three or four radio stations that carry AT40, beginning each list with "American Top 40" is heard in the fifty states and around the world every week on great radio stations like. . . . Usually at least once a program, a foreign AT40 affiliate, or a mention of Armed Forces Radio, is given, usually as the last station in the list. American Forces Network (or AFN) is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS for its entertainment In addition, new AT40 affiliates are mentioned at the top of one of the hours (never the first hour).
• Special Reports: Occasionally, Casey would do a special report on a particular subject involving the music industry, usually related to a particular song or artist on that week's countdown. For example, when Musical Youth were in the countdown in 1983, Casey did a report on the history of reggae music. Musical Youth is a Grammy Award -nominated British - Jamaican pop / Reggae group Reggae is a Music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s
• AT40 Archives: Also in 1978 after the show expanded to four hours, each of the first three hours ended with the "AT40 Archives" segment that featured a number one song of the past. From October 1978 to June 1980 the number one songs of the 1970s were featured in the "AT40 Archives", and from June 1980 to November 1981 the number one songs of the 1960s were featured. The "AT40 Archives" feature was gone by the end of November 1981; for a short time in 1985, however, the show did feature a segment known as the "AT40 Hall of Fame" spotlighting a noteworthy artist (who may or may not have been charting that week).
• Commercial bumpers: Many commercial breaks generally have a singing jingle at the start and end of the breaks. At the start of each break is generally the singers singing either "Casey's coast to coast" or "The hits from coast to coast"; both were used interchangeably. The end of the breaks are marked by the singers singing the name of the program, "American Top 40".
• Bumper music: The end of each hour's worth of programming would typically be indicated by an approximately one-minute-long piece of nondescript bumper music. Bumper music is a term used in the Radio broadcasting industry to refer to short clips of music used to buffer transitions between programming elements For the first few years of the program, the bumper music was merely the AT40 theme, but beginning in 1978, different pieces began to be used. One of the more notable pieces of bumper music, used from November 1975 to January 1984, was titled "Shuckatoom Theme from American Top 40" on the cue sheets (but never named on the air), composed by TM Productions' Jim Kirk (and published by Watermark's Markwater Music, a BMI affiliate). The "Shuckatoom" was spoken by jingle singers at a break towards the end of the song, which in its entirety ran for approximately 2:30, according to the cue sheet. Like the "number" jingles and the AT40 theme music, this musical segment was occasionally updated and re-recorded, but its only distinguishing feature was the occasional use of the AT40 theme as a leitmotif. A leitmotif (ˌlaɪtmoʊˈtiːf (also leitmotiv; lit "leading motif" is a recurring Musical theme, associated with a particular person place This bumper music was typically and often cut off before it ended by the local station carrying the program, usually to give the station identification before starting the next hour, and was also used by stations to "pad out" the show so that it would always end on time.
• Sign-off: After the #1 song was played, the bumper music would begin playing, and over that, Kasem would typically give that week's chart date and read the end credits, then sign off with what would become his, and the show's, unofficial motto: "Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars. " In the early years of the show, he usually added "and keep your radio tuned right where it is"; this phrase had returned to the show by the time the AT40 brand name was revived in the late 1990s (Kasem had used it also on "Casey's Top 40" and its Adult Contemporary-format spinoffs).

Although the show's format obviously implied an average of ten countdown songs per hour (once the show had gone to a four-hour format), this was not rigidly enforced; however, by the mid-1980s it had become increasingly rare for the final hour of the show to have any more than the top eleven or any fewer than the top nine songs left to play. The songs' run times determined how many would comfortably fit into each hour. The show bent to fit the Billboard rankings which, to many listeners, were sacred, and some songs had to be edited (in addition to whatever edits had been done for single release), with a verse and/or chorus chopped out, in order to fit into the show. But Casey and his producers never lost sight of the fact that the same music was being played on other stations everywhere, and that the stories behind the songs were the chief reason that listeners tuned to AT40.

1988-1995: Shadoe Stevens era

In 1988, Kasem left the show due to contract concerns with ABC. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Industry trade paper Billboard magazine reported that the main disputes between Kasem and Watermark/ABC were over his salary, because of declining ratings and a smaller group of stations airing the show. Casey's final AT40 show aired on August 6, 1988. Events 1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Interestingly, at no point during that final show did Kasem ever let on that any changes were afoot, and simply omitted the phrase "join me next week" while closing the show.

Kasem was replaced by Shadoe Stevens, whose first American Top 40 show aired on August 13, 1988, on 1,014 stations. Shadoe Stevens (born Terry Ingstad on November 3, 1947 in Jamestown, North Dakota) was the host of American Top 40 Events 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation the start of the Maya calendar. ^[7] Kasem joined the Westwood One radio network less than a year later to start a rival show, Casey's Top 40. Westwood One ( is an American Radio network. It is based in New York City, and it was previously managed by CBS Radio, the Radio Casey's Top 40 was a CHR/Pop music countdown that was hosted by Casey Kasem and distributed by Westwood One from 1989-1998 Many AT40 listeners were upset by Kasem's departure and, as a result, many stations dropped American Top 40 in favor of Casey's Top 40 once it hit the airwaves on January 21, 1989. Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) In an attempt to win back an audience, several new show features were tried. These included interview clips, music news, top 5 flashbacks, and previews of upcoming chart hits (called the "AT40 Sneek Peek"^[8]).

Casey's Top 40 was based on the Contemporary Hit Radio/Pop tracks chart in Radio & Records magazine, which at the time was the same chart source as Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40. Radio & Records ( R&R) was a weekly trade magazine that tracked radio airplay from the various genres including pop country R&B and many others Rick Dees is an American comedic performer entertainer and radio personality best known for his #1 internationally syndicated radio show The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown American Top 40 was briefly canceled in the USA on July 9, 1994,^[9] when then-owner ABC withdrew the show and acquired the rights to rival Rick Dees Weekly Top 40. Events 455 - Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. Rick Dees is an American comedic performer entertainer and radio personality best known for his #1 internationally syndicated radio show The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown The show ended up in the hands of Radio Express^[10] (its overseas distributors since the 1980s),^[11] and was also canceled in the remaining foreign markets on January 28, 1995. Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 These foreign markets replaced it with a similar format called The World Chart Show, originally hosted by Joe Cipriano and Adrienne Walker. This article refers to the actor For the college basketball coach see Joe Cipriano (basketball coach. (That show is still broadcast as of June 2008, with Lara Scott as host. )

1998-2003: American Top 40 returns; second Casey Kasem era

American Top 40 was revived on March 28, 1998, when original host Casey Kasem pitched the idea to his network Westwood One to rename "Casey's Top 40" as "American Top 40", after getting the rights to the name from ABC, since Shadoe's AT40 had been off the air for over three years. Events 37 - Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Westwood One ( is an American Radio network. It is based in New York City, and it was previously managed by CBS Radio, the Radio Westwood One refused, so Kasem took himself and the AT40 name to AMFM Radio syndication (AMFM, once owned by Chancellor Media,^[12] was later absorbed into Premiere Radio Networks). Westwood One ( is an American Radio network. It is based in New York City, and it was previously managed by CBS Radio, the Radio Premiere Radio Networks is an American Radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of

The resurrected American Top 40 kept the Radio and Records CHR/Pop chart previously used for "Casey's Top 40" and was used as the basis for the show for the majority of this period. The only exception was a brief period from October 2000 to August 2001 when an obscure Mediabase chart was used. Mediabase is a division of Premiere Radio Networks, located in Sherman Oaks California. This chart had a rather ambiguous recurrent rule, which would see songs removed weekly from the chart from as high as #10. Recurrent rotation refers to a group of songs still frequently aired on a Contemporary hit radio station even several months after the initial debut

2004-present: Ryan Seacrest

On January 10, 2004, Ryan Seacrest took over the hosting duties of American Top 40 from Kasem, although Kasem would continue to host American Top 20 and American Top 10. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an Emmy Award -nominated American television / radio host and Television With the host change, AT40 underwent a makeover, using a new theme song and introducing several new features. These extras included playing the previous week's #1 song at the beginning of the show (although that was later discontinued), a gossip section, and an update on movies screening in cinemas. Other extras inducted on a regular basis include "AT40 Breakout", a song predicted to crack the chart within the next few weeks (formerly known as the "Out of The Box" hit); "Request Line", a segment in which Ryan Seacrest will play a song requested by a listener; "Double Play", a former hit from the artist just played; "AT40 Sleaze" (inspired by the "Dees Sleaze" segment of the Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 radio show); and "AT40 Rewind", a hit song from the past decade or so. Rick Dees is an American comedic performer entertainer and radio personality best known for his #1 internationally syndicated radio show The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown In between songs, Seacrest and guest hosts often makes deadpan one-liners while writers and producers can be heard laughing frequently.

The show also began using a new chart that used no recurrent rule. On the first show with Ryan Seacrest, this led to several older songs reappearing after having dropped off many weeks earlier. Over the long term, it meant songs could spend long runs for about a year on the chart even after they went to recurrent status on other published charts. "Here Without You" by 3 Doors Down set a longevity record in 2004 for the show by lasting 50 weeks before finally falling off. " Here Without You " is a Power ballad Alternative rock Song by the band 3 Doors Down. 3 Doors Down is an American rock band formed in 1994 in by Brad Arnold ( Vocals and drums) Matt Roberts ( Guitar See also 2004 in music (UK Musical groups established in 2004 Record labels In 2006, "Scars" by Papa Roach would go on to tie the record. This is a list of notable events in Music that took place in the year 2006. " Scars " is the second single from Papa Roach 's third album Getting Away with Murder (2004 and seventh released single in total Papa Roach is a four-piece rock band from Atlanta Georgia. They broke into the mainstream with their three times platinum major-label debut album Infest American Top 40 also became more interactive, involving online song voting and e-mail. Electronic mail, often abbreviated to e-mail, email, or originally eMail, is a Store-and-forward method of writing sending receiving In December 2006, the series' website was revamped, and the online song voting was discontinued. However listeners can vote on the AT40 breakout songs via ratethemusic.com.

Due to schedule reasons, some songs are shortened by removing some verses and the bridge.

As of 2008, American Top 40 is produced and engineered by Claudine Cazian and Sal Cocio. There are two versions of American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest: one for CHR/Pop stations, and another for Hot AC stations. Top 40 Mainstream (often also called Mainstream Top 40) is an airplay chart from Billboard Magazine. Adult contemporary music, frequently abbreviated AC, refers to styles of popular music that ranges from "lush Sixties pop often vocal -based and rooted in The Seacrest incarnation is heard on over 400 radio stations worldwide. [2]

Reairing of older shows

AT40 Flashback

From January 2001 to December 2002, many radio stations aired reruns of 1980-1988 episodes under the title American Top 40 Flashback. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The show was syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks. Premiere Radio Networks is an American Radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of In its early weeks the shows were the original four hour format of an American Top 40 episode, but after the first month and a half the show was reduced to three hours. Although American Top 40 Flashback ceased in December 2002, radio station WMMX in Dayton, Ohio continued to carry American Top 40 Flashback on Saturday mornings until the premiere of American Top 40: The 80s. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. WMMX (1077 FM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Hot Adult Contemporary format Dayton is a city in southwestern Ohio, United States. It is the County seat and largest city of Montgomery County.

Casey Kasem's American Top 40 - The 70s and 80s

On August 4, 2006, XM Satellite Radio began replays of the original 1970s and 1980s AT40 shows with Casey Kasem that were digitally remastered by Shannon Lynn of Charis Music Group. Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. The event began with a weekend long marathon of original shows, with AT40 then being added as a regular show on two of XM's Decades channels, "The 70s on 7" and "The 80s on 8". The '70s on 7 (or just The '70s) is a commercial-free Satellite radio station on the XM Satellite Radio platform The '80s on 8 (or just The '80s) is a commercial-free Satellite radio station on the XM Satellite Radio platform

XM "70's on 7" currently runs AT40 each Saturday at 12PM with an encore the following Wednesday at 10PM. Likewise, "80's on 8" runs AT40 each Sunday at 12PM with an encore the following Thursday at 10PM (all times Eastern). Most show dates roughly correspond to the current day and month of real time. (This was not always the case. During the first few months of AT40 on XM, only a limited number of episodes were ready to be run, and as a result their programming schedule tended to be more fluid and random than it is now. Sometimes each channel would even air two different episodes per week, one in each time slot. ) The mix of AT40 episodes being run on XM include the year-end countdowns, which are typically run in two parts: the first half (#100-#51) in one time slot, and then the second half (#50-#1) in the following time slot. The AT40 specials are also part of XM's rotation; for instance, "AT40 Goes to the Movies" aired prior to the 2007 Academy Awards on February 24, and "The Top 40 Acts Of The 80's So Far", which aired on XM 80's the first week of July 2007. The first AT40 special, "Top 40 Recording Acts of the Rock Era," aired on May 12, 2007 on the 70s channel after XM intended to air a countdown from May 1, 1971, not realizing that that week was a special that contained mostly 50s and 60s music. The confusion can be traced to Charis, who had a regular countdown show listed for that date. [3]

From October through early November 2006, oldies radio station KQQL in Minneapolis/St. Paul, which is owned by Clear Channel Communications, ran a series of American Top 40 episodes from the 1970s. Oldies is a generic term commonly used to describe a Radio format that usually concentrates on Top 40 music from the 1950s 1960s and 1970s (about 1955-1977 KQQL ("Kool 108" 1079 FM) is an Oldies / Classic hits music formatted Radio station serving the Twin Cities region of Clear Channel Communications is a media conglomerate company based in the United States. Aside from one week, when the station attempted to air a four-hour episode from 1979 in the three-hour timeslot (resulting in the show getting cut off at #11 and the top 10 not being heard), this test run was largely successful. Because of the success, Premiere Radio Networks decided to launch "Casey Kasem's American Top 40: The 1970s" into national syndication featuring the three hour shows from 1970 to 1978 and three hour edited versions of the four hour shows which aired from 1978 to 1979. The extras and Long Distance Dedications were edited out of 1978 to 1979 editions of the '70s show. Also, some of the extras featuring older songs are removed and replaced with new extras, generally from the same year as the show that week, with intros and outros either by Kasem or by Ed McMann. Ed McMann is a Disc jockey, voice-over talent and radio personality best known for his work for Clear Channel Communications. KQQL was the first to sign on, airing programs beginning on December 30, 2006 (after the Christmas music hiatus). WBBG in Niles, Ohio and KQLL in Tulsa, Oklahoma, also owned by Clear Channel, picked up the show shortly thereafter. WBBG is a commercial FM Radio station in Youngstown Ohio market broadcasting at 106 Niles is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. Located in the nation's former industrial belt the city's economy focused initially on iron manufacturing KQLL (branded as The New KOOL 1061) is a Radio station broadcasting an Classic hits format KQQL and WBBG air AT40 twice each weekend-- once on Saturday morning, and again on Sunday, while KQLL only airs it on Sunday morning. WODS FM in Boston, MA is airing the edited version Saturday Nights at 11pm. WRRR-FM in St. Mary's, WV, began carrying the show in September, 2007. More stations are expected to sign on in the near future.

Further information: List of stations that air Casey Kasem's American Top 40: The 70's

The 1980s version, featuring the Casey-hosted shows from the 1980s, premiered on April 8th 2007 on stations such as WMGA FM in Huntington, West Virginia (Noon-4pm ET every Sunday), WKIM FM, Memphis TN (KIM FM) and on WMMX in Dayton, Ohio, replacing the American Top 40 Flashback reruns. During his military service in Korea longtime future American Top 40 host Casy Kasem worked with the Armed Forces Radio Service Huntington is a city located in the State of West Virginia along the Ohio River. WKIM is a Hot AC station licensed to Munford Tennessee and serves the Memphis area WMMX (1077 FM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Hot Adult Contemporary format Dayton is a city in southwestern Ohio, United States. It is the County seat and largest city of Montgomery County. The shows are available in either their full original four hour format (which WMGA offers), or an abbreviated three-hour version similar to the old Flashback shows (although no stations currently air this version). The first show rebroadcast was from March 5, 1983. More stations are expected to add the show in the near future.

Further information: List of stations that air Casey Kasem's American Top 40: The 80's

In March 2008, XM Satellite Radio rebranded the XM broadcasts with the "Casey Kasem's American Top 40" name and logo used for terrestrial broadcasts, although XM still airs the unedited commercial-free broadcasts, while Premiere Radio carries edited and recut broadcasts with commercials. During his military service in Korea longtime future American Top 40 host Casy Kasem worked with the Armed Forces Radio Service All the classic AT40 shows currently featured on XM and by Premiere Radio Networks have been digitally remastered from the original vinyl LPs by Shannon Lynn of Charis Music Group.

Chart data used by American Top 40

Billboard magazine

AT40 used the Top 40 portion of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart from the show's inception in 1970 to November 23, 1991. Events 800 - Charlemagne arrives at Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. The chart was widely regarded as the industry standard in tracking the most popular songs in the country, and was thus a natural choice to be used. While using these charts worked well for the first half of the 1970s, as music changed during the decade, and disco became popular on the charts, some rock stations began to drop the show because of complaints from program directors that AT40 was "playing too many songs not on their playlist. "

This gradually became a wide schism as rock splintered into a half-dozen formats in the early 1980s. Historians have noted that no one station actually played all of the songs on Billboard Hot 100 list, because they represented overlapping formats -- hard rock, mainstream rock, heavy metal, dance, new wave, punk, pop, easy listening/adult contemporary, and so on. Stations tended to specialize in only one or two of these formats, and completely ignore the others. As a result, AT40's weekly playlist could be very diverse in the styles and formats of the songs played.

One solution for the AT40's producers was to air frequent specials (at least three or four times a year) that concentrated on the classic music of the past, such as Rock in the Movies, Top Hits of the Seventies, and so on. But as Top 40 stations evolved into CHR (contemporary hit radio), they began to avoid syndicated shows like AT40, preferring to stick with their own special niche formats. Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, Contemporary Hits, or Top 40) is a Radio format that is common in the United States and

By the early 1990s, many songs, mostly rap or heavy metal/grunge songs, would appear on the chart being fueled by single sales, and had received low airplay; several were very long, others were too controversial or risqué for mainstream airplay. This page indexes the individual year in music pages 2000s These songs would generally only be aired in brief snippets during the show.

Because of this, American Top 40 began using the Top 40 portion from the Hot 100 Airplay chart in lieu of the Hot 100. The Hot 100 Airplay is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. These songs generally scored much higher radio airplay, and some were not even released as singles (such as "Steel Bars" by Michael Bolton). Michael Bolton (born Michael Bolotin on February 26, 1953) is an American Singer-songwriter, best known for his Soft rock During this time, a few songs made big debuts, including 2 that almost debuted in the #1 spot: "I'll Be There" by Mariah Carey, which entered American Top 40 at #4, and "Erotica" by Madonna, which entered at #2. Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie (born August 16 1958 known as Madonna, is an American

In January 1993, American Top 40 switched charts again, this time to the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry Top 40 Mainstream (often also called Mainstream Top 40) is an airplay chart from Billboard Magazine. This chart had more Top 40 Mainstream hits but fewer urban/dance/rap songs.

AT40 did not always use the official year-end chart from Billboard during the 25 years that they used their charts. In 1972, 1973, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994, AT40 compiled their own year-end chart. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) These charts were very close to Billboard's, but AT40 would go with a mid-December to early-December time period where Billboard's survey year varied from year to year. AT40 matched Billboard's number one song of the year every time except in 1977, 1984, 1990 and 1993.

Radio & Records magazine

With the show's revival in 1998, a new chart was implemented, the top 40 portion of Radio and Records CHR/Pop top 50 chart, which was already in use on Casey's Top 40. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) This would also be a first time a recurrent rule was used on the show, albeit indirectly. Recurrent rotation refers to a group of songs still frequently aired on a Contemporary hit radio station even several months after the initial debut Songs that were below #25 and had exceeded 26 weeks in the top 50 were removed, and these removals, if they occurred in the top 40, would be reflected on the appropriate week's program. In 1999, the rule was modified to further restrict long chart runs. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Songs falling below #20 with at least 20 weeks in the top 50 would now be removed.

On October 21, 2000 American Top 40 began using an unpublished chart on a weekly basis for the first time in its history. Events 1512 - Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The chart seemed to be a variant of the CHR/Pop chart provided by Mediabase, the data provider to Radio & Records. Mediabase is a division of Premiere Radio Networks, located in Sherman Oaks California. The most noticeable feature of this new chart was its ambiguous recurrent rule. Songs would be removed regularly from within the top 15, seemingly regardless of the number of weeks it had spent on the chart. This chart lasted until August 11, 2001, when AT40 returned to the Radio & Records Pop chart. Events 2492 BC - Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. The return coincided with another modification in the recurrent rule; songs would be removed below #25 after 3 consecutive weeks without a bullet (an increase in radio plays). This change would be short-lived, and in November 2001, Radio & Records returned to the 20 weeks/below #20 rule, which remained in place for the remainder of Kasem's tenure.

Spin-Off programming

Adult Contemporary countdowns (AT20 and AT10)

Since the early 1990s, Casey Kasem has also hosted two other shows counting down the top adult contemporary hits of the week. Adult contemporary music, frequently abbreviated AC, refers to styles of popular music that ranges from "lush Sixties pop often vocal -based and rooted in He has continued to host both shows even after Ryan Seacrest took over the reins of American Top 40.

Kasem's countdown for Mainstream and Soft Adult Contemporary radio stations debuted in 1992 under the name Casey's Countdown. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Originally Casey's Countdown consisted of 25 songs, but in 1994 it was shortened to 20. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) With the revival of the AT40 brand name, the AC chart became American Top 20. American Top 40 (commonly abbreviated to AT40) is an internationally- syndicated, independent In March 2004, the Mainstream AC edition was shortened again, this time from twenty to ten songs, and has since been known as American Top 10. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "

Another show for Hot Adult Contemporary radio stations debuted in November of 1994, since the Hot AC or "Adult Top 40" format was rapidly growing in popularity at the time. Adult contemporary music, frequently abbreviated AC, refers to styles of popular music that ranges from "lush Sixties pop often vocal -based and rooted in The original name of the show was Casey's Hot 20. Like its sister Mainstream AC show, it, too, was renamed American Top 20 once AT40 was relaunched (resulting in two different shows being entitled "American Top 20"). The Hot AC version remains a top 20 show to this day.

Originally both AC shows were three hours in length and included many AT40 staple features, including chart "extras" and Long Distance Dedications (known as "Requests and Dedications" during the Westwood One years), as well as spotlight features on number one hits of each chart week from years past. AT10 continues to feature Long Distance Dedications, and some additional features that were staples on the original AT40 have been re-added to both shows over the last several years, including the "Book of Records" and "Whatever Happened To. . . ?" AT10 also features additional chart extras under the banner of "AT10 Spotlight," built around a particular theme (the theme for the first week of the revamped AT10 in 2004 was "Band Members Gone Solo").

As with the Top 40 show, both Casey's Countdown/AT20/10 AC and Casey's Hot 20/AT20 Hot AC initially used the AC charts published by Radio & Records from their inception until 2003, except for a brief period in 2000-2001 when both used unpublished Mediabase 24/7 charts. From 2003 to August 2006 (when R&R stopped using Mediabase to compile its charts), both shows used the Mediabase charts. Now the AC shows once again are based on unpublished charts.

In 2005, WLTW-FM in New York City commissioned a shortened one-hour version of American Top 10 featuring only the current hits of the week and eliminating the "extras. WLTW (1067 FM, "1067 Lite FM" is a Radio station with an Adult contemporary format in New York City. The City of New York "

In December, AT10 focuses on Christmas Music due to the fact that many of its affiliates broadcast a holiday/Christmas music format around the holiday season.

Television spinoff

Main article: America's Top 10

From 1980 to 1992, a video version of the show entitled America's Top 10 was aired in syndication to television stations across the United States. America's Top 10 was a television program of music hits based on Billboard 's Hot 100, with the exception of the last season in 1992 which used the Radio A music video is a Short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music most commonly a Song with lyrics America's Top 10 was a television program of music hits based on Billboard 's Hot 100, with the exception of the last season in 1992 which used the Radio In Broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast Radio shows and Television shows to multiple individual stations without going through Kasem hosted this version from 1980 to 1989. When Kasem left American Top 40 in 1988, he didn't leave America's Top 10 until the end of 1989 and would be replaced by Siedah Garrett and later Tommy Puett. Siedah Garrett (born June 24 1960 in Los Angeles, California) is an American R&B Singer, Academy Award Kasem returned by 1991, and the show ran until 1992.

Other formats

Based on the success of American Top 40, Kasem and Don Bustany created a spinoff top 40 countdown for Watermark for Country Radio called American Country Countdown, patterned after Kasem's program. American Country Countdown -- also known as ACC or American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks -- is an internationally syndicated "ACC" premiered in 1973, and was hosted by radio personality Bob Kingsley from 1978 until 2005 when Kix Brooks of the Country Music Duo Brooks & Dunn took over, and has been doing so since. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Bob Kingsley is an American Country music radio personality and host of the nationally syndicated programs " Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40 " and "Bob Kix Brooks (born Leon Eric Brooks III, May 12 1955 in Shreveport Louisiana USA is an American Country music Singer-songwriter. Brooks & Dunn are an American Country music duo consisting of Singer-songwriters Kix Brooks (born Leon Eric Brooks III May 12, 1955

After Kasem left ABC, the network launched American Gold, a spinoff oldies countdown (featuring far fewer songs, and often focusing on a particular artist) hosted by Dick Bartley. American Gold is a syndicated weekly four-hour hit-packed Oldies countdown program which is written produced and hosted by Radio Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Dick Bartley Dick Bartley, a popular American radio Disc jockey since June 21 1969 hosts several popular syndicated radio shows including the current American Gold

The American Top 40 format was adapted in an Australian show titled take40 Australia similarly counting down the top 40 songs in the country.

Censorship, offensive songs and affiliate standards

Casey Kasem and Watermark's policy regarding putting American Top 40 together was to always play the 40 most popular songs in the United States and never to ban a record from the countdown. However, whenever songs with potentially offensive lyrical content made the top 40, Watermark would send out memos to affiliated stations alerting them of the presence of that song in the countdown and sometimes provide stations with suggestions on how to edit the song out of their AT40 broadcasts. Some songs which received this treatment included "Kodachrome" by Paul Simon, "Roxanne" by The Police, "Ain't Love A Bitch" by Rod Stewart, "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" by Meat Loaf, and perhaps most infamously, Chuck Berry's number-one hit "My Ding-a-Ling" (which put some stations in the odd position of having to air AT40 without playing the number one song). " Kodachrome " is a Song written and recorded by Paul Simon. Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13 1941 is an American Songwriter, Musician, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the song "Roxanne Roxanne" by UTFO and the rejoinders including "Roxanne's Revenge" by Roxanne Shanté, see Roxanne Wars The Police were a three-piece rock band consisting of Sting ( vocals, Bass guitar) Andy Summers ( Guitar, " Ain't Love a Bitch " is the name of a song written by Gary Grainger and Rod Stewart. Roderick "Rod" David Stewart, CBE (born 10 January 1945 is a Singer and Songwriter born and raised in London England and currently "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" is the third hit single by the American Musician Meat Loaf, after " Two out of Three Ain't Bad Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27 1947 better known by his stage name Meat Loaf, is an American rock Musician Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (born October 18 1926 in St " My Ding-a-Ling " was a 1972 novelty hit record for Chuck Berry, and his only U

Another example of this policy dates from 1978, when Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young" was on the charts. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) " Only the Good Die Young " is a song from Billy Joel 's 1977 Pop rock album The Stranger. Due to the nature of the song (Joel singing about urging pre-marital sex by a teen Catholic girl, Virginia), AT40 had placed warnings in shipments to warn affiliates in highly Catholic populated areas along with a special break in the countdown for stations to substitute another song in its place. The affiliates usually used the suggestion, though some did not and no major complaints were ever heard.

Although Kasem and his crew never banned a song from airplay on the countdown, there was at least one instance in which Kasem refused to announce the title of a song on his show. When George Michael's "I Want Your Sex" hit the Billboard charts in the summer of 1987, Kasem refused to announce the name of the song; only its artist. Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou (Γεώργιος Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου (born 25 June 1963 best known as George Michael, is a two-time Grammy Award winning " I Want Your Sex " was a single released from both the soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop II and George Michael 's Faith See also Musical groups established in 1987 Record labels established in 1987 Events Also, as had been done with previous controversial hits, due to the song's suggestiveness, the show's structure was altered slightly, so stations could opt out of the song. This pattern was also evident during the 1987 Year End countdown. The only times Casey announced the title of the song on AT40 was during the 6-27-87 show, during the week-ending episode of September 26, 1987, when it dropped out of the Top 40, and during the Top 100 of 1987 show; Shadoe Stevens, his successor, however did mention the title on the show from July 31, 1993 as part of the Flashback feature, as it was in the top 5 from that week in 1987.

As has been mentioned previously, many rock radio stations in the late 1970s adopted anti-disco stances, and this, too, was reflected in the way some affiliates edited AT40. Disco is a Genre of dance-oriented music whose origins are hard to define For example, one 1979 show featured a story about disco saving New York; again, the show was structured so that anti-disco stations could edit the story out of the show. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar)

More famously, on the weekend of July 7-8, 1979, Cleveland, Ohio AT40 affiliate WGCL (now WNCX), instead of carrying the "American Top 40 Top 40 Disco Songs" special because of being an anti-disco radio station, did its own version of American Top 40 using the July 7, 1979 Billboard chart as the source with Townsend Coleman handling the hosting duties for Casey Kasem. Cleveland is a City in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads WNCX (985 FM, "985 NCX" is Cleveland 's only Classic rock music formatted Radio station. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Townsend Coleman (born May 28, 1954) is an American Voice actor who performed in many Animated series and TV commercials beginning The special Cleveland-only American Top 40 episode did not feature the AT40 Archives, extras, or Long Distance Dedications — just the top 40 singles of that week, which was preceded by a recap of the previous week's top three. Most of the songs played were longer album versions or 12-inch extended versions (such as a 12-inch disco medley of "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls" by Donna Summer, who was occupying the #3 and #2 spots on the Billboard chart for that week respectively). Donna Summer (born LaDonna Adrian Gaines December 31, 1948) is an American Singer-songwriter and Musician who gained Through clever editing, Coleman also took the "Casey's Coast to Coast" jingle (pronounced "K-C's Coast to Coast") and spliced in a "T," to provide an appropriate "TC's Coast to Coast" jingle.

Special Countdowns

Occasionally, between 1971 and 1991, American Top 40 would air special countdowns in place of the regular American Top 40 countdown show. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. These included¹:

• "Top 40 Recording Acts of the Rock Era 1955-1971" (Weekend of May 1-2, 1971)
• "Top 40 Christmas Songs" (Weekend of Dec 25-26, 1971)
• "Top 40 Songs of the Rock Era 1955-1972" (Weekend of July 1-2, 1972)
• "Top 40 Albums of the Week" (Weekend of Aug 5-6, 1972)
• "Top 40 Artists from Sept 1, 1967 to Sept 1, 1972" (Weekend of Sept 30-Oct 1, 1972)
• "Top 40 Songs from March 1968 to March 1973" (Weekend of Apr 7-8, 1973)
• "Top 40 Disappearing Acts" (Weekend of July 7-8, 1973)
• "Top 40 Recording Acts of the Rock Era 1955-1973" (Weekend of Oct 6-7, 1973)
• "Top 40 Christmas Songs" (Weekend of Dec 22-23, 1973)
• "Top 40 Hits of British Artists 1955-1974" (Weekend of Apr 6-7, 1974)
• "Top 40 Acts of the 1970s, So Far" (Weekend of Jul 6-7, 1974)
• "Top 10 Producers of the 1970s" (Weekend of Oct 5-6, 1974)
• "Top 40 Disappearing Acts" (Weekend of Apr 1-2, 1975)
• "Top 40 Rock 'n' Roll Acts of the 1950s" (Weekend of Oct 4-5, 1975)
• "Bicentennial Special: #1 July 4 Songs of the Past 40 Years" (Weekend of Jul 3-4, 1976)
• "Top 40 Songs of the 'Beatle Years'[1964-1970]" (Weekend of Oct 2-3, 1976)
• "Top 40 Girls of the Rock Era 1955-1977" (Weekend of July 2-3, 1977)
• "Top 40 Movie Songs 1960-1978" (Weekend of Apr 4-5, 1978)
• "Top 40 Acts of the 1970s, So Far" (Weekend of Jul 1-2, 1978)
• "The Top 40 Songs of the Disco Era 1974-1979" (Weekend of Jul 7-8, 1979)
• "The Top 50 Songs of the 1970s" (Weekend of Jan 5-6, 1980)
• "AT40 Book of Records" (Weekend of Jul 5-6, 1980)
• "Top 40 Beatles Hits of All Time" (Weekend of Jul 4-5, 1981)
• "Top 40 Acts of the 1980s, So Far" (Weekend of Jul 2-3, 1983)
• "Giants of Rock" (Weekend of Jul 5-6, 1986)
• "Top 40 Hits of the 1980s, So Far" (Weekend of Jul 4-5, 1987)
• "Top 40 Newcomers of the 1980s, So Far" (Weekend of May 30-31, 1988)
• "Triathlon of Rock 'n Roll" (Weekend of Jul 4-5, 1988)
• "World Tour" (Weekend of May 27-29, 1989)
• "AT40 Book of Records, 1980s Edition" (Weekend of Aug 31-Sept 4, 1989)
• "Top 40 American Acts of the Previous 10 Years" (Weekend of Jul 1-2, 1991)

Additionally, the top songs of the year were counted down at the end of every year. Events 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples In 1970 & 1972, AT40 counted down the year's top 80 hits. In 1971 & 1973, they only counted down the top 40 because of their top 40 Christmas Countdowns those two years. Beginning in 1974, the top 100 songs of the year were counted down and was done so every year with few exceptions. In 1979, they did the top 50 songs of that year and followed it with the top 50 songs of the 1970s. This was done again in 1999, except only the top 40 of the year and decade were aired. The year-end shows were counted down over a two week period (although stations could edit the shows into one long show) until 1983, when the year-end show ran just one week for eight hours. In 1992, the year end countdown was temporary back to its two-week format, in 1994 (the last year of the old AT40) the year end countdown was only 50, and with the AT40 return in 1998 the year end countdowns were the 2 week format (except for 1999 when it was 50).

Substitute hosts

A new show must be produced every week, meaning that occasionally a substitute host must fill in. Substitutes for Ryan Seacrest have included:

• Christina Aguilera
• Pamela Anderson
• Steve Carell
• Kelly Clarkson
• Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus
• Gavin DeGraw
• Hilary Duff
• Nick Lachey
• Mario Lopez
• Jesse McCartney
• Mandy Moore
• P. Diddy
• Jessica Simpson
• Timbaland
• Ashley Tisdale

Some well-known guest hosts for Casey Kasem have included:

• Joe Cipriano (the only voice to fill in for both Casey Kasem and Shadoe Stevens)
• Dick Clark
• Mike Cleary
• Gordon Elliott
• Mark Elliott
• Bob Eubanks
• Hall and Oates
• Dave Hull
• Mike Kasem (Casey's Son)
• Ed McMann
• Sonny Melendez
• "Humble Harv" Miller
• Al Mitchell
• Lon Thomas
• Bumper Morgan
• Robert W. Morgan
• Pat O'Brien
• John Ondrasik (aka, Five for Fighting)
• Gary Owens
• David Perry
• Dave Roberts
• Ryan Seacrest
• Keri Tombazian
• Charlie Tuna
• Charlie Van Dyke

Shadoe Stevens' guest hosts for his American Top 40 reign included:

• Harry Anderson
• Joe Cipriano (the only voice to fill in for both Casey Kasem and Shadoe Stevens)
• Debbie Gibson
• David Hall
• Richard Marx
• Matthew and Gunnar Nelson
• Donny Osmond
• Martha Quinn
• Meshach Taylor
• Adrienne Walker
• Jody Watley

Notable songs played on American Top 40

• The first song played on the first American Top 40 in 1970 at #40 was "The End of Our Road" by Marvin Gaye. Christina María Aguilera (born December 18 1980 is an American pop / R&B Singer and Songwriter. Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1 1967 is a Canadian -born actress, Sex symbol, glamour model, producer, Author, and Steven John "Steve" Carell (born August 16, 1962) is a Golden Globe - and Screen Actors Guild Award -winning American Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24 1982 is an American Pop rock singer songwriter and occasional actress. Billy Ray Cyrus (born William Ray Cyrus; August 25 1961 is a Grammy Award -nominated American Country music singer songwriter and actor from Flatwoods Miley Ray Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23 1992 is an American Actress and Singer-songwriter. Gavin DeGraw (born February 4, 1977) is an American Singer-songwriter and Musician. Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28 1987 is an American Actress, pop Singer-songwriter Nicholas Scott Lachey (ləˈʃeɪ phonetically "la-SHAY" (born November 9 1973 is an American pop Singer and Actor who rose to Mario López Jr (born October 10, 1973) is an American Actor and Author who has appeared on several television series film Jesse McCartney (born Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore (born April 10 1984 is an American pop Singer, Songwriter, Actor, and Fashion designer Sean John Combs (born November 4 1969 known by his Stage names Puff Daddy, P Jessica Ann Simpson (born July 10 1980 is an American pop Singer and actress who rose to fame in the late 1990s Timothy Z Mosley (born March 10, 1971) better known by his Stage name Timbaland, is an American Record producer, Ashley Michelle Tisdale (born July 2 1985 is an American actress and singer This article refers to the actor For the college basketball coach see Joe Cipriano (basketball coach. Richard Wagstaff "Dick" Clark (born November 30, 1929) is an American Television, Radio personality, Game show host Mike Cleary (born May 19 1858 in County Laois Ireland &ndash September 5, 1893 in Belfast New York) was an This article refers to the Australian TV personality for the Irish trainer see Gordon Elliott (racehorse trainer Gordon Elliott (b Mark Elliot (born 1939 is the primary voice-over artist for Walt Disney Entertainment Robert Leland "Bob" Eubanks (born January 8, 1938) is a well-known American Radio, Game show host and Television Hall & Oates are a Pop music duo made up of Daryl Hall and John Oates. Dave Hull, aka The Hullabalooer, is a legendary Los Angeles radio personality voted one of the top ten LA radio personalities of all time Ed McMann is a Disc jockey, voice-over talent and radio personality best known for his work for Clear Channel Communications. Albert Edwin Mitchell (born August 30, 1897) was a professional American football player for the Buffalo Bisons, playing six games Robert W Morgan (July 23 1937 &ndash May 22 1998 was a renowned Disc jockey who was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1999 Pat O'Brien (born February 14, 1948 in Sioux Falls South Dakota) is the former host of The Insider, a spin-off of Entertainment Five for Fighting is the Stage name of American Singer-songwriter John Ondrasik. Five for Fighting is the Stage name of American Singer-songwriter John Ondrasik. Gary Owens (born May 10, 1936) is an American Disc jockey and Voice actor. This article is about David Perry the game developer For the David Perry who was a co-commentator on the UK Video game TV show ' GamesMaster David Ray Roberts (born May 31, 1972 in Okinawa, Japan) is a Major League Baseball Outfielder for the San Francisco Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an Emmy Award -nominated American television / radio host and Television Charlie Tuna is a radio personality based in Los Angeles California currently working at KRTH-FM. Charlie Van Dyke (nee Charles Leo Steinle, born 1947 is a former radio Disc jockey who is better known for the voice work he has done for numerous radio and television Shadoe Stevens (born Terry Ingstad on November 3, 1947 in Jamestown, North Dakota) was the host of American Top 40 ---- Harry Anderson (born October 14 1952 is an Emmy Award -nominated American Actor and magician. This article refers to the actor For the college basketball coach see Joe Cipriano (basketball coach. Deborah Ann "Debbie" Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American Singer-songwriter who was a teen pop icon David Hall may refer to David Hall (Australian politician (1874–1945 David Hall (video artist David Hall (athlete Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963 in Chicago Illinois) is an Adult contemporary and Pop/rock Singer, Songwriter Nelson is a Glam metal band founded by Matthew and Gunnar Nelson (the twin sons of Ricky Nelson. Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond (born on December 9 1957 in Ogden Utah, USA) is an American Singer, Musician, Actor Martha Quinn (born May 11, 1959 in Albany New York) is best known as one of the original Video jockeys on MTV (along with Meshach Taylor (born April 11, 1947) is an Emmy Award -nominated American Actor. Jody Watley (born January 30, 1959 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American Singer, Songwriter, Record Marvin Pentz Gay Jr, known as Marvin Gaye ( April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Singer-songwriter It would remain and peak at #40 on the second episode of the AT40 countdown.
• The first #1 song on American Top 40 's inaugural 1970 broadcast was "Mama Told Me Not to Come" by Three Dog Night. " Mama Told Me Not to Come " is a song by Randy Newman written for Eric Burdon 's first solo album in 1966 Three Dog Night is an American Rock band, best known for their music from 1968&ndash1975 but still making live appearances as of 2008
• The first top 10 countdown on the first American Top 40 featured songs by both Elvis Presley ("The Wonder of You") and The Beatles ("The Long and Winding Road"). " The Wonder of You " is a Song written by Baker Knight. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 " The Long and Winding Road " is a Ballad written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney) that originally appeared on The Beatles These are the top two artists of the entire rock era according to AT40's original source, Billboard magazine.
• Rick Dees had the #1 song "Disco Duck" on American Top 40 in 1976 long before Dees would launch a rival countdown show, Rick Dees Weekly Top 40. Rick Dees is an American comedic performer entertainer and radio personality best known for his #1 internationally syndicated radio show The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown " Disco Duck " was a satirical Disco Novelty song performed by Memphis disc jockey Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots.
• When American Top 40 expanded from three to four hours in October 1978, the #1 song was "Kiss You All Over" by Exile. Exile, originally known as The Exiles, is an American band They originally began as a Pop rock group hitting the peak of their success in 1978 with the
• When Shadoe Stevens replaced Casey Kasem in August 1988, the #1 song was "Roll With It" by Steve Winwood. Stephen Lawrence "Steve" or "Stevie" Winwood (born 12 May 1948 in Handsworth, Birmingham) is an English Singer-songwriter
• When American Top 40 switched from the Billboard Hot 100 to the Billboard Radio Monitor in November 1991, the #1 song was "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Michael Bolton. Michael Bolton (born Michael Bolotin on February 26, 1953) is an American Singer-songwriter, best known for his Soft rock
• When American Top 40 switched from the Billboard Radio Monitor to the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart in January 1993, the #1 song was "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston. Whitney Elizabeth Houston' (born August 9 1963 is an American Singer-songwriter, Actress, Film producer, Arranger and former
• The last #1 song on American Top 40 in January 1995 before its 3-year hiatus was "On Bended Knee" by Boyz II Men. Boyz II Men is a four-time Grammy Award -winning American R&B / soul singing group from Philadelphia Pennsylvania.
• The first "Long-Distance Dedication" ever played was Neil Diamond's "Desirée". Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American Singer-songwriter and occasional Actor.
• Before playing the #1 song on the final original-run episode of American Top 40, Shadoe Stevens played a special Long Distance Dedication to his fans: "So Tired of Standing Still, We Got to Move On" by James Brown. James Joseph Brown Jr (May 3 1933 – December 25 2006 commonly referred to as "The Godfather of Soul" the "King of Funk" and "The As Stevens did his closing at the end of the show, the song "Happy Trails" by Roy Rogers was played in the background. "Happy Trails", by Dale Evans Rogers, was the Theme song for the 1940s and 1950s radio program and the 1950s television show starring Roy Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye) (November 5 1911 &ndash July 6 1998 was a singer and Cowboy Actor.
• When American Top 40 returned in March 1998, the #1 song was "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion. " My Heart Will Go On " is the Theme song of the 1997 blockbuster Film Titanic. Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( OC OQ (born March 30 1968 in Charlemagne Quebec) is a Canadian pop Singer
• The #1 song on Casey Kasem's final AT40 show in January 2004 was "Hey Ya" by Outkast. Outkast (typeset as OutKast) is a Grammy Award -winning American hip hop duo based out of East Point Georgia, a city It stayed at #1 when Ryan Seacrest replaced Kasem.

Chart feats

• The song that spent the most weeks at #1 on American Top 40 was "The Sign" by Ace of Base which spent 14 weeks at the #1 spot in 1994, yet, ironically, only spent 6 weeks at #1 on the actual Billboard Hot 100 charts. Ace of Base is a pop band from Gothenburg, Sweden, comprising Ulf Ekberg (Buddha and siblings Jonas Berggren (Joker and The song that spent the most weeks at #1 after Ryan Seacrest replaced Kasem was "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey which spent 14 weeks on the chart. " We Belong Together " is a song recorded by Mariah Carey for her tenth studio album The Emancipation of Mimi (2005 and released as the album's
• For a 14-week period between January and April, 1975, a different song was #1 every single week. This run both began and ended with #1 songs by Elton John. Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer
• Two songs spent 50 weeks on American Top 40 after Ryan Seacrest took over: "Here Without You" by 3 Doors Down in 2004, and "Scars" by Papa Roach in 2005-2006. " Here Without You " is a Power ballad Alternative rock Song by the band 3 Doors Down. 3 Doors Down is an American rock band formed in 1994 in by Brad Arnold ( Vocals and drums) Matt Roberts ( Guitar " Scars " is the second single from Papa Roach 's third album Getting Away with Murder (2004 and seventh released single in total Papa Roach is a four-piece rock band from Atlanta Georgia. They broke into the mainstream with their three times platinum major-label debut album Infest Also, two songs spent 46 weeks in the chart: "You and Me" by Lifehouse in 2005/2006, and "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson in 2004/2005. " You and Me " is a song released by Lifehouse. Produced in 2002 and released in January 2005 it has had a major impact as it remained on the Billboard Hot Lifehouse is an American rock band They came to prominence in 2001 with the hit single " Hanging by a Moment " from their debut major label album No Name " Since U Been Gone " is a song written and produced by Max Martin and Lukasz "Dr Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24 1982 is an American Pop rock singer songwriter and occasional actress.
• Since AT40 returned to the air in 1998, Christina Aguilera is the artist with the most top ten hits inside the countdown, with her total currently at 11. Christina María Aguilera (born December 18 1980 is an American pop / R&B Singer and Songwriter.

Trivia

• Guest hosts Dick Clark and Mark Elliott once had countdown shows of their own. Clark was host for Dick Clark's National Music Survey (1981 to 1985), Countdown America (1985 to mid-1990s, replacing original host John Leader) and U. S. Music Survey (mid-1990s to 2004, when Clark suffered a stroke and was incapacitated). Elliot's show was Weekly Top 30, which ran from 1979-82 and eventually morphed into the Rick Dees Weekly Top 40, which still airs as of 2006.
• From 1992 to 1994 two radio stations still carrying American Top 40 had to carry customized versions of the show: WPLJ in New York City aired the show with the urban/dance/rap songs mentioned but not played and were replaced here and there by Hot AC leaning extras, and KUBE in Seattle, Washington aired AT40 with a few songs that did not fit the station's Top 40 Rhythm format omitted each week. WPLJ (955 FM) is a Radio station in New York City. WPLJ is the flagship FM station of Citadel Broadcasting Corporation. The City of New York Adult contemporary music, frequently abbreviated AC, refers to styles of popular music that ranges from "lush Sixties pop often vocal -based and rooted in KUBE is a successful Rhythmic Contemporary hits radio station licensed in Seattle. It has also been reported that WSTR in Atlanta, Georgia, being an anti-rap station and a very Adult Contemporary-leaning CHR, edited "Another Night" by Real McCoy (a Eurodisco record with rap breaks) out of its broadcasts of Casey's Top 40 in 1994, even while the song was at #1 on the show (which used the Radio & Records CHR/Pop chart). " Another Night " is a dance song by Real McCoy from their album Another Night. Real McCoy, originally known as MC Sar & The Real McCoy, is a German Eurodance act best known for their 1994/1995 singles " Another Night Euro Disco (also Eurodisco or Euro-disco or "80s European dance" is a term that was first used during the 1970s to describe a variety of non UK-based European Disco Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar)
• Casey Kasem's longest hosting streak without a substitute lasted 85 weeks - from the weekend of February 21, 2004 to October 1, 2005. The weekend of October 8, 2005 featured radio veteran Charlie Tuna as guest host. Tuna filled in for Kasem again in August 2006.
• While recording an episode of the show in 1985, Kasem was aghast to discover he would have to read a Long Distance Dedication to a listener's dead dog, immediately following an upbeat song in the countdown. Events January January 28 - Various artists, under the group name USA For Africa, including Ray Charles He went ballistic, berating the show's writers and producers over the poor segue in a profanity-laced tirade completely at odds with Kasem's normally strait-laced, easygoing on-air persona. A segue is a smooth transition from one topic or section to the next Although the incident obviously was not aired (and the misplaced dedication was presented as scripted), it would eventually surface as a bootleg outtake and provide an amusing footnote to Kasem's original run as AT40 host. A bootleg recording is an audio and/or Video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority An outtake is a portion of a work (usually a Film or Music Recording) that is removed in the Editing process and not included in the work's final (Full audio clip, censored)
• During one week in August 1983, with guest host Keri Tombazian filling in, American Top 40 accidentally had played the #38 song as "Pieces of Ice" by Diana Ross (which had fallen to #45 that week) instead of playing the correct #38 song that week, "It's Inevitable" by the British group, Charlie. Diana Ross (born March 261944 is an American twelve-time Grammy and Oscar -nominated singer Record producer and actress whose musical repertoire Charlie was a British rock band that was formed in 1971 by Terry Thomas This is the only known case of AT40 playing an incorrect countdown song. Casey Kasem acknowledged and apologized for the slip-up on the following week's countdown.

Number-one songs

• List of number-one songs on American Top 40 of 2004
• List of number-one songs on American Top 40 of 2005
• List of number-one songs on American Top 40 of 2006
• List of number-one songs on American Top 40 of 2007
• List of number-one songs on American Top 40 of 2008

References

Sources

• Durkee, Rob. American Top 40: The Countdown of the Century. ISBN 0-02-864895-1. New York City: Schirmer Books, 1999. Accessed December 10, 2007.

Further reading

• Battistini, Pete. American Top 40 with Casey Kasem (The 1970's). Authorhouse. com, January 31, 2005. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ISBN 1-4184-1070-5.

See also

• List of stations that air Casey Kasem's American Top 40: The 80's

External links

• Official website
• Sample MP3 clip from American Top 40
• AT40 fun and games site - features a lot of info, including a list of Long Distance Dedications
• Charis Music Group The Restoration Authority on American Top 40 for Premiere Radio and Clear Channel Communications. During his military service in Korea longtime future American Top 40 host Casy Kasem worked with the Armed Forces Radio Service Site also features a lot of information on other countdown shows and syndicated programs
• AT40 calendar from July 1970 to January 1995 from Charis Music Group
• AT40 with Casey and Shadoe - Learn more about the history of the show as well as see pictures and scans of AT40 cue sheets, memos, and more.
• Listen to American Top 40 online - Lists of radio stations carrying American Top 40 and all of its spinoffs, with scheduled times and streaming links.

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