This Australian duo rose from Down Under to the Billboard Hot 100 pinnacle with "Truly Madly Deeply" in 1998 and again in 2000 with "I Knew I Loved You." In addition, both ballads were not only Adult Contemporary No. 1s, but also the top songs of the year at the format on Billboard's year-end rankings for 1998 and 2000, respectively.

It's hardly surprising this ballad set the record that still stands for most weeks (16) a title has reigned atop the Hot 100: Carey and Boyz II Men had already owned the chart in the '90s, the former having spent 36 weeks at No. 1 and the latter 33 before the coronation of "One Sweet Day" in late 1995.

Columbia artist Johnny Horton's manager, Tillman Franks, suggested that his client experiment with saga songs. Franks just happened to have one he'd written in his back pocket, and in April 1959, "When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)" became Horton's first such narrative hit-and his first No. 1 Country single. A "Louisiana Hayride" star best-known for rockabilly-styled uptempo fare, Horton followed "Springtime" with Jimmy Driftwood's "The Battle of New Orleans," which spent 10 weeks atop the Country singles list and six weeks atop the Hot 100. Horton's version was banned in the United Kingdom because of the line "the bloody British," but with a slightly altered lyric, Lonnie Donegan's cover became a sizable hit there.

Bobby Lewis was a Detroit-based R&B; singer whose exciting performances carried echoes of his mentor, Jackie Wilson. Shopping for a label in New York, he visited Beltone Records, where he ran into songwriter Ritchie Adams of doo-wop act the Fireflies ("You Were Mine"), a group with which Lewis had once shared a bill at the Apollo Theater. Written by Adams and Beltone label head Joe Rene, "Tossin' and Turnin'" is the most thrilling depiction of insomnia ever recorded. In addition to the song's seven weeks atop the Hot 100, the song was also No. 1 for 10 weeks on the R&B; chart. Currently Disney's DTV cartoon video featuring Goofy, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and others illustrating the song's vivid themes can be seen on YouTube and elsewhere.

Irene Cara became a breakout star in 1980, starring in "Fame" and singing its Academy Award-nominated theme, which peaked at No. 4. She one-upped herself with the 1983 theme to "Flashdance," produced by Giorgio Moroder. Not only did the uptempo song about the inspirational "feeling" of dancing hold at No. 1 for six weeks, it also earned the pair an Oscar for best song.

A review in the May 28, 1983, issue described the new Police single, "Every Breath You Take," as "pop distilled to its barest essentials" and "compelling." Fans certainly agreed, driving the haunting and beautiful song to No. 1 on the Hot 100 for the week ending July 9, 1983, and reigning for eight frames. It was the first and only chart-topping Hot 100 hit for the Police, who had reached the top five only once before with "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," a No. 3 hit in 1981. "Breath" was memorably sampled in "I'll Be Missing You," the 1997 multi-artist tribute to slain rapper the Notorious B.I.G., itself a No. 1 for 11 weeks by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans, featuring 112.

Sampling Kurtis Blow's "X-Mas Rappin'," this song was Minneapolis trio Next's first chart-topping R&B; single and only No. 1 pop hit. Initially calling themselves Straight4ward, founding members R.L. Huggar and brothers Terry and Raphael Brown received early mentoring from Sounds of Blackness lead singer Ann Nesby. After producer/Naughty by Nature member KayGee later took the group under his wing, signing it to his Arista-distributed Divine Mill label, Next's debut, "Rated Next," garnered double-platinum certification. In addition to "Too Close," the album spun off two other top 10 R&B; hits and top 20 pop singles: "Butta Love" and "I Still Love You."

Flo Rida - who at one point was nearly homeless - found salvation with Poe Boy/Atlantic and this song featuring hitmaker T-Pain. "Low" spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and set the weekly digital sales record during the 2007 holiday season, selling 470,000 copies. "They say if you grind hard enough, you'll shine," Flo Rida told Billboard last year. "It's the greatest feeling in the world."

Brother Barry came up with the melody for this song, which topped the Hot 100 for four weeks in the summer of 1977 and was followed by two consecutive No. 1s: "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" and "Shadow Dancing," the No. 1 single of 1978.

Pre-"Rocky III," Survivor had only grazed the top 40 with "Poor Man's Son." But in 1982, when Sylvester Stallone asked the group to record the theme for the movie with a similar sound, the band's fortunes quickly changed. Watching a rough cut, keyboardist Jim Peterik repeatedly heard the phrase, "Keep the eye of the tiger," - and 90 minutes later had the framework for this enduring hit. "Eye Of The Tiger" spent six weeks at No. 1.