Pharrell Williams’ ‘Happy’ & More: The 20 Biggest Crossover Hits
Williams' 'Happy' makes history as the first song to top as many as six Billboard radio format charts.
Call Pharrell Williams the crossover king.
The singer/writer/producer’s smash “Happy” becomes the first song to crown as many as six singular-format Nielsen BDS-based Billboard airplay charts, achieving the feat by rising 3-1 on Adult Contemporary. “Happy” rules Adult Pop Songs and Adult R&B Songs for a fifth week each. It first topped Pop Songs for four weeks, Rhythmic Songs for two and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop (viewable on Billboardbiz) for one.
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Four prior smashes each led five distinct-format airplay charts: Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” (featuring Williams, as well as T.I.); Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” (featuring Kimbra); Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”; and Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You.”
“It was all Pharell’s doing,” Columbia Records executive vp Joel Klaiman told Billboard in March, alluding not only to the song’s strength, but also Williams’ release of a 24-hour video loop of the track that went viral. With “Happy” having first been released on the “Despicable Me 2” soundtrack nearly a year ago, “It was a stroke of genius that in December he got people focused on a song that came out in June.”
“Happy” has led the sales/airplay/streaming-based Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks and sold 4.5 million downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Williams’ new album “G I R L,” which also includes “Happy,” has sold 304,000 in its first seven weeks of release.
As Williams makes history, here’s a recap of the 20 titles to top at least four single-format Billboard airplay charts dating to the advent of BDS data in the early ’90s. Note that almost all titles are rock- (Coldplay, Green Day) or R&B/hip-hop-leaning (Boyz II Men, Mariah Carey), thus made for play at specialized formats while featuring pop hooks easily accessible for mainstream audiences.
Six
“Happy,” Pharrell Williams, 2014, Adult Contemporary, Adult Pop Songs, Adult R&B Songs, Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop, Pop Songs, Rhythmic Songs
Five
“Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell Williams + T.I., 2013, Adult Pop Songs, Adult R&B Songs, Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop, Pop Songs, Rhythmic Songs
“Somebody That I Used to Know,” Gotye featuring Kimbra, 2012-13, Adult Alternative Songs, Adult Contemporary, Adult Pop Songs, Alternative Songs, Pop Songs
“Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” Green Day, 2004-05, Adult Alternative Songs, Adult Pop Songs, Alternative Songs, Mainstream Rock Songs, Pop Songs
“I’ll Make Love to You,” Boyz II Men, 1994-95, Adult Contemporary, Adult R&B Songs, Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop, Pop Songs, Rhythmic Songs
Four
“Royals,” Lorde, 2013, Adult Alternative Songs, Adult Pop Songs, Alternative Songs, Pop Songs
“Ho Hey,” the Lumineers, 2012-13, Adult Alternative Songs, Adult Contemporary, Adult Pop Songs, Alternative Songs
“Rolling in the Deep,” Adele, 2011, Adult Alternative Songs, Adult Contemporary, Adult Pop Songs, Pop Songs
“Use Somebody,” Kings of Leon, 2009, Adult Alternative Songs, Adult Pop Songs, Alternative Songs, Pop Songs
“I’m Yours,” Jason Mraz, 2008-09, Adult Alternative Songs, Adult Contemporary, Adult Pop Songs, Pop Songs
“Viva La Vida,” Coldplay, 2008-09, Adult Alternative Songs, Adult Contemporary, Adult Pop Songs, Alternative Songs
“No One,” Alicia Keys, 2007-08, Adult R&B Songs, Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop, Pop Songs, Rhythmic Songs
“Be Without You,” Mary J. Blige, 2006, Adult R&B Songs, Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop, Pop Songs, Rhythmic Songs
“We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey, 2005, Adult R&B Songs, Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop, Pop Songs, Rhythmic Songs
“Livin’ La Vida Loca,” Ricky Martin, 1999, Adult Pop Songs, Latin Pop Songs, Pop Songs, Rhythmic Songs
“Every Morning,” Sugar Ray, 1999, Adult Alternative Songs, Adult Pop Songs, Alternative Songs, Pop Songs
“Slide,” Goo Goo Dolls, 1998-99, Adult Alternative Songs, Adult Pop Songs, Alternative Songs, Pop Songs
“One Headlight,” the Wallflowers, 1996-97, Adult Alternative Songs, Adult Pop Songs, Alternative Songs, Mainstream Rock Songs
“One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, 1995-96, Adult Contemporary, Adult Pop Songs, Pop Songs, Rhythmic Songs
“On Bended Knee,” Boyz II Men, 1994-95, Adult R&B Songs, Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop, Pop Songs, Rhythmic Songs
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