The weekly Hit Songs Deconstructed Music Charts provide unique insight into today’s hit songwriting trends by spotlighting the characteristics driving the Billboard Hot 100 top 10.

This report shows the trends for the month of June.

PRIMARY GENRES Back to Top

The Pop genre remained at #1 for entire month of June, fluctuating between 40% and 50% of all songs within the top 10.

R&B/Soul held tight at #2, and Dance and Hip Hop/Rap followed at #3 & #4 with 20% and 10% of songs, respectively.

Rock and Country were the only two primary genres that did not have a showing during the month.

SUB-GENRES & INFLUENCERS Back to Top

18 distinct sub-genres and influencers were involved in shaping the sound of the top 10 charting songs of the month.

R&B/Soul and Straight-Up Pop remained as the most popular, each consistently showing up as an element within 50% to 60% of songs.

Dance, Trap/Crunk and Hip Hop/Rap rounded out the top five, with the latter seeing its influence diminish from 50% to 30% of songs by month’s end.

LEAD VOCAL Back to Top

The solo male and duet/group vocal categories kicked the month off tied at 50% of songs each. From that point on, the solo male category increased steadily to account for 70% of songs, while the duet/group vocal category declined by the same rate, finishing at just 30%.

The one constant was the solo female vocal category. It hasn’t had a top 10 showing since the last week in May.

LYRICAL THEMES Back to Top

Not surprisingly, love/relationships remained as the top lyrical theme for the entire month, accounting for 50% to 70% of all songs.

Inspiration/empowerment followed at #2, and parting/clubbing rounded out the top three with 20% of songs by month’s end.

Additionally, boasting, hooking up and lifestyle themes all remained tied at #4 for the last three weeks, each accounting for just 10% of songs.

SONG TITLE WORD COUNT Back to Top

The one word song title category held onto the top spot for the entire month of June, seeing its lead further increased during the week of 6/14 thanks to Rude and Summer’s entry into the top 10.

The three word title category gained ground as well, accounting for 30% of songs by month’s end.

The loser was the two word title category, dropping from 20% of songs during the week of 6/7 down to nil by 6/21.

SONG TITLE APPEARANCES Back to Top

The 6 – 10 time song title appearance category took over at the top spot during the week of 6/14, increasing from 30% to 50% of all songs by month’s end.

The 21+ appearance category followed at #2, consistently accounting for 30% of all songs. The category’s representatives include Problem (34 appearances), Happy (56 appearances), and Wiggle (57 appearances).

PRIMARY INSTRUMENTATION Back to Top

Prominent bass remained as the most popular instrument found within the top 10 during the entire month of June, finishing up at 60% of all songs.

Electric guitar, piano and strings were the gainers, while the synth, claps/snaps, wind instruments and acoustic guitar all lost ground.

ELECTRIC VS. ACOUSTIC SONGS Back to Top

The primarily electric category held tight at #1 for the entire month, fluctuating between 50% and 70% of songs.

The electric/acoustic combo category took a big hit during the week of 6/14, dropping from 40% down to just 20% of songs, where it remained for the duration.

On the flip side, the acoustic category gained a bit of ground during the week of 6/21 thanks to Stay With Me’s entry into the top 10.

SONG LENGTH Back to Top

The 3:30 – 3:59 song length range remained on top during the entire month, fluctuating between 30% and 50% of songs.

The loser of the month was the 4:00+ range, seeing its influence diminish from a high of 40% of songs during the last week of May down to just 20% by the end of June.

INTRO LENGTH Back to Top

The short (0:01 – 0:09) and moderately short (0:10 – 0:19) intro length categories remained tied at #1 for the last three weeks of the month, each accounting for 40% of all songs.

The moderately long (0:20 – 0:29) and no intro categories were tied during the same period as well, each accounting for just 10%. They were represented by Wiggle (0:29) and Summer (kicks off with the verse), respectively.

FIRST CHORUS OCCURRENCE Back to Top

The moderately early (0:20 – 0:39) first chorus occurrence category was the big gainer of the month, taking over the top spot from the moderately late (0:40 – 0:59) category during the week of 6/14. By month’s end, it accounted for 50% of all songs.

Additionally, Summer’s arrival during the week of 6/14 brought about an increase in the no chorus occurrence category (it features an A-IB-A-IB-C-IB form), and Not A Bad Thing’s departure from the top 10 during the same week brought the late (1:00+) category down to nil.

RECORD LABELS Back to Top

Columbia broke its tie at the top spot with Warner Bros. during the week of 6/14 as a result of Summer’s entry and Talk Dirty’s exit. The label remained on top for the duration of the month, consistently accounting for 40% of all songs.

Warner Bros. remained constant at #2 at 30%, and Capitol, Def Jam, RCA and Republic all spent the month tied at #3, each accounting for 10% of songs.

SONGWRITERS Back to Top

The big gainer of the month was the 3 writer category, increasing from just 10% of songs during the week of 6/7 up to the majority (30%) by month’s end.

Single writer songs increased as well, represented by Calvin Harris (Summer) and Pharrell Williams (Happy).

The losers of the month were the eight, five and four writer categories, the latter dropping down to nil by the week of 6/28.

NEW TOP 10 ARRIVALS Back to Top

The following songs entered into the Hot 100 top 10 for the first time during the month of June:

Week of 6/7

• Am I Wrong (Nico & Vinz) – Straight-Up Pop, R&B and World (African)

• Wiggle (Jason Derulo featuring Snoop Dogg) – Straight-Up Pop, Trap, R&B, Hip Hop/Rap and Nursery Rhyme.

Week of 6/14

• Rude (Magic!) – Pop/Rock and Reggae ala “The Police”

• Summer (Calvin Harris) – EDM, Disco, R&B, Funk and Straight-Up Pop with a retro late 70’s/early 80’s influence

Week of 6/21

• Stay With Me (Sam Smith) – R&B/Soul, Straight-Up Pop, Gospel, Singer/Songwriter and Ballad.

Week of 6/28

• None

TOP 10 DEPARTURES Back to Top

The following songs dropped out of the Hot 100 top 10 during the month of June:

Week of 6/7

• Love Never Felt So Good (Michael Jackson featuring Justin Timberlake) – Retro Disco, Funk, Straight-Up Pop and R&B

• A Sky Full Of Stars (Coldplay) – EDM, Alt/Indie, Straight-Up Pop and Ballad

Week of 6/14

• Not A Bad Thing (Justin Timberlake) – Straight-Up Pop Ballad with R&B

• Talk Dirty (Jason Derulo featuring 2 Chainz) – R&B, Hip Hop/Rap and World influences

Week of 6/21

• Dark Horse (Katy Perry featuring Juicy J) – Straight-Up Pop, Trap, Dark Pop and Hip Hop/Rap

Week of 6/28

• None

JUNE 2014 TOP 10 PLAYLIST Back to Top