Given that the Hot 100 top 10 remained static this week, with no new songs entering or departing, we’ve decided to focus on some recent trends that the Hit Songs Deconstructed Music Charts have been tracking.

Primary Genre Chart

There haven’t been any predominantly Hip Hop/Rap songs charting within the top 10 for the past 16 weeks. The last representative was Hot Boy during the week of 11/29. Sub-

Sub-Genre & Influencer Chart

For the third consecutive week, the majority of songs within the top 10 possess a distinct retro vibe in varying degrees of prominence. Uptown Funk and Sugar both feature a late 70’s / early 80’s Funk nature, Time Of Our Lives possesses a late 70’s early 80’s Disco influence, and Love Me Like You Do and Style both feature an early/mid-1980’s Pop vibe.

Lead Vocal Chart

For the past eight weeks, solo male lead vocals have been accounting for over 50% of songs. On the flip side, the last time solo female vocals dominated the top 10 was in 2014 for a period of seven weeks, occurring between the weeks of 9/6 and 10/18.

Intro Chart

For the past five weeks, the “no intro” category has been the most popular amongst top 10 hits, accounting for 40% of songs. Interestingly, three of the four songs (Thinking Out Loud, FourFiveSeconds and Take Me To Church) immediately begin with the verse, which is a top 10 rarity. Time Our Our Lives on the other hand kicks off with the chorus, which is more typical.

Instrumentation Chart

For the past 14 weeks the most popular instrument featured within the top 10 has been the electric guitar, not the synth as you would typically expect. The electric guitar has played a role in varying degrees of prominence within 60% to 80% of songs.

First Chorus Occurrence Chart

The late hitting first chorus category, at or over one-minute into a song, has been on the rise since the week of 11/29/14, and has hit a peak during the past four weeks. Prior to that, the category was pretty much at or near nil for 27 consecutive weeks, spanning 5/31 – 11/22.

The representative songs (Thinking Out Loud, Love Me Like You Do, Style and Earned It) all feature a moderate to lengthy first verse followed by a pre-chorus, which pushed back their first chorus occurrence. One thing is for sure, all of these songs are strong enough to keep the listener engaged until the payoff hits!