How Common is it for a Billboard Top 10 to be Written, Produced, and Performed by the Same Artist?
As Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" surges to No. 8, take a look at the other artists who've written, produced and performed #Hot100 top 10s. 👏 https://t.co/uu02ppKa2f
- billboard (@billboard) June 9, 2022
With Kate Bush's "Running up that Hill (A Deal with God)" entering the Billboard Hot 100 at number 8 thanks to its feature in the new season of Stranger Things, Billboard looks back at some of the songs from the small group of top 10 songs on the Hot 100 Chart that were written, produced, and performed all by the same artist.
"Running up that Hill" is the first written-produced-performed track since May 5, 2018 when J.Cole's "KOD" peaked at number 10:
Click to viewOn May 14, 2016, "When Doves Cry" re-entered the charts after the passing of Prince peaking at number 8:
"When Doves Cry" spent 4 weeks at number 1 starting in July 1984, "amid a decade in which 7.4% of all No. 1s were solo-penned, -produced and -performed."
In the '90s that share fell to just 4.3% for Billboard Hot 100 number 1 songs
In the '00s it fell further to just 1.6%
In the '10s it rose slightly to 1.7%
On Dec. 20, 2014, Hozier's "Take Me to Church" peaked at number 2:
The last woman before Kate Bush to have written, produced, and performed a top 10 song on the Hot 100 was Soko (also in 2014 - just before Hozier) with "We Might be Dead by Tomorrow" which peaked at number 9:
Alicia Keys has TWO songs that fall into this rare category with "If I Ain't Got You" which peaked at number 4 in 2004 and "Fallin" which hit number 1 in 2001!
Fallin' was the fourth and most recent Hot 100 number 1 solely written, produced, and performed by a female artist!
Another was Lauryn Hill's “Doo Wop (That Thing)” which topped the charts in 1998:
Debbie Gibson is the only woman to have two number 1 songs that fall into this category - and she was also the first!:
1988 with "Foolish Beat"
and again in 1989 with "Lost in Your Eyes"
ONTD Pop Quiz: Can you guess the most recent
Billboard Hot 100 Number 1 Song that was written, produced, and performed by the same artist?
[ANSWER]
It was Pharrell Williams' "Happy" which was number 1 on the charts for 10 weeks in 2014
Source - Billboard / KOD / When Doves Cry / Take Me to Church / We Might Be Dead By Tomorrow / Fallin' / Doo Wop / Foolish Beat / Lost in Your Eyes / Spoiler Source