The Year's Hottest Hits
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It's going to take time for the complete lists to roll in but most music-lovers already know which artists were the big winners in 2007.
It was the year of the tween, as both the "High School Musical 2" soundtrack and Hannah Montana's follow-up album, "Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus" made it into the Top 10 Albums of the Year, according to Nielsen Soundscan and the Billboard 200.
Fergie made a big splash as a solo artist in 2007, pumping out three number one hits and five Top 5 singles, while longtime favorites The Eagles and Linkin Park made comebacks that landed them on the list.
Top 10 Albums of the Year
Here are the Top 10 albums of the year, through the first week of December, though Nielsen notes that album sales increase during the holiday season.
1. High School Musical 2 - Soundtrack
2. Daughtry - "Daughtry"
3. Linkin Park - "Minutes to Midnight"
4. Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus - Soundtrack
5. Fergie - "Dutchess"
6. The Eagles - "Long Road Out of Eden"
7. Kanye West - "Graduation"
8. Nickelback - "All the Right Reasons"
9. Akon - "Konvicted"
10. Josh Groben - "Noel"
Source: Neilsen Media Research
Amazon.com's "Best Music of 2007" breaks down the year's hottest albums by genre and gathers the editors' picks as well as the customer favorites for the year's best jams.
Top 10 Most Downloaded Songs
With much of the audience moving to iPods and digital downloads, it can be argued that the most downloaded songs of the year are a better reflection of popularity than CD sales. According to Nielsen and Billboard Hot Digital Songs, the virtual winners are:
1. "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" - Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
2. "Big Girls Don't Cry" - Fergie
3. "Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani
4. "Makes Me Wonder" - Maroon 5
5. "Hey There Delilah" - The Plain White T's
6. "Way I Are" - Timbaland
7. "Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')" - T-Pain featuring Yung Joc
8. "Stronger" - Kanye West
9. "Cupid's Chokehold (featuring Patrick Stump)" - Gym Class Heroes
10. "Apologize" - Timbaland, featuring One Republic
Source: Neilsen Media Research
The list published by Apple's iTunes in early December tells a different story. The top hits of 2007, according to iTunes are:
1. Fergie - "Big Girls Don't Cry"
2. Gwen Stefani - "The Sweet Escape"
3. Plain White T's - "Hey There Delilah"
4. Avril Lavigne - "Girlfriend"
5. Fergie - "Glamorous"
6. Kanye West - "Stronger"
7. Maroon 5 - "Makes Me Wonder"
8. Akon - "Don't Matter"
9. Timbaland (featuring Keri Hilson & D.O.E.) - "The Way I Are"
10. Shop Boyz - "Party Like a Rock Star"
Most Downloaded Albums of 2007
In the same December release, iTunes also named their most-downloaded albums of the year.
1. Maroon 5 - "It Won't Be Soon Before Long"
2. Amy Winehouse - "Back to Black"
3. Kanye West - "Graduation"
4. Daughtry - "Daughtry"
5. Colbie Caillat - "Coco"
6. Linkin Park - "Minutes to Midnight"
7. Various artists - "High School Musical 2" soundtrack
8. Timbaland - Timbaland Presents: "Shock Value"
9. John Mayer - "Continuum"
10. Various artists - "Hairspray" soundtrack
Top 10 Most Played Songs on the Radio
No, it's not Rihanna's "Umbrella" (but that did make the list). Check out what dominated the airwaves last year and relive every song that made you want to throw the radio out the window.
1. "Buy U a Drank" - T-Pain, featuring Yung Joc
2. "Say It Right" - Nelly Furtado
3. "Irreplaceable/Irreemplazable" - Beyonce
4. "Big Girls Don't Cry" - Fergie
5. "Sweet Escape" -Gwen Stefani, featuring Akon
6. "It's Not Over" - Daughtry
7. "Before He Cheats" - Carrie Underwood
8. "Umbrella" - Rihanna, featuring Jay-Z
9. "How To Save a Life" - The Fray
10. "Home" - Daughtry
Source: Nielsen Media Research
