Last week, I started writing something regarding the fact that decreased impact of terrestrial radio airplay has diluted the impact of the "one hit wonder" in relation to past decades. And yet I could never quite string together a cohesive narrative, primarily because the term "hit" at this point seems particularly difficult to qualify. It was much easier to chart a hit when radio airplay held higher cultural significance, or when MTV in fact played a steady rotation of videos, launching certain bands to buzzworthy status before they disappeared into the ether, never to be heard from again, unless they were included on embarrassing mixtape challenges.
But alas, nobody has informed Billboard magazine of the downturn affecting one hit wonders. They rolled out their top 40 of the decade today, and personally I find Daniel Powter's American Idol-fueled victory over James Blunt a significant upset.
While I always enjoy the occasional remembrance of Crazy Town, Billboard's #7 pick seems out of place.
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