{"id":592181,"date":"2026-08-13T16:34:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T16:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/592181\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T16:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T16:34:11","slug":"best-no-2-hits-greatest-pop-stars-podcast-dicussion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/592181\/","title":{"rendered":"Best No. 2 Hits Greatest Pop Stars Podcast Dicussion"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tAll week on Billboard.com, we\u2019ve been celebrating the canon of No. 2 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 \u2014 the songs that came as close as they could to ruling the chart, but for one reason or another couldn\u2019t quite make that final leap. On Tuesday (Aug. 11), we published a list of our staff\u2019s 100 favorite such hits<\/a>, including some signature hits by some of the greatest hitmakers in chart history, as well as some songs that serve as their respective artists\u2019 lone legacy, and plenty of songs in between that we\u2019ve loved for decades, and best capture to us what a No. 2 hit is and should be.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tExplore\t\t<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n

\n\tOn this week\u2019s episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast<\/a>, we discuss the art of the No. 2 hit, and whether there is something meaningful or maybe even a little mystical to peaking at the runner-up spot on the chart. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by regular guest Eric Frankenberg<\/a> of the Billboard charts team to break down the top 10 of our list, as well as sharing some personal picks for songs that could have stood to be a little higher or lower on the list \u2014\u00a0or that should\u2019ve made the list at all, or not \u2014\u00a0as well as some favorite No. 2-related quirks in chart history.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlong the way, we discuss all the most pressing questions about No. 2 hits: Does Queen\u2019s \u201cBohemian Rhapsody\u201d feel more or less like an appropriately representative No. 2 hit for the fact that it took 17 years to get there? Is it a poetically brutal insult for a song to finish second on a list of the best No. 2 hits \u2014\u00a0or somehow the ultimate compliment? When did \u201cPurple Rain\u201d become the most celebrated Prince hit? How did the Ronettes\u2019 \u201cBe My Baby\u201d get held at No. 2 by a song virtually no one remembers? Should Christina Aguilera\u2019s \u201cBeautiful\u201d get more credit as an all-timer? Do we actually care about the Village People\u2019s \u201cY.M.C.A.\u201d as a song? And perhaps most importantly: Does a No. 2 hit still mean the same thing it used to, when such hits are less automatically ubiquitous than they used to be, and when pushing a song that final top spot up the chart seems more achievable for properly motivated artists than ever?<\/p>\n

\n\tCheck it out above, along with a Spotify playlist of all 100 of our favorite No. 2 hits, and subscribe to the\u00a0Greatest Pop Stars podcast<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Apple Music<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Spotify<\/a>\u00a0(or wherever you get your\u00a0podcasts<\/a>) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd find links to some of our No. 2 articles this week here:<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 100 Best No. 2 Hits: Staff List<\/a>
15 Amazing Facts & Feats About No. 2 Hot 100 Hits<\/a>
These 12 Artists Reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 With Their First Hit \u2014 Then Never Made the Chart Again
<\/a>How Three Artists Scored No. 2 Hot 100 Hits Without Doing Anything on the Songs<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tAnd as we say in every one of these GPS podcast posts \u2014 if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights:<\/p>\n

\n\tTransgender Law Center<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tTrans Lifeline<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tDestination Tomorrow<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tGender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tHuman Rights Campaign \u2013 In Your Area<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

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