The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play and Hot Dance Club Play among others) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by Billboard magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the United States.
History The Dance Club Songs chart underwent several incarnations since its inception in 1974. Originally a top-10 list of tracks that garnered the largest audience response in New York City nightclubs, the chart began on October 26, 1974, under the title Disco Action. The chart went on to feature playlists from various cities around the country from week to week. Billboard continued to run regional and city-specific charts throughout 1975 and 1976 until the issue dated August 28, 1976, when a 30-position National Disco Action Top 30 premiered. The first number-one song on the chart for the issue dated August 28, 1976, was "You Should Be Dancing" by the Bee Gees, spending five weeks atop the chart and the group's only number-one song on the chart.
The chart would continue to be published continuously for over 40 years, but with changes in the number of chart positions and in the chart title, with disco, dance and/or club in the chart name. The chart soon expanded to 40 positions, then in 1979 the chart expanded to 60 positions, then 80, and eventually the chart reached 100 positions from September 1979 until 1981, when the chart was reduced back to 80. During the first half of the 1980s, the chart maintained 80 slots until March 16, 1985, when the Disco charts were splintered and renamed. Two charts appeared: Hot Dance/Disco: Club Play, which ranked club play (at 50 positions), and Hot Dance Music: Maxi-Singles Sales, which ranked 12-inch single (or maxi-single) sales (also 50 positions, later reduced to 10 and discontinued in 2013, since replaced by Dance/Electronic Digital Songs).
On January 26, 2013, Billboard introduced the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, which tracks the 50 most popular dance and electronic songs as determined by Billboard based on digital single sales, streaming, radio airplay across all formats, and club play, with Dance Club Songs serving as the club play component to the multi-metric chart.
On March 31, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the closures of clubs, Billboard suspended the chart. The last number-one song, for the issue dated March 28, 2020, was "Love Hangover 2020" by Diana Ross. Even after the pandemic receded and club attendance increased again, Billboard did not revive the chart nor publish any information about a possible revival, effectively ending the nearly 44-year run of the chart.
Statistics and Record World data Although the disco chart began reporting popular songs in New York City nightclubs, Billboard soon expanded coverage to feature multiple charts each week which highlighted playlists in various cities such as San Francisco, San Diego, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Phoenix, Detroit, and Houston. During this time, Billboard rival publication Record World was the first to compile a dance chart which incorporated club play on a national level. Noted Billboard statistician Joel Whitburn later "adopted" Record World′s chart data from the weeks between March 29, 1975, and August 21, 1976, into Billboard′s club play history. For the sake of continuity, Record World′s national chart is incorporated into both Whitburn's Dance/Disco publication (via his Record Research company) as well as the 1975 and 1976 number-ones lists.
With the issue dated August 28, 1976, Billboard premiered its own national chart, the National Disco Action Top 30, and their data is used from this date forward.
In January 2017, Billboard proclaimed Madonna as the most successful artist in the history of the chart, ranking her first in their list of the 100 top all-time dance artists. Madonna holds the record for the most number-one songs with 50. Katy Perry holds the record for having 18 consecutive number-one songs. Perry's third studio album, Teenage Dream (2010), became the first album in the history of the chart to produce at least seven number-one songs by a lead artist. It held this record until Rihanna's eighth studio album Anti produced eight chart-toppers from 2016 to 2017. Rihanna is the only artist to have achieved five number-one songs in a calendar year.
Artist achievements Top 10 artists of all-time (1976–2016) Rank Artist name Ref.1Madonna2Janet Jackson3Rihanna4Beyoncé5Pet Shop Boys6Donna Summer7Mariah Carey8Kristine W9Jennifer Lopez10Depeche Mode
Most number ones
+ Fifteen number-ones or more Position Artist name Tally of number-ones 1 Madonna 50 2 Rihanna 33 3 Beyoncé 22 4 Janet Jackson 205 Katy Perry196 Jennifer Lopez18 7 Mariah Carey 17 Kristine W9 Donna Summer16 10 Lady Gaga 15
Most consecutive number-ones
+ Number of songs Artist name First hit and date Last hit and date Streak breaking song and date 18 Katy Perry "Waking Up in Vegas" "Swish Swish" (featuring Nicki Minaj) "Bon Appétit" (featuring Migos) 11 Jennifer Lopez "Qué Hiciste" "Live It Up" (featuring Pitbull) "I Luh Ya Papi" (featuring French Montana) 9 Kristine W "Feel What You Want" "The Wonder of It All" "I'll Be Your Light" Beyoncé "Diva" "Countdown"Following "Video Phone", "Run the World Girls", "Best Thing I Never Had" and "Countdown" reached number-one:
"End of Time" Erika Jayne "Rollercoaster" "How Many Fucks" 8 Kylie Minogue "All The Lovers" "Into The Blue" "I Was Gonna Cancel" 7 Janet Jackson "When I Think of You" "Alright""Black Cat" Madonna "Causing a Commotion" "Justify My Love" "Rescue Me" "Nothing Really Matters" "Impressive Instant" "GHV2 Megamix"
Most number-ones in a calendar year
+ Number of songs Artist name Year charted Name of songs Ref. 5 Rihanna 2017 "Love on the Brain", "Sex with Me", "Pose", "Wild Thoughts" (DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller), "Desperado" 4 2007 "We Ride", "Umbrella" (featuring Jay-Z), "Don't Stop the Music", "Shut Up and Drive" 2010 "Russian Roulette", "Hard" (featuring Jeezy), "Rude Boy", "Only Girl (In the World)" 2011 "Who's That Chick?" (David Guetta featuring Rihanna), "S&M", "California King Bed", "We Found Love" (featuring Calvin Harris) 2016 "Work" (featuring Drake), "This Is What You Came For" (Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna), "Kiss It Better", "Needed Me" Beyoncé 2009 "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", "Diva", "Halo", "Sweet Dreams" Lady Gaga"Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Paparazzi", "Bad Romance" 2011 "Born This Way", "Judas", "The Edge of Glory", "You and I" Katy Perry 2014 "Unconditionally", "Dark Horse" (featuring Juicy J), "Birthday", "This Is How We Do"
Quickest collection of first 10 number-ones
Artist Songs Time span Ref. Lady Gaga "Poker Face" (first, February 21, 2009) "LoveGame" "Paparazzi" "Bad Romance" "Telephone", featuring Beyoncé "Video Phone", Beyoncé featuring Lady Gaga "Alejandro" "Born This Way" "Judas" "The Edge of Glory" (tenth, August 4, 2011) Two years, five months Katy Perry "Waking Up in Vegas" (first, August 22, 2009) "California Gurls", featuring Snoop Dogg "Teenage Dream" "Peacock" "Firework" "E.T." "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" "The One That Got Away" "Part of Me" "Wide Awake" (tenth, August 4, 2012) Two years, eleven months Rihanna "Pon de Replay" (first, October 8, 2005) "SOS" "Unfaithful" "We Ride" "Umbrella", featuring Jay-Z "Don't Stop the Music" "Shut Up and Drive" "Disturbia" "Russian Roulette" "Hard" featuring Jeezy (tenth, March 6, 2010) Four years, five months Madonna "Holiday/Lucky Star" (first, September 24, 1983) "Like a Virgin" "Material Girl" "Angel/Into the Groove" "Open Your Heart" "Causing a Commotion" You Can Dance (LP Cuts) "Like a Prayer" "Express Yourself" "Keep It Together" (tenth, March 31, 1990) Six years, six months
Song achievements
Most weeks at number one Number of weeksArtist(s)Song(s)Year(s)11Michael Jackson Thriller (all cuts)19839Change"A Lover's Holiday"/"The Glow Of Love"/"Searching"19808Chic"Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)"/"Everybody Dance"/"You Can Get By"19777Village PeopleVillage People (all cuts)T-Connection"Do What You Wanna Do"Chic"Le Freak"/"I Want Your Love"/"Chic Cheer"1978-79Donna Summer"Hot Stuff"/"Bad Girls"1979Geraldine Hunt"Can't Fake the Feeling"1980Chaz Jankel"Glad to Know You"/"3,000,000 Synths"/"Ai No Corrida"1982
Shortest climbs to number one Number of weeksArtist(s)SongYear(s)3Prince"When Doves Cry"/"17 Days"1984ABC"Be Near Me"1985Colonel Abrams "I'm Not Gonna Let (You Get The Best Of Me)"19864T-Connection"Do What You Wanna Do"1977The Trammps"Disco Inferno"/"Starvin'"/"Body Contact Contract"Daryl Hall & John Oates"Say It Isn't So"1983Deniece Williams"Let's Hear It for the Boy"1984Madonna"Like A Virgin"Aretha Franklin"Freeway Of Love"1985The Human League "Human"1986Company B "Fascinated"1987Michael Jackson "Bad"Madonna"Like A Prayer"1989Janet Jackson "Miss You Much"Black Box featuring Martha Wash"Everybody Everybody"1990C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams and Martha Wash"Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"Madonna"Erotica" 1992 Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson"Scream" 1995Mariah Carey"Honey" 1997Madonna"Beautiful Stranger"1999"Music"2000"Impressive Instant"2001"Hung Up"2005The Pussycat Dolls featuring Busta Rhymes"Don't Cha"Beyoncé & Shakira"Beautiful Liar"2007Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland"4 Minutes"2008Lady Gaga"Bad Romance" 2010
Longest climbs to number one 19th week — "Wordy Rappinghood"/"Genius of Love" by Tom Tom Club 19th week — "Walking on a Dream" by Empire of the Sun 17th week — "Losing It" by Fisher 16th week — "The Look of Love" by ABC 16th week — "Most Precious Love" by Blaze presents U.D.A.U.F.L. featuring Barbara Tucker 16th week — "Where Have You Been" by Rihanna 16th week — "Right Now" by Rihanna featuring David Guetta Sources:
Biggest jump to number one (27–1) Thriller (all cuts) by Michael Jackson
Number-one songs covered by different artists "The Boss" — Diana Ross (1979), The Braxtons (1997), Kristine W (2008), and again Diana Ross (2019). "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" — Sylvester (1978) and Byron Stingily (1998) "Back to Life" — Soul II Soul (1989) and Hilary Roberts (2019). "Keep on Jumpin'" — Musique (1978) and Todd Terry with Martha Wash & Jocelyn Brown (1996)Hot Dance Club Songs, Billboard.com, issue date August 10, 1996
Album achievements
Most number-one songs from one album + Five number-ones or more Artist name Album Number-ones Titles of songs Ref. Rihanna Anti 8 "Work" (featuring Drake) "Kiss It Better" "Needed Me" "Love on the Brain" "Sex with Me" "Pose" "Desperado" "Consideration" (featuring SZA) Kristine W The Power of Music 7 "Walk Away" (Tony Moran featuring Kristine W) "The Boss" "Never" "Love Is the Look" "Be Alright" "The Power of Music" "Fade" Katy Perry Teenage Dream "California Gurls" (featuring Snoop Dogg) "Teenage Dream" "Peacock" "Firework" "E.T." "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" "The One That Got Away" Beyoncé I Am... Sasha Fierce 6 "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" "Diva" "Halo" "Sweet Dreams" "Why Don't You Love Me" "Video Phone" Dua Lipa Dua Lipa: Complete Edition "Be the One" "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)" "IDGAF" "New Rules" "One Kiss" "Electricity"Madonna Music 5 "American Pie" "Music" "Don't Tell Me" "What It Feels Like for a Girl" "Impressive Instant" American Life "Die Another Day" "American Life" "Hollywood" "Nothing Fails" "Love Profusion" Lady Gaga Born This Way "Born This Way" "Judas" "The Edge of Glory" "Yoü and I" "Marry the Night" Katy Perry Prism "Roar" "Unconditionally" "Dark Horse" (featuring Juicy J) "Birthday" "This Is How We Do"
Records and other achievements
Madonna holds the record for the most chart hits, the most top-twenty hits, the most top-ten hits and the most total weeks at number one (75 weeks). Enrique Iglesias, Dave Audé, Pitbull, and David Guetta are tied with 14 number-ones on the chart, the most among male artists.