The hit parade is the list of songs most popular at any given time. The term originated in the late 1930s and has also been used for broadcast programs featuring hit tunes, such as Your Hit Parade, which was broadcast on radio and television in the United States for many years. // Events and trends The 1930s were spent struggling for a solution to the global depression. ... Your Hit Parade was a popular United States music radio and television program. ...

Through the late 1940s, the term was definitely a list of songs, not a list of records. Typically, in those times, when a song became a hit, it was recorded by several different artists. In later years, such rerecording was called covering a song, and often rejected by fans of particular artists. // Events and trends The 1940s were dominated by World War II, the most destructive armed conflict in history. ... In pop music a cover version is a new rendition of a previously recorded song. ...

As rock and roll became popular, it was more difficult for generic singers to cover the tunes. It is said that Your Hit Parade was nearly cancelled after many weeks of unsuccessful attempts by big band singer Snooky Lanson to perform Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog". The program finally ended in 1959. Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... A big band, also known as a jazz orchestra, is a large musical ensemble that plays jazz music, especially swing. ... Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977, born Elvis Aron Presley), also known as The King of Rock and Roll or The King, was an American singer and actor. ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The term is still used, as in the title of the popular magazine, Hit Parader.

Related Topics

• Top 40