2023

THE STATE OF THE

The Songwriting and Production Trends Driving the Top 10

Preview with Select Report Highlights

 For over a decade, the Hit Songs Deconstructed IMMERSION™ database has been
delivering valuable, real-time intelligence on the characteristics shaping the
songs that land in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Unlike AI-powered analytics, each song is manually analyzed and every data
point is vetted in accordance with HSD's proprietary methodologies for accuracy.

The State of the Hot 100 Top 10 report provides critical insight into how today's
most successful songs are evolving and takes a deep dive into trends pertaining
to primary genres, sub-genres/influences, instruments, lead vocals (gender,
vocal delivery, etc.), lyrics (lyrical theme, title placement and appearances, etc.),
song structure (key, tempo, song length, etc.), song sections (intro
characteristics, first chorus occurrence, post-chorus types, etc.), and much more.

• Data is exclusively for the Billboard Hot 100 top 10.

• Data related to compositional characteristics are propriety to Hit Songs

Deconstructed.
• Songs are analyzed using the Hit Songs Deconstructed methodologies and do

not make use of AI.

• At times percentages may not add up to exactly 100% due to numbers being

rounded up or down.
• Data in this report excludes holiday songs.

What follows is a preview

with select highlights from the report.

© 2024 Hit Songs Deconstructed™. All rights reserved. Page 2 of 21

 73 Hot 100
Top 10 Hits

In 2023 there were 73 songs that charted

in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100,
with 17 hitting the top spot.

© 2024 Hit Songs Deconstructed™. All rights reserved. Page 3 of 21

 Performing, crafting, and
representing 2023's top 10
hits were 55 performing
55
artists, 249 credited PERFORMING ARTISTS
songwriters, 131 credited
producers, and 20 record
labels.
249
CREDITED SONGWRITERS

131
CREDITED PRODUCERS
20
RECORD LABELS

© 2024 Hit Songs Deconstructed™. All rights reserved. Page 4 of 21

 Top Performers
Taylor Swift took the lead with 11 top 10 Hits and 3 #1s.

Jack Antonoff received the most behind the scenes songwriter and producer credits, all of
which were in collaboration with Taylor Swift

Republic was the top label with 28 top 10s and seven #1s, largely due to the success of Taylor
Swift, Drake and Morgan Wallen.

Performing Artist
TAYLOR SWIFT

Behind the Scenes Songwriter

JACK ANTONOFF (7)

Behind the Scenes Producer

JACK ANTONOFF (9)

Record Label
REPUBLIC (28)

© 2024 Hit Songs Deconstructed™. All rights reserved. Page 5 of 21

 Smaller Songwriting Teams
While songwriting teams of five or more
writers are still most common, they've seen
a significant drop so far in 2023. On the flip
side, songwriting teams of three writers
more than doubled over 2022, rising to
nearly one quarter of songs.

© 2024 Hit Songs Deconstructed™. All rights reserved. Page 6 of 21

 Production Teams of 5+ Doubled
Teams of two producers were the
most common in both 2022 and
2023. Songs with a single producer
have generally been in decline
since 2020, falling from 41% of
songs to 26%. Production teams of
5+ are still in the minority, but have
been on the rise since 2019. They
doubled from 8% to 16% between
2022 and 2023.

© 2024 Hit Songs Deconstructed™. All rights reserved. Page 7 of 21

 7
Shaping the sound and vibe of
2023's top 10s are seven
primary genres, 33 sub-genres
and influences, 26 prominent
PRIMARY GENRES
instruments, and seven lyrical
themes.

33
SUB-GENRES & INFLUENCES

26
INSTRUMENTS

7
LYRICAL THEMES

© 2024 Hit Songs Deconstructed™. All rights reserved. Page 8 of 21

Primary Genres
Country, dance/club/electronic, R&B/soul, Latin and rock all increased in prominence in

2023.

Country was the big gainer, surging from just 4% of songs in 2022 to 15% in 2023, its
highest level in over a decade. This is largely thanks to Morgan Wallen, who accounted for
nearly half of the year's country hits.

© 2024 Hit Songs Deconstructed™. All rights reserved. Page 9 of 21

Primary Genres
While pop and hip hop remain the dominant genres in the Hot 100 top 10, they have both
been in decline.

Pop
Pop has been in decline
since 2019, dropping
from a 47% share down
to just 29% in 2023, its
lowest level since 2018.

Hip Hop
While hip hop's
prominence has been
up and down in recent
years, it plummeted
from from 38% of songs
in 2022 down to just
23% in 2023, its lowest
level since 2016.

© 2024 Hit Songs Deconstructed™. All rights reserved. Page 10 of 21

 Sub-Genres and Influences
Thirty-three sub-genres and

33
influences shaped the
sound and vibe of Hot 100
top 10 hits in 2023. Of them,
23 were genre influences,
SUB-GENRES & INFLUENCES
six geographic, and five
time-period.

23
GENRE INFLUENCES

5
GEOGRAPHIC INFLUENCES

5
TIME-PERIOD INFLUENCES

© 2024 Hit Songs Deconstructed™. All rights reserved. Page 12 of 21

 Sub-Genres and Influences
Pop was an influence present in the vast majority of top 10s in 2023, helping to shape the
sound and vibe of songs both within and outside the pop primary genre. Hip hop/rap
followed distantly at just over half, and R&B/soul rounded out the top 3 with a 37% share.

Only six genre influences were featured in over one-quarter of songs. In addition to pop, hip
hop/rap and R&B/soul are rock, electropop/synthpop and trap.

Latin was the most popular geographic influence for the third-straight year at 10% of
songs. The 1980s were the most popular time period influence, also for the third-straight
year at 22% of songs. Among them are a slew of hits from Taylor Swift's "Midnights" album,
Coi Leray's "Players," and Harry Styles megahit, "As It Was," among others.

© 2024 Hit Songs Deconstructed™. All rights reserved. Page 13 of 21

 Lyrical Themes
Love/relationships was the most popular
lyrical theme and has been on the rise since
2020, increasing from 49% of songs to 64%.

Love-lost subject matter outweighed being

in love 38% to 25%, with notable
representatives including the chart-toppers
"Flowers," "Kill Bill," and "Vampire," among
others.

64%
LOVE/RELATIONSHIPS

© 2024 Hit Songs Deconstructed™. All rights reserved. Page 14 of 21

 Prominent Instruments

26
While still in the majority, songs featuring synth and
synth bass have been in decline. From 2021 to 2023,
their use fell from 94% to 78% and 87% to 74% of songs, PROMINENT
respectively. INSTRUMENTS

The use of primarily electronic drums/percussion

notably plunged between 2022 and 2023, dropping from
64% of songs down to just 45%, it's lowest level in a
19
FEATURED
decade. IN 2+ SONGS

Synth Primarily Electronic

& Synth Bass Drums/Percussion

© 2024 Hit Songs Deconstructed™. All rights reserved. Page 15 of 21

 First Chorus Occurrence
The most popular first chorus occurrence ranges were the 0:20-0:39 and 0:40-59 ranges.

Notably, there was an increase in songs getting to the first chorus after the one-minute
mark. With 22% of songs, the range is at its highest level in over a decade.

1:00 + Range
Highest in Over a Decade

© 2024 Hit Songs Deconstructed™. All rights reserved. Page 17 of 21

 Post-Chorus
Post-chorus popularity in the Hot 100 top 10 has more than doubled since 2021. It was used
in hits from every primary genre, including country ("Last Night"), hip hop ("Paint The Town
Red") and pop ("Flowers"), among others.

Use of a Post-Chorus Chorus Backing Music

For the first time since 2016,
more than half of top 10 hits
included a post-chorus in their
framework.
The most popular post-chorus
characteristic was the use of the
preceding chorus's backing music,
After dropping to just 20% in 2021, the
use of chorus backing music in post-
choruses more than doubled to 44%.

© 2024 Hit Songs Deconstructed™. All rights reserved. Page 18 of 21

 Endings
Resolved Endings
Since 2020, false (harmonically
In 2019 resolved endings were most common.
unresolved) endings have been Following their substantial drop off in 2020,
most common, accounting for they began to rise again, nearly closing the gap
with false endings in 2023.
44% of songs in 2023. However,
resolved endings have been on
the rise and followed right behind Fade Outs
Songs that fade out have become less popular,
at 42%, while the others faded
dropping from 23% to 14% of songs since 2020.
out.

*Note that fadeout endings do not have any harmonic resolution.

© 2024 Hit Songs Deconstructed™. All rights reserved. Page 19 of 21

 2023
THE STATE OF THE

The Songwriting and Production Trends Driving the Top 10

Preview with Select Report Highlights