In the 1990s, the Billboard Hot 100 rules were quite different, and one key rule kept these 90s hits from entering the chart. This rule required a song to be commercially released as a physical CD or cassette single in stores to be eligible for the main Billboard Hot 100. Those released as airplay singles were placed on the Hot 100 Airplay chart, and not the main chart. Labels feared successful singles would dampen full-length album sales.
In 1998, a rule change meant songs no longer needed a physical commercial release to enter the chart. These three 90s hits were originally barred from entering the Hot 100, but are considered classics today nonetheless.
“Don’t Speak” By No Doubt
One of the clearest examples of this rule in action was “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt. In 1996, the track spent 16 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. The hit single wasn’t issued in the US on a physical CD; therefore, it was excluded from the main Hot 100 list. Still, the song became a huge hit for No Doubt and earned a Song of the Year nomination at the 40th Grammy Awards in 1998.
“Iris” By The Goo Goo Dolls
Initially, this 1998 hit was released on the soundtrack for the film City of Angels. At the time, the Billboard rules barred the single from entering the Hot 100. Regardless, it spent 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. On December 5, 1998, the rules changed, allowing airplay-only songs onto the main chart. Subsequently, “Iris” went to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, the track spent 17 weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Top 40 chart. This was a record at the time, beating No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak”, which spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on the chart.
“Fly” By Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray’s first major hit, “Fly”, is another song that went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. This happened only one year before the rules changed. “Fly” wasn’t released as a commercial physical single. However, the track did peak at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Chart in 1997. Two years later, Sugar Ray’s lead single “Every Morning” from their 1999 sophomore album 14:59 reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, their first to enter the chart.
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