46 albums · 2015

Radio 2015: the albums whose songs were on the radio in 2015

· 2 min read · by 1001 Albums

In 2015 the radio played Adele's Hello, Mark Ronson's Uptown Funk, Years & Years' King, Jess Glynne's Hold My Hand, James Bay's Hold Back the River, Jamie Lawson's Wasn't Expecting That, Little Mix's Black Magic, One Direction's Drag Me Down and Ellie Goulding's Love Me like You Do in Britain, and Major Lazer's Lean On, Selena Gomez's Good for You, Demi Lovato's Cool for the Summer, Meghan Trainor's Lips Are Movin, Fifth Harmony's Worth It, Jason Derulo's Want to Want Me and Halsey's New Americana in America. Florence + the Machine's Ship to Wreck, Muse's Dead Inside, Mumford & Sons' Believe, Foals' Mountain at My Gates, Wolf Alice's Giant Peach, Coldplay's Adventure of a Lifetime, Twenty One Pilots' Stressed Out, Fall Out Boy's Centuries, Elle King's Ex's & Oh's and Bring Me the Horizon's Throne were the year's rock, Fetty Wap's Trap Queen, Kendrick Lamar's Alright and Travis Scott's Antidote were hip hop's, Leon Bridges's Coming Home was soul's, and Chris Stapleton's Tennessee Whiskey, Thomas Rhett's Die a Happy Man and Luke Bryan's Kick the Dust Up came from country.

From Canada came Justin Bieber's Sorry and Love Yourself, the Weeknd's Can't Feel My Face, Drake's Energy, Shawn Mendes's Stitches, Alessia Cara's Here and Carly Rae Jepsen's I Really Like You, from Jamaica OMI's Cheerleader, and from Australia Tame Impala's Let It Happen, Courtney Barnett's Pedestrian at Best and Troye Sivan's Youth. Beyond the English-speaking world the radio played Avicii's Waiting for Love, Lukas Graham's 7 Years and Måns Zelmerlöw's Heroes.

The list has 46 albums that came out in 2015, chosen from memory of what was played, not from a chart. It leaves out the hits of 2015 whose albums came out the year before, Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud, Taylor Swift's Blank Space and Shake It Off, Hozier's Take Me to Church, Sia's Chandelier, Walk the Moon's Shut Up and Dance, Maroon 5's Sugar and Nick Jonas's Jealous among them. About 37 hours of music, 5 days of a few albums each.

By genre

Pop 28%Rock 23%Soul & R&B 13%Other 36%
  • Pop 28%
  • Rock 23%
  • Soul & R&B 13%
  • Other 36%

The genres named most: pop, dance-pop, electronic, alternative rock, contemporary r&b, country.

The colours of the covers

A stripe for each cover, in the colour Tidal picks from it, sorted by hue; the greys at the end.

Where the music comes from

Music from 7 countries: United Kingdom 16, United States 16, Canada 6, Australia 3, Jamaica 2 and 2 more. The deeper the colour, the more albums: one, two to four, five to nine, ten and more.

The 2010s

More lists

Lists of On the radio first, then others; all of them on the blog. The blog.

46 albums · 1970

Radio 1970: the albums whose songs were on the radio in 1970

· 2 min read

In 1970 the radio played Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water and Cecilia, the Beatles' Let It Be, George Harrison's My Sweet Lord, the Carpenters' (They Long to Be) Close to You and We've Only Just Begun, the Partridge Family's I Think I Love You, Bread's Make It with You, James Taylor's Fire and Rain, Elton John's Your Song, Neil Diamond's Cracklin' Rosie, Elvis Presley's I Just Can't Help Believin', Badfinger's No Matter What, the Kinks' Lola, the Moody Blues' Question and Van Morrison's Moondance.

Rock 53%Pop 19%Soul & R&B 15%Other 13%
  • Rock 53%
  • Pop 19%
  • Soul & R&B 15%
  • Other 13%

Read and see the list

46 albums · 1971

Radio 1971: the albums whose songs were on the radio in 1971

· 2 min read

In 1971 the radio played Carole King's It's Too Late and I Feel the Earth Move, James Taylor's You've Got a Friend, Rod Stewart's Maggie May, John Lennon's Imagine, Paul and Linda McCartney's Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, Cat Stevens's Peace Train and Moonshadow, Don McLean's American Pie, Nilsson's Without You, the Bee Gees' How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, Three Dog Night's An Old Fashioned Love Song, the Carpenters' Rainy Days and Mondays and Superstar, the Osmonds' One Bad Apple, Paul Revere and the Raiders' Indian Reservation, Tom Jones's She's a Lady, Cher's Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves, Melanie's Brand New Key, Carly Simon's Anticipation, Elton John's Tiny Dancer and Levon and Mungo Jerry's Baby Jump.

Rock 51%Pop 22%Soul & R&B 19%Other 8%
  • Rock 51%
  • Pop 22%
  • Soul & R&B 19%
  • Other 8%

Read and see the list

46 albums · 1972

Radio 1972: the albums whose songs were on the radio in 1972

· 2 min read

In 1972 the radio played Neil Young's Heart of Gold, Elton John's Rocket Man and Honky Cat, America's Ventura Highway, Looking Glass's Brandy (You're a Fine Girl), Mac Davis's Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me, Seals and Crofts' Summer Breeze, Jim Croce's You Don't Mess Around with Jim and Operator, Harry Chapin's Taxi, Jackson Browne's Doctor My Eyes, Paul Simon's Mother and Child Reunion, the Doobie Brothers' Listen to the Music, the Eagles' Take It Easy, Steely Dan's Do It Again, Chicago's Saturday in the Park, Argent's Hold Your Head Up, Rod Stewart's You Wear It Well, Carly Simon's You're So Vain and Donna Fargo's country song The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.

Rock 41%Pop 23%Soul & R&B 22%Other 14%
  • Rock 41%
  • Pop 23%
  • Soul & R&B 22%
  • Other 14%

Read and see the list

45 albums · 1973

Radio 1973: the albums whose songs were on the radio in 1973

· 3 min read

In 1973 the radio played Elton John's Daniel, Crocodile Rock and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Paul McCartney and Wings' My Love, Pink Floyd's Money, Jim Croce's Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, Tony Orlando and Dawn's Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree, Paul Simon's Kodachrome, Ringo Starr's Photograph, the Carpenters' Yesterday Once More, Cher's Half-Breed, Diana Ross's Touch Me in the Morning, Roberta Flack's Killing Me Softly with His Song, the Steve Miller Band's The Joker, the Rolling Stones' Angie, Led Zeppelin's D'yer Mak'er, the Doobie Brothers' Long Train Runnin', the Allman Brothers Band's Ramblin' Man, the Eagles' Tequila Sunrise, ZZ Top's La Grange, Lynyrd Skynyrd's Free Bird, Aerosmith's Dream On, the Who's Love, Reign o'er Me and Charlie Rich's country songs Behind Closed Doors and The Most Beautiful Girl.

Rock 50%Soul & R&B 22%Pop 21%Other 7%
  • Rock 50%
  • Soul & R&B 22%
  • Pop 21%
  • Other 7%

Read and see the list

45 albums · 1974

Radio 1974: the albums whose songs were on the radio in 1974

· 2 min read

In 1974 the radio played Eric Clapton's I Shot the Sheriff, Elton John's Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me and The Bitch Is Back, Joni Mitchell's Help Me, Steely Dan's Rikki Don't Lose That Number, Queen's Killer Queen, Supertramp's Dreamer, John Lennon's Whatever Gets You Thru the Night, the Eagles' Best of My Love, Gordon Lightfoot's Sundown, Harry Chapin's Cat's in the Cradle, Paul Anka's (You're) Having My Baby, Barry Manilow's Mandy, Billy Swan's I Can Help, Linda Ronstadt's You're No Good, the Doobie Brothers' Black Water, Bad Company's Can't Get Enough, Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama, David Bowie's Rebel Rebel, Sparks' This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us, Paper Lace's Billy Don't Be a Hero, the Rubettes' Sugar Baby Love and the Bay City Rollers' Shang-a-Lang, and John Denver's Annie's Song and Dolly Parton's Jolene came from country.

Rock 47%Soul & R&B 22%Pop 13%Other 18%
  • Rock 47%
  • Soul & R&B 22%
  • Pop 13%
  • Other 18%

Read and see the list

44 albums · 1975

Radio 1975: the albums whose songs were on the radio in 1975

· 2 min read

In 1975 the radio played Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, the Eagles' One of These Nights and Lyin' Eyes, 10cc's I'm Not in Love, Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run, Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, Elton John's Someone Saved My Life Tonight, Paul McCartney and Wings' Listen to What the Man Said, the Bee Gees' Jive Talkin', the Captain and Tennille's Love Will Keep Us Together, America's Sister Golden Hair, Jefferson Starship's Miracles, Janis Ian's At Seventeen, Linda Ronstadt's Heat Wave, Electric Light Orchestra's Evil Woman, Fleetwood Mac's Over My Head, Aerosmith's Sweet Emotion, Led Zeppelin's Trampled Under Foot, David Bowie's Fame, Rod Stewart's Sailing, Roxy Music's Love Is the Drug, Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel's Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me), the Bay City Rollers' Bye Bye Baby, Smokie's If You Think You Know How to Love Me and Hot Chocolate's You Sexy Thing.

Rock 46%Soul & R&B 20%Pop 18%Other 16%
  • Rock 46%
  • Soul & R&B 20%
  • Pop 18%
  • Other 16%

Read and see the list