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\nWhen Tom Breihan launched his Stereogum column in early 2018, \u201cThe Number Ones\u201d\u2014a space in which he has been writing about every #1 hit in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, in chronological order\u2014he figured he\u2019d post capsule-size reviews for each song. But there was so \nmuch more to uncover. The column has taken on a life of its own, sparking online debate and occasional death threats.\nThe Billboard Hot 100 began in 1958, and after four years of posting the column, Breihan is still in the early aughts. But readers no longer have to \nwait for his brilliant synthesis of what the history of #1s has meant to music and our culture. In THE NUMBER ONES: Twenty Chart Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music (Hachette Books), Breihan writes about twenty pivotal #1s throughout chart history, revealing a remarkably fluid \nand connected story of music that is as entertaining as it is enlightening.\n

THE NUMBER ONES features the greatest pop artists of all time, from the Brill Building songwriters \nto the Beatles and the Beach Boys; from Motown to Michael Jackson, Prince, and Mariah Carey; and \nfrom the digital revolution to the K-pop system. Breihan also ponders great artists who have never hit \nthe top spot, like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and James Brown. Breihan illuminates what makes \nindelible ear candy across the decades\u2014including dance crazes, recording innovations, television \nphenomena, disco, AOR, MTV, rap, compact discs, mp3s, social media, memes, and much more\u2014\nleaving readers to wonder what could possibly happen next.\n

Tom Breihan is the senior editor at the music website Stereogum, where he writes "The Number Ones," \na column where he reviews every #1 hit in the history of the Billboard Hot 100. He's written for Pitchfork, \nthe Village Voice, the AV Club, GQ, and the Ringer, among others. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, \nwith his wife and kids. He is seven feet tall\n\n