This is an interesting question, as the charts are usually a top 40, 50, 75 or even 100. Obviously #1 is a huge hit, and top ten to twenty to me classifies as a hit.

Would a single that say made #35 be a hit or is that a middle to low ranker?

I'd like to hear your responses.

I think the boundaries of a "hit" are quite blurred. Thinking back to my chart-listening days I guess I think of a proper hit as being top 20, or perhaps top 40 but hanging around for a while and becoming "known".

Actual sales numbers probably play a part too - maybe 100,000 old skool copies sold is a hit? I don't know. A certification of silver, gold or platinum certainly is!

I believe it's all different these days with streams and such in the millions.

Traditionally, I tended to take the view that a song was a hit if it made the Top 20.

Nowadays, I tend to view it as a hit if it makes the Top 40.

Butterfield wrote:

I think the boundaries of a "hit" are quite blurred. Thinking back to my chart-listening days I guess I think of a proper hit as being top 20, or perhaps top 40 but hanging around for a while and becoming "known".

Actual sales numbers probably play a part too - maybe 100,000 old skool copies sold is a hit? I don't know. A certification of silver, gold or platinum certainly is!

I believe it's all different these days with streams and such in the millions.

Interesting concept there. I do think a long running Top 40 entry is a hit, especially as there are well known songs that only made the 30s and 40s. I think streaming has altered the whole sales concept somewhat, especially as that virtually dictates the chart (and makes it very static sadly.

The Call of the Wendigo wrote:

Traditionally, I tended to take the view that a song was a hit if it made the Top 20.

Nowadays, I tend to view it as a hit if it makes the Top 40.

I'd say that's a fair concept. Streaming has altered things somewhat.

Unusually for me, I wouldn't use a numerical definition. A song is a hit if you hear people talking about it (positively or negatively), or people react to it when it comes on the radio. Also if people remember it when it's no longer popular.

('People' here meaning people other than fans of the artist).

I think that could be true too. But what about something like The Day Before You Came by ABBA, which only reached number 32? It's thought of as a failure chart wise but people still talk about that.

In that case I suppose you can also judge whether something was a hit based on an act's previous success. Take a Bow by Madonna stalled at something like number 16 after a long run of top 10 singles and was classed as a failure!

Top 10.