A Pair of Graphs Demonstrating the Obscurity of Hit Songs From Years Past

Culture blog A Very Small Array has created a pair of graphs demonstrating the relative obscurity of the top 10 hit songs from 1900 to present. The obscurity was calculated using metrics from Google, Wikipedia and Scrobbles on Last.fm. The first graph follows a fairly predictable pattern of increased chronological obscurity, while the second adjusts things for time.

Surprise. With a few exceptions, songs popular during the adolescence of people still alive today are much more popular than songs and racist comedy routines recorded during the reign of Queen Victoria. So let’s adjust the scores by the year of release and see what shakes out.

The graph’s creator has also put together a Spotify playlist of the most obscure songs.

images via A Very Small Array

via Waxy