American Top 40 - Special Countdowns

Special Countdowns

Occasionally American Top 40 airs special countdowns in place of the regular American Top 40 countdown show. These included1:

• "Top 40 Recording Acts of the Rock Era 1955-1971" (Weekend of May 1–2, 1971)
• "Top 40 Christmas Songs" (Weekend of Dec 25-26, 1971)
• "Top 40 Songs of the Rock Era 1955-1972" (Weekend of July 1–2, 1972)
• "Top 40 Albums of the Week" (Weekend of Aug 5-6, 1972)
• "Top 40 Artists from Sept 1, 1967 to Sept 1, 1972" (Weekend of Sept 30-Oct 1, 1972)
• "Top 40 Songs from March 1968 to March 1973" (Weekend of Apr 7-8, 1973)
• "Top 40 Disappearing Acts" (Weekend of July 7–8, 1973)
• "Top 40 Recording Acts of the Rock Era 1955-1973" (Weekend of Oct 6-7, 1973)
• "Top 40 Christmas Songs" (Weekend of Dec 22-23, 1973)
• "Top 40 Hits of British Artists 1955-1974" (Weekend of Apr 6-7, 1974)
• "Top 40 Acts of the 1970s, So Far" (Weekend of Jul 6-7, 1974)
• "Top 10 Producers of the 1970s" (Weekend of Oct 5-6, 1974)
• "Top 40 Disappearing Acts" (Weekend of Apr 1-2, 1975)
• "Top 40 Rock 'n' Roll Acts of the 1950s" (Weekend of Oct 4-5, 1975)
• "Bicentennial Special: #1 July 4 Songs of the Past 40 Years" (Weekend of Jul 3-4, 1976)
• "Top 40 Songs of the 'Beatle Years'" (Weekend of Oct 2-3, 1976)
• "Top 40 Girls of the Rock Era 1955-1977" (Weekend of July 2–3, 1977)
• "Top 40 Movie Songs 1960-1978" (Weekend of Apr 4-5, 1978)
• "Top 40 Acts of the 1970s, So Far" (Weekend of Jul 1-2, 1978)
• "The Top 40 Songs of the Disco Era 1974-1979" (Weekend of Jul 7-8, 1979)(Repeated on weekend of Jul 5-6 2008 with stations choosing either The full four-hour show or a Top 30 three-hour show)
• "The Top 50 Songs of the 1970s" (Weekend of Jan 5-6, 1980)
• "AT40 Book of Records" (Weekend of Jul 5-6, 1980)
• "Top 40 Hits of the Beatles: Together and Apart" (Weekend of Jul 4-5, 1981)
• "Top 40 Acts of the 1980s, So Far" (Weekend of Jul 2-3, 1983)
• "Giants of Rock" (Weekend of Jul 5-6, 1986)
• "Top 40 Hits of the 1980s, So Far" (Weekend of Jul 4-5, 1987)
• "Top 40 Newcomers of the 1980s, So Far" (Weekend of May 30–31, 1988)
• "Triathlon of Rock 'n Roll" (Weekend of Jul 4-5, 1988)
• "World Tour" (Weekend of May 27–29, 1989)
• "AT40 Book of Records, 1980s Edition" (Weekend of Aug 31-Sept 4, 1989)
• "Top 40 American Acts of the Previous 10 Years" (Weekend of Jul 1-2, 1991)
• "Top 40 Hits of the Past Decade" (Weekend of Jan 2-3, 2010)
• "Top 40 songs of 2010" (Weekend of Dec 25-26, 2010 and Jan 1-2, 2011)
• "Top 40 songs of 2011" (Weekend of Christmas 2011 and New's Year 2012)

Additionally, the top songs of the year were counted down at the end of every year. In 1970 & 1972, AT40 counted down the year's top 80 hits. In 1971 & 1973, they only counted down the top 40 because of their top 40 Christmas Countdowns those two years. Beginning in 1974, the top 100 songs of the year were counted down and was done so every year with few exceptions. In 1979, they did the top 50 songs of that year and followed it with the top 50 songs of the 1970s. This was done again in 1999, except only the top 40 of the year and decade were aired. In 2009, the year-end countdown took place as usual (two weeks long, with the top 100 songs of the year being counted down), but on the first week of 2010, the top 40 songs of the decade were counted down. The year-end shows were counted down over a two week period (although stations could edit the shows into one long show) until 1983, when the year-end show ran just one week for eight hours. In 1992, the year end countdown was temporary back to its two-week format, in 1994 (the last year of the old AT40) the year end countdown was only 50, and with the AT40 return in 1998 the year end countdowns were the 2 week format (except for 1999 when it was 50).

During the run of "American Top 20" and "American Top 10," an updated Christmas countdown, the "Top 60 Christmas Songs," would air annually the two weeks immediately preceding Christmas.