No. 1 Hits That Broke Every Rule of a Top-40 Song—and Got Away With It

Every once in a blue moon there is a musician or a band that comes along with so much talent that they don’t have to follow any of the rules. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does people who are lucky enough to see it in real time know how much of a treat it truly is. A treat in the sense that the group or musician’s uniqueness, flare, and sheer creativity subvert any and every songwriting rule typically followed to create a No. 1 song

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When measuring a band of this magnitude, there is one place where people frequently look—The charts. That being so, what makes these bands and their song so incredible is that they were able to create hits without abiding by any of the unspoken perimeters of a top-40 hit. So, here are three acts that scored a No. 1 hit without following any of the rules.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen

Nothing about Queen’s biggest hit is prototypical. Between the mixing of genres, elongated runtime, and use of seemingly every single instrument on the planet, the four-piece band broke every single rule a top-40 hit typically follows. However, it paid off immensely, as they not only created the song of the decade but also arguably, the song of an era.

Upon its release in 1975, the single reached the No. 1 spot in the UK and No. 9 in the US. That was not the the last time the song graced the top 10 or the No. 1 spot for that matter. Following Mercury’s death in 1991, the song was re-released and reached No. 1 in the UK once again. Furthermore, when the song was featured in the film, Wayne’s World,” it reached No. 2 in the U.S.

“Heat Waves” by Glass Animals

The Glass Animals are one of the most notable indie bands of all time. Hence, it comes as no surprise that they were able to score a No. 1 hit by staying true to themselves and their style. “Heat Waves” is a culmination of pop, rock, rap, and soul, and never has a song like it graced the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

Released in 2020, the Glass Animals did not receive immediate success from the song. Instead, two years later in 2022, the song ingrained itself in the public taste and reached No. 1. Given this two-year climb to No. 1, the group broke the record for the steadiest climb to ever transpire on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Too Sweet” by Hozier

The thing that makes Hozier so appealing is that he is unapologetically himself. He doesn’t submit to trends, public reception, or music executives. In short, he is his own musical master. That being so, Hozier scored his first-ever No. 1 hit by listening to no one other than himself.

Hozier released “Too Sweet” just earlier this year and there is no question that it has been one of the most viral songs of the year. Thanks to its R&B and folk-rock fusion, the song is not the typical copy-and-paste three-minute pop tune.

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