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Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks

Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks (originally called Mainstream Rock Tracks) is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music but are not modern rock (that is, "alternative") stations, which are counted in the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.

This chart began with the March 21, 1981 issue of Billboard. It was originally named simply Rock Tracks, and was accompanied by a Rock Albums chart, which was discontinued in 1984. (A new chart with the same name has recently been introduced). Before this, Billboard did not compile a chart specifically for rock songs. The closest thing to it was an Album Radio Action page which named some of the albums (but not songs) receiving airplay on album-oriented rock stations. The Rock Tracks chart originally listed 60 songs. The first number-one song was "I Can't Stand It" by Eric Clapton.

The chart changed its name to Album Rock Tracks in April 1986. In order to give more recognition to modern rock radio stations, Billboard began a separate Modern Rock Tracks chart, beginning with the September 10, 1988 issue. Within two months of the first Modern Rock Tracks chart, the song "Desire" by U2 became the first song to reach number-one on both of these two Rock Tracks charts.

In 1996, Album Rock Tracks once again changed its name, to Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. This occurred soon after Billboard established the Adult Top 40 chart. Like Hot Modern Rock Tracks, Adult Top 40 also had some songs in common with Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. Ironically, Adult Top 40 has often featured artists who were once prominent on the Rock Tracks charts, but were now considered too "soft" for rock radio.

Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks was published in the print edition of Billboard for the last time in its July 26, 2003 issue. The chart is still compiled, but it is only available through the magazine's website. In recent years, there has been more crossover between the Mainstream and Modern Rock Tracks charts. For six and a half years, following "Jaded" by Aerosmith in 2001, every number one song on Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks also appeared on Modern Rock Tracks. This string was finally broken by Ozzy Osbourne's "I Don't Wanna Stop" in July 2007.

The Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks has had 308 number one hits. The current number-one song on Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks (for the week ending October 18, 2008) is "The Day That Never Comes" by Metallica.

Shown below are some songs which have spent ten or more weeks in the number one spot. Most of these songs are from recent years, in part because the top spot experiences much less turnover than it used to. Prior to 1994, only three songs had spent ten or more weeks at number one:

21 weeks

"Loser" by 3 Doors Down (2000)

20 weeks

"Too Bad" by Nickelback (2001)
"It's Been Awhile" by Staind (2001)

17 weeks

"Higher" by Creed (1999)
"When I'm Gone" by 3 Doors Down (2002-03)

16 weeks

"Touch, Peel and Stand" by Days of the New (1997)

15 weeks

"Interstate Love Song" by Stone Temple Pilots (1994)
"Heavy" by Collective Soul (1999)

14 weeks

"So Far Away" by Staind (2003)
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day (2005)
"Fake It" by Seether (2007-08)
"Inside the Fire" by Disturbed (2008)

13 weeks

"Start Me Up" by The Rolling Stones (1981)
"How You Remind Me" by Nickelback (2001)
"Figured You Out" by Nickelback (2004)
"Pain" by Three Days Grace (2006-07)

12 weeks

"Mysterious Ways" by U2 (1991-92)
"Like a Stone" by Audioslave (2003)
"Save Me" by Shinedown (2005)
"Dani California" by Red Hot Chili Peppers (2006)

11 weeks

"Remedy" by The Black Crowes (1992)
"Turn The Page" by Metallica (1999)
"Fall to Pieces" by Velvet Revolver (2004)

10 weeks

"Lightning Crashes" by Live (1995)
"The Down Town" by Days of the New (1998)
"Scar Tissue" by Red Hot Chili Peppers (1999)
"Blurry" by Puddle of Mudd (2002)

Achievements and records

Van Halen holds the record for the most tracks to hit number-one on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, with thirteen tracks. Tom Petty has the second most with ten tracks. Aerosmith has the third most with nine tracks.

John Mellencamp holds the record for the most tracks by a solo artist to hit number-one on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, with eight tracks.

Only twice have two consecutive number-one songs been by the same artist. In 1992, the Black Crowes hit number-one with "Remedy", followed by "Sting Me". In 1994, the Stone Temple Pilots' "Vasoline" hit number-one and was replaced by its album mate, "Interstate Love Song".

Two songs have performed a "hat trick" by reaching number-one on Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, Hot Modern Rock Tracks, and Adult Top 40. The first was "One Headlight" by The Wallflowers in 1997. The second was "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day in 2005.