I like the way it sounds: The influence of instrumentation on a pop song’s place in the charts

The way a song sounds depends on, among other things, what instruments are audible to the listener. We document the systematic relationship between instrumentation, or the particular combination of instruments audible in a hit song, and its relative market appeal vis-à-vis its place on the charts. This is accomplished using mixed analytical methods under ecologically valid conditions. The data come from Billboard’s Hot 100 weekly popularity rankings from the past 55 years. We compare number 1 singles with songs that never climbed above number 90. First, using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), we identify two configurations of core instruments that result in a song being more popular such that these configurations are present far more consistently among the set of number 1 hit songs. We also identify three configurations of core instruments that result in a song being less popular such that these configurations are present far more consistently among songs that stagnate at the bottom of the charts. What stands out is popular (less popular) configurations always include (exclude) background vocals. Further, our qualitative results reveal number 1 songs tend to include a greater number of instruments. Second, we utilize logit regression to document how the absolute number of distinct instrument types perceptible in a song affects the chances it will be a number 1 hit as opposed to stay at or below number 90. Our results suggest songs that do not follow conventional instrumentation and instead include an atypically low or high number of instruments are more likely to stand out, becoming number 1 hits. Looking across time, a greater number of instruments increased the chances of being a number1 song during mid-1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s, while fewer instruments increased the chances during the 1960s and in the late 2000s.