Billboard Hot 100 1997

By the time 1997 rolled around, grunge was dead, gangsta rap was in its platinum-tinted golden age, and the music industry was making more money than ever on CD sales. But the Billboard Hot 100 told a different story than the albums chart. It was a slow-burn, heartbreak-heavy, sugar-rush year where , female R&B singers dominated , and a certain blonde-haired mouseketeer released her debut single just as the calendar turned.

Before "I'll Be Missing You," sampling a Police song felt sacrilegious. Then Diddy (then Puff) turned Sting’s "Every Breath You Take" into a weepy tribute to his slain friend, The Notorious B.I.G. The result? . He also had "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" (sampling Grandmaster Flash) and "Mo Money Mo Problems" (sampling Diana Ross). For better or worse, Puff Daddy taught the industry how to turn nostalgia into #1 hits. billboard hot 100 1997

: Earlier in the year, the murder of The Notorious B.I.G. led to a massive outpouring of support for his posthumous releases. "I’ll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans feat. 112, a tribute to Biggie, debuted at No. 1—the first hip-hop song ever to do so—and spent 11 weeks at the top. The Teen Pop Revolution By the time 1997 rolled around, grunge was

Where was rock? It had one foot out the door. No rock song cracked the year-end top 10. The highest? (a distant #21) and Sugar Ray’s "Fly" (#25). Radio was already switching to "smooth rock" (Hootie, Matchbox Twenty) or hip-hop. The guitar solo was on borrowed time. Before "I'll Be Missing You," sampling a Police

These songs reached the summit of the Hot 100 during the 1997 calendar year:

According to the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1997, the top song of the year was: