The CYY 500 Most Played Songs – 2023 Edition

Countdowns are always fun, especially the the big ones with 500 tunes! Back in 2013, an idea came to my head that I got really excited about, but quickly put the mental brakes on as I thought it wouldn't be possible. The idea was to reach out to Broadcast Data Systems, one of the services that tracks radio airplay of songs. My initial thought was that they aren't going to still have that data dating back to 1995. With the "what the hell do I have to lose?" mentality, I reached out to them and told them what I was trying to do. I essentially said that I want to run a different kind of countdown on CYY; less about the opinions of the best songs, and more about the actual airplay right down the number of spins that the songs have gotten on the radio station. To my surprise, they got back to me that afternoon with a list of the 500 most played songs since our debut on July 28, 1995.

I believe this was the 4th time that we've done the countdown, obviously a little different every time, with new songs appearing and older ones getting knocked off. It was a fun a week of radio that we hoped everyone enjoyed. This list certainly captures the alternative diversity that we have stood by since day one.