# Adult Alternative Airplay

Adult Alternative Airplay (also known as Triple A or Triple A Airplay, and formerly Adult Alternative Songs and Triple A Songs) is a record chart currently published by Billboard that ranks the most popular songs on adult album alternative radio stations. The 40-position chart is formulated based on each song's weekly radio spins, as measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. The current number-one song on the chart is "Same Old Song" by The Lumineers.

## History

The earliest incarnation of the chart was first published on January 20, 1996, as a feature in Billboard sister publication Airplay Monitor. In 2006, Airplay Monitor ceased publication after Billboard parent company VNU Media's acquisition of rival radio trade magazine Radio & Records, which then subsequently incorporated Airplay Monitor's Nielsen-based Triple A chart.
Billboard itself began publishing the Triple A chart in the issue dated July 5, 2008, through their Billboard.biz website, appropriating the same airplay data as Radio & Records. Radio & Records closed in June 2009, leaving Billboard as the sole publisher of the chart. In February 2014, the chart's reporting panel was expanded from 23 to 32 stations, including non-commercial reporters for the first time.
Following a re-design of their website, Billboard officially incorporated the history of the Airplay Monitor/Nielsen chart from 1996 to 2008 into their Adult Alternative Songs chart. The Billboard website and its official chart archive now show the first Adult Alternative Songs chart as having been published on January 20, 1996, with "The World I Know" by Collective Soul as its first number one single. Radio And Records first charted their Adult Alternative chart in the September 22, 1995, issue. It was a 30 position chart, and "Til I Hear It from You" by the Gin Blossoms was the first number one.

## All-time achievements

In 2021, for the 25th anniversary of the chart, Billboard compiled a ranking of the 50 best-performing songs and artists on the chart over the 25 years. "One Headlight" by The Wallflowers was ranked as the #1 song, while Dave Matthews Band was ranked as the #1 artist. Listed below are the top 10 songs and the top 10 artists.

### Top 10 Greatest of All Time Adult Alternative Songs (1996–2021)

| Rank | Single | Year released | Artist(s) | Peak and duration |
| 1. | "One Headlight" | 1997 | The Wallflowers | #1 for 14 weeks |
| 2. | "Clocks" | 2002 | Coldplay | #1 for 15 weeks |
| 3. | "3AM" | 1997 | Matchbox 20 | #1 for 14 weeks |
| 4. | "Feel It Still" | 2017 | Portugal. The Man | #1 for 11 weeks |
| 5. | "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" | 2001 | Train | #1 for 14 weeks |
| 6. | "Babylon" | 2000 | David Gray | #1 for 2 weeks |
| 7. | "It's Time" | 2012 | Imagine Dragons | #2 for 5 weeks |
| 8. | "See The World" | 2007 | Gomez | #1 for 4 weeks |
| 9. | "Rolling in the Deep" | 2010 | Adele | #1 for 14 weeks |
| 10. | "Beautiful Day" | 2000 | U2 | #1 for 16 weeks |
Source:

### Top 10 Greatest of All Time Adult Alternative Artists (1996–2021)

| Rank | Artist |
| 1. | Dave Matthews Band |
| 2. | U2 |
| 3. | Coldplay |
| 4. | Jack Johnson |
| 5. | Sheryl Crow |
| 6. | John Mayer |
| 7. | Mumford & Sons |
| 8. | Counting Crows |
| 9. | Death Cab for Cutie |
| 10. | Snow Patrol |
Source:

## Song records
### Most weeks at number one

| Number of weeks | Artist | Song | Year(s) |
| 16 | U2 | "Beautiful Day" | 2000–01 |
| 15 | Coldplay | "Clocks" | 2003 |
| 15 | Kings of Leon | "Waste a Moment" | 2016–17 |
| 14 | The Wallflowers | "One Headlight" | 1996–97 |
| 14 | Matchbox Twenty | "3AM" | 1997–98 |
| 14 | Matchbox Twenty | "Bent" | 2000 |
| 14 | Train | "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" | 2001 |
| 14 | Adele | "Rolling in the Deep" | 2011 |
| 13 | Santana featuring Rob Thomas | "Smooth" | 1999 |
| 13 | Jack Johnson | "Upside Down" | 2006 |
| 13 | Pearl Jam | "Just Breathe" | 2010 |
| 13 | Gotye featuring Kimbra | "Somebody That I Used to Know" | 2012 |
| 12 | Dave Matthews Band | "Funny the Way It Is" | 2009 |
| 12 | Beck | "Dreams" | 2015 |
| 11 | KT Tunstall | "Hold On" | 2007 |
| 11 | Coldplay | "Viva la Vida" | 2008 |
| 11 | Jack Johnson | "You and Your Heart" | 2010 |
| 11 | Mumford & Sons | "I Will Wait" | 2012 |
| 11 | The Lumineers | "Ophelia" | 2016 |
| 11 | Portugal. The Man | "Feel It Still" | 2017 |
| 10 | Sarah McLachlan | "Building a Mystery" | 1997 |
| 10 | Jack Johnson | "Good People" | 2005 |
| 10 | Death Cab For Cutie | "Soul Meets Body" | 2005–06 |
| 10 | Jack Johnson | "If I Had Eyes" | 2008 |
| 10 | David Gray | "Fugitive" | 2009 |
| 10 | The Black Keys | "Fever" | 2014 |
| 10 | George Ezra | "Budapest" | 2014–15 |
| 10 | Mumford & Sons | "Guiding Light" | 2018–19 |
| 10 | Hozier | "Too Sweet" | 2024 |

### Most weeks on the chart

| Number of weeks | Artist | Song | Year(s) |
| 52 | Kings of Leon | "Use Somebody" | 2009–10 |
| 51 | John Mayer | "No Such Thing" | 2001–02 |
| 48 | James Morrison | "Nothing Ever Hurt Like You" | 2008–09 |
| 47 | Imagine Dragons | "It's Time" | 2012–13 |
| 46 | Coldplay | "Clocks" | 2002–03 |
| 46 | The Head and the Heart | "Lost in My Mind" | 2011–12 |
| 44 | David Gray | "Babylon" | 2000–01 |
| 43 | Los Lonely Boys | "Heaven" | 2003–04 |
| 42 | Fitz and the Tantrums | "Out of My League" | 2013–14 |
| 41 | One eskimO | "Kandi" | 2009–10 |

### Highest debut

| Debut Position | Artist | Song | Debut Date |
| No. 1 | U2 | "Get On Your Boots" | February 7, 2009 |
| No. 2 | Hootie & the Blowfish | "Old Man & Me (When I Get to Heaven)" | April 20, 1996 |
| No. 2 | Coldplay | "Speed of Sound" | May 7, 2005 |
| No. 3 | The Rolling Stones | "Anybody Seen My Baby?" | September 20, 1997 |
| No. 4 | Gin Blossoms | "Follow You Down" | February 10, 1996 |
| No. 4 | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | "Walls" | August 3, 1996 |
| No. 4 | Coldplay | "Adventure of a Lifetime" | November 28, 2015 |
| No. 5 | Natalie Merchant | "Kind & Generous" | May 16, 1998 |
| No. 5 | Coldplay | "Violet Hill" | May 17, 2008 |
| No. 5 | Mumford & Sons | "Believe" | March 28, 2015 |

## Artist records
### Most number-one singles

| Number of singles | Artist |
| 14 | U2 |
| 13 | Coldplay |
| 11 | Dave Matthews |
| 11 | Jack Johnson |
| 8 | Death Cab for Cutie |
| 8 | John Mayer |
| 8 | The Black Keys |
| 8 | The Lumineers |
| 7 | Cage the Elephant |
| 7 | Counting Crows |
| 7 | Hozier |
| 7 | Nathaniel Rateliff |
| 7 | R.E.M. |
| 7 | Sheryl Crow |

### Most cumulative weeks at number one

| Number of weeks | Artist |
| 72 | U2 |
| 69 | Coldplay |
| 62 | Jack Johnson |
| 51 | Dave Matthews |
| 45 | Death Cab For Cutie |
| 45 | The Black Keys |
| 43 | The Lumineers |
| 33 | Nathaniel Rateliff |
| 31 | Mumford & Sons |
| 31 | R.E.M. |

### Most top 10 singles

| Number of singles | Artist |
| 28 | U2 |
| 26 | Dave Matthews |
| 25 | Coldplay |
| 19 | Jack Johnson |
| 19 | John Mayer |
| 15 | Beck |
| 15 | Counting Crows |
| 14 | Sheryl Crow |
| 14 | The Black Keys |
| 13 | Mumford & Sons |
| 13 | Nathaniel Rateliff |
| 13 | R.E.M. |
| 13 | The Wallflowers |

### Most chart entries

| Number of entries | Artist |
| 36 | Dave Matthews |
| 33 | U2 |
| 30 | Coldplay |
| 27 | Jack Johnson |
| 25 | John Mayer |
| 25 | Sheryl Crow |
| 20 | Beck |
| 19 | The Black Keys |
| 18 | Death Cab For Cutie |
| 18 | R.E.M. |