The show succeeded not just because it was a list of popular songs, but because of the humanity that Casey Kasem brought between the songs.Ĭhris Molanphy credits the show's use of trivia and biographical information for that connection, including a recurring segment called Long Distance Dedications. It would be a stretch to say that American Top 40 made Top 40 music cool again, but it certainly made it viable again."īy the early 1980s, the show was heard on more than 500 stations across America and on the Armed Forces Radio Network around the world. "The Top 40 format, which dates back to early-to-mid '50s, was starting to wane as FM radio was taking off. "When American Top 40 launched, it was only played on seven stations," says Chris Molanphy, a pop music critic and host of the podcast Hit Parade. "And here we were coming along with a show called American Top 40, and people said, 'You must be nuts!' " "You remember, at the end of the '60s, Top 40 was not the most popular format," Casey Kasem told NPR in 1982. The show became a national obsession but 50 years ago, it was considered a risky idea. On any given week, American Top 40 could feature a ballad, next to a country song, next to a funk song, next to a rock song. Originally hosted by Casey Kasem, American Top 40 played "the best selling and most-played songs from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Canada to Mexico," as he stated on the first program broadcast 50 years ago as of tomorrow. Casey Kasem was the original host American Top 40, which premiered 50 years ago this week.
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