That ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ May Suck, but ‘Big’ ‘Beautiful’ ‘Bill’ Songs Have Ruled the Hot 100 Throughout History
(June 5, 2025). Donald Trump has never been one to downplay anything with his name on it. So when the president started hyping his so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” — a sweeping, controversial piece of economic legislation currently awaiting Senate vote — you just knew the branding would be simpler to digest than the bill itself.
Naturally, critics are shunning the BBB, with the feds saying it will inflate the national debt, and some analysts — including former First Buddy Elon Musk — predicting more economic doom than boom. But while the first major legislation of Trump’s second term may or may not pass the Senate, history has shown that, in the world of pop music, “Big Beautiful Bills” have been quite successful on the BILLboard Hot 100.
In fact, a baker’s dozen No. 1 songs have had the words “Big,” “Beautiful” or a variation of “Bill” in their titles, and another — “Wedding Bell Blues” — was a marital plea to another Bill that deserves honorable mention.
With all the controversy surrounding Trump’s Bill — including the war of words it’s triggered between himself and Musk — the blog decided to have a little fun and compile those 13 No. 1 “Big Beautiful Bill” songs with a brief vignette about each. Can you predict which of the three words appeared the most in chart topping tunes? See if you remember any or all of these, which are listed chronologically for each word, along with audio/video clips accompanying each entry.
BIG Wins on the Hot 100
“A Big Hunk O’ Love” – Elvis Presley (1959)
Fresh out of the Army and back on the charts, Elvis snarled his way through this blistering two-minute rockabilly hit, proving he didn’t lose his edge while serving Uncle Sam. The hip-swaying hunk was back — and America was still hungry for his brand of rock-and-roll.
“Big Bad John” – Jimmy Dean (1961)
Long before he sold sausages, Jimmy Dean sang about a larger-than-life coal miner who sacrificed himself to save his fellow workers. A talking blues tale of working-class heroism that shook jukeboxes, this big bad hit topped the Hot 100 for five weeks near the end of 1961.
“Big Girls Don’t Cry” – Four Seasons (1962)
Frankie Valli’s falsetto suggested otherwise, but the sentiment was clear: heartbreak happens, but tears don’t. An early Jersey anthem for emotional suppression — with a beat you could twist to. It topped the chart for five weeks almost exactly a year after “Big Bad John.”
Big Girls Don’t Cry – Fergie (2007)
Fast-forward 45 years and Fergie flipped the message. Her “big girl” is grown, independent, and no longer tolerating nonsense from a trifling man. The breakup ballad (with a beat) of the MySpace era — eyeliner smudged, dignity intact — this “Big” tune topped the Hot 100 for a single week in September, displacing a “Beautiful” song in the process (see Sean Kingston’s hit below).
A BEAUTIFUL Track Record
“Everything Is Beautiful” – Ray Stevens (1970)
Known for novelty tunes, Ray Stevens surprised everyone with this kumbaya-esque ode to unity, innate beauty, and unconditional love. Complete with a children’s choir, acoustic pianos, and a slice of naivety —perfect for singalongs in the peace-starved Nixon-era — this tune was atop the Hot 100 exactly 55 years ago this week.
“The Most Beautiful Girl” – Charlie Rich (1973)
Country soul met pop perfection as smooth baritone Charlie Rich crooned about regret and the one that got away. With his silver mane and pleading tone, Rich made remorse sound velvety smooth — and equally as marketable. It topped the pop and country charts in December 1973.
“You’re Beautiful” – James Blunt (2006)
A man sees a woman on the subway with another man and spirals into despair. That’s it. That’s the song. Set to a delicate acoustic guitar and delivered in Blunt’s signature ache, it’s either haunting or insufferable — depending on your mood. But suffer we did, and sent this tune with a false lyrical start to the top of the Hot 100 for a lone week in March 2006.
“Beautiful Girls” – Sean Kingston (2007)
Set to a sample of Ben E. King’s Stand by Me, this breezy heartbreak bop had teens in 2007 singing about suicidal thoughts with Caribbean flair. A contradiction that somehow worked — and went global. Its singer, then-17-year-old Sean Kingston, is notable as the first singer born in the 1990s to top the Hot 100. He was also convicted — alongside his mother — in March 2025 on several wire fraud charges.
BILL(s), Billie(s), and a Bluesy Wedding
“Ode to Billie Joe” – Bobbie Gentry (1967)
A Southern mystery wrapped in hypnotic guitar and haunting voice. What did Billie Joe McAllister throw off the Tallahatchie Bridge? Gentry never told, and America’s still wondering. A masterpiece in understatement, this song’s storyline is razed every June 3 (as per its opening lyric). It topped the Hot 100 for four weeks in the summer of 1967.
“Billy, Don’t Be A Hero” – Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods (1974)
An anti-war anthem disguised as bubblegum pop (as was every dark story song in 1974, it seemed), this Vietnam-era plea to a doomed lover wore peace beads and a marching band uniform. It was subtle, sentimental — and it topped charts on both sides of the Atlantic late that spring.
“Billie Jean” – Michael Jackson (1983)
Michael Jackson learned the moonwalk from Shalamar’s Jeffrey Daniel, but he introduced it to the world with this song. With an immortal bassline courtesy of Louis Johnson of Bro Jo fame, and a tale of paternity denial, MJ served as both victim and icon. “The kid is not my son” may be pop’s most famous legal disclaimer that side of “It Wasn’t Me.”
“Bills, Bills, Bills” – Destiny’s Child (1999)
Before “Independent Women Pt 2,” there was this takedown of freeloading boyfriends. With this first true “Bill” No. 1 song, Beyoncé and crew checked every receipt, itemized every offense, and still found room for a killer chorus. Empowerment with a side of sass became Bey’s brand, thanks largely to this No. 1 hit from July 1999.
“Kill Bill” – SZA (2023)
Our most recent “Bill” is soft and sinister, SZA fantasizes about taking out her ex (and his new girlfriend) in a song that’s one part Tarantino, one part diary entry. Proof that murder ballads can be chillwave — and that vengeance still charts (see Cher’s “Dark Lady” or Vicky Lawrence’s “The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia” for a brief history lesson). SZA’s title could also double as theme music for ex-POTUS buddy Elon Musk whose “kill the bill” mantra is now a hashtag.
Honorable mention:
“Wedding Bell Blues” – 5th Dimension (1969)
Laura Nyro’s song of romantic frustration got the full pop treatment by a quintet that was riding a wave in 1969, with Marilyn McCoo begging “Bill” (real-life fiancé Billy Davis, Jr.) to finally propose (actually they were already married by the time this song charted). A soulful prelude to one of music’s longest-lasting marriages, the 5D couple have been married ever since (celebrating anniversary No. 56 this July).
But even without that honorable mention, the Bills have it. Five songs with a variation of that name have topped the Hot 100, versus four each for “Big” and “Beautiful,” perhaps a surprising outcome.
So while the president’s “Big Beautiful Bill” might never make it to law, at least we’ll always have these chart toppers. These Bills were beautiful and big, and these songs? Well, they had America’s collective ear — no legislation required.
DJRob
DJRob (he/him) is a freelance music blogger from the East Coast who covers R&B, hip-hop, disco, pop, rock and country genres – plus lots of music news and current stuff! You can follow him on Bluesky at @djrobblog.bsky.social, X (formerly Twitter) at @djrobblog, on Facebook or on Meta’s Threads.
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