Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[river1974]

Dear teachers:

That song made his a big crossover hit because it was *at the top* of the pop and R&B charts.

Does "top" mean absolutely No. 1 or possibly No.1 to No. 5 etc.?

Thanks.

[bud]

It could be either, but most likely it doesn't mean the absolute number one hit. If it was number one on the charts, it be more likely to say "number one." And since more than one chart is involved, it could have been, say, number one on the R&B chart and number 4 on the pop chart.