Blackcatter, If it is in the Hot 100, it is officially a hit--though not necessarily much of a hit--

The way that the charts are compiled, or were compiled at the time, being on the Hot 100 meant that it was in the top 40, and perhaps even the top 20, in some markets--(Remember that the pop AM stations usually had a top 20 or top 40 playlist, which meant that if it wasn't one of the 40, it wasn't played at all)The top hits were the ones that were in the top in the most markets simulaneously.

For instance, in 1967, Betty Swan released a record called, "Make Me Yours"-- though it made the Billboard Top 40, it never broke into the Top 20, and didn't make year end Hot 100--however, in Detroit, on CKLW(OK, the Station was in Windsor, but most of the listeners were in Detroit) it was the number 10 for the whole year--(Great tune--if you remember it, you'll know why it was a big hit in Detroit!)