Plus, remembering feats by Michael Jackson, Prince & TLC.
Your weekly recap celebrating significant milestones from more than seven decades of Billboard chart history.
July 2, 1988
30 years ago: Michael Jackson made Billboard Hot 100 history, as «Dirty Diana» reached No. 1, becoming the fifth leader on the list from his album Bad. The set remains the only album by a male artist to produce five Hot 100 No. 1s. Since, only Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream, in 2010-11, has also yielded five toppers.
July 3, 1982
An ’80s alt-pop classic crowned the Billboard Hot 100, for the first of three weeks: The Human League‘s «Don’t You Want Me.»
July 4, 1970
The date that chart-watchers began keeping our feet on the ground and reaching for stars, thanks to Casey Kasem, as revered Billboard Hot 100 radio countdown American Top 40 debuted. The first song played? Ironically, «The End of Our Road,» by Marvin Gaye. And, the first No. 1? Three Dog Night‘s «Mama Told Me (Not to Come).»
July 5, 2008
10 years ago: It went to No. 1 … and we liked it. Katy Perry scored her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 with «I Kissed a Girl.» She’s since upped her total to nine No. 1s, through «Dark Horse,» featuring Juicy J. Only 14 artists have earned nine leaders or more, led by The Beatles’ 20.
July 6, 1985
Phil Collins scored his second of seven solo Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s, «Sussudio.» The meaning of the word? «I set up this drum-machine pad, I got some chords and I started to sing into the microphone, and this word came out,» Collins said in 1997. «I went back and tried to find another word and couldn’t find one.»
Added Collins, «Then I thought, OK, let’s give it a meaning, what is it? The lyrics are based on this schoolboy crush on this girl at school. So, ‘Sussudio’ became a name for this person. My older daughter’s got a horse called Sussudio. I’m sure there are children all over the world with the name Sussudio, so I apologize for that.»
July 7, 1984
Prince‘s blockbuster movie, and soundtrack, Purple Rain, produced his first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, as «When Doves Cry» flew to the chart’s top perch.
July 8, 1995
All four of TLC‘s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s led for at least three weeks, but «Waterfalls» reigned the longest: On this date, the anti-infidelity anthem began its seven-week rule.
This article was originally published by: Billboard
