Post by briguy52748 on Dec 18, 2009 10:04:49 GMT -5
Now that the final Billboard charts of the 2000s decade have been announced (for Dec. 26, 2009), I'd like to take a second to post the last No. 1 hits of each decade on the charts
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Pop/Hot 100
• 1940s: "Mule Train" by Frankie Laine. First No. 1 on Nov. 26, 1949, spending six weeks at No. 1 on the best-sellers chart.
• 1950s: "Why" by Frankie Avalon. It's only week at No. 1 was Dec. 28, 1959.
• 1960s: "Someday We'll Be Together" by Diana Ross & the Supremes. Diana's swan song with the Supremes spent its only week at No. 1 on Dec. 27, 1969.
• 1970s: "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes. First No. 1 on Dec. 22, 1979, it had an interrupted rein at No. 1 in early 1980 before finishing a three-week run.
• 1980s: "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins. This homelessness-awareness song, a departure from Collins' usual dance style, spent four weeks at No. 1, starting Dec. 23, 1989.
• 1990s: "Smooth" Santana featuring Rob Thomas. Talk about making up for lost time ... after nearly 30 years of top 10 hits and near misses, Santana finally blasted to No. 1 on Oct. 23, 1999, and stayed there for an incredible 12 weeks.
• 2000s: "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. The current No. 1 hit, which topped the chart for the first time Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 28, 2009), this song seems destined for week No. 6, given that most radio stations playing this song are likely increasing their focus on Christmas songs.
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Hot Country Songs
• 1940s: "Mule Train" by Tennessee Ernie Ford (jockeys) and "Slippin' Around" by Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely (best sellers and jukebox). "Mule Train" — yep, a cover of Frankie Laine — was the first ever song to top the country "jockeys" chart (in an era that saw three charts being used — best sellers, jockeys and "Most Played in Jukeboxes") when it was first published on Dec. 10, 1949. "Slippin' Around" — in the 15th of an amazing 17-week run at No. 1 — first topped the chart way back on Oct. 8, 1949, and the female half of the duo (Whiting, at 85 years old) may well be one of the last surviving artists to have a No. 1 country hit from the 1940s; Wakely, the male half of the duo, died in 1982. While Whiting survives, the last major survivng star to have a No. 1 hit during the 1940s (he had 11 through the end of the decade) was Eddy Arnold, who died in May 2008, just days before his 90th birthday; the only other major star of the late 1940s to still be alive — and performing — is "Little" Jimmy Dickens, the guy who put Kanye West in his place at this year's CMA Awards.
• 1950s: "El Paso" by Marty Robbins. Eventually bound for No. 1 on the Hot 100 as well, "El Paso" was in its second of seven weeks at No. 1; the song first topped the country chart on Dec. 21, 1959.
• 1960s: "(I'm So) Afraid Of Losing You Again" by Charley Pride. His second of an eventual 29 No. 1 songs. A three-week No. 1 hit that began on Dec. 13, 1969.
• 1970s: "Happy Birthday, Darlin'" by Conway Twitty. His second No. 1 hit of the decade to feature his signature "Hello, Darlin" phrase (the first words of the spoken first verse; he sings the refrain). This was a three-week No. 1, first hitting the top on Dec. 15, 1979.
• 1980s: "A Woman in Love" by Ronnie Milsap. His 35th ... and last ... No. 1 hit. No. 1 for the first time on Dec. 23, 1989.
• 1990s: "Breathe" by Faith Hill. A six-week No. 1 hit on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, the song peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 ... and yet, was the Hot 100's top hit of 2000 (and only No. 13 on the 2000 country year-end chart). "Breathe" first topped the chart on Dec. 25, 1999 ... and had as her Christmas present her biggest hit.
• 2000s: "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum. Currently, the song is in its fifth week at No. 1, having first topped the chart on Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 28). If the song remains No. 1 for a sixth week (the Jan. 2, 2010 chart, which it likely will, thanks to Christmas tunes and no real serious competitor waiting to top the chart other than Reba McEntire's "Consider Me Gone"), "Need You Now" will likely become the first song in 45 years to remain at No. 1 for the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day holidays. The last to achieve this remarkable feat was Connie Smith's "Once a Day," which had an eight week run atop the Hot Country Singles chart from Nov. 28, 1964 (Thanksgiving weekend) through Jan. 16, 1965. Remarkable, in that this is a regular feat on the Hot 100, but very rare — at least in the last 45 years, it never happened — on the Hot Country Songs chart. BTW, Smith's amazing feat happened just a year earlier, when Buck Owens did so with his second-ever No. 1 hit, "Love's Gonna Live Here" — it spent an incredible 16 weeks at No. 1, from Oct. 19, 1963 through Feb. 1, 1964!.
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R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
• 1940s: "For You My Love" by Larry Darnell. First No. 1 on Dec. 24, 1949, for an eventual eight weeks.
• 1950s: "The Clouds" by The Spacemen. A five-week No. 1 that first topped the chart on Dec. 7, 1959.
• 1960s: "Someday We'll Be Together" by Diana Ross & the Surpemes. No. 1 for four weeks, starting Dec. 13, 1969.
• 1970s: "Do You Love What You Feel" by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan. A three-week No. 1 that began its run on Dec. 15, 1979.
• 1980s: "Tender Lover" by Babyface, which spent two weeks atop the chart starting Dec. 30, 1989.
• 1990s: "U Know What's Up" by Donell Jones, in its seventh (of eight straight) weeks at No. 1 during the final chart week of the millenium, the song first topped the chart on Nov. 13, 1999.
• 2000s: "I Invented Sex" by Trey Songz featuring Drake. It's in its first week at No. 1 as of the Dec. 26, 2009, chart.
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I'll be back next week with the first No. 1 hits of the decades — for the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
Brian
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Pop/Hot 100
• 1940s: "Mule Train" by Frankie Laine. First No. 1 on Nov. 26, 1949, spending six weeks at No. 1 on the best-sellers chart.
• 1950s: "Why" by Frankie Avalon. It's only week at No. 1 was Dec. 28, 1959.
• 1960s: "Someday We'll Be Together" by Diana Ross & the Supremes. Diana's swan song with the Supremes spent its only week at No. 1 on Dec. 27, 1969.
• 1970s: "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes. First No. 1 on Dec. 22, 1979, it had an interrupted rein at No. 1 in early 1980 before finishing a three-week run.
• 1980s: "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins. This homelessness-awareness song, a departure from Collins' usual dance style, spent four weeks at No. 1, starting Dec. 23, 1989.
• 1990s: "Smooth" Santana featuring Rob Thomas. Talk about making up for lost time ... after nearly 30 years of top 10 hits and near misses, Santana finally blasted to No. 1 on Oct. 23, 1999, and stayed there for an incredible 12 weeks.
• 2000s: "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. The current No. 1 hit, which topped the chart for the first time Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 28, 2009), this song seems destined for week No. 6, given that most radio stations playing this song are likely increasing their focus on Christmas songs.
--------------------
Hot Country Songs
• 1940s: "Mule Train" by Tennessee Ernie Ford (jockeys) and "Slippin' Around" by Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely (best sellers and jukebox). "Mule Train" — yep, a cover of Frankie Laine — was the first ever song to top the country "jockeys" chart (in an era that saw three charts being used — best sellers, jockeys and "Most Played in Jukeboxes") when it was first published on Dec. 10, 1949. "Slippin' Around" — in the 15th of an amazing 17-week run at No. 1 — first topped the chart way back on Oct. 8, 1949, and the female half of the duo (Whiting, at 85 years old) may well be one of the last surviving artists to have a No. 1 country hit from the 1940s; Wakely, the male half of the duo, died in 1982. While Whiting survives, the last major survivng star to have a No. 1 hit during the 1940s (he had 11 through the end of the decade) was Eddy Arnold, who died in May 2008, just days before his 90th birthday; the only other major star of the late 1940s to still be alive — and performing — is "Little" Jimmy Dickens, the guy who put Kanye West in his place at this year's CMA Awards.
• 1950s: "El Paso" by Marty Robbins. Eventually bound for No. 1 on the Hot 100 as well, "El Paso" was in its second of seven weeks at No. 1; the song first topped the country chart on Dec. 21, 1959.
• 1960s: "(I'm So) Afraid Of Losing You Again" by Charley Pride. His second of an eventual 29 No. 1 songs. A three-week No. 1 hit that began on Dec. 13, 1969.
• 1970s: "Happy Birthday, Darlin'" by Conway Twitty. His second No. 1 hit of the decade to feature his signature "Hello, Darlin" phrase (the first words of the spoken first verse; he sings the refrain). This was a three-week No. 1, first hitting the top on Dec. 15, 1979.
• 1980s: "A Woman in Love" by Ronnie Milsap. His 35th ... and last ... No. 1 hit. No. 1 for the first time on Dec. 23, 1989.
• 1990s: "Breathe" by Faith Hill. A six-week No. 1 hit on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, the song peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 ... and yet, was the Hot 100's top hit of 2000 (and only No. 13 on the 2000 country year-end chart). "Breathe" first topped the chart on Dec. 25, 1999 ... and had as her Christmas present her biggest hit.
• 2000s: "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum. Currently, the song is in its fifth week at No. 1, having first topped the chart on Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 28). If the song remains No. 1 for a sixth week (the Jan. 2, 2010 chart, which it likely will, thanks to Christmas tunes and no real serious competitor waiting to top the chart other than Reba McEntire's "Consider Me Gone"), "Need You Now" will likely become the first song in 45 years to remain at No. 1 for the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day holidays. The last to achieve this remarkable feat was Connie Smith's "Once a Day," which had an eight week run atop the Hot Country Singles chart from Nov. 28, 1964 (Thanksgiving weekend) through Jan. 16, 1965. Remarkable, in that this is a regular feat on the Hot 100, but very rare — at least in the last 45 years, it never happened — on the Hot Country Songs chart. BTW, Smith's amazing feat happened just a year earlier, when Buck Owens did so with his second-ever No. 1 hit, "Love's Gonna Live Here" — it spent an incredible 16 weeks at No. 1, from Oct. 19, 1963 through Feb. 1, 1964!.
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R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
• 1940s: "For You My Love" by Larry Darnell. First No. 1 on Dec. 24, 1949, for an eventual eight weeks.
• 1950s: "The Clouds" by The Spacemen. A five-week No. 1 that first topped the chart on Dec. 7, 1959.
• 1960s: "Someday We'll Be Together" by Diana Ross & the Surpemes. No. 1 for four weeks, starting Dec. 13, 1969.
• 1970s: "Do You Love What You Feel" by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan. A three-week No. 1 that began its run on Dec. 15, 1979.
• 1980s: "Tender Lover" by Babyface, which spent two weeks atop the chart starting Dec. 30, 1989.
• 1990s: "U Know What's Up" by Donell Jones, in its seventh (of eight straight) weeks at No. 1 during the final chart week of the millenium, the song first topped the chart on Nov. 13, 1999.
• 2000s: "I Invented Sex" by Trey Songz featuring Drake. It's in its first week at No. 1 as of the Dec. 26, 2009, chart.
--------------------
I'll be back next week with the first No. 1 hits of the decades — for the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
Brian