Some (mildly) interesting trivia with No. 1 songs

[firepoint525]

Once Billboard went exclusively with sales only(Sound Scan)...I believe that several songs have debuted at number 1...I don't know the titles, Its a good one to research.

I believe your right Hornet. Wasn't that sometime in the 90s? I may be mistaken.

The week of November 30, 1991, the week of my 28th birthday. What a lousy birthday present, huh?

 

[firepoint525]

Once Billboard went exclusively with sales only(Sound Scan)...I believe that several songs have debuted at number 1...I don't know the titles, Its a good one to research.

I believe your right Hornet. Wasn't that sometime in the 90s? I may be mistaken.

Oooops looks like someone answered the question while we were replying. Since sound scan all records have been broken such as most weeks at #1, most #1's ,etc...like baseball, they should have an asterisk... 50's - 80's artists required data from 3-4 charts to compile the stats. Call me crazy but they are obscured by sales only. It's not apples to apples, or, maybe like they say, all records are meant to be broken.

Should be listed as two totally separate items. Kind of like baseball stats before and after the steroid era.

My Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits does indeed make such a distinction. They list chart records from the '50s to the '80s separately from the chart accomplishments of the '90s and the '00s.

 

[radioman148]

Once Billboard went exclusively with sales only(Sound Scan)...I believe that several songs have debuted at number 1...I don't know the titles, Its a good one to research.

I believe your right Hornet. Wasn't that sometime in the 90s? I may be mistaken.

Oooops looks like someone answered the question while we were replying. Since sound scan all records have been broken such as most weeks at #1, most #1's ,etc...like baseball, they should have an asterisk... 50's - 80's artists required data from 3-4 charts to compile the stats. Call me crazy but they are obscured by sales only. It's not apples to apples, or, maybe like they say, all records are meant to be broken.

Should be listed as two totally separate items. Kind of like baseball stats before and after the steroid era.

My Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits does indeed make such a distinction. They list chart records from the '50s to the '80s separately from the chart accomplishments of the '90s and the '00s.

That's very good--they should do that.

 

[hornet61]

Regarding The Beatles, I think "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" or "She Loves You" moved to #1 in 3 weeks, but I'm not sure.

I don't have any specific stats on that, but here is what I know:

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" was to have been issued in the U.S. on January 13, 1964, but because of the buzz that the Beatles were finally starting to generate in the states (after a year of not being able to do anything!), the single was rush-released on December 26, 1963. Highly unusual for a new single to be released the week between Christmas and New Year's, from what I understand.

"Hand" then entered the top 40 for the week of January 25, 1964, and was then number one the following week. "She Loves You" entered the top 40 the same week that "Hand" went to #1 (February 1, 1964), and eventually succeeded "Hand" at #1 on March 21, 1964, seven weeks later. The second week that "She Loves You" was #1 (March 28, 1964), "Can't Buy Me Love" entered the entire Hot 100 at #27, and then "pole-vaulted" (as the Billboard Book of #1 Hits puts it) to #1 the following week. I don't have any stats for what, if anything, "Hold Your Hand" did in the Hot 100 from the time it was released until it cracked the top 40, but with nearly a month in there, I'm sure it had time to do something! "She Loves You" was reactivated by the Swan label (which owned the rights to it at the time) in the wake of the success of "Hold Your Hand," but since Swan was such a much smaller label, they were not able to promote the Beatles in the way that Capitol records was able to. So "She Loves You" was at a disadvantage when competing with all the Beatles' singles on Capitol.

Some of the other early Beatles hits on smaller labels included "Twist and Shout," "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" and "Love Me Do." "Love Me Do" was able to grab a week at #1 during a time of less competition with other Beatles singles.

The singles on that historic week in Apr 1964 when the Beatles landed the top 5 singles, and the Top 2 Lp's , was due in part to VJ records out of Chicago who had licenced the LP "Introducing The Beatles" from Parlophone a year earlier. When The Beatles exploded on the scene, VJ who had just filed for bankrupcy, flooded the market with VJ and Tollie singles, compounded with MGM releasing on Swan and the Capitol releases There were Beatles singles eveywhere. Capitol ordered VJ to cease and desist, of course VJ had nothing to lose So they thumbed their noses at Capitol and made a few bucks before they folded for good....such a shame, they were the first Black owned major label; before Motown.

 

[radioman148]

Regarding The Beatles, I think "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" or "She Loves You" moved to #1 in 3 weeks, but I'm not sure.

I don't have any specific stats on that, but here is what I know:

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" was to have been issued in the U.S. on January 13, 1964, but because of the buzz that the Beatles were finally starting to generate in the states (after a year of not being able to do anything!), the single was rush-released on December 26, 1963. Highly unusual for a new single to be released the week between Christmas and New Year's, from what I understand.

"Hand" then entered the top 40 for the week of January 25, 1964, and was then number one the following week. "She Loves You" entered the top 40 the same week that "Hand" went to #1 (February 1, 1964), and eventually succeeded "Hand" at #1 on March 21, 1964, seven weeks later. The second week that "She Loves You" was #1 (March 28, 1964), "Can't Buy Me Love" entered the entire Hot 100 at #27, and then "pole-vaulted" (as the Billboard Book of #1 Hits puts it) to #1 the following week. I don't have any stats for what, if anything, "Hold Your Hand" did in the Hot 100 from the time it was released until it cracked the top 40, but with nearly a month in there, I'm sure it had time to do something! "She Loves You" was reactivated by the Swan label (which owned the rights to it at the time) in the wake of the success of "Hold Your Hand," but since Swan was such a much smaller label, they were not able to promote the Beatles in the way that Capitol records was able to. So "She Loves You" was at a disadvantage when competing with all the Beatles' singles on Capitol.

Some of the other early Beatles hits on smaller labels included "Twist and Shout," "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" and "Love Me Do." "Love Me Do" was able to grab a week at #1 during a time of less competition with other Beatles singles.

The singles on that historic week in Apr 1964 when the Beatles landed the top 5 singles, and the Top 2 Lp's , was due in part to VJ records out of Chicago who had licenced the LP "Introducing The Beatles" from Parlophone a year earlier. When The Beatles exploded on the scene, VJ who had just filed for bankrupcy, flooded the market with VJ and Tollie singles, compounded with MGM releasing on Swan and the Capitol releases There were Beatles singles eveywhere. Capitol ordered VJ to cease and desist, of course VJ had nothing to lose So they thumbed their noses at Capitol and made a few bucks before they folded for good....such a shame, they were the first Black owned major label; before Motown.

"Please Please Me" on VJ was first played in the US by Dick Biondi on WLS in Feb 63. The record was on the WLS chart for 5 weeks in late Feb & March of 63.

Who was the artist that replaced the Beatles string of number ones in May of 64? Extra points for not looking it up.

 

[hornet61]

I'm gonna guess "Hello Dolly" - Satchmo


If you are introduced to the Dali Lama ......would say good day Mr Lama or Hello Dali


This isn't fair but my secong guess is Dean Martin - Everybody loves My body Sometimes.

 

[firepoint525]

I'm gonna guess "Hello Dolly" - Satchmo

You are correct, and in doing so, Louis Armstrong became the oldest artist to have a #1 hit. (He was 64 at the time, if I am not mistaken.)

If you are introduced to the Dali Lama ......would say good day Mr Lama or Hello Dali
This isn't fair but my secong guess is Dean Martin - Everybody loves My body Sometimes.

That's actually a good guess, too. Dino actually overthrew "A Hard Day's Night" from the #1 spot. Interesting, given his opinions on rock and/or roll!

 

[radioman148]

I'm gonna guess "Hello Dolly" - Satchmo


If you are introduced to the Dali Lama ......would say good day Mr Lama or Hello Dali


This isn't fair but my secong guess is Dean Martin - Everybody loves My body Sometimes.

Right on both Hornet. "Hello Dolly" broke the string in May of 64 and Dean Martin took over number one in August after "A Hard Days Night".

Good work!

 

[SuperRadioFan]

YES I also got it (Louis) without cheating heh heh............ Forgot about Deano replacing HDN at #1 though

 

[hornet61]

This is from memory, I may be wrong......Venus by shocking Blue went to number 1 in the early seventies........and returned to number 1 again in 1982, in the form of "Stars on 45" , by the original shocking blue producer jaap eggernot. and again went to number 1, in 1986 by bananarama. so it was number 3 times?????? Am I correct???

 

[radioman148]

This is from memory, I may be wrong......Venus by shocking Blue went to number 1 in the early seventies........and returned to number 1 again in 1982, in the form of "Stars on 45" , by the original shocking blue producer jaap eggernot. and again went to number 1, in 1986 by bananarama. so it was number 3 times?????? Am I correct???

Without looking it up, I believe you are correct.

 

[SuperRadioFan]

You guys forgot about Frankie Avalon's "Venus" hitting #1 LOL LOL!!@ ... So that's 4 times "Venus" hit #1 muhwhaaahahaha

 

[radioman148]

You guys forgot about Frankie Avalon's "Venus" hitting #1 LOL LOL!!@ ... So that's 4 times "Venus" hit #1 muhwhaaahahaha

Don't forget about Frankie's remake of Venus in the 70s...LOL!!

 

[hornet61]

You guys forgot about Frankie Avalon's "Venus" hitting #1 LOL LOL!!@ ... So that's 4 times "Venus" hit #1 muhwhaaahahaha

Don't forget about Frankie's remake of Venus in the 70s...LOL!!

Speaking of Frankie Avalon ..."Why" was the shortest song title to go to number 1, and It was the last Number 1 of the 50's. El Paso became the first #1 of the 60's

Longest song title to go to number #1...again Stars on 45:Venus, plus all the Beatles titles listed individually. Relaced BJ Thomas "Hey won't You play another...............Wrong Song


What is Frankie Avalons most requested song in concert???

 

[radioman148]

You guys forgot about Frankie Avalon's "Venus" hitting #1 LOL LOL!!@ ... So that's 4 times "Venus" hit #1 muhwhaaahahaha

Don't forget about Frankie's remake of Venus in the 70s...LOL!!

Speaking of Frankie Avalon ..."Why" was the shortest song title to go to number 1, and It was the last Number 1 of the 50's. El Paso became the first #1 of the 60's

I take it that "Stay" by Maurice Williams never made #1. (I don't have the book near me)

 

[Paige Turner]

By the way, when did WVLT begin this? It would take many, many weeks, at 1.5 hours (once a week), starting at 1955.

I only discovered it over the summer so it's hard to say when it started. Bruce even acknowledged it would take a long time for him to get through '74 & '75.

Biggest drop straight from #1 was "Then Came You" by the Spinners and Dionne Warwick. Dropped from #1 to #15 in just one week!

You're right. I just did a little chart research. What a strange couple of months. First "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love" and "Rock Me Gently" drop from #1 to #12 on two consecutive weeks. Then Olivia Newton-John sneaks in there with a 2 week run at #1 and falls to a more normal #4.

But the next five #1's all took nosedives - "Nothing From Nothing" #1 to #15, "Then Came You" #1 to #15, "You Haven't Done Nothin'" #1 to #12, "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" #1 to #12, "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" #1 to #12. That's just too much of a coincidence if you ask me. Billboard had to be fooling around with how they were doing things, or something got stuck in the counting machine. After "Nothing From Nothing" and "Then Came You" fell to #15 on two consecutive weeks, they both dropped all the way down to #39 the week after that.

I still think the strangest chart run of all had to be "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" which went from #1 to #12 to #34 then all the way back up to #8 for 2 weeks. I wish I could remember what Casey Kasem had to say about that!

Dino actually overthrew "A Hard Day's Night" from the #1 spot. Interesting, given his opinions on rock and/or roll!

Louis Armstrong & Dean Martin knocking The Beatles out of the #1 spot... also interesting is that other easy listening artists accomplished this, too - Frank Sinatra in '66 (although "Paperback Writer" flip-flopped at #1 around "Strangers In The Night"), Bobbie Gentry in '67, Henry Mancini in '69, and Petula Clark did it twice in '65 & '66.

And I'll add this to the Beatles discussion... In 1970, the last year The Beatles had #1 songs, both of them were knocked out of the #1 spot by The Jackson 5.

What is Frankie Avalons most requested song in concert???

If this is a trick question, I'll venture a guess and say "Beauty School Dropout" from the movie Grease.

 

[firepoint525]

I still think the strangest chart run of all had to be "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" which went from #1 to #12 to #34 then all the way back up to #8 for 2 weeks. I wish I could remember what Casey Kasem had to say about that!

I remember him doing a segment on that, and he said that the reason for that jump from #34 back up to #8 was due to a growing interest in the flipside of "Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," a song called "Free Wheelin'." It has its own listing in my Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits right below "Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," but it did not chart in its own right, as per Billboard chart rules and regulations of the '70s. (In other words, it did not have a peak position or anything like that. It only "charted" as a "flipside.") Rather, it simply pushed its A-side back into the top 10.

If this is a trick question, I'll venture a guess and say "Beauty School Dropout" from the movie Grease.

I don't know, but I have heard that to be true.

 

[oldies76]

I take it that "Stay" by Maurice Williams never made #1. (I don't have the book near me)

Actually it did, on 11/21/60 for one week on the Hot 100.

 

[oldies76]

Longest song title to go to number #1...again Stars on 45:Venus, plus all the Beatles titles listed individually. Relaced BJ Thomas "Hey won't You play another...............Wrong Song

Also, "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" from 1960

Regarding short titles, if you include today's #1's, you've got "Low" by Flo Rida in early 2008 and "SOS" by Rhianna in '06.

 

[radioman148]

I take it that "Stay" by Maurice Williams never made #1. (I don't have the book near me)

Actually it did, on 11/21/60 for one week on the Hot 100.

I think "Stay" might have been the shortest number one ever (in time also).