This Day in Top 40 History: February 4
On February 4, the beloved rock group Fleetwood Mac’s album “Rumours” tops the charts in the U.S. and UK. In its first month, this ground-breaking album with songs we love like “Songbird” and “The Chain” sold over 10 million copies. In addition, this album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003. Also, in 1978 on this day in Top 40 history, we saw The Bee Gees with a #1 four-week run on the U.S. charts with “Staying Alive.” Check out the other notable moments in Top 40 history on February 4th.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
February 4 had lots of memorable hits that we still listen to and dance to this day, including:
- 1966: The Rolling Stones release “19th Nervous Breakdown” in the UK after releasing it in the U.S. reaching #2 on both charts.
- 1984: Culture Club begins a three-week at #1 run of the finger-snapping “Karma Chameleon.” This song also hit #1 on the UK charts.
- 2024: Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” wins Album of the Year Grammy. This win gave Swift her fourth Album of the Year Grammy.
Cultural Milestones
Artists and performers can often have a big impact on culture, including these from February 4.
- 1959: After the death of Buddy Holly and Richie Valens in 1959, musical artists Frankie Avalon, Fabian, and Jimmy Clanton replaced the artists as headliners for the Winter Dance Party tour.
- 2008: Members of the Grateful Dead hold a benefit concert to support presidential candidate Barak Obama who became the nation’s first Black president.
- 2020: Stevie Wonder sings “Happy Birthday” to activist Rosa Parks on her 89th birthday and to honor the premier of her movie, “The Rosa Parks Story.”
Notable Recordings and Performances
- 1966: Boby Dylan performs in Louisville, Kentucky on his first stop of a world tour. He would use all-electric instruments during this tour for the first time.
- 1968: The Beatles invited two young female fans to help with vocals on the song “Across the Universe” recorded at Abbey Road studios in London, England. NASA beamed this song into space in 2008.
Industry Changes and Challenges
The music industry saw many changes on February 3 with challenges from plagiarism to using music without authorization.
- 1983: Karen Carpenter of the group The Carpenters, dies from complications of anorexia. Some believe the pressure of image looks and weight can have a detrimental, and often fatal impact on stars and performers.
- 2008: Rocker John Mellencamp accused a presidential nominee of music their music at a campaign rally without the artist’s authorization. Other artists have also had their music played without authorization at a campaign rally.
- 2010: A flute riff on the song “Down Under” by the Australian band Men at Work, plagiarized a 1932 classic Australian song, “Kookaburra.” Artists must always fact-check their music to avoid plagiarism.
February 4 was a milestone day in Top 40 history with Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours taking the world by storm and Taylor Swift’s 4th Album of the Year Grammy win. We lost Karen Carpenter, and artists protested the use of their music without authorization setting an example for future campaign rallies.