Pick a Day

Music History Events: Charts

October 25, 2003 Ludacris becomes the first "Dirty South" rapper to land a #1 album when Chicken-N-Beer hits the top spot, powered by the #1 hit "Stand Up."

June 14, 2003 Seventy-year-old Willie Nelson becomes the oldest artist to top the Country chart when "Beer For My Horses," a duet with Toby Keith, reaches #1.

June 1, 2003 Staind's 14 Shades Of Gray hits #1 on the US albums chart. It's the meat in the sandwich of three chart-topping albums for the group, following Break The Cycle (2001) and preceding Chapter V (2005).

May 10, 2003 Madonna's album American Life debuts at #1 but far underperforms her previous albums, as fans don't warm up to it (her rap in the title track is a low point). She rebounds with her next one, Confessions On A Dance Floor.

January 5, 2003 Avril Lavigne's debut album, Let Go, hits #1 in the UK, making her, at 18, the youngest female artist to top the chart with her debut. Kylie Minogue, whose album Kylie topped the chart in 1988, was the previous record holder.

October 13, 2002 The Spanish sisterly act Las Ketchup scores a UK #1 hit with the strangely infectious "The Ketchup Song." In the US, the song stalls at #54.

June 2, 2002 Pop Idol winner Will Young's version of The Doors' 1967 classic "Light My Fire" hits #1 on the UK singles chart.

November 4, 2001 Michael Jackson's Invincible becomes his seventh #1 album (as a solo artist) in the UK.

September 15, 2001 Three weeks after her death in a plane crash at age 22, Aaliyah's self-titled album, released back in July, goes to #1 in America. Hits from the set include "Rock The Boat" and "More Than a Woman."

June 3, 2001 Shaggy's "Angel" starts a four-week run at #1 on the UK singles chart. His album Hot Shot also goes to #1 on the UK albums chart.

June 3, 2001 Staind's Break The Cycle starts a three-week run at #1 on the US albums chart.

November 5, 2000 U2 score their eighth UK #1 album when All That You Can't Leave Behind tops the chart, keeping Blur off the top.

October 29, 2000 The Spice Girls score their ninth and final UK #1 hit as the double-sided "Holler"/"Let Love Lead The Way" reaches the top of the chart.

October 15, 2000 U2 notch their fourth UK #1 hit when "Beautiful Day" beats out Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue's "Kids" for the top spot.

June 4, 2000 Bon Jovi's Crush hits #1 on the UK albums chart.

April 22, 2000 N.W.A.'s reunion single "Chin Check" debuts at #71 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. This is the group's only single without its core members DJ Yella and the late Eazy-E and their first one with Ice Cube since his departure in 1989.

February 5, 2000 Powered by a sample of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," "Rise" by Gabrielle goes to #1 in the UK.

January 22, 2000 Robbie Williams reaches #53 on the Hot 100 with "Angels," the highest the British superstar will ever place on the American chart.

November 2, 1999 Lil Wayne's debut studio album, Tha Block Is Hot, shoots to #1 on the Billboard albums chart and goes on to sell 1.4 million copies worldwide.

October 9, 1999 Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails earn their first #1 album when The Fragile debuts at the top spot, easily outpacing all other competitors in a market crowded with new releases. The double album includes the band's highest-charting US hit, "The Day The World Went Away," which peaks at #17 on the singles chart.

October 3, 1999 Tom Jones charts a UK #1 album for the first time in 25 years when his set Reload hits the top spot. Joining the 59-year-old Jones on the album are Robbie Williams, Stereophonics, Barenaked Ladies and the Pretenders.

September 5, 1998 Nu metal emerges as Korn's album Follow The Leader hits #1 in America. The next year, albums by Limp Bizkit and Rage Against the Machine claim the top spot, as does Korn's next release, Issues.

July 7, 1998 Barenaked Ladies release their fourth studio album, Stunt. It's the Canadian band's breakthrough record in the US, where it lands at #3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

June 6, 1998 Powered by a faux feud contrived by their label, "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy and Monica hits #1, where it stays for 13 weeks, longer than any other female duet. They perform the song together just once (at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards) until 2012, when they start sharing the stage for showcases and "battles." In 2025 they team up for The Boy Is Mine tour, with the song used as the closer.

May 23, 1998 A remixed version of Janet Jackson's "I Get Lonely" featuring the R&B group Blackstreet debuts at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Jackson the first female artist in history to land 18 Top-10 hits in a row on the tally.

May 16, 1998 The Dave Matthews Band go to #1 on the albums chart for the first time when Before These Crowded Streets debuts at the top spot, ending the Titanic soundtrack's 16-week berth at the top. Remarkably, their next six albums also debut at #1, a testament to their very loyal fans.

February 14, 1998 Apropos for Valentine's Day, Usher's "Nice & Slow" goes to #1 in the US. It's the first of his nine chart-toppers.

November 26, 1997 The day after his album Sevens is released, Garth Brooks lands 12 of the 14 songs from the album on the Country singles chart. The previous record for most charting singles from an album was held by Brooks' Fresh Horses with eight tracks.

August 30, 1997 After 11 weeks on top, "I'll Be Missing You," a tribute to "The Notorious B.I.G." by his producer/label boss Puff Daddy, cedes the top spot to "Mo Money Mo Problems," a posthumous single by The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Puff.

August 2, 1997 Sweden's teenage electropop sensation Robyn notches her first hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when "Do You Know (What It Takes)" peaks at #7 on the chart, nearly two years after it was released on her 1995 debut album, Robyn Is Here.