Pick a Day

Music History Events: Record Breakers

September 6, 1997 Elton John sings a new version of "Candle In The Wind" at Princess Diana's funeral. This rendition, which replaces "Goodbye Norma Jean" with "Goodbye England's Rose," becomes the best-selling single of all time in the UK.More

February 26, 1997 At 14, LeAnn Rimes becomes the youngest person to win a Grammy Award when she takes the trophies for Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her debut single, "Blue."

July 27, 1996 "Wannabe" hits #1 in the UK, making the Spice Girls the first all-female group to top the chart with their debut single.

July 13, 1996 At Riverfront Park in Nashville, Chet Atkins, Steve Earle and the Goo Goo Dolls join about 1000 other guitarists to jam on "Heartbreak Hotel" for nearly 80 minutes. They come up short in their bid to break the record for largest jam session, set in 1994 when 1,320 guitarists played "Takin' Care Of Business" in Vancouver.

December 2, 1995 "One Sweet Day," Mariah Carey's duet with Boyz II Men, hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and holds the top spot for a record 16 weeks.

May 6, 1995 Melissa Etheridge sets a record with back-to-back singles – "Come to My Window" and "I'm The Only One" – on Billboard's Hot 100 for at least 40 weeks.

December 31, 1994 Rod Stewart plays a free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, drawing a crowd estimated at 3.5 million (the fireworks help goose that number). Guinness declares it the largest free rock concert ever.

November 26, 1994 Boyz II Men make it 14 weeks at #1 with "I'll Make Love To You," tying Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" for the longest-running #1 in Hot 100 history. The previous record was also held by Boyz II Men, with "End Of The Road" at #1 for 13 weeks.

February 27, 1993 Whitney Houston's single "I Will Always Love You" reaches its 14th week at #1, a new record. In 1995, this record is broken by "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.

January 2, 1993 With "The Last Song" charting at #24, Elton John logs his 23rd consecutive year with a song in the US Hot 100, breaking Elvis Presley's record. Elton's streak started in 1970 with "Border Song" and continues into 2000 with "Someday Out Of The Blue," stretching the new record to 31 years.

October 24, 1992 "End Of The Road" by Boyz II Men ties Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel"/"Hound Dog" as the longest-running #1 single when it reaches its 11th week at the top. It spends two more weeks at #1, but loses the record three months later when Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" stays for 14 weeks.More

January 26, 1991 At the second Rock in Rio festival, Norwegian pop trio a-ha draw a crowd of 198,000, breaking the world record for paid attendance at a rock concert - and is snubbed by the press.More

January 16, 1988 George Harrison hits #1 with "Got My Mind Set On You," becoming the act with the longest time between #1 hits - it was 24 years since "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)." The Beach Boys break this record when "Kokomo" hits #1 in November.

January 16, 1988 Tina Turner performs at Estadio do Maracana in Rio de Janeiro to a sell-out crowd of 180,000, setting a new record for attendance at a performance by a solo artist.

April 18, 1987 Aretha Franklin and George Michael's duet "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" hits #1 in the US, returning Franklin to the top spot for the first time since "Respect" in 1967. The feat breaks the record for the longest span between #1 hits.More

October 29, 1983 Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon album breaks the record for most weeks on the Billboard albums chart when it eclipses Johnny's Greatest Hits by Johnny Mathis with 491 weeks. Dark Side remains on the chart until 1988, when it drops off with 724 weeks. Thanks to reissues and promotions, it returns from time to time, notching over 880 weeks on the chart in total.

October 15, 1977 Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life" hits #1 for the first of 10 weeks, the longest consecutive chart run in the history of the Hot 100 at the time.

April 30, 1977 Led Zeppelin play to 76,229 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome, breaking their own record (56,800 at a 1973 show in Tampa) for largest attendance for a single-act concert.

January 23, 1977 Carole King's Tapestry sets a new record: 302 weeks on the Billboard albums chart.

June 10, 1976 Paul McCartney and Wings set a new indoor concert attendance record of 67,100 at the newly-opened Kingdome in Seattle.

May 31, 1976 The Who set the record for "World's Loudest Rock Band" when their show in London measures 126 decibels. Concerned about hearing loss, Guinness later stops certifying the record.

February 23, 1974 Aretha Franklin becomes the first artist to have songs peak at each of the first 10 spots on the Hot 100 when "Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" fills in the gap at #3.

July 28, 1973 The "Summer Jam" concert takes place at Watkins Glen racetrack in New York, outdrawing Woodstock with a crowd of over 600,000. The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, and The Band play to the massive crowd that paid $10 a ticket - if they bought one.More

August 23, 1963 In the UK, The Beatles release "She Loves You," which becomes the best-selling UK single of all time, a record that isn't broken until 1977, when Paul McCartney releases "Mull Of Kintyre."

December 11, 2023 Taylor Swift's Eras tour becomes the first to gross over $1 billion, hitting the mark in the first 60 shows, according to Pollstar's report. The previous record holder was Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which took in $939 million in 328 shows from 2018-2023.

December 9, 2023 Thanks to a new music video, "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee, originally released in 1958, goes to #1 in America, making Lee, 78, the oldest artist ever to top the chart. And at 65 years, it's the longest a song has ever taken to reach the top spot.

March 18, 2023 Every track - all 36 of them - from Morgan Wallen's album One Thing at a Time lands in the Hot 100, breaking Drake's record of 27 set in 2017. Wallen's song "Last Night" claims the top spot.

February 5, 2023 Beyoncé wins four Grammys, breaking the record for most all-time Grammy wins with 32. There's also a 50 years of hip-hop celebration, and the inaugural Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, given to... Dr. Dre.

March 12, 2011 At 78, Yoko Ono becomes the oldest performer to land a #1 Dance hit when "Move On Fast" tops the chart. Over the next few years she clocks several more #1 hits on that chart, setting a new record each time. The last is in 2017 with a new version of her song "Hell in Paradise," which tops the chart when she's 84.

October 16, 2010 Nicki Minaj, whose debut album is still a month away, sets a record for most entries on the Hot 100 at the same time, with seven: #11 "Bottoms Up" (with Trey Songz) #33 "2012 (It Ain't the End)" (with Jay Sean) #42 "What's Wrong With Them" (with Lil Wayne) #40 "Letting Go (Dutty Love)" (with Sean Kingston) #50 "Check It Out" (with will.i.am) #61 "Your Love" #74 "Right Thru Me"