Pick a Day

Music History Events: Releases

November 23, 2009 Following his memorable run on American Idol, Adam Lambert releases his debut album, For Your Entertainment, with the hit "Whataya Want From Me," a song co-written by Pink that went to Lambert when it didn't make the cut for her album.

November 17, 2009 Lady Gaga releases The Fame Monster, the follow-up to her debut album, The Fame. It comes with a new perspective on celebrity, as Gaga is now very famous. The album includes her monster hit "Bad Romance" and her Beyoncé collaboration "Telephone."

October 12, 2009 Michael Jackson's from-the-vaults track "This Is It" is released as a promotional single to accompany the concert documentary of the same name. It's the first release since his death in June.More

September 15, 2009 Kid Cudi releases his debut album, Man On The Moon: The End Of Day. Contributors include Kanye West, Common, and MGMT. The first single is the languid "Day 'N' Nite."

July 3, 2009 Florence + the Machine release their debut album, Lungs, introducing us to the mystical, theatrical Florence Welch. Thanks to tracks like "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" and "Dog Days Are Over," it makes a huge impact in their native UK, where it goes to #1.

May 15, 2009 Green Day release the album 21st Century Breakdown, their follow-up to American Idiot, released five years earlier. The first two singles are "Know Your Enemy" and "21 Guns."

November 28, 2008 Britney Spears releases her sixth album, Circus. It goes to #1 in America and marks a return to form for the singer, who struggled with addiction and mental health issues throughout 2007.

November 18, 2008 American Idol winner David Cook releases his self-titled debut album.

September 29, 2008 T.I. releases the album Paper Trail, made mostly under house arrest while awaiting trial on gun charges. It includes collaborations with Justin Timberlake ("Dead And Gone") and Rihanna ("Live Your Life"), and the hit "Whatever You Like."

September 12, 2008 Metallica release Death Magnetic, produced by Rick Rubin.

August 19, 2008 After two years performing in the New York City club scene, 22-year-old Lady Gaga releases her debut album, The Fame, a look at how fame is all about attitude. Thanks to the hits "Just Dance" and "Poker Face," it makes her famous worldwide, not just in her mind.More

June 12, 2008 Coldplay release their fourth album, Viva La Vida, which marks their shift from alt-rock masters to stadium-pop kings with a rock edge. The title track, their first #1 hit in both the US and UK, wins Song of the Year and Best Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the Grammy Awards in 2009, where Viva La Vida is also named Best Rock Album.

June 10, 2008 Lil Wayne releases Tha Carter III, which goes on to sell over 3 million copies.

April 29, 2008 The re-formed Mudcrutch, Tom Petty's band before The Heartbreakers, release their self-titled debut album. Petty plays bass and sings lead in the group, which also features Heartbreakers lead guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench, as well as founding guitarist and vocalist Tom Leadon and drummer Randall Marsh. Leadon is the younger brother of Eagles co-founder Bernie Leadon. The Mudcrutch album includes a mix of old and new tunes, plus a couple of covers.

April 8, 2008 Lady Gaga releases her first single, "Just Dance," co-written with Akon, who sings on the track. It catches on in clubs and gradually climbs the pop chart, landing at #1 in January 2009.

April 1, 2008 The Rolling Stones release Shine A Light, the soundtrack to their concert film of the same name, directed by Martin Scorsese.

March 25, 2008 The Raconteurs release Consolers of the Lonely.

October 30, 2007 The Eagles release their first album since 1979, Long Road Out of Eden, and Britney Spears issues her fifth album, Blackout. Thanks to a fanbase more comfortable with buying CDs than downloading, the Eagles easily outsell her, moving 7 million copies in America to Spears' 1 million.

October 24, 2007 Backstreet Boys release Unbreakable, their first album without Kevin Richardson.More

September 25, 2007 Bruce Springsteen releases Magic.

June 5, 2007 Bruce Springsteen releases Live In Dublin.

June 5, 2007 Rihanna, 19, releases her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, with top producers like Stargate and Timbaland on board. The first single is "Umbrella," which comes with an intro from her Def Jam label boss, Jay-Z.

May 15, 2007 Colbie Caillat, 21, releases her effervescent first single, "Bubbly," the song that earned her a record deal after posting it on MySpace. It has multi-generational appeal, spending a remarkable 19 weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

May 1, 2007 Country singer Miranda Lambert releases her sophomore album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, featuring the Top 10 Country hit "Gunpowder & Lead." The tense tune, which arms the singer with a loaded shotgun in preparation for her abuser's return, is part of a subgenre of country songs about battered women who take revenge on their abusers, such as "Goodbye Earl," and "Independence Day."

February 6, 2007 Barenaked Ladies release their eighth studio album, Barenaked Ladies Are Men, the last BNL album to feature founding member Steven Page.

November 7, 2006 Originally due in the summer of 2005, the last album from late Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard finally arrives. The release date for A Son Unique coincides with the two-year anniversary of ODB's death at a New York recording studio.

October 24, 2006 To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its best-selling album, Def Leppard reissues Hysteria as a two-CD package. Beyond a remastered edition of the original album, the new edition includes a bonus disc with a host of non-album tracks first issued during the period.

October 10, 2006 Sting releases Songs From the Labyrinth, an album of 16th-century lute songs.

September 30, 2006 Shine On, Jet's sophomore album, is released to mixed reviews. Most notably the indie music website Pitchfork's review is nothing but a video of a chimpanzee urinating into its own mouth. The title track and third single from the record, "Shine On," is a tribute to Nic and Chris Chester's dad, who died from cancer in 2004.

August 9, 2006 Christina Aguilera issues her first album in four years, Back To Basics. With a retro sound, it harks back to boogie-woogie of the 1940s with tracks like "Ain't No Other Man" (a tribute to her new husband) and "Candyman." It goes to #1, her first to do so since her 1999 debut.