December 13, 2013 In a bold and brilliant marketing move, Beyoncé's self-titled album is released with no advance notice, sending radio stations scrambling to get the songs on the air and generating lots of free publicity.More
July 27, 2013 At Gillette Stadium in Boston, Taylor Swift brings out Carly Simon to sing with her on "You're So Vain," which like many of Swift's hits, takes aim at a famous ex. Swift claims that backstage after the show, Simon whispered in her ear the identity of the man she was singing about in "Vain."
October 22, 2012 Taylor Swift releases her fourth album, Red. The first single is the #1 "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," a kiss-off to an ex she refuses to name.
September 22, 2012 Taylor Swift's single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" notches its third week at #1 on the Hot 100. Swift is still considered a country artist (the song also hits #1 on the Country chart), which puts her in company with Kenny Rogers in terms of crossover appeal; the last country song to spend at least three weeks at #1 was Rogers' "Lady" back in 1980.
August 21, 2012 With 623,000 digital copies sold, Taylor Swift's hit "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" becomes the single with the most digital sales for a female artist.
November 22, 2011 At her concert in Madison Square Garden, Taylor Swift brings out James Taylor - whom she's named after - to perform "Fire And Rain" and "Fifteen."
November 13, 2010 Taylor Swift sets a record by becoming the first female artist to place 11 songs on the Hot 100 at the same time.More
October 25, 2010 Taylor Swift releases her third album, Speak Now. One of the more confessional songs is "Mean," where she takes aim at her critics, including industry insider Bob Lefsetz, who wrote that Swift was "too young and dumb to understand the mistake she made" in performing with Stevie Nicks at the Grammy Awards.
January 31, 2010 Taylor Swift and Beyoncé sweep the Grammy Awards with record-breaking wins. Earning Album of the Year for Fearless at age 19, Swift is the youngest artist to ever win the award. Beyoncé wins six out of ten nominations - including Song of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) " - giving her the most wins in one night of any female artist.More
November 7, 2009 Taylor Swift, 19, hosts Saturday Night Live for the first time. She writes a bespoke song for the opening monologue poking fun at her proclivity for writing songs about her exes, including Joe Jonas, "The guy who broke up with me on the phone."
September 13, 2009 When Taylor Swift wins for Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West comes on stage and commandeers the microphone, explaining that Beyoncé deserved the award for her "Single Ladies" video. When Beyoncé does win for Video of the Year later that night, she brings Taylor on stage to finish her speech.More
April 10, 2009 Hannah Montana: The Movie, based on the Disney Channel TV series that made Miley Cyrus a star, premieres in US theaters. Her character Miley Stewart becomes too preoccupied with her famous alter-ego, Hannah Montana, and is forced to rediscover her roots in her Tennessee hometown. Taylor Swift, who performs the country ballad "Crazier" in the movie, wrote the song "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" for the soundtrack.
November 16, 2008 MTV's Total Request Live ends after 10 seasons with a special three-hour finale. Guests include several of the countdown's mainstays, including Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Eminem, and Britney Spears. Britney's "...Baby One More Time" takes the top spot on the final tally, which presents the Top 10 most iconic music videos.More
November 11, 2008 Eighteen-year-old Taylor Swift releases her second album, Fearless, which goes on to sell over 10 million copies in America. Standout tracks include "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me."
May 15, 2007 During her performance of her debut single "Tim McGraw" at the Academy of Country Music Awards, teenaged Taylor Swift goes into the audience and introduces herself to McGraw and his wife, Faith Hill.More
October 24, 2006 Taylor Swift releases her self-titled debut album, a collection of country-pop tunes the singer wrote during her freshman year of high school. Led by the Top 20 single "Tim McGraw," it peaks at #5 on the Albums chart and becomes the longest-charting album of the 2000s in the US, logging 157 weeks by 2009.
March 17, 2003 On the very first episode of MTV's practical joke show Punk'd, host Ashton Kutcher stages a prank involving the IRS that makes Justin Timberlake cry.More
December 13, 1989 Taylor Swift is born in Reading, Pennsylvania. She is raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, and moves to Nashville at age 14, where she discovers her knack for turning heartache into hit singles.More
November 1, 1988 Slick Rick releases his debut album, The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick, featuring the influential rap hit "Children's Story."More
March 31, 1984 Jack Antonoff is born in Bergenfield, New Jersey. He's the guitarist in the band Fun ("We Are Young") before going solo as Bleachers. His biggest impact is as a songwriter-producer for the likes of Taylor Swift, Lorde and Lana Del Rey.
January 27, 1984 At the peak of his popularity, Michael Jackson films an ad for Pepsi that goes horribly wrong when some stray pyro sets his hair on fire.More
October 12, 1972 Joseph Kahn is born Ahn Jun-hee in Busan, South Korea, but will be raised in the Jersey Village suburb of Houston, Texas. Kahn grows up to be the go-to director for pop videos of the late-'90s into the new millennium, helming clips for everyone from Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Taylor Swift to Chris Brown and Eminem.More
April 26, 1969 "Oh Happy Day" by The Edwin Hawkins Singers enters the Hot 100 at #72, becoming the first pure gospel song to make that chart. More
August 10, 1963 Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips (Part 2)" becomes the first live recording to hit #1 in the US. It holds the position for three weeks.More
December 9, 1955 Elvis Presley performs at the B&I Club in Swifton, Arkansas, and introduces his new song, "Heartbreak Hotel," by claiming "It's gonna be my first hit."
December 9, 1935 Country singer David Houston is born Bossier City, Louisiana. His 1966 breakthrough hit "Almost Persuaded" spends nine weeks atop the Country chart - a feat not matched again until Taylor Swift's 2012 smash "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" goes on a 9-week run.
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