This Day in Top 40 History: September 16
On Sept. 16, 2017, “Look What You Made Me Do” by Taylor Swift moved to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The intense electropop song was the lead single…
On Sept. 16, 2017, "Look What You Made Me Do" by Taylor Swift moved to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The intense electropop song was the lead single from her sixth album, Reputation. Swift has teased the release of her rerecorded version of the song, but fans are still awaiting its arrival. Keep reading for more Top 40 history from Sept. 16.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Many hit songs from Sept. 16 gained a new life as younger generations discovered music from before their time:
- 1967: The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their debut album, Are You Experienced? The album spent 77 weeks in the Top 40 on the Billboard 200 chart and has been added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry.
- 1985: Kate Bush released her album Hounds of Love. The album included "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)," which was given a second life after being included in the soundtrack for season 4 of Stranger Things.
- 2023: Country music ruled the day as Zach Bryan's self-titled album held the top spot on the Billboard 200. Morgan Wallen's country-pop song "One Thing At A Time" was just one spot behind.
Cultural Milestones
Sometimes you can tell when an artist is destined to make history. These stars did so on Sept.16:
- 1979: The Sugarhill Gang released "Rapper's Delight." This song included the now-iconic lyric "I said a hip hop the hippie to the hippie / to the hip hip hop and you don't stop." It was the first rap song to reach the top 40 on the Billboard 100.
- 1992: Nick Jonas was born on this day in 1992. He became part of the all-brothers band Jonas Brothers, where he would voice the legendary "red dress" lyrical ad-lib that has endured for decades.
- 2006: Bob Dylan topped the charts with his album Modern Times to become the oldest artist to top the Billboard 200 at age 65.
Notable Recordings and Performances
From underground shows to stadium concerts, these live performances on Sept.16 captured a specific moment in each artist's history:
- 2008: Lady Gaga performed at a London Fashion Week party. Gaga was in the middle of touring for her debut album, The Fame.
- 2017: Ariana Grande performed in Singapore as part of her Dangerous Woman Tour. The tour had been extended after a brief hiatus in May following the attack at the Manchester Arena show.
- 2024: Olivia Rodrigo performed the second of two nights in Bangkok, Thailand. The shows were part of Rodrigo's Guts World Tour in support of her sophomore album.
Whether you love pop music or you simply can't get enough of 65-year-old Bob Dylan, Sept. 16's music history has something for everyone.
