This Day in Top 40 History: March 31
March 31 has been an eventful day in Top 40 music history, with performances by superstars such as Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Whitney Houston, and Pitbull. Breakthrough Hits and Milestones …
Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
March 31 has been an eventful day in Top 40 music history, with performances by superstars such as Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Whitney Houston, and Pitbull.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
These are the day's most relevant Top 40 hits:
- 1962: Connie Francis topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with her hit single "Don't Break The Heart That Loves You." It was her third No. 1 song, making her the first female artist in history to achieve this feat.
- 1962: As Connie Francis' song was topping the charts, The Shirelles' "Soldier Boy" was just entering the Billboard Hot 100 Top 40. It would eventually reach No. 1 on May 5 and stay there for three consecutive weeks.
- 1973: Donny Osmond's "The Twelfth of Never" reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart, staying there for a single week. It was his second UK No. 1 out of a total of three.
- 1984: Kenny Loggins reached the top spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 with "Footloose." It was his only No. 1 hit and reached the top of the charts in several other countries, including Canada and Australia.
Cultural Milestones
Whitney Houston and Lady Gaga are two of the most influential pop stars of all time, and these cultural milestones on March 31 solidified them as Top 40 greats:
- 1991: Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston's TV special, Welcome Home Heroes, aired on HBO. This special welcomed home 3,500 service members from the Gulf War in the Middle East. Houston aired this honorary show live from the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Virginia.
- 1995: Singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was tragically murdered in Corpus Christi, Texas. Her 1992 breakthrough album, Entre a Mi Mundo, spent an amazing 18 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Regional Mexican Albums chart.
- 2014: Lady Gaga performed at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City as part of her first concert residency of seven shows.
- 2021: Paul Simon sold his entire catalog, which included both solo and Simon & Garfunkel songs, to Sony Music Publishing, in a deal worth roughly $250 million. It included timeless Top 40 hits like "Mrs. Robinson" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water."
Notable Recordings and Performances
Some notable concerts that took place on March 31 include:
- 2014: Miley Cyrus performed at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as part of her Bangerz Tour. Cyrus opened the show by sliding down a giant pink tongue, and there were many dazzling lights and dancers.
- 2014: Rapper and singer Pitbull performed on The Today Show at Rockefeller Center in New York City. This dance-centric performance was a success for Pitbull.
- 2023: Pop superstar Taylor Swift sang at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, as part of the Eras Tour.
- 2024: Drake, Lil Wayne, and Lil Durk performed at Bryce Jordan Center at the University Park campus of Pennsylvania State University for Drake's It's All a Blur Tour.
Industry Changes and Challenges
March 31 is associated with technological innovations and odd talk show appearances in the Top 40 music industry:
- 1958: Chuck Berry released the iconic rock and roll song "Johnny B. Goode." It peaked at No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
- 1949: The way the world listened to music singles changed when the first 7-inch, 45 rpm record was released. Before this, only large-format vinyl records were available. Among the first singles released on the 7-inch, 45 rpm record was "Texarkana Baby" by Eddy Arnold.
- 1994: Pop star Madonna appeared as a guest on The Late Show with David Letterman. Her behavior on the show was highly controversial, as she used profanity and refused to leave the set. Despite this, it was one of Letterman's highest-rated shows.
The last day of March has witnessed many memorable changes, challenges, and performances in Top 40 music history.
Dan TeodorescuWriter
