This Day in Top 40 History: April 10
Female pop stars, such as Madonna, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, and Olivia Rodrigo, dominated the charts and performances for the Top 40 on April 10, while Justin Bieber and The…
Female pop stars, such as Madonna, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, and Olivia Rodrigo, dominated the charts and performances for the Top 40 on April 10, while Justin Bieber and The Backstreet Boys were among the male Top 40 artists.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
The following breakthrough hits and milestones come from some of pop's hottest stars, including:
- 1976: Peter Frampton topped the Billboard 200 albums chart with his live album, Frampton Comes Alive! It held the top spot for 10 consecutive weeks and was a huge commercial success, selling over 8 million copies in the US alone.
- 1982: Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast album went to No. 1 on the UK album charts. It's still the band's best-selling album and one of the most successful of all time, with over 20 million copies sold.
- 2013: Kate Bush, best known for her hit song "Running Up That Hill," which was featured in the sci-fi TV show Stranger Things, received a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to music from Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony at Windsor Castle.
- 2021: Pop diva Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" peaked at No. 1 on the Top 40 charts with 10 weeks on the charts, while "Therefore I Am" by Billie Eilish was at No. 2 with 17 weeks on the charts.
Cultural Milestones
Today's most consequential culture-related events involve a famous birthday, the birth of a legendary instrument, and the biggest band of all time officially breaking up.
- 1954: Leo Fender filed the patent for the legendary Fender Stratocaster at the U.S. Patent Office. It got patented in December of that year, and it's one of the most recognizable and widely used guitars in music history.
- 1970: Paul McCartney officially announced that the Beatles were breaking up. He did it in a press release for his debut solo album and stated that the reasons were "personal, business, and musical differences."
- 1979: Sophie Ellis-Bextor was born in Isleworth, London, England. She debuted in the early 2000s and had a UK No. 1 hit with "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)."
Notable Recordings and Performances
Justin Bieber brought Post Malone and Moxie Raia on his Purpose World Tour, and Taylor Swift performed in Dallas, Texas:
- 1985: Pop queen Madonna played three sold-out shows at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington, for her Virgin Tour. Madonna rose to pop stardom in 1985 and is still touring today.
- 2013: Megastar Taylor Swift performed at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. This was a stop on her Red tour supporting her new album of the same name, with hit songs such as "State of Grace" and "I Almost Do."
- 2016: Heartthrob Justin Bieber took his 50-city Purpose World Tour to the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Excitingly, Post Malone and Moxie Raia supported Bieber for this huge tour.
- 2019: The all-boy band The Backstreet Boys continued their residency in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 10 with hits such as "I Want It That Way" and "Shape of My Heart." This was for their Larger Than Life residency held at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
- 2020: Pop favorite Lady Gaga dropped her new album Chromatica on April 10. Songs on her sixth album include "Stupid Love" and "Rain on Me."
- 2024: 12-time GRAMMY-nominated pop star Nicki Minaj appeared at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, for her Pink Friday 2 World Tour. She delighted her fans with 33 songs from her five albums and numerous costume and set changes.
April 10 has seen some great new music and performances that delighted the many fans of these amazing artists. It's a day when new and upcoming artists, such as Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo, made a name for themselves and won awards, helping to boost their careers.
