This Day in Top 40 History: April 14

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1997: Depeche Mode dropped their ninth studio effort, Ultra. While it peaked at No. 1 on the U.K. Official Albums Chart, it stalled at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. The record's “It's No Good” cracked the Top 40 on both Billboard's Hot 100 and the U.K. Singles chart. Other U.K Top 30 hits from the album were “Home” and “Barrel of a Gun.” 
• 2011: Super pop diva Adele performed at the O2 Academy in Leeds, England, for her Adele Live tour with hit songs like "Rumour Has It" and "Set Fire to the Rain." Today, Adele is one of the wealthiest female performers in the UK and has had a successful two-year Las Vegas residency, Weekends With Adele.
• 2017: Kendrick Lamar's fourth studio album, D*MN., came out. Reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200, it became the Compton native's third chart-topper. Impressively, all 14 tracks from D*MN. broke into the Hot 100, and at least nine of them charted in the Top 40. That list featured “HUMBLE.,” “LOYALTY.,” and “DNA.” 
• 2018: Beyoncé was the first Black woman to headline the popular Coachella music festival. In her historic performance, Beyoncé performed a two-hour set that combined performances from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), surprise reunions, and her greatest hits.
• 2023: Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival saw headliners Bad Bunny, Gorillaz, and Burna Boy at this highly anticipated event in Indio, California. Additional performers at the 2023 festival included BENEE, Juliete Mendoza, and Metro Boomin.
• 2023: Super pop star Taylor Swift performed at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, as a stop on her sensational and record-breaking Eras tour. This was only the second night of her 149-date tour that thrilled fans across 21 countries.

Cultural Milestones 

• 1932: Loretta Lynn, the sister of “Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” singer Crystal Gayle, was born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky. Her music career began at her local church, where she sang along with other children. Lynn's most notable track is “Coal Miner's Daughter,” which reached the summit of Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. She scored 50 more Top 10 hits as well, including “Out Of My Head And Back In My Bed” and “One's On The Way.”
• 1963: The Beatles watched The Rolling Stones perform at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, England. After the show, the two bands would meet for the first time, marking the beginning of their long-standing friendship. Note that at this time, the Beatles hadn't blown up in London yet, although they had scored two U.K. No. 1 hits, “From Me To You” and “Please Please Me.” On the other hand, The Rolling Stones were a little over a year away from their first chart-topper in the region, “It's All Over Now.”

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 2005: U2 sang “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “Mysterious Ways,” and other tracks at the Glendale Arena in Arizona. This show was part of their Vertigo Tour, which supported their 2004 No. 1 LP, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. 
• 2016: Prince played his final concert at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The setlist featured hits such as “Cream,” “I Would Die For You,” and “Purple Rain,” which was the last song he ever performed for his fans. Unfortunately, Prince died a week later, on April 21, after accidentally overdosing on fentanyl. 
• 2022: Pop singer Lizzo released her song "About Damn Time" through Nice Life Recording Company/Atlantic Records. This is her theme song for her new album Special. Not only is Lizzo an award-winning singer/performer, but she's also a trained flautist.
• 2022: Olivia Rodrigo performed at The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for her SOUR tour. Rodrigo's hit songs include "traitor," "vampire," and "jealousy, jealousy."
• 2023: Pop sensation Sam Smith performed at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, for his Gloria tour. Smith is known for his smash hits "Stay With Me" and "Lay Me Down."
• 2024: The Kid LAROI played at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, for his The First Time Tour. This Australian singer is known for hits like "Stay" and "Nights Like This."

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 2012: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony went down in Cleveland, Ohio. That year, the list of honorees featured a string of Top 40 artists, including Guns N' Roses, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Laura Nyro. 
• 2015: Percy Sledge died of liver cancer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was 74. Sledge was known for belting out the ballad “When a Man Loves a Woman,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was also the first gold record for Atlantic Records, the label that released and distributed it. Sledge's other notable Top 40 singles were “Warm and Tender Love” and “Take Time to Know Her.” 
• 2023: Mark Sheehan died after a short, undisclosed illness. The 46-year-old was a member of The Script, who, in addition to selling over 20 million worldwide, scored a few Top 40 hits on the Hot 100. Notable titles include “Hall of Fame,” “Breakeven,” and “For the First Time.”