This Day in Top 40 History: July 30

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1977: Andy Gibb, younger brother of family musical group the Bee Gees, had his own success with the single "I Just Want to Be Your Everything." The song was his first of three No. 1 hits in the U.S.
• 1996: A Tribe Called Quest released their fourth studio LP, Beats, Rhymes and Life, including guest contributions from Consequence, Tammy Lucas, and Faith Evans. The album spent a week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Additionally, it spawned “Stressed Out,” which stalled at No. 15 on Billboard's Hot Rap Songs Chart. 
• 2001: The Strokes released their debut album, Is This It. The album included three hit singles, "Hard to Explain," "Someday," and "Last Nite."
• 2002: Bruce Springsteen issued his 12th studio album, The Rising, which ruled the Billboard 200 for two weeks. Exploring themes such as resilience, grief, and confusion, this record was a thoughtful artistic response to the 9/11 attacks, which caused over 2,000 deaths. Some notable tracks from this record were “Lonesome Day,” “You're Missing,” and “Into The Fire.”
• 2006: Shakira's most recognizable song, "Hips Don't Lie," started a four-week run at the top of the U.K. charts. The dance track featuring Wyclef Jean became one of the biggest-selling singles by a female artist in the 21st century.
• 2021: Prince's 14th studio effort, Welcome 2 America, was posthumously issued. The record flew to No. 4 and No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart, respectively. Tracks from this set include “Running Game (Son of a Slave Master),” “1000 Light Years from Here,” and “One Day We Will All B Free.”

Cultural Milestones

• 1958: Kate Bush, whose music has influenced Top 40 artists such as Coldplay, Adele, and Lily Allen, was born in London, England. She has up to 25 U.K. Top 40 singles under her belt, including No. 1 hits “Wuthering Heights” and “Running Up That Hill.” The latter cracked the Top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100, too. 
• 1965: The Rolling Stones released Out of Our Heads, their fourth studio album. It was their first album to reach No. 1 on the U.S. album charts.
• 1983: The Police's single "Every Breath You Take" completed its fourth week at No. 1. It enjoyed a total of eight weeks at the top spot.
• 1997: Finneas O'Connell, who goes by FINNEAS, was born to Patrick and Maggie O'Connell in Los Angeles, California. He co-wrote and produced his little sister Billie Eilish's breakthrough single, "ocean eyes,” as well as her chart-topping album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? FINNEAS' solo hits include “What They'll Say About Us,” which cracked the Top 40 on Billboard's Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart. 
• 2003: Sam Phillips died in Memphis, Tennessee. He is credited with discovering the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley, and launching the latter's successful music career that saw the release of hits such as “Suspicious Minds” and “Can't Help Falling In Love.” Phillips also founded Sun Records, which signed many Top 40 artists, including Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Roy Orbison.
• 2021: The Bleachers released their third studio album, Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night. It was the first album from the group in four years and peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard 200. 

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1955: Johnny Cash recorded one of his most well-known songs, "Folsom Prison Blues." The song reached No. 4 on the charts, but the live version recorded at Folsom Prison had even greater success.
• 1987: The American leg of David Bowie's Glass Spider Tour kicked off in Philadelphia. At the time, it was the largest touring set ever, complete with a giant spider that required 43 trucks to transport.
• 1991: Lynyrd Skynyrd played Top 40 singles such as “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Free Bird,” and “Saturday Night Special” at the New York State Fairgrounds' Empire Court. They were on their Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 Tour, which supported their album of the same name. Notably, Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 was the band's first record since the 1977 plane crash that claimed the lives of original members Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines. 
• 1992: Michael Jackson brought the house down at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Singing hits such as “Smooth Criminal,” “Man in the Mirror,” and “Billie Jean,” the King of Pop was on the Dangerous World Tour, a trek launched in support of his No. 1 record of the same name. 
• 2003: Justin Timberlake performed at Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto, the largest Canadian concert ever. He was greeted with boos from the audience because his pop set interrupted a slate of rock musicians.
• 2023: Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour, which promoted her No. 1 record of the same name, visited the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. During this show, she performed “Love on Top,” “PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA,” “Run the World (Girls),” and other songs. According to sources, the Renaissance World Tour eventually grossed over $579 million after 56 stops across 39 cities.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 1986: An article in Variety magazine reported that RCA had dropped John Denver from their label due to his anti-war song, "What Are We Making Weapons For?"
• 2014: After a campaign led by musicians, the U.K. lifted a ban on steel-string guitars in prison cells. The aim was to increase access to music and instruments for people in the prison system.
• 2016: Jack White of the White Stripes launched a turntable into space. The record played in space for 80 minutes before coming back down to Earth.