This Day in Top 40 History: August 2

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1980: Olivia Newton-John's "Magic" climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Pulled from the Xanadu soundtrack, the dreamy mid-tempo ballad would stay at the top for four weeks and become one of her biggest hits on AC radio.
• 2020: Taylor Swift's “cardigan” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. This song was a shift in sound for Taylor's career to deeper lyrics that the fans pored over.

Cultural Milestones

• 1951: Andrew Gold was born to distinguished performer Marni Nixon and award-winning composer Ernest Gold in California. Although his birthplace was Burbank, he was raised in Hollywood. Andrew began writing songs when he was 13, inspired by successful bands like the Beatles. He would later land Top 40 hits such as “Thank You For Being a Friend” and “Lonely Boy” on Billboard's Hot 100. 
• 1962: Aretha Franklin, still an unfamiliar face to many music fans, performed on American Bandstand, making her television debut. Her appearance on this show undoubtedly increased her exposure and helped pave the way for her to become the “Queen of Soul.” In the years that followed, Franklin landed over 30 U.S. Top 40 singles, including No. 1 hits “Respect” and “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me).”
• 1962: Robert Allen Zimmerman legally changed his name to Bob Dylan. This happened just weeks after signing a music publishing deal with Witmark Music under that pen name, and the legal change solidified his place in music history under the name that would influence generations.
• 1992: Charlotte Emma Aitchison, better known as Charli XCX, was born in Cambridge, England. She began her music journey by performing at local events in London. Today, she has multiple Top 40 singles under her belt. These include her collaboration with Iggy Azalea, “Fancy,” which dominated the Hot 100 for seven weeks but stalled at No. 5 on the U.K. Singles Chart. 
• 2001: New Orleans International Airport was officially renamed Louis Armstrong Airport in honor of the city's most iconic musician. Armstrong is known primarily for his jazz, but his crossover success and influence in other genres left a permanent mark on New Orleans and music across the decades.
• 2019: Ed Sheeran broke U2's touring record when his Divide Tour became the highest-grossing and most-attended tour of all time. With over 7.3 million tickets sold and 893 days on the road, Sheeran set a new standard for global pop success.
• 2023: As the U.S. leg of her Eras Tour came to a close, Taylor Swift made headlines by gifting each of her truck drivers a $100,000 bonus—along with handwritten thank-you notes. Her reputation as a performer was already top-notch, but an artist who leads with gratitude and intention speaks volumes about her character.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1986: Peter Cetera's "Glory of Love" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Written for The Karate Kid Part II, the soaring ballad became a signature solo hit after his departure from Chicago and a major AC radio staple.
• 2013: Justin Bieber played “Baby,” “As Long As You Love Me,” “All Around The World,” “Yellow Raincoat,” and other tracks at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Canadian was on his Believe Tour, a trek launched to support his third studio effort of the same name. Issued in June 2012, Believe spent a week at No. 1 in the U.S.
• 2014: JAY-Z and Beyoncé lit up the stage at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, performing songs from their respective discographies, including “If I Were a Boy,” “Young Forever,” “Holy Grail,” and “Crazy in Love.” The couple was on their On the Run Tour, supporting JAY-Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail and Beyoncé's 2013 self-titled record. Both albums reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
• 2024: Sam Smith released a 10th-anniversary re-recording of "Stay With Me" with altered lyrics, changing "I'm just a man" to "baby understand." The change was meaningful to Smith, who came out as nonbinary. 

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 1972: In Los Angeles, Brian Cole overdosed on heroin and died at 29. He was best known as a founding member of The Association, which notched a number of Top 40 singles in the U.S. Some of these were “Windy” and “Cherish,” both of which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Cole's son, Jordan, would later join The Association and play with them for more than two decades.
• 1991: Rick James, known for hits such as “You and I” and “Give It to Me Baby,” was taken into custody along with his then-girlfriend, Tanya Anne Hijazi. The pair allegedly held and assaulted a 24-year-old woman in James's Hollywood Hills home following days of drug use. 
• 2000: Jerome Smith, guitarist for KC and the Sunshine Band, tragically died in a construction accident. As part of the group's signature funk-pop sound, his guitar work on hits like "Get Down Tonight" and "Give It Up" helped define dance floors and radio waves for years.
• 2001: Ron Townson died of renal failure at 68. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Townson started singing at an early age. He then toured with big names such as Nat King Cole before forming the 5th Dimension. The group scored at least seven Top 10 hits in the U.S., including "Up, Up & Away" and the chart-topping “Wedding Bell Blues.”