This Day in Top 40 History: August 14

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1965: "I Got You Babe" by Sonny & Cher hit No. 1 on the charts. Loosely inspired by Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe," the song stayed in the top spot for three weeks.
• 1971: Widely regarded as one of the greatest rock records of all time, The Who released Who's Next. The album peaked at No. 4 on the charts and was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame in 2007.
• 1984: The Fixx dropped their third studio LP, Phantoms. The record peaked at No. 19 in the U.S., which was a bit lower than the band's previous album, Reach The Beach. Still, Phantoms delivered one Top 40 single, “Are We Ourselves?” The song climbed to No. 15 on Billboard's Hot 100 and topped the Top Rock Tracks Chart.  
• 1993: Freddie Mercury reached No. 1 with a remix of his 1985 solo "Living on My Own." This accomplishment came two years after Mercury's untimely death.
• 2001: Michelle Branch issued her sophomore album, The Spirit Room. It reached No. 28 on the Billboard 200 and delivered three Top 25 singles on the Hot 100. These included “Everywhere” and  “All You Wanted,” both of which cracked the Top 40 on the U.K. Singles Chart as well.

Cultural Milestones

• 1941: David Crosby was born to Aliph Van Cortlandt Whitehead and Floyd Crosby in Los Angeles, California. His music career, which spanned more than six decades, saw him score several Top 40 singles as a member of various bands. While with The Byrds, for instance, Crosby contributed to the chart-topping “Mr. Tambourine Man.” He was also a part of Crosby, Stills & Nash, whose “Marrakesh Express” cracked the Top 30 in America and the U.K. 
• 1956: DJ Bob Rickman created The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Elvis Presley to counter the negative criticism Presley was receiving at the time. The Society didn't last long, however, since it was mostly a performative show of support for The King.
• 1971: Rhonda Ross Kendrick was born to Diana Ross and Berry Gordy. At the time of her birth, the “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” singer was married to her first husband, Robert Ellis Silberstein, so he was listed as Kendrick's father on her birth certificate. According to sources, Kendrick didn't know the Motown Records founder was her biological father until she was a teen. 
• 2015: Former U.S. president Barack Obama issued the first official presidential playlist, which was divided into two themes, “Day” and “Night,” each comprising 20 tracks. The list featured songs by multiple Top 40 artists, including Frank Sinatra, Beyoncé, Al Green, Florence + The Machine, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin. Since this inaugural summer collection, Obama has released more playlists, featuring more renowned names including Drake, The Rolling Stones, and Janet Jackson. 
• 2017: Pantone released a new color in honor of Prince, who had died in 2016. The bright purple color was dubbed "Love #2."

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1994: Bob Dylan performed on the final day of Woodstock '94. He sang many of his biggest hits, including "It Ain't Me Babe" and "Just Like A Woman."
• 1999: The Backstreet Boys sold over 700,000 tickets for their North American tour in just one day. Into the Millennium was the group's fourth tour.
• 2010: Adam Lambert took his Glam Nation Tour, which supported his No. 3 debut album, For Your Entertainment, to Quebec, Canada. He played a 14-track setlist that featured hits such as “Whataya Want From Me” and “If I Had You.”
• 2019: The 1975's frontman Matt Healy kissed a male fan on the lips during a concert in Dubai. Healy did this to protest the UAE's anti-LGBTQ+ laws, since homosexuality is illegal in Dubai.
• 2023: Beyoncé brought the house down at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta,  Georgia, where she performed “1+1,” “COZY,” “Run the World (Girls),” and other songs. She was on her Renaissance World Tour promoting her No. 1 album of the same name.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 1970:  The police found Stephen Stills in possession of drugs, including cocaine, at a motel in La Jolla, California, consequently arresting him. According to sources, the “Love The One You're With” hitmaker was also incoherent and aggressive. Thankfully, he was released later on bail. 
• 1985: Michael Jackson purchased the publishing rights to over 250 songs written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon from ATV. Jackson bought the catalog for $47.5 million.
• 1989: Bon Jovi's album New Jersey was released in the Soviet Union after a local record label paid the band with a truckload of firewood. New Jersey was the first U.S. album legally released in the country.
• 2017: Taylor Swift won a wrongful termination lawsuit against former DJ David Mueller after she countersued for battery and sexual assault. Swift only demanded $1 in damages and stated that the lawsuit was important for helping other women speak up.
• 2020: Pete Way passed away at 69. According to sources, Way died from the severe injuries he sustained after falling down the stairs at his home a couple of months earlier. While alive, he was best known as a founding member of UFO, who had U.K. Top 40 singles such as “Doctor Doctor” and “Young Blood” to their name. Additionally, Way collaborated with several big names, including Motörhead's Fast Eddie Clarke and Black Rain artist Ozzy Osbourne.