This Day in Top 40 History: September 27
On Sept. 27, 2012, Lil Wayne placed his 109th single on the charts. The song that won him this great honor was “Celebration” by The Game. Wayne took the record…
On Sept. 27, 2012, Lil Wayne placed his 109th single on the charts. The song that won him this great honor was "Celebration" by The Game. Wayne took the record from Elvis Presley, who had 108 charted songs, and remains one of the most respected and renowned rappers in the industry. Keep reading for more Top 40 history from Sept. 27.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
For many artists, success doesn't happen automatically — just take Pink and Tony Bennett, for example:
- 1982: Depeche Mode launched their sophomore album, A Broken Frame. It landed at No. 8 in the U.K. Besides, the set delivered a number of U.K. Top 20 singles, such as “Leave In Silence,” “See You,” and “The Meaning of Love.”
- 2008: Metallica topped the charts with their ninth studio album, Death Magnetic. The album included the singles "All Nightmare Long" and "My Apocalypse."
- 2008: Pink made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time with her single "So What." The song was from her fifth studio album, Funhouse.
- 2011: With Duets II, Tony Bennett became the oldest living person to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Not only that, but it was Bennett's first-ever No. 1 album.
- 2011: blink-182 issued their sixth studio LP, Neighborhoods, featuring “Ghost on the Dance Floor,” “Up All Night,” and “Wishing Well.” This album landed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
- 2013: Lorde's debut album, Pure Heroine, came out. The record flew to No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Additionally, it delivered “Team” and “Royals,” which peaked at No. 6 and No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100, respectively.
Cultural Milestones
As new artists entered the scene, long-time artists received a second wind:
- 1982: Lil Wayne, real name Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was born. He has 195 songs that have charted, with three No. 1 hits and 26 top 10 hits.
- 1984: Avril Lavigne was born on this day in Canada. Known for hits such as "Complicated" and "Girlfriend," Lavigne is the youngest female solo artist at the time to have a No. 1 album in the U.K.
- 1986: 23 years after it originally appeared on the U.S. charts, "Twist and Shout" by The Beatles re-entered the Billboard Hot 100. The Beatles owe this secondary success to the hit movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
- 2016: Simon & Schuster released Bruce Springsteen's autobiography, Born to Run. Named after his 1975 No. 3 album of the same name, this book covered various aspects of the “Hungry Heart” singer's life, such as his childhood, personal struggles, and the formation of the E Street Band.
- 2025: After dating for two years, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco got married in Santa Barbara, California. Their relationship began professionally, with Blanco co-producing “Same Old Love” and “Kill 'Em With Kindness” from Gomez's 2015 No. 1 album, Revival.
Notable Recordings and Performances
These live performances showcase how deeply musicians are bound up in the cultural moments of their time.
- 1964: The Beach Boys debuted on live TV with their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. The band was met with a lively audience, and they performed their enduring hits "I Get Around" and "Wendy."
- 1997: Bob Dylan played "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" at the World Eucharist Congress in Italy. The then-pope Pope John Paul II, was in the audience.
- 2019: Carrie Underwood's Cry Pretty Tour 360 stopped at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. She performed a 23-song setlist that featured “Before He Cheats,” “Two Black Cadillacs,” and “Something in the Water.”
- 2022: During a concert in Washington, D.C., Lizzo played several notes from a historic flute that was once owned by U.S. President James Madison. The crystal instrument was on loan from the Library of Congress.
- 2025: Dua Lipa lit up the stage at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, performing “Levitating,” “New Rules,” and “Falling Forever.” She was on the Radical Optimism Tour, a trek that supported her No. 2 album of the same name.
Industry Changes and Challenges
These moments from September 27 changed the lives of various Top 40 artists forever:
- 1979: James “Jimmy” McCulloch died of heart failure, which was possibly triggered by morphine and alcohol poisoning, at 26. McCulloch contributed to Thunderclap Newman's chart-topper, "Something in the Air,” and collaborated with Paul McCartney's Wings.
- 1997: In Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, at the Star Lake Amphitheater, INXS played what would be the final concert with lead singer Michael Hutchence. Less than two months after this show, on November 22, Hutchence died by suicide — his body was found in a Sydney hotel room.
- 2004: Phil Spector, who produced hits for big names such as The Crystals, The Ronettes, George Harrison, John Lennon, and Ike and Tina Turner, was charged with the murder of Black Scorpion actress Lana Clarkson, who was fatally shot at his California home. Spector was found guilty of the crime and sentenced to at least 19 years in prison.
- 2011: Johnnie Wright died at 97. He was a member of Johnnie & Jack, the duo that landed U.S. Top 40 hits such as “Poison Love” and “(Oh, Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely.” As a solo artist, Wright's most successful single was "Hello Vietnam," which peaked at No. 1.
- 2019: Metallica put their WorldWired Tour on hold so that lead vocalist James Hetfield could re-enter a rehabilitation program to treat his addiction. Following this announcement, the “Enter Sandman” hitmakers promised to refund all tickets for the affected leg.
From historical flutes to first-time chart accomplishments, Sept. 27 is a big day for Top 40 history.
Dawn Palmer-QuaifeWriter
