This Day in Top 40 History: October 2
Oct. 2 has been a notable day in Top 40 history. In 1995, Oasis released their album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? The album became an international success, achieving No….
Oct. 2 has been a notable day in Top 40 history. In 1995, Oasis released their album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? The album became an international success, achieving No. 4 on the Billboard 200. The album featured the iconic songs "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back in Anger." Continue reading to learn about other events that happened on this day in Top 40 history.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Oct. 2 hosted the release of numerous popular songs and albums, including:
- 1981: The Police released their fourth album, Ghost in the Machine. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and the single "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" reached No. 3.
- 1993: Mariah Carey's song "Dreamlover" from her album Music Box spent its fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It held the No. 1 position for a total of nine weeks.
- 2000: Radiohead dropped their second album, Kid A, which became the band's first No. 1 album in the U.S.
- 2007: Soulja Boy's debut studio effort, Souljaboytellem.com, was released. While the record stalled at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, it climbed to No. 1 on the Top Rap Albums Chart. In addition, it spawned the chart-topping "Crank That (Soulja Boy).”
- 2012: Mumford & Sons' second album, Babel, became the highest-selling album, selling 600,000 copies in the first week of its release. The folk album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
- 2015: Janet Jackson dropped her 11th studio LP, Unbreakable, featuring J. Cole and Missy Elliott as guests. This album landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and produced “No Sleep” and “Shoulda Known Better.”
- 2023: Ed Sheeran released Autumn Variations (Fan Living Room Sessions), which was a different version of his album Autumn Variations. Sheeran arrived unannounced at fans' homes and recorded each of the 14 tracks live.
Cultural Milestones
These milestones from Oct. 2 highlight the challenges and changes in the music industry throughout the years:
- 1951: Gordon Matthew Sumner, better known as Sting, was born in England. He fronted The Police, helping them place six Top 10 hits on Billboard's Hot 100. The 17-time GRAMMY winner also has multiple solo Top 20 singles, including “All This Time.”
- 1988: Brittany Howard was born in Athens, Alabama. She is best known as the lead singer of Alabama Shakes, whose Sound & Color spent a week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The group has also bagged four GRAMMYs, as of this writing.
- 1992: Madonna's extremely controversial and very sexual music video for "Erotica" debuted on MTV. The video was only played three times on air before being banned.
- 2004: Billy Joel and 23-year-old Katie Lee tied the knot on Long Island, New York, with the former's daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, as the maid of honor. At the time, the “Uptown Girl” hitmaker was 55. The couple, however, went their separate ways in 2009.
- 2010: One Direction performed as a group for the first time during their time on The X Factor. The band performed a cover of Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn."
- 2011: One Direction fans went crazy for Louis Tomlinson's tweet to bandmate Harry Styles. It became the second most retweeted post in the app's history.
- 2017: Tom Petty died at the age of 66. Petty was known for enduring classics such as "American Girl" and "Free Fallin'."
- 2020: Dua Lipa released the music video for "Levitating." The video channeled Austin Powers and 1960s futurism.
- 2024: Olivia Rodrigo announced her concert film GUTS World Tour via a fan newsletter. It was released later that month.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Various Top 40 artists have delivered historic performances on October 2 while on tour.
- 2012: The Red Hot Chili Peppers performed “Californication,” “I Like Dirt,” and “Snow (Hey Oh)” at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. They were on their I'm With You World Tour, supporting their No. 2 album of the same name.
- 2015: Taylor Swift played an 18-song set featuring “Shake It Off,” “Bad Blood,” and “Blank Space” at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Canada. She was on The 1989 World Tour, which promoted her No. 1 fifth studio effort of the same name.
- 2017: Katy Perry Witness: The Tour stopped at New York's Madison Square Garden, where she sang “Dark Horse,” “Tsunami,” and other songs. This trek, which spanned more than 100 shows, took Perry to North America, Europe, and Oceania.
- 2018: BTS' Love Yourself World Tour, which spanned over 60 concerts across 14 countries, visited Chicago, Illinois. The band performed 27 songs, including “IDOL” and “I Need U,” at the United Center.
- 2019: Lizzo graced the Louisville Palace Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky, where she performed a 16-song setlist featuring “Truth Hurts” and “Good as Hell.” She was on the Cuz I Love You Tour, a trek that supported her No. 4 album of the same name.
Industry Changes and Challenges
The music industry has lost a few members on October 2, including the following:
- 1998: Gene Autry, nicknamed “America's Favorite Cowboy,” died a couple of days after celebrating his 91st birthday. His most notable record was Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Other Christmas Classics, which ruled Billboard's Top Country Albums Chart for a week.
- 2018: Geoff Emerick died at his California home. He was 72. The three-time GRAMMY winner was known for working with The Beatles, who placed 35 Top 10 singles on Billboard's Hot 100, as their primary recording engineer.
The release of "Wonderwall" is enough to declare Oct. 2 as an iconic day for Top 40 music history. However, many other significant events took place on Oct. 2, shaping the Top 40 industry and making this day historic.
Dawn Palmer-QuaifeWriter
