It’s April 23rd and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 1988, Whitney Houston’s “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of two weeks. The singer reportedly “hated” the song and didn’t understand its message – but it became her seventh consecutive No. 1 song in the U.S., beating a record held by The Beatles and Bee Gees.
- In 2005, the first video ever was uploaded to YouTube. Me at the Zoo showed co-founder Jawed Karim talking about elephants at the San Diego Zoo. The 18-second clip has been viewed 66 million times. YouTube became the go-to platform for music videos.
- In 2011, Katy Perry’s “E.T.” featuring Kanye West was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for its third and final week. The song, which also topped the chart in Canada, was Perry’s fifth to go to No. 1.
- In 1985, the We Are the World album was released. In addition to the title track, the album features unreleased songs by Prince, Chicago, and Bruce Springsteen. Also included is “Tears Are Not Enough,” the charity single by Canadian all-star group Northern Lights.
- In 1977, “Don’t Leave Me This Way” by Thelma Houston went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was originally recorded by two years earlier by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes ft. Teddy Pendergrass.
- In 1983, U2 kicked off the North American leg of the band’s War tour in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The trek included shows in Toronto and Vancouver.
- In 2017, members of UK pop group Bananarama announced they were reuniting for the Original Line-up Tour. The trio performed hits like “Venus,” “Cruel Summer” and “I Heard a Rumour.”
And that’s what popped on this day.