It’s February 1st and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 1994, Harry Edward Styles was born in England. He showed an early interest in singing and, as a teen, fronted a band called White Eskimo. In 2010, Styles auditioned for The X-Factor with his version of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely.” After failing to advance on the show, he was grouped with four other competitors – and One Direction was born. After enjoying several years of global success with 1D, Styles launched a solo career with his 2017 self-titled album, which spawned the Top 10 hit “Sign of the Times.”
- In 2017, Beyoncé posted a photo on Instagram showing her rubbing her belly. “We would like to share our love and happiness,” she captioned it. “We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes.” In the first 24 hours, the post was “liked” more than 8 million times.
- In 1984, Footloose opened in cinemas. The film’s soundtrack included the hit title track as well as songs like “Let’s Hear if For the Boy” by Deniece Williams.
- In 2004, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake caused a stir when, during their Super Bowl halftime performance, Timberlake exposed one of Jackson’s nipples. Timberlake later apologized for the “wardrobe malfunction.”
- In 1964, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles started a seven-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was replaced in the top spot by The Beatles’ “She Loves You,” which was bumped after two weeks by The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love.”
- In 2008, the Spice Girls announced that due to “family and personal commitments,” they would be cutting short their reunion tour on Feb. 26 in Toronto. Shows in Beijing, Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires were scrapped.
- In 1980, Blondie released “Call Me,” the theme song to American Gigolo. Written by Debbie Harry and Giorgio Moroder, the song went to No. 1 in April 1980 and stayed there for six weeks.
- In 1992, the Elton John and George Michael duet “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me” went to No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. John’s original version of the song appeared on his 1974 album Caribou.
- In 2010, music stars gathered in L.A. to record “We Are the World 25 for Haiti,” a remake of the 1985 famine relief song “We Are the World.” Among those lending their voices were Janet Jackson, Nick Jonas, Fergie, and Canada’s Justin Bieber and Céline Dion.
And that’s what popped on this day.