It’s February 4th and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 2007, Prince braved a downpour in Miami to put on a spectacular halftime show at the Super Bowl. The musician played parts of several hits, including “Let’s Go Crazy,” as well as covers of songs by Queen, Bob Dylan and CCR. Of course, he ended the show by doing “Purple Rain” in the rain.
- In 2012, Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 – making her the first female British artist to have three songs from the same album top the chart. She previously went to No. 1 with “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone Like You” from 21.
- In 1996, former Milli Vanilli member Rob Pilatus tried to break into a car parked on the driveway of a Hollywood home and then tried to get into the owner’s home. Joseph Villery hit Pilatus in the head with a baseball bat and pinned him on the driveway until police arrived.
- In 1984, Culture Club’s “Karma Chameleon” started a three-week run at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the fifth Top 10 hit for Boy George and his band. The song was also topped the charts in Canada.
- In 1983, Karen Carpenter of the Carpenters died in California at age 32 from complications from anorexia. The singer’s hits included “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” “Rainy Days and Mondays” and “Top of the World.”
- In 1975, Natalie Jane Imbruglia was born in Australia. After studying dance as a child, she landed work as an actress and then moved to London to pursue a music career. In 1997, she scored a big hit around the world with her cover of Ednaswap's “Torn.”
- In 1995, “Think Twice” by Canada’s Céline Dion began a seven-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart. In the U.S., it barely managed to crack the Billboard Hot 100.
- In 1977, Fleetwood Mac released their 11th studio album, Rumours. It went on to spend 31 weeks at No. 1, won Album of the Year at the Grammys, and became one of the best-selling albums of all time.
- In 1978, the Bee Gees' song "Stayin' Alive" from Saturday Night Fever went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of four weeks.
And that’s what popped on this day.