It’s March 21st and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 2012, The Wanted became the first UK boy band to reach the Top 5 in America when “Glad You Came” peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song did slightly better in Canada, where it reached No. 2.
- In 2000, NSYNC broke a record set by Backstreet Boys when their third album, No Strings Attached, sold 2.4 million copies in the first week of release. The boy band held on to the record until Adele’s 25 in 2015.
- In 1981, REO Speedwagon hit the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Keep On Loving You.”
- In 1994, Bruce Springsteen won Best Original Song at the Academy Awards for “Streets of Philadelphia” from Philadelphia. The song beat “Philadelphia,” a song by Canada’s Neil Young from the same film.
- In 1989, Madonna released her fourth studio album, Like A Prayer. In addition to the title track, it featured hits like “Express Yourself,” “Cherish” and “Oh Father.”
- In 1980, Deryck Jason Whibley was born in east Toronto. He grew up further east, in Ajax, and by 1999 had a record deal for his band Sum 41. Their 2001 track “Fat Lip” made it onto the Billboard Hot 100.
And that’s what popped on this day.