It’s March 31st and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 2001, Shaggy’s fifth studio album Hot Shot returned to the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart after being bumped for two weeks by Dave Matthews Band. Hot Shot spent a total of six weeks at No. 1 thanks to hits like “Angel” (which was the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 on this day) and “It Wasn’t Me.”
- In 1984, Kenny Loggins began a three-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Footloose,” the theme song from the movie of the same name. It earned a nomination as Best Original Song at the Oscars.
- In 1995, Tejano superstar Selena was killed by Yolanda Saldívar, who had been fired from her job as president of the singer’s fan club due to embezzlement. Saldívar shot Selena inside a room at the Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas.
- In 2011, Men at Work lost an appeal of a July 2010 ruling that their 1983 hit “Down Under” copied part of the folk song “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree.” Australia’s Federal Court upheld the decision that the band pay five per cent of royalties to copyright owners Larrikin Music.
- In 2015, Canada’s Joni Mitchell was rushed to hospital after being found unconscious at her home in L.A. A statement from her publicist said: “Light a candle and sing a song, let’s all send good wishes her way.”
And that’s what popped on this day.