It’s May 11th and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 1991, Roxette’s “Joyride” topped the Billboard Hot 100, giving the Swedish pop duo its fourth No. 1 song in the U.S. Songwriter Per Gessle said the opening line was inspired by a note his girlfriend left on his piano that read “Hej, din tok, jag älskar dig” (“Hello, you fool, I love you”).
- In 2012, William Balfour, the former brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson, was convicted in Chicago of killing the singer’s mother, brother and young nephew in 2008. He was later sentenced to three life sentences.
- In 1985, Madonna’s “Crazy For You,” from the movie Vision Quest, went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also topped the chart in Canada.
- In 2008, Montreal-born Leonard Cohen kicked off his first tour in 15 years in Fredericton. By the time the tour ended in late 2010, he had done 39 shows in more than 20 cities in his native country.
- In 2006, George Michael fell asleep at the wheel of his vehicle at an intersection in London. Another driver tapped on his window to wake him, and the singer drove off and hit the median. “He was sweating heavily … he looked wasted,” a witness said.
And that’s what popped on this day.