It’s November 13th, and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 1993, Julia Carin Cavazos was born in Iowa. Adopting the professional name Julia Michaels, she became a successful songwriter for a long list of artists – including Canada’s Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes. She had a hit of her own in 2017 with “Issues.”
- In 1997, Canada’s Céline Dion released “Be the Man,” her first song recorded in Japanese and English. Produced by B.C. native David Foster, the song was released only in Japan and became the theme to a TV show in the country.
- In 1982, Men at Work’s debut album Business as Usual topped the Billboard 200 chart. Featuring the hit single “Who Can It Be Now?,” the album remained No. 1 for 15 weeks, when it was bumped by Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
- In 1976, Rod Stewart started an eight-week run at the top of the U.S. charts with “Tonight’s The Night (Gonna Be Alright).” The song includes some French lyrics by Stewart’s then-girlfriend Britt Ekland.
- In 2005, Paul McCartney performed “Good Day Sunshine” at a concert in California so it could be beamed live to the International Space Station to wake up astronauts.
- In 1997, the Spice Girls were booed at the Premios Ondas Awards in Spain after they refused to take the stage until photographers were removed. Boos were also heard among the applause when they finished lip-synching “Spice Up Your Life.”
- In 1960, Wayne Parker was born in Ontario. He went on to play bass in local bands ONYX and Tokyo before making it big as part of Glass Tiger. The band’s hits include “Don’t Forget Me, When I’m Gone,” and “Someday.”
- In 2000, Elton John released the live album Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits. It was recorded over two nights at Madison Square Garden in New York City less than a month earlier.
And that’s what popped on this day.