It’s November 18th, and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 2011, One Direction's debut studio album Up All Night was released in the UK and Ireland. It included the hit “What Makes You Beautiful.”
- In 1988, Elton John announced his divorce from Renate Blauel, whom he married in 1984 after a five-day engagement. She reportedly received a settlement worth more than $45 million U.S.
- In 2002, Canadian singer Shania Twain released both a pop edition and a country edition of Up!, her fourth album and her last produced by then-husband Robert “Mutt” Lange. In addition to the title track, the album spawned hits like “I’m Gonna Getcha Good!” And “Forever and for Always.”
- In 2003, dozens of Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies armed with search warrants raided Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch while the King of Pop was in Las Vegas. Police were investigating molestation allegations from a 12-year-old boy. The raid happened on the same day Jackson’s greatest hits album, Number Ones, was released.
- In 2006, Jay-Z set out to do seven half-hour shows across the U.S. in 24 hours to promote his new album, Kingdom Come. He started in Atlanta and made stops in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
- In 1978, Billy Joel claimed the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart with his sixth studio album, 52nd Street. Powered by songs like “Honesty” and “Big Shot," it spent a total of eight weeks at No. 1 and went on to win Album of the Year at the Grammys.
- In 2012, it was a good night for Canada at the American Music Awards. Justin Bieber won Artist of the Year, Favourite Pop/Rock Male Artist and Favourite Pop/Rock Album (for Believe) at the American Music Awards. Carly Rae Jepsen won an AMA for New Artist of the Year.
- In 2005, Belgian songwriter Salvatore Acquaviva won his plagiarism case against Madonna over her 1998 hit “Frozen.” A judge ruled that Madonna’s song used four bars of Acquaviva’s “Ma Vie Fout L’camp.”
And that’s what popped on this day.