Music History Today: January 11, 2021

January 11, 1999: 'N Sync captured the Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist honor at the American Music Awards

In the 2015 Backstreet Boys documentary Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of, a single telling scene sums up the strange tension that arose between two of the biggest-selling boy bands of all time.

'N Sync - No Strings Attached

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“It was almost like a betrayal,” Kevin Richardson recalled in the doc, looking back at the moment in 1995 when the Boys’ founder and label CEO Lou Pearlman showed Richardson a VHS recording of the newly formed ‘N Sync showcasing their abilities. 

Read more: Rolling Stone

January 11, 1971:  The posthumous album Pearl by Janis Joplin was released.

Janis Joplin wasn't around when her second solo album, Pearl, was issued in January 1971. She wasn't around a few weeks later when it shot to No. 1, either. 

Janis Joplin - Pearl photoshoot

The singer had died of a heroin overdose on Oct. 4, 1970, while recording the sessions that would make up Pearl. That unfortunate turn of events illuminates the album's legacy, which stands as her most defining work. 

Read more: Ultimate Classic Rock

 

January 11, 1986: Dionne & Friends moved to Number 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "That's What Friends Are For."

The all-star charity singalong was an ’80s phenomenon. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” was the first. “We Are The World” was the big one. The biggest of those post-“We Are The World” song was a remarkably quiet and un-showy affair, one that felt almost homespun.

Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder,
Gladys Knight 

A whole lot of insanely rich and famous people worked to bring “That’s What Friends Are For,” the first and biggest #1 single of 1986, into the world. But compared to the other all-star charity singles, “That’s What Friends Are For” was small and focused. Only four singers appeared on the song, and all of them were pop-chart veterans with hits for days.  

Read more: Stereogum

January 11, 1992: Nirvana's Nevermind album hits Number 1 in America, unseating Michael Jackson's Dangerous.

Nirvana‘s Nevermind is one of the most exhilarating and pivotal albums of all time. Not only did the LP serve as the band’s own breakthrough; it also helped to usher in grunge and alternative rock as the dominant sounds on radio and MTV. 

Moreover, this hook-filled yet blisteringly intense burst of punk alienation introduced Kurt Cobain as the reluctant voice of a generation, a mantle that may have paved the way for his tragic end three years later. With more than 24 million copies sold worldwide, Nevermind continues to be a generation- and border-spanning favorite, 

Read more: Rolling Stone

January 11, 2016: On the day after David Bowie's death, his music videos on VEVO are viewed 51 million times, shattering the previous record of 36 million held by Adele after she released "Hello." 

Most of the views are for Bowie's last two videos, "Lazarus" and "Blackstar," which portend his death.

It's Tearing Up My Heart
'N Sync