Saturday, May 8, 2021

Music History Today: May 9, 2021

May 9, 1998: Everybody (Backstreet's Back) by the Backstreet Boys peaked at Number 4 on the American music chart.

Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) is – without a doubt – one of the most influential singles of the ‘90s. For the Backstreet Boys, it was an all-important comeback to launch their second album. But for pop music, it was a cultural reset that would help shape the remainder of the decade.

Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys

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It’s a common misconception, but Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) is not a Halloween song. It has – of course – become synonymous with Halloween, but it was released in the middle of the summer, even if it now feels utterly ill-fitting for this time of the year. The track emerged as the lead single for the Backstreet Boys’ second international album; after a few false starts, their debut had yielded four top ten hits and positioned the group as a credible chart force.  

Read more: Can't Stop the Pop

May 9, 1964: Louis Armstrong's "Hello, Dolly!" hit Number 1 in the US and became the first artist to displace The Beatles from their 14 weeks reign atop the charts.

There’s something so beautifully singular about the moment. For 14 weeks, the just-arrived Beatles had an absolute stranglehold on the #1 spot on the US charts. 

Carol Channing
Carol Channing

And the man who finally knocked them off was a 62-year-old big-band jazz icon whose career was thought to be basically over. But he sang a Broadway showtune, and everything changed. “Hello, Dolly!” was the title track of a musical that was opening on Broadway in 1964, and Armstrong recorded his version as a demo, to help the song’s publisher promote the show. It wasn’t even intended for release. But it came out, and it exploded. 

Read more: Stereogum

May 9, 1970: The Guess Who topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with their double-sided hit "American Woman" / "No Sugar Tonight."

"No Sugar Tonight"  was officially released as "American Woman/No Sugar Tonight" and peaked at #1 on the RPM magazine charts and #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, for three weeks on both charts. In Cash Box, which at the time ranked sides of singles independently, "No Sugar Tonight" reached #39.

Read more: Wikipedia

 

May 9, 1981: Juice Newton's version of "Angel of the Morning" topped out at Number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Juice Newton
Juice Newton

"Angel of the Morning" is one of those songs that has lived multiple lives in its 50+ years. Written by Chip Taylor, the song has been recorded by Merrilee Rush, country singer Melba Montgomery, Olivia Newton-John, Juice Newton and more. But the soaring power ballad, which centers on a forbidden love affair, sounds just as fresh with every recording.  
Read more: Wide Open Country

 

May 9, 2001: The film Moulin Rouge! was shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

Paris is returning to our screens in a big way. We have the wildly over-the-top fantasy Paris of Baz Luhrmann's "musical", Moulin Rouge.  

It is a gorgeously, intricately conceived city, but stately and monolithic, like a chandelier or a gigantic and very expensive Fabergé egg. This is to be the setting for the story of Satine, played by the statuesque Nicole Kidman in her new post-Tom existence; she is a courtesan-cum-chanteuse at the Moulin Rouge, who falls in love with Christian, a penniless would-be writer played by Ewan McGregor, and winds up playing Sally Bowles to his Christopher Isherwood. 

Read more: The Guardian

 

 Everybody (Backstreet's Back)
Backstreet Boys 

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