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JUMP TO:
• 1987 – AT THIS MOMENT / Billy Vera & The Beaters
• 1977 – CAR WASH / Rose Royce
• 1967 – I’M A BELIEVER / The Monkees
• 1957 – SINGING THE BLUES / Guy Mitchell
• VIDEO – CAR WASH / Movie Clip
Welcome to another #1 Songs On This Date! – another four-pack of the cream of the cream from the Top 40 Rock ‘n’ Roll music era.
53 distinct number one singles between the years 1956 and 1995 have already been presented since January – with literally hundreds more to come.
They’re all part of a permanent archive that’s being built at HouseoftheHits.com which will ultimately feature ALL 837 different number one singles as listed in 2,080 weekly national music charts published by Billboard® within that 40-year timeframe.
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Fortunately, HouseoftheHits has every one of those charts – plus secondary data – as published in the essential Joel Whitburn’s Record Research series (CD-ROM and eBook edition formats).
Everything is stored digitally on a HouseoftheHits computer – as are all 837 number one singles (in high-quality audio) from the music vault.
With the availability of precise data and the HOTH song files – together with some amazing technology – approximately 600 – 700 of those Billboard® chart-toppers will be presented this year – with the remainder to follow in early 2017.
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As the archive grows you will have continual free access to the accumulating repository, indexed by Decade, Month and Year. Plus, EVERY Title and Artist will be (blue) hyper-linked for smooth, easy navigation from song to song – with more great features to be added along the way.
Again, it will contain every #1 single in America, plus interesting commentary about each song (written by yours truly) and presented with a crystal clear High-Definition audio version of the complete original hit to instantly play as often as you wish.
The ever-expanding library is found HERE and you can bookmark this link for future instant access.
Enjoy!
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[NOTE]
Due to copyright issues, some audio song files may not play on tablets,
smartphones and connected devices. A PC, Mac or laptop may be required.
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#1 / February 3rd, 1987
AT THIS MOMENT
Billy Vera & The Beaters
[1986]
(Single Version)
Number One: 2 weeks
Replaced: SHAKE YOU DOWN / Gregory Abbott
Succeeded by: OPEN YOUR HEART / Madonna
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The story of At This Moment by Billy Vera and The Beaters goes back to January of 1981, when a “live” version recorded at Hollywood’s Roxy theater managed to crawl to #79 on the Billboard chart. And that seemed to be the end for the single.
Moving ahead 4 years to 1985, the tune was featured in several episodes of the NBC-TV sitcom Family Ties, as a backdrop to the love affair between the characters played by Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan. But its showcasing yielded little viewer reaction.
However, the following television season, the song was again placed in the show, but this time it produced thousands of phone inquiries as to its identity.
Re-released by the Los Angeles-based Rhino Records label in the late fall of 1986, the single moved up the Hot 100 quickly and was enjoying its second of 2 weeks at #1 on this date.
[Trivia Bit] Vera had placed several singles on Billboard in the late 60’s – namely Storybook Children and Country Girl – City Man [both with Judy Clay and written by Chip Taylor [Wild Thing, Angel Of The Morning)] and the solo release, With Pen In Hand, [written by Bobby Goldsboro (Honey)].
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#1 / February 3rd, 1977
CAR WASH
Rose Royce
[1976]
(Single Version)
Number One: 1 week
Replaced: I WISH / Stevie Wonder
Succeeded by: TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS / Mary MacGregor
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This R&B-dance band from Los Angeles contained a whopping nine members – eight males and female vocalist Gwen “Rose” Dickey.
Prior to changing their name to Rose Royce, they were known as Total Concept Unlimited and were the backing band for great Motown Records acts like the Temptations, Undisputed Truth and Edwin Starr.
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Car Wash, from the 1976 movie of the same name, was composed and produced by one-half of the prolific Motown songwriting tandem, Norman Whitfield.
He, along with lyricist Barrett Strong penned many of the enduring, psychedelic soul oriented hits from all three of the above-mentioned artists, aw well as Marvin Gaye‘s version of I Heard It Through The Grapevine (#SongsOnThisDate for January 20th, 1969) among others.
Two follow-up songs from the film also charted – I Wanna Get Next To You (#10) and I’m Going Down (#70).
[Trivia Bits] Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong were inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 2004.
Whitfield has composed or co-wrote 92 Billboard-charted hits in the U.S. and 61 that placed on the UK listings.
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VIDEO
CAR WASH
Rose Royce
[1976]
(Movie Clip)
Here’s the actual film clip of the scene which featured the song.
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#1 / February 3rd, 1967
I’M A BELIEVER
The Monkees
[1966]
Number One: 7 weeks
Replaced: GOOD VIBRATIONS / The Beach Boys
Succeeded by: KIND OF A DRAG / The Buckinghams
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In the fall of 1966, NBC‘s new hit TV series The Monkees – loosely based on the Beatles‘ zany first movie A Hard Day’s Night – instantly launched the band of basically non-musicians into North American stardom with their debut single Last Train To CLarksville going straight to #1 and selling over one million copies.
Despite that, music publisher Don Kirschner sought out his friend and colleague, New York City’s Brill Building songwriting icon Jeff Barry, for help in finding even stronger material for the band to record.
Barry suggested a tune by a young songwriter from Brooklyn with whom he was impressed and was also penning songs in that same extraordinary “hit factory.” His name was Neil Diamond and the song was I’m A Believer.
Prior to its release, The Monkees’ new single had advance orders in excess of one million units – the highest amount for a 45 on RCA Records (who manufactured and distributed for the band’s Colgems label) since Elvis Presley‘s monumental singles releases in the mid-late 50’s.
[Trivia Bits] With its seven week stay at #1, I’m A Believer became the first record to match that longevity at the top since I Want To Hold You Hand by The Beatles enjoyed a similar dominance there in early 1964.
Since The Monkees TV series had not yet aired in the UK during its first season (causing Last Train To Clarksville to fail there) I’m A Believer became THE recording that catapulted the band to international superstardom.
Other #1 Singles by THE MONKEES (3)
• 1966 / LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE
• 1967 / DAYDREAM BELIEVER
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#1 / February 3rd, 1957
SINGING THE BLUES
Guy Mitchell
[1956]
Number One: 9 weeks
Replaced: LOVE ME TENDER / Elvis Presley
Succeeded by: TOO MUCH / Elvis Presley
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The first recording of Singing The Blues, penned by a 20-year-old songwriter named Melvin Endsley, was by Columbia Records country crooner Marty Robbins.
Days later, a Detroit-born and Southern California-raised singer named Guy Mitchell (real name Al Cernick) was given the opportunity by Columbia to record a pop-oriented version of the song.
[Trivia Bits] Both singles debuted simultaneously on Billboard‘s ‘Best Sellers in Stores’ chart in late 1956. The latter’s pop hit remained at #1 for nine weeks (sandwiched between two big chart-toppers by Elvis) while the country version stalled at #17.
Mitchell’s nine week run at number one made Singing The Blues the first of six singles to enjoy such top-spot longevity. Mack The Knife by Bobby Darin (1959), Percy Faith‘s Theme From ‘A Summer Place’ (1960), Hey Jude by The Beatles (1968), Kim Carnes with Bette Davis Eyes (1981) and the duet Endless Love from Diana Ross and Lionel Richie (1981) followed.
Other #1 Singles by GUY MITCHELL (2)
• 1959 / HEARTACHES BY THE NUMBER
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Written By: Rick Murray Hunter
Songs Source: The Music Vault of HouseoftheHits Inc.
Billboard® Chart Data: Joel Whitburn’s Record Research (eBook Editions)
References: The Billboard Book Of Number One Hits (5th Edition) by Fred Bronson
The Archives of RollingStone.com
Record Sleeve & Label Graphics: Courtesy of 45cat
Other #1 Songs on This Date Posts are HERE
