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JUMP TO:
• 1987 – LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER / Bon Jovi
• 1977 – BLINDED BY THE LIGHT / Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
• 1967 – KIND OF A DRAG / The Buckinghams
• 1957 – TOO MUCH / Elvis Presley with The Jordanaires
• BONUS – BLINDED BY THE LIGHT / Bruce Springsteen
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.
84 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 23rd, 1987
LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER
Bon Jovi
[1986]
(Radio Edit Version)
Number One: 4 weeks
Replaced: OPEN YOUR HEART / Madonna
Succeeded by: JACOB’S LADDER / Huey Lewis And The News
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After four failed singles during 1984 and 1985, Bon Jovi finally broke through with You Give Love A Bad Name, a chart-topper on Billboard’s Hot 100 in November of 1986.
That was followed by the #1 song on this date in 1987, Livin’ On A Prayer, which had a four-week stay in the pole position and became a triple platinum seller (3 million copies).
Leader Jon Bon Jovi credits the turnaround in the New Jersey rock band’s fortunes to hiring a new producer in ’86 – Canadian Bruce Fairbairn, who’s resume also includes similar duties on albums by AC/DC, Aerosmith, Blue Öyster Cult, Chicago, The Cranberries, INXS, KISS, Loverboy, Poison, Scorpions, Van Halen and Yes.
Three more chart-toppers followed for Bon Jovi: Bad Medicine (1988), I’ll Be There For You (1989), Blaze Of Glory (1990), plus Always (1994 • #4) – the latter two moving one million units apiece.
[Trivia Bit] Jon Bon Jovi uses an instrument like the one employed by Peter Frampton on his live 1975 million-seller Show Me The Way. It’s called a talkbox, which directs sound from the instrument into the vocalist’s mouth by means of plastic tube adjacent to their microphone. The singer controls the nuances of the instrument’s sound by changing the shape of the mouth, “vocalizing” the instrument’s output into a mic.
Other #1 Singles by BON JOVI (5)
• 1986 / YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME
• 1988 / BAD MEDICINE
• 1989 / I’LL BE THERE FOR YOU
• 1990 / BLAZE OF GLORY
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#1 / February 23rd, 1977
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
[1976]
(Single Version)
Number One: 1 week
Replaced: TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS / Mary MacGregor
Succeeded by: NEW KID IN TOWN / Eagles
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Blinded By The Light by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band was a cover version of a song written by Bruce Springsteen that first appeared on his 1973 debut album Greetings From Asbury Park NJ (see below).
In fact the UK group, named after their South African-born keyboard player, seemed to make a living recording songs first done by others.
Mann (born Manfred Lubowitz) led several self-named incarnations of the band, beginning with the original British Invasion-era quintet (with lead vocalist Paul Jones) called simply Manfred Mann. They scored a #1 hit in 1964 with Do Wah Diddy Diddy.
That song was penned by the team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich and first released as a single in 1963 by The Exciters (as Do Wah Diddy).
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In 1968, with Mann leading a different lineup of personnel including new lead singer Mike D’Abo, ‘Manfred Mann’ hit #10 on Billboard with another cover of an original – Bob Dylan‘s Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo).
Almost of decade’s worth of lean years followed until another permutation of the group was formed in 1971 and rebranded as Manfred Mann’s Earth Band.
With new vocalist Chris Thompson, they hit the top on this date in 1977 with the Springsteen number.
Blinded By The Light was MM‘s second and last #1 and only million-selling single. A longer version was included on their album The Roaring Silence.
[Trivia Bits] The line from Springsteen’s original version is “revved up like a deuce” i.e. a hot rod coupe from the early 60’s (Listen below).
On the MM cover, it appears that vocalist Chris Thompson is saying “wrapped up like a douche.” But if you listen closely, he indeed is saying “revved” and just has an odd way of pronouncing the word “deuce.”
Remarkably, so far, their cover recording is Springsteen’s only songwriting-credited tune to reach #1.
Other #1 Singles by MANFRED MANN (2)
• 1964 / DO WAH DIDDY DIDDY
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Bonus Trak
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
Bruce Springsteen
[1973]
The original version by “The Boss” was almost an afterthought for inclusion on his first album, and was a chart failure when released as a single. He hasn’t performed the song in concert in decades.
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#1 / February 23rd, 1967
KIND OF A DRAG
The Buckinghams
[1966]
(U.S.A. Records Mix)
Number One: 2 weeks
Replaced: I’M A BELIEVER / The Monkees
Succeeded by: RUBY TUESDAY / The Rolling Stones
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At the peak of The British Invasion, a north-side Chicago group known as The Pulsations managed to penetrate the pervasive wall of Top 40 music artists – groups like The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Zombies, Dave Clark Five, Gerry & The Pacemakers and so many others – who were inundating the airwaves of U.S. radio in the mid-sixties.
First, to create the perception (in the minds of radio programmers) of being an outfit from ‘across the pond,’ the quintet, led by vocalist Dennis Tufano and guitarist Carl Giammarese, changed the group’s name to one which had a definite British connotation – The Buckinghams.
That was followed by a recording deal with a small local label, U.S.A Records.
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Next, the newly-named band was aided by big-market exposure from performing live on ‘hometown friendly’ broadcast outlet WGN-TV/Chicago and heavy radio airplay via the powerful signals of the Windy City’s two Top 40 AM giants WLS and WCFL,
Rapidly expanding airplay nationwide shot the Buckinghams and Kind Of A Drag to the top of Billboard in just 7 weeks and gave the group their first of five Top 15 singles.
Not long after its success, label giant Columbia Records bought the band’s recording contract from U.S.A., including the master recording of Kind Of A Drag – on which an audio re-mix was performed.
The version presented here is the rare (on CD) original hit single mix on U.S.A. in crystal clear HD!
Other hits which followed for The Buckinghams included Don’t You Care (1967 • #6), Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (1967 • #5), Hey Baby (They’re Playing Our Song) (1967 • #12) and Susan (1967 • #11) – all on Columbia.
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#1 / February 23rd, 1957
TOO MUCH
Elvis Presley with The Jordanaires
[1957]
Number One: 3 weeks
Replaced: SINGING THE BLUES / Guy Mitchell
Succeeded by: YOUNG LOVE / Tab Hunter
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For the vast majority of recording artists, a calendar year when they achieved four #1 singles – 12 months in which all of them were platinum-sellers (a combined 10 million copies sold) – it would be considered not one, but two outstanding Hall of Fame-worthy careers.
And when the same four records accumulated nearly a half year’s stay in the top spot of Billboard (25 weeks), it may even be regarded as three blue chippers!
Yet, in 1956, with Heartbreak Hotel, I Want You I Need You I Love You, Don’t Be Cruel b/w Hound Dog and Love Me Tender, Elvis Presley was just getting warmed up.
During the next 12 months he virtually duplicated the previous year’s performance – another four #1 hits combining for 7 million records sold, plus sitting on Billboard’s highest perch for exactly half of 1957 – i.e. 26 weeks.
With such staggering chart statistics, Elvis had clearly earned the moniker “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” in a mere 22 months (April 21, 1956 to February 10, 1958).
Too Much was in its second of three weeks at #1 on this date. All Shook Up, (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear and Jailhouse Rock were Elvis’ other chart-toppers in 1957.
[Trivia Bit] With Presley backed by the famous Jordanaires, Too Much ended a very impressive 9-week run at #1 during late 1956 into early 1957 by Guy Mitchell with Singing The Blues.
Other #1 Singles by ELVIS PRESLEY (18)
• 1956 / HEARTBREAK HOTEL
• 1956 / I WANT YOU, I NEED YOU, I LOVE YOU
• 1956 / DON’T BE CRUEL
• 1956 / HOUND DOG
• 1956 / LOVE ME TENDER
• 1957 / ALL SHOOK UP
• 1957 / (Let Me Be Your) TEDDY BEAR
• 1957 / JAILHOUSE ROCK
• 1958 / DON’T
• 1958 / HARD HEADED WOMAN
• 1959 / A BIG HUNK O’ LOVE
• 1960 / STUCK ON YOU
• 1960 / IT’S NOW OR NEVER
• 1960 / ARE YOU LONESOME TO-NIGHT?
• 1961 / SURRENDER
• 1962 / GOOD LUCK CHARM
• 1969 / SUSPICIOUS MINDS
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Produced & Written By: Rick Murray Hunter / HouseoftheHits.com
Songs Source: The Music Vault of HouseoftheHits Inc.
Billboard® Chart Data: Joel Whitburn’s Record Research (eBook Editions)
References: The Archives of RollingStone.com
The Billboard Book Of Number One Hits (5th Edition) by Fred Bronson
1000 UK Chart Hits (Kindle Edition) by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh
Elvis Presley: A Life In Music (Kindle Edition) by Ernst Jorgensen
Record Sleeve & Label Graphics: Courtesy of 45cat
Other #1 Songs on This Date Posts are HERE
