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Song of the Day #6,680: ‘Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)’ – Rod Stewart

Throwing back to the week of November 7, 1976, we find the biggest hit of Rod Stewart’s career, ‘Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright).’ The song hit #1 on this week and didn’t relinquish its spot until early 1977.

‘Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)’ achieved this massive success despite (or, more likely, because of) controversy over its lyrics. The faint of heart took offense at lines like these: “C’mon, angel, my heart’s on fire / Don’t deny your man’s desire / You’d be a fool to stop this tide / Spread your wings and let me come inside.”

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Song of the Day #6,679: ‘Loving Life Again’ – Ella Langley

I’m closing out this edition of What the Kids are Listening To, appropriately, with an Ella Langley song. The Alabama-born singer-songwriter is certainly the story of this year’s Hot 100.

‘Loving Life Again’ is the fourth single from Langley’s sophomore album, Dandelion. The other three made it to the top five, while this one has so far peaked at #16.

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Song of the Day #6,678: ‘Last Thing You Need’ – Morgan Wallen

The #13 and #14 slots on the latest Billboard Hot 100 belong to two artists with other hits on the chart — Ella Langley (‘Be Her‘) and Bruno Mars (‘Risk It All‘). I wrote about both of those songs back in May, the last time I did a What the Kids are Listening To series, which speaks to how stagnant the Hot 100 has become.

Morgan Wallen makes his second appearance on the chart at #15 with ‘Last Thing You Need,’ giving him his 21st top ten hit since 2020. That makes him second to only Drake and Taylor Swift in this decade.

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Song of the Day #6,677: ‘Midnight Sun’ – Zara Larsson

Bruno Mars holds the #12 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘I Just Might,’ the first single from his latest album, The Romantic.

At #13 is Swedish pop star Zara Larsson with ‘Midnight Sun,’ a dance pop ode to her native country’s endless summers. The song is her 20th to reach the top ten on the Swedish charts and her highest-charting solo U.S. single. She reached #8 on the PinkPantheress song ‘Stateside.‘

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Song of the Day #6,676: ‘Babydoll’ – Dominic Fike

The song at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 is a perfect example of how TikTok has reshaped the pop music landscape.

Singer-songwriter Dominic Fike first released the 98-second track ‘Babydoll’ on a 2018 EP he recorded while on house arrest for assaulting a police officer.

Eight years later, the song became a viral hit thanks to TikTok and Instagram videos. The sudden success prompted his label to release it as a single, fortuitous timing given his plan for an October album release.

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