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.‘
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.
This week I’m continuing my look at What the Kids are Listening To, taking a look at a recent edition of the Billboard Hot 100.
Because these posts span two weeks and the Hot 100 is published weekly, my second set of posts is recapping the previous Hot 100, not the current one. I mention that only to point out that, after a three week stint at #1 by Taylor Swift with ‘Patient Zero,’ Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’ reclaimed the top spot, extending its record to 25 weeks at #1. Incredible.
We get to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of November 1, 1966, before reaching a song I haven’t covered (or have plans to cover) on the site. And that song is Herman’s Hermits’ ‘Dandy.’
This was the band’s sixth top five hit in a 4-year period. And while it was a continuation of their success, it was also the tail end of it. They would have only one more top ten hit before falling off the charts for the rest of their career.
Throwing back to the week of October 31, 1956, we find Jim Lowe’s ‘The Green Door’ at #1, holding back Elvis Presley’s ‘Love Me Tender,’ at least for a couple of weeks.
The song was written by composer Bob Davie and lyricist by Marvin J. Moore and first recorded by Lowe. Later versions were released by Bill Haley and Crystal Gale, among others. A 1981 version by Welsh performer Shakin’ Stevens spent a month at #1 on the UK chart.
