Throwing back to the week of January 10, 2004, we find that Outkast held a stranglehold on the top of the Hot 100. Their singles ‘Hey Ya!‘ and ‘The Way You Move‘ occupied the #1 and #2 spots, respectively. Kelis’ ‘Milkshake‘ was at #3.
Careful readers might remember this was the same top three when I last threw back to the 2000s three weeks ago.
Mariah Carey has the most #1 songs by a solo artist (19), so it stands to reason she’ll show up on Throwback Weekends. The week of January 8, 1994, saw her top the charts with ‘Hero,’ her eighth #1 in her first four years of recording.
Carey co-wrote the song but initially wasn’t moved to record it herself and planned to give it to Gloria Estefan. She eventually reconsidered and ended up with one of her signature songs, one she has performed at multiple live events, including the inauguration of President Obama.
The week of January 7, 1984, saw Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Say Say Say,’ the pair’s second hit collaboration (following ‘The Girl is Mine’).
In second place is another “say” song by another duo: ‘Say It Isn’t So’ by Daryl Hall and John Oates. This song was the first single (and one of two new songs) on a greatest hits compilation released in October of 1993. It peaked at #2 for four weeks, kept from the top spot by McCartney and Jackson.
Throwing back to the week of January 5, 1974, we find Jim Croce at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with the beautiful love ballad ‘Time in a Bottle.’
Sadly, Croce had died the previous September in a plane crash that also took the lives of five others — including bandmate Maury Muehleisen, who played guitar on this song.
My final song of 2023 is the first song to reach #1 in 1964. Today we throw back to the week of December 27, 1963, when Bobby Vinton’s ‘There! I’ve Said it Again’ sat at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, just behind ‘Dominique‘ by The Singing Nun, a week before it hit the top spot.
This was Vinton’s third #1 on the chart, following ‘Roses Are Red (My Love)‘ in July of 1962 and ‘Blue Velvet‘ in October of 1963. He would top the chart one more time, with 1964’s ‘Mr. Lonely.’
Bobby Vinton was the Drake of the early 60s.
Meet Me In Montauk 