Throwing back to the week of January 18, 1964, we find one of history’s greatest rock-n-roll songs tucked away at #2 behind Bobby Vinton’s ‘There! I’ve Said it Again..’
The Kingsmen’s ‘Louie Louie’ never made it to #1 but it is one of the best-known rock songs of all time, one of the most covered, and one of the most misunderstood. It’s an unintelligible three-chord masterpiece.
Throwing back to the week of January 16, 1954, we find Eddie Fisher’s ‘Oh My Papa’ with a stranglehold on Billboard’s Weekly Singles chart. The song, which I featured a few weeks back, clung to #1 from the beginning of the year through mid-February.
For a few of those weeks, including this one, it prevented a much better song from reaching #1. Dean Martin’s classic charmer ‘That’s Amore’ peaked at #2.
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.
Meet Me In Montauk 