This Day in Top 40 History: September 15
On Sept. 15, 2012, Lady Gaga performed at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. The concert was part of the Born This Way Ball tour, and over 37,000 fans attended….
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
On Sept. 15, 2012, Lady Gaga performed at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. The concert was part of the Born This Way Ball tour, and over 37,000 fans attended. Continue reading for more top 40 history from Sept. 15.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Chart-topping singles have a long-lasting impact in the music industry:
- 1956: "Don't Be Cruel" by Elvis Presley made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for seven consecutive weeks. The song was released as part of a set with "Hound Dog," which also achieved chart success.
- 2007: Soulja Boy made history as the youngest artist to write, produce, and perform a No. 1 Hot 100 song at just 17 years old. The hit song was "Crank That (Soulja Boy)."
- 2021: "Wildest Dreams" by Taylor Swift received a record number of streams after the song went viral on TikTok. Jumping on the trend, Swift released "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" ahead of her release schedule, and her own version broke the previous streaming record.
Cultural Milestones
From TV appearances to chart success, these moments became part of pop culture:
- 1965: The Ford Motor Company began offering eight-track tape players in all of its vehicles. Another 20 years passed before CDs became the dominant physical media, followed by another 20 years until Bluetooth became the standard.
- 1979: In Through The Out Door premiered with a six-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It was Led Zeppelin's sixth album to reach No. 1 in the United States.
- 2014: The legendary Barbra Streisand made her first late-night TV appearance since 1967 when she was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Streisand and Fallon performed duets to thunderous applause.
- 2018: Cardi B had two songs in the top three of the Billboard Hot 100. "Girls Like You" held the No. 2 spot, while "I Like It," featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin, remained at No. 3.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Sept. 15 proved to be an ideal time for world tours:
- 1978: Bob Dylan embarked on the second of three North American legs of the Bob Dylan World Tour. It was Dylan's longest-ever tour, during which he played to over 2 million fans around the world.
- 1982: Queen appeared at the Los Angeles Forum, which ended up being the band's last American concert with Freddie Mercury. Mercury tragically passed away nine years later.
- 2024: Olivia Rodrigo performed for the first of two nights in Bangkok, Thailand. The show was part of the GUTS World Tour.
Whether it's a world tour or a chart-topping song, these moments from Sept. 15 defined their own eras of top 40 history.
Megan ZahndWriter
