This Day in Top 40 History: October 10
Oct. 10 is stacked with milestones. Elvis hit the charts, Neil Diamond scored his first No. 1 hit, Radiohead released an album with a twist, and one of the Goo…
Oct. 10 is stacked with milestones. Elvis hit the charts, Neil Diamond scored his first No. 1 hit, Radiohead released an album with a twist, and one of the Goo Goo Dolls drummers was born. With some chaos at an Aerosmith show and a guitar company launch, this day touches almost every corner of music history.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Some important songs were released on Oct. 10:
- 1956: Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender" entered the Billboard Top 100 chart. It later climbed all the way to No. 1.
- 1959: The Miracles' "Bad Girl" entered the Hot 100 at No. 98. It was Motown's first single to make the charts and the spark that lit Berry Gordy's empire.
- 1964: The Shangri-Las released "Leader of the Pack." This teen tragedy classic that includes motorcycles and heartbreak became their biggest hit.
- 1970: Neil Diamond scored his first U.S. No. 1 hit when "Cracklin' Rosie" topped the charts for a week.
- 2002: Jay-Z released "'03 Bonnie and Clyde" featuring Beyoncé, a not-so-hidden announcement that they were the new power couple.
- 2007: Radiohead dropped In Rainbows with a pay-what-you-want download. Most fans paid nothing, but the album still outperformed their previous one thanks to physical editions and loyal diehards.
Cultural Milestones
This day also saw births, chaos, and cultural shifts:
- 1954: David Lee Roth was born in Bloomington, Indiana. Loud, flamboyant, and built for television, he became Van Halen's iconic frontman.
- 1967: Mike Malinin, drummer for the Goo Goo Dolls, was born in Washington, D.C.
- 1977: An Aerosmith show in Philadelphia took a turn when a fan threw an M-80 on stage. Steven Tyler's cornea was burned, Joe Perry's hand was cut, and the chaos became part of the band's volatile reputation.
- 1992: Slash from Guns N' Roses married actress Renee Suran. They divorced in 1997, and he remarried a few years later.
- 1999: Elvis memorabilia was sold at an auction in Las Vegas. His watch, a 1956 Lincoln Continental, and more brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- 2009: Stephen Gately of Boyzone died in Spain at just 33. A congenital heart defect cut his life short, shocking fans worldwide.
- 2014: Taylor Swift was named Billboard's Woman of the Year for the second time.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Plenty of music was made, recorded, or reinvented on this day:
- 1963: Elvis Presley recorded his vocals for "Kissin' Cousins" at MGM's soundstage.
- 1997: Davy Jones created pure '90s TV magic on Sabrina the Teenage Witch when he sang "Daydream Believer" to Melissa Joan Hart.
- 2001: U2 live-streamed a concert from Indiana, making the group the pioneers of this new concert type.
Industry Changes and Challenges
Oct. 10 also saw some celebrations and tough turns:
- 1902: Orville Gibson founded the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Company in Michigan. By the 1930s, Gibson would be shaping the sound of rock with the first commercially successful electric guitar.
- 1980: Led Zeppelin buried John Bonham. His funeral marked the end of an era for the band, which broke up out of respect for him.
Oct. 10 is all over the map. Elvis climbed the charts and Neil Diamond hit No. 1. Meanwhile, Radiohead flipped the script on the music business and Gibson started a company that gave us the electric guitar. This date is a reminder that music history is about risks and reinventions.
