Today in Music History: Paula Abdul's album goes No. 1
October 07, 2015
History Highlight:
Today in 1989, Paula Abdul finally reached No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Forever Your Girl. Abdul had spent 64 consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200 before hitting number one, making it the longest time for an album to reach the number-one spot. Forever Your Girl includes four number-one singles: the title track, plus "Straight Up," "Cold Hearted" and "Opposites Attract." The chart-topping remix of "Opposites Attract" features rapping segments in the intro and bridge — and the rapper, MC Skat Kat, is none other than The Current's Production Manager, Derrick Stevens.
Also, Today In:
1967 - The Beatles politely declined an offer of $1 million from promoter Sid Bernstein to make a second appearance at New York's Shea Stadium. Bernstein had actually successfully contracted the Beatles to play at Shea Stadium in both 1965 and 1966.
1968 - Jose Feliciano performed a slow, bluesy version of "The Star Spangled Banner" before the fifth game of the World Series between the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals. Although released as a single that peaked at No. 50, it wasn't well received in all circles; some radio stations refused to play his songs (at least until he released "Feliz Navidad," two years later). In an October 2006 NPR interview, Feliciano expressed pride at opening the door for later interpretations of the national anthem. It's likely The Simpsons parodied the Feliciano rendition in the episode, "Dancin' Homer," in which local blues musician Bleeding Gums Murphy performs a 26-minute version of the anthem before a baseball game.
1976 - At a hearing in New York, John Lennon was awarded his so-called "green card" (it's not actually green), granting him permanent residency status in the United States. The ruling overturned previous efforts by the U.S. government to deport him.
1978 - Billboard magazine reported that Marvin Gaye had twice filed bankruptcy papers earlier in the year, with debts of $7 million.
1982 - Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page was given a 12-month conditional release following a cocaine possession conviction.
1995 - Alanis Morissette went to No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Jagged Little Pill. The album went on to become the biggest-selling album to date by a woman artist, with sales totaling more than 30 million.
2002 - Mick Jagger donated £100,000 (about $156,000 at the time) to his old grammar school to help pay for a music director and to buy musical instruments. The resulting music center is named after Jagger.
Birthdays:
John Mellencamp is 64.
Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres is 62.
Thom Yorke of Radiohead is 47.