History Highlight:

On this day in 2013, Arctic Monkeys released their fifth studio album, AM, in the United States, a few days after they released the album on September 6 in their native United Kingdom. The album was produced by James Ford, who had produced Arctic Monkeys’ previous two albums, Suck It and See (2011) and Favourite Worst Nightmare (2011). Other contributors to AM include Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, who provided backing vocals on two tracks; Elvis Costello’s drummer Pete Thomas, who played additional percussion on one track; and a co-founding member of the band The Coral, Bill Ryder-Jones, who played guitar on a track. Arctic Monkeys wrote and arranged all of the songs with frontman Alex Turner writing all of the lyrics, except for “I Wanna Be Yours,” which Turner adapted from a poem by English writer John Cooper Clarke. In addition to that track, AM features the singles "R U Mine?," "Do I Wanna Know?," "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?," "One for the Road," "Arabella," and "Snap Out of It." The album was nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2013 while it landed in several publications’ best-albums-of-the-year lists, including the NME, Pitchfork, PopMatters, Rolling Stone and Consequence. At the 2014 BRIT Awards, AM won British Album of the Year while Arctic Monkeys were awarded British Group. More recently, in September 2026, AM became the first album by a band to exceed 15 billion streams on Spotify, an indication of the album’s enduring appeal.

Also, Today In:

1956 - On his first of three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS, Elvis created a sensation performing "Love Me Tender," "Hound Dog," "Don't Be Cruel," and "Ready Teddy."

1965 - The Hollywood Reporter ran the following advertisement: "Madness folk & roll musicians, singers wanted for acting roles in new TV show. Parts for 4 insane boys." From that advertisement, The Monkees were eventually born. The band was active between 1966 and 1971, with reunion albums and tours in the decades that followed. Band member Micky Dolenz described The Monkees as initially being "a TV show about an imaginary band ... that wanted to be the Beatles that was never successful,"; however, the band was one of the most successful bands of the 1960s and to date has sold more than 75 million records worldwide, making it one of the biggest-selling groups of all time with international hits including "Last Train to Clarksville," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," "Daydream Believer," and "I'm a Believer."

1967 - The Sam & Dave classic "Soul Man" was released. It was later successfully revived by the Blues Brothers.

1971 - Imagine by John Lennon was released. Lennon's second solo album after the dissolution of The Beatles, Imagine is considered more commercial and less "primal" than his previous album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. The title track is probably Lennon's best-known song as a solo artist, but the album also contains such familiar Lennon songs as "Oh Yoko!", "Jealous Guy" and "Gimme Some Truth."

1972 - Jim Croce hit No. 1 with "You Don't Mess Around With Jim."

1977 - Iggy Pop released his second solo studio album, Lust for Life. The album was the second of two Iggy Pop albums resulting from the period during which Pop and David Bowie lived and worked in Berlin. Bowie wrote the title track and cowrote several other songs on the album, but Pop assumed more creative control of the album overall. As a result, Lust for Life carries more of Iggy Pop’s signature hard-rock and proto-punk sound. Along with the title track, the album includes the tracks “Success,” “Sixteen,” and “The Passenger,” the latter of which is highlighted by an indelibly catchy guitar riff composed by Scottish musician Ricky Gardiner. Nearly 20 years after the album’s release, the single “Lust for Life” enjoyed renewed interest and chart success following its inclusion in the energetic opening scene of the 1996 film Trainspotting.

1978 - A Taste Of Honey started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Boogie Oogie Oogie."

1980 - Tom Waits released his seventh studio album, Heartattack and Vine. It features the title track (later covered by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins) and “Jersey Girl” (later covered by Bruce Springsteen).

1986 - Cameo released their 13th studio album, Word Up!. It features the singles "Word Up!," "Candy," "Back and Forth," and "She's Mine."

1989 - New Kids On The Block hit No. 1 in the U.S. album chart with Hangin' Tough; the title track hit No. 1 in the singles chart the same day.

1992 - Nirvana's Krist Novoselic cut his forehead during the MTV Music and Video awards after being hit by his own bass after throwing it in the air. As paramedics bandaged the wound backstage, Queen's Brian May offered Novoselic a chilled glass of champagne, which Novoselic gladly accepted.

1995 - Coolio scored his first U.S. No. 1 single with "Gangsta's Paradise." The song, which sampled the chorus of the 1976 Stevie Wonder song "Pastime Paradise," was used in the 1995 movie Dangerous Minds (starring Michelle Pfeiffer). Coolio was awarded a Grammy Award for the song.

1996 - Several months after having a stroke, bluegrass singer-songwriter Bill Monroe died at 84.

1996 - R.E.M. released their 10th studio album, New Adventures in Hi-Fi. It features the singles "E-Bow the Letter," "Bittersweet Me," "Electrolite," and "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us."

1996 - Jamiroquai released their third studio album, Travelling Without Moving. It features the singles "Virtual Insanity," "Cosmic Girl," "Alright," "High Times," and "Do U Know Where You're Coming From." Album track “Use the Force” was used in the soundtrack to the 1998 film, Sliding Doors, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah.

1997 - Superchunk released their sixth studio album, Indoor Living. It features the singles "Watery Hands," "Marquee," and "Every Single Instinct."

1997 - Incubus released their second studio album, S.C.I.E.N.C.E.. It features the singles "A Certain Shade of Green," "Redefine," "New Skin," and "Idiot Box."

1997 - Cursive released their debut studio album, Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes. It includes tracks like "After the Movies," "Ceilings Crack," and "The Dirt of the Vineyard."

1998 - Frank Black and the Catholics released their self-titled debut album, Frank Black and the Catholics. It features the singles "All My Ghosts," "I Gotta Move," and "I Need Peace."

1999 - Fatboy Slim scored a hat trick at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York when he won awards for best direction, breakthrough artist, and choreography.

2003 - John Mayer released his second studio album, Heavier Things. It features the singles "Bigger Than My Body," "Clarity," and "Daughters."

2003 - The Decemberists released their second studio album, Her Majesty the Decemberists. It features the songs "Billy Liar," "Los Angeles, I'm Yours," and "The Chimbley Sweep."

2003 - My Morning Jacket released their third studio album, It Still Moves. It features the singles "Mahgeetah," "Golden," "One Big Holiday," and "Run Thru."

2003 - The Wrens released their third and final studio album, The Meadowlands. It features the songs "She Sends Kisses," "Everyone Chooses Sides," and "This Boy Is Exhausted."

2003 - Pretty Girls Make Graves released their second studio album, The New Romance. It features the singles "This Is Our Emergency," "All Medicated Geniuses," and "Chemical, Chemical."

2004 - Guitar maker Ernie Ball died after a long illness. In the late 1950s in Tarzana, California, Ball opened a guitars-only music store — unusual for the time. Ball developed the guitar strings called "Slinkys," which are specifically designed for rock 'n' roll electric guitar.

2007 - Rock guitarist for The Outlaws and Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hughie Thomasson dies of a heart attack at age 55.

2008 - Okkervil River released their fifth studio album, The Stand Ins. It features the singles "Lost Coastlines," "Pop Lie," and "Starry Stairs."

2011 - Ed Sheeran released his debut studio album, +. It features the singles "The A Team," "You Need Me, I Don't Need You," "Lego House," "Drunk," "Small Bump," and "Give Me Love."

2014 - U2's Songs of Innocence showed up on every iTunes subscriber's personal devices on its release date. The digital release made the record available to more than 500 million iTunes customers, for what Apple CEO Tim Cook marketed as "the largest album release of all time." It was produced by Danger Mouse, with additional production from Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, Declan Gaffney, and Flood. It features “The Miracle (of Joey Ramone),” “Every Breaking Wave,” and “Song for Someone.”

2014 - Scottish guitarist Robert "Throb" Young died at the age of 49. Young founded Primal Scream with a school friend and singer Bobby Gillespie in Glasgow in 1984. As a member of Primal Scream, Young performed on all of the group's records up to 2006's Riot City Blues, and including their most famous album, Screamadelica.

2014 - Vance Joy released his debut studio album, Dream Your Life Away, four days after its release in his native Australia.

2016 - Bastille released their second studio album, Wild World. It features the singles "Good Grief," "Send Them Off!," "Blame," and "Glory."

2016 - Grouplove released their third studio album, Big Mess. It features the singles "Welcome to Your Life," "Do You Love Someone," "Traumatized," "Enlighten Me," "Good Morning," and "Remember That Night."

2016 - The Head and the Heart released their third studio album, Signs of Light. It features the singles "All We Ever Knew" and "Rhythm & Blues."

2016 - Local Natives released their third studio album, Sunlit Youth. It features the singles "Past Lives," "Villainy," "Fountain of Youth," and "Coins."

2016 - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds released their sixteenth studio album, Skeleton Tree. It features the singles "Jesus Alone," "I Need You," and "Skeleton Tree."

2016 - St. Paul and The Broken Bones released their second studio album, Sea of Noise. It features the single "All I Ever Wonder."

2019 - The Kelly Clarkson Show debuted on NBC and always begins with Clarkson singing a well-known cover.

Birthdays:

Elvin Jones, drummer for John Coltrane and one of the greats on the instrument, was born today in 1927.

Inez Fox, of R&B duo Inez and Charlie Foxx, whose 1963 hit “Mockingbird” peaked at No. 7 in the Billboard Hot 100, was born today in 1937.

Joe Negroni, founding member of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, was born today in 1940.

Otis Redding was born today in 1941. He died in a plane crash in Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin, on Dec. 10, 1967, at the age of 26.

Danny Kalb of the Blues Project was born today in 1942.

Freddy Weller — guitarist for Paul Revere & the Raiders, solo singer of “Games People Play,” guitarist on “Down in the Boondocks” — is 83.

R&B singer Dee Dee Sharp — whose hits include “Mashed Potato Time,” “Slow Twistin” (with Chubby Checker), “Breaking and Entering” — is 81.

Doug Ingle of Iron Butterfly was born today in 1945.

Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer was born today in 1946. He passed in 2004.

John McFee of The Doobie Brothers is 76.

David Allan Stewart was born, making him 74 today. Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for Eurythmics, his successful professional partnership with Annie Lennox. Sometimes credited as David A. Stewart, he won Best British Producer at the 1986, 1987 and 1990 Brit Awards. Stewart was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020 and the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Outside of Eurythmics, Stewart has written and produced songs for artists such as Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger and Tom Petty.

Adam Sandler is 60.

Marcos Curiel of P.O.D. is 52.

Crooner Michael Bublé is 51.

DJ Afrojack is 39.

Hunter Hayes is 35.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Song Facts, Uncut, Pitchfork, InMusic, and Wikipedia.