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June 26, 2019 3:46 pm  #1


What Was The #1 Song On The Day You Were Born?

This is an absolutely ridiculous waste of time, and I wasn't even going to post this here, except for one very odd anomaly. The site promises to tell you what the #1 song was on your birthday in countries ranging from Britain, The U.S. and Canada.

But here's what's interesting. If you enter certain dates from the 1950s under the Canada section, it comes back with a note that reads, "Sorry, but our Canadian charts start on May 27th 1957."

Hmmm. What chart do you suppose started on May 27, 1957? Yeah, I thought so. It appears whoever designed this thing is using the CHUM Chart as its Canadian baseline! Although it does list them after the final CHUM Chart in 1986 and I'm not sure where that data is coming from.

Anyway, if you want to see the first song on the first date of your existence, you can find it here.  

 

June 26, 2019 5:08 pm  #2


Re: What Was The #1 Song On The Day You Were Born?

For the hell of it, I entered Feb. 3/59.    The results:

UK - One Night by Elvis (prev recorded by Smiley Lewis)

USA - Stagger Lee by Lloyd Price (prev recorded by Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians)

Germany - Tom Dooley by the Nilsen Bros (not the Kingston Trio version)

Canada - Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by the Platters (prev recorded by Gertrude Niesen)

And we thought rock 'n roll was new in the late 50s.    Hah!

 

June 26, 2019 5:21 pm  #3


Re: What Was The #1 Song On The Day You Were Born?

"Chattanooga Choo Choo" Glenn Miller & Orchestra.  (As far as I can determine Billboard was the only available information at that time)

 

June 27, 2019 6:00 am  #4


Re: What Was The #1 Song On The Day You Were Born?

It's Now or Never, Elvis Presley, sort of the theme to my life too these days...go figure!

 


The world would be so good if it weren't for some people...
 

June 27, 2019 6:57 am  #5


Re: What Was The #1 Song On The Day You Were Born?

Billboard claims to be the authority on charted music. They appear to have the data to back that statement up. The Joel Whitburn series of books have all that "#1"  information plus much much more. The "Pop Hit Singles" covers 1955-2015. [The updated 2018 edition is available in July]  There is a "Pop Hits Singles & Albums" edition that covers 1940-54. Joel has another publication "Pop Memories: The History Of American Popular Music 1900-1940" The info in this book is derived from several sources including Variety and Talking Machine World. During the early parts of the 20th Century, Billboard did publish lists of top selling sheet music. This last book would be useful to look up what was popular when our parents were born. For the record, Theresa Brewer's "Till I Waltz Again With You" was in it's 5th and final week at #1 when I arrived.

 

June 27, 2019 9:46 am  #6


Re: What Was The #1 Song On The Day You Were Born?

Windy - The Association