This Day in Top 40 History: September 26
On Sept. 26, 2009, Jay-Z broke Elvis Presley’s record for most No. 1 albums as a solo artist when The Blueprint 3 topped the charts. With this accomplishment, Jay-Z had…
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On Sept. 26, 2009, Jay-Z broke Elvis Presley's record for most No. 1 albums as a solo artist when The Blueprint 3 topped the charts. With this accomplishment, Jay-Z had 11 chart-topping albums. He managed to bring the number to an impressive 14 before Taylor Swift dethroned him with The Tortured Poets Department. Keep reading for more Top 40 history from Sept. 26.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Each of these chart toppers became a staple of their era:
- 1964: Roy Orbison topped the charts with "Oh, Pretty Woman." The enduring Americana classic spent three consecutive weeks at No. 1.
- 1987: Whitney Houston notched her fifth No. 1 hit with "Didn't We Almost Have It All." Throughout her career, she had 11 singles reach the top spot.
- 2012: P!nk scored her first No. 1 album with The Truth About Love. It was her sixth album and included the hit singles "Just Give Me A Reason" and "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)."
Cultural Milestones
These unforgettable albums and live performance recordings have influenced pop culture:
- 1969: The Beatles released Abbey Road, which included one of the most iconic album covers in history. This album featured the classic hit songs "Come Together" and "Here Comes the Sun."
- 1974: John Lennon released his fourth solo album, Walls and Bridges. The No. 1 album included hits such as "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night" and "#9 Dream."
- 2021: Adele One Night Only aired on television. This TV special won five Emmy Awards and featured Adele's first live performance in several years, as well as an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
- 2023: Taylor Swift announced that The Eras Tour movie would be released globally. The recorded film of her record-breaking concert changed the landscape for big-ticket concerts.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Live performances often make their way into public discourse, especially for new artists in the age of social media:
- 1957: West Side Story debuted on Broadway, where it ran for 732 performances. The play has since been made into two hit movies, with the soundtrack for the 1961 rendition spending 54 weeks at the top of the Billboard stereo albums chart.
- 2024: Sabrina Carpenter played in Detroit, Michigan, for the third show along her Short N' Sweet Tour. Her surprise cover song was "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer.
From live TV to monumental album releases, Sept. 26 is packed with great moments from Top 40 history.
Megan ZahndWriter
