This Day in Top 40 History: August 24

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

No. 1 hits and major chart milestones have helped make Aug. 24 an important date in Top 40 history.

• 1963: Stevie Wonder topped the album and pop charts in the same week with Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius and “Fingertips (Part 2).” Wonder became the first artist to accomplish the feat.
• 1979: Prince released “I Wanna Be Your Lover” as a single from his second studio album. The song became his first major hit, reaching No. 11 on the U.S. charts.
• 1981: The Rolling Stones released Tattoo You, an album that produced three U.S. Top 20 singles: “Waiting on a Friend,” “Start Me Up,” and “Hang Fire.” The album spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
• 1991: Lenny Kravitz’s “It Ain’t Over ’til It’s Over” reached No. 2 on the U.S. charts. Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” kept it from the top spot.
• 2010: Katy Perry released Teenage Dream, a 12-track album featuring guest vocals from Snoop Dogg. The album reached No. 1 in the U.S. and produced five No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including the title track and “Firework.”
• 2018: Interpol released its sixth studio album, Marauder. The album included “It Probably Matters,” “If You Really Love Nothing,” and “Flight of Fancy.” It reached No. 6 on the U.K. Official Albums Chart and No. 23 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

Cultural Milestones

Aug. 24 has also been significant for artists, albums and major moments in popular culture.

• 1938: David Freiberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He became a member of Jefferson Airplane, which scored Top 10 hits including “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit.” Freiberg later joined Jefferson Starship, which produced hits such as “Miracles,” “With Your Love,” and “Jane.”
• 1945: Ken Hensley was born in London, England. A founding member of Uriah Heep, Hensley was part of the band’s history with albums including Sweet Freedom, The Magician’s Birthday and Demons and Wizards. Hensley died in November 2020 at age 75.
• 1985: Following the success of Back to the Future, Huey Lewis and the News spent two weeks at No. 1 with “The Power of Love.” Lewis also made a cameo appearance in the movie.
• 1999: Christina Aguilera released her self-titled debut album. The record debuted at No. 1, and Aguilera went on to win the GRAMMY Award for Best New Artist.

Notable Recordings and Performances

Some of Aug. 24’s biggest moments happened away from the charts, inside recording studios and on concert stages.

• 1975: Queen entered the studio in Wales to begin work on “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The ambitious operatic rock classic took three weeks to record.
• 1996: Liam Gallagher was absent from Oasis’ scheduled MTV Unplugged recording. While the band performed for an audience of about 400 people, Gallagher watched from the crowd rather than taking the stage.
• 2017: Bruno Mars brought his 24K Magic World Tour to the Center Vidéotron in Quebec City, Canada. His 16-song set included “Treasure,” “That’s What I Like,” and “Versace on the Floor.”