Chart Beat
Page: 110
Jordan Davis rolls up his fifth leader on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart as “Tucson Too Late” ascends to No. 1 on the survey dated May 18. It increased by 14% to 30.5 million in audience May 3-9, according to Luminate.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The song was co-authored by two pairs of brothers: Jordan and Jacob Davis and Josh and Matt Jenkins. It’s from Jordan Davis’ Bluebird Days, which arrived at its No. 3 peak on Top Country Albums in March 2023, becoming his second and top-charting top 10. His rookie LP, Home State, entered at its No. 6 peak in April 2018.
[embedded content]
The 36-year-old from Shreveport, La., previously led Country Airplay with “What My World Spins Around,” for two frames in January 2023; “Buy Dirt” (featuring Luke Bryan; two weeks beginning in January 2022); “Slow Dance in a Parking Lot” (one week, April 2020); and his debut hit “Singles You Up” (one, April 2018).
Trending on Billboard
New ‘Country’ Top 10
Jason Aldean banks his 38th Country Airplay top 10 as “Let Your Boys Be Country” bumps 12-10 (16 million, up 6%). It follows “Try That in a Small Town,” which reached No. 2 in October 2023 and became his 10th No. 1 on the multimetric Hot Country Songs chart and his first on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.
Aldean claims the eighth-most top 10s since Country Airplay launched in January 1990. Kenny Chesney and George Strait lead with 61 each, followed by Tim McGraw (60), Alan Jackson (51), Keith Urban (44), Toby Keith (42) and Brooks & Dunn (41). Aldean breaks out of a tie with Reba McEntire, who leads all women with 37 top 10s.
[embedded content]
Post Malone, Wallen Lead Debuts
Post Malone and Morgan Wallen’s “I Had Some Help” makes the highest debut on Country Airplay, at No. 18 with 10.4 million audience impressions from its first day of availability. The song was released to country radio May 9 and received hourly plays on participating iHeartMedia stations. It’s Post Malone’s first Country Airplay entry as a lead act, and second overall, after late hitmaker Joe Diffie’s “Pickup Man,” on which he’s featured, hit No. 44 in January. (Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight,” featuring Post Malone, has topped the Hot 100 for two weeks running, having become his fifth No. 1.)
Marshmello hits Country Airplay for the first time, via his new collaboration with Kane Brown, “Miles on It,” which opens at No. 30 (4.7 million). They previously combined for “One Right Thing,” which led the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart for a week in 2019.
Miranda Lambert’s new single “Wranglers” opens at No. 37 on Country Airplay (3.6 million). Lambert, who has achieved seven No. 1s among 15 top 10s, spent her entire career with Sony Music Nashville before signing with Republic Records in April in a partnership with Big Loud, which will promote her music to country radio.
[embedded content]
Also on Country Airplay, legend Randy Travis makes his first appearance in 15 years. Travis, who boasts 16 No. 1s among 30 top 10s on Hot Country Songs, arrives at No. 45 with “Where That Came From” (2.1 million). He last hit Country Airplay as featured on Carrie Underwood’s “I Told You So,” which rose to No. 2 in 2009; his original solo version topped Hot Country Songs in 1987.
Travis’ new single was crafted with through the use of AI. Said the 64-year-old, who suffered a stroke in 2013, in a statement, “By God’s grace and the support of family, friends, fellow artists and fans, I’m able to create the music I so dearly love. Many thanks to my wonderful team and the best fans in the world for putting me back in the saddle again! I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.”
Leave it to Stray Kids to keep the hits coming! On Friday (May 10), the Billboard Music Award-winning K-pop group released its new Charlie Puth-assisted single, “Lose My Breath,” marking the group’s third single of 2024. In celebration of the new release, Billboard is looking back on the boy band’s impressive chart history.
Stray Kids made its Billboard chart debut back in 2017 with “Hellevator,” which eventually peaked at No. 6 on World Digitial Song Sales. That spunky track became the group’s first of 27 top 10 hits on the chart, including four chart-toppers. 2021’s “Mixtape: Oh,” became their first song to top the ranking, and the following year, they added two additional No. 1 hits with “Maniac” and “Case 143.” 2023’s “Lalalala” is the group’s most recent track to reach the summit.
“Lalalala” also served as Stray Kids’ first Billboard Hot 100, topping out at No. 90. Over on the Billboard 200, SKZ has achieved remarkable success. All four of the group’s charting projects — 2022’s Maxident and Stray Kids Mini Album: Oddinary (EP) and 2023’s Rock-Star and 5-Star — debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s all-genre albums chart. Stray Kids is the first act to send its first four charting albums to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since Alicia Keys (2001-2007).
On the Billboard Global 200, the boy band has notched seven entries, including its sole top 10, “Lalalala” (No. 10) in 2023.
With their new Charlie Puth collab set to ignite the charts soon, Stray Kids is on track to continue adding to its arsenal of Billboard chart achievements.
After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about Peso Pluma and the Mexican music boom, the role record labels play, origins of hip-hop, how Beyoncé arrived at Renaissance, the evolution of girl groups, BBMAs, NFTs, SXSW, the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and more.
Metallica boasts four No. 1s in a row on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart for the first time, as “Screaming Suicide” jumps to the top of the tally dated May 18.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The song follows reigns for “Too Far Gone?” (one week in November 2023), “72 Seasons” (two weeks last July) and “Lux Æterna” (11 weeks beginning in December 2022). All four tracks are from 72 Seasons, Metallica’s 11th studio album, which, also notably, becomes the band’s first to generate four Mainstream Rock Airplay No. 1s; previously, the group scored as many as two No. 1s apiece.
While “Screaming Suicide” is the fourth No. 1 from 72 Seasons, it became the LP’s second song to chart on Mainstream Rock Airplay. It debuted at No. 40 on the Feb. 18, 2023-dated survey after its release on streaming services, despite not then being promoted to radio. It returned to the ranking as the album’s fourth radio focus track this March.
Trending on Billboard
Metallica now boasts 14 career No. 1s on Mainstream Rock Airplay, having first reigned with “Until It Sleeps” in 1996. The band ties Five Finger Death Punch and Foo Fighters for the third-most leaders over the chart’s 43-year history.
Most No. 1s, Mainstream Rock Airplay:
19, Shinedown
17, Three Days Grace
14, Five Finger Death Punch
14, Foo Fighters
14, Metallica
13, Van Halen
12, Disturbed
12, Godsmack
Concurrently, “Screaming Suicide” lifts 17-15 on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart with 2.6 million audience impressions, up 10%, May 3-9, according to Luminate.
On the most recently published multimetric Hot Hard Rock Songs chart (dated May 11, reflecting data April 26-May 2), “Screaming Suicide” placed at No. 24. In addition to its radio airplay, the song drew 112,000 official U.S. streams. It reached No. 8 upon its debut in February 2023.
72 Seasons launched at No. 1 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart in April 2023 and has earned 373,000 equivalent album units to date.
All Billboard charts dated May 18 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, May 14.
Taylor Swift makes it three straight, as The Tortured Poets Department (via Universal) holds on for another week at No. 1 in Australia, while Sabrina Carpenter nabs her first leader on the singles survey with “Espresso” (Island/Universal).
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Tortured Poets reigns over the ARIA Chart, published Friday, May 10, and is her 13th chart-topper, more than any other female artist in Australia’s chart history.
The hottest debut this week belongs to Dua Lipa, whose third studio album Radical Optimism (Warner U.K./Warner) starts at No. 2. That’s the British artist’s third consecutive top 10 album in the land Down Under after Dua Lipa peaked at No. 8 in 2017 and Future Nostalgia logged three non-consecutive weeks atop the tally in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Trending on Billboard
Radical Optimism has a strong Aussie connection. Tame Impala mastermind Kevin Parker co-wrote and produced seven tracks on the collection, including the three hit singles “Houdini,” “Training Season” and “Illusion.”
SZA’s SOS (RCA/Sony) completes the ARIA Chart podium, down 2-3.
The top ranked homegrown release this week belongs to superstar singer Sia Furler whose Reasonable Woman (Atlantic/Warner) debuts at No. 14. Hailing from Adelaide, Sia has previously led the national chart on two occasions, with 1000 Forms Of Fear from 2014 and This Is Acting from 2016.
Over on the singles frame, Sabrina Carpenter’s Australian chart story perks up as “Espresso” lifts 2-1, for the U.S. singer and actor’s first leader in these parts. “Espresso” is also the current No. 1 in the U.K.
Rising U.S. singer and rapper Tommy Richman has a hit on his hands in Australia, as “Million Dollar Baby” (CONC) cashes from its viral turn on TikTok, up 33-2 on the ARIA Singles Chart.
Shaboozey’s country-leaning number “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (EMP) completes the top three on the ARIA Singles Chart, unmoved at No. 3.
Finally, Kendrick Lamar has the top debuts as his Drake diss tracks, “Euphoria” (at No. 8 via Universal) and “Not Like Us” (at No. 9), both debut in the top 10.
Those controversial songs lift Lamar’s tally of Australian top 10 hits to 12, including his contribution to Taylor Swift’s 2015 chart-leader “Bad Blood.”
Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department has surpassed 2 million in U.S. album sales after only two weeks in release, according to Luminate. It’s her 11th album to sell at least 2 million copies. (Album sales are purchases of both digital download albums and physical albums, like CDs, cassette tapes and vinyl LPs.)
In the week ending May 2, The Tortured Poets Department sold 107,000 copies, which was down 94% compared to the previous week, its opening frame, when it bowed with 1.914 million sold. Sales of the album loom so large, the 2.021 million it has sold in its first two weeks represents 8.4% of all U.S. album sales year-to-date (24.05 million).
The Tortured Poets Department is the first album to sell at least 2 million copies in its first two weeks since Adele’s 25 sold 4.49 million in its first two frames in 2015 (3.378 million in its first week, and 1.112 million in week two).
Trending on Billboard
On Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart dated May 11, The Tortured Poets Department remains at No. 1 for a second week.
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
The rest of the top 10 on the Top Album Sales chart is busy with debuts and re-entries, led by the list’s top debut, Grateful Dead’s Dave’s Picks, Volume 50: The Palladium, New York, NY – 5/3/77 at No. 2. The live archival set sold 20,000 copies in its first week.
Lafey’s Bewitched re-enters the list at No. 2, a new high, with 15,000 sold – her best sales week yet. It jumps back onto the list following a deluxe reissue on April 26, dubbed Bewitched: The Goddess Edition, with four bonus tracks. The new Goddess Edition was released on six vinyl variants, a CD, cassette, digital download and a streaming album.
A trio of debuts round out the top six, as Yung Bleu bows at No. 4 with Jeremy (13,000), Luke Hemmings’ Boy starts at No. 5 (10,000) and St. Vincent’s All Born Screaming enters at No. 6 (nearly 10,000).
Swift’s chart-topping 1989 (Taylor’s Version) falls 4-7 (9,000; down 35%) and Lover drops 3-8 (8,000; down 42%). ILLIT’s Super Real Me debuts at No. 9 with nearly 8,000, while TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s former No. 1 minisode 3: TOMORROW rises 11-10 with 7,000 (down 25%).
Por primera vez en más de cuatro años, dos álbumes debutan simultáneamente en el top 10 de la lista de Latin Pop Albums de Billboard.
En la lista fechada el 11 de mayo, Música Buena Para Días Malos de Jay Wheeler abre en el No. 4, mientras que García de Kany García llega al No. 8. Es la primera vez que la lista Latin Pop Albums tiene dos títulos debutando en la región superior desde el 12 de octubre de 2019, cuando José José debutó en los No. 1, 6 y 7 tras su muerte en septiembre, con Serie Platino – 20 Éxitos Vol. 2, El Príncipe de la Canción y Secreto, respectivamente.
Música Buena Para Días Malos de Wheeler comienza con 5.000 unidades equivalentes a álbumes ganadas en Estados Unidos la semana que finalizó el 2 de mayo, según Luminate. De ellas, poco más de 4.000 provienen de streams, lo que equivale a 6,3 millones de streams oficiales on demand de las canciones del álbum. Las ventas tradicionales del álbum y canciones comprenden la suma restante de la primera semana.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Música Buena Para Días Malos fue precedido por una canción en la lista general Latin Airplay: “Historia”, que alcanzó el No. 35 (lista fechada el 27 de abril).
Trending on Billboard
Además, con los debuts simultáneos de dos artistas diferentes en el top 10 de Latin Pop Albums, Wheeler y García también repiten una hazaña lograda por última vez hace cinco años, cuando Miguel y Anitta debutaron en los No. 3 y 4, respectivamente, con Te Lo Dije (EP) y Kisses en la lista fechada el 20 de abril de 2019.
Ambos se suman a la lista de pocos álbumes que han debutado en Latin Pop Albums en 2024. Aquí esos cinco debuts en el top 10, que incluyen dos No. 1:
Fecha y posición debut, título, artista27 de enero, No. 1, Orquídeas, Kali Uchis6 de abril, No. 1, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, Shakira13 de abril, No. 6, Final, Vol. 2, Enrique Iglesias11 de mayo, No. 4, Música Buena Para Días Malos, Jay Wheeler11 de mayo, No. 8, García, Kany García
El álbum de García llega a Latin Pop Albums con 2.000 unidades equivalentes ganadas en Estados Unidos durante el mismo período. Esto fue casi completamente impulsado por la actividad de streaming de sus 12 canciones. La cifra equivale a 3,4 millones de streams oficiales a la carta de los temas del disco.
García, quien tiene un historial en el chart, regresa al top 10 después de casi cinco años, cuando su álbum Contra El Viento debutó y alcanzó el No. 3 en junio de 2019.
La cantautora puertorriqueña ha conseguido un total de 10 títulos en la lista, ocho de los cuales alcanzaron el top 10, a lo largo de tres décadas, desde que su álbum Cualquier Día, su debut en los charts, llegara al No. 10 en septiembre de 2007.
A García le precedieron tres canciones en Latin Pop Airplay: “Una vida buena” alcanzó el No. 15 (3 de febrero), mientras “Que vuelva” con Carla Morrison, y “En esta boca” con Young Miko, llegaron ambas al No. 12 en los rankings del 16 y 30 de marzo, respectivamente. Por último, “Te lo agradezco” con Carin León regresa al No. 43 en la actual lista multimétrica Hot Latin Songs, que combina difusión radial, ventas digitales y actividad de streaming.
For the first time in over four years, two albums debut in the top 10 at the same time on Billboard’s Latin Pop Albums chart.
On the May 11-dated list, Jay Wheeler’s Música Buena Para Días Malos opens at No. 4, while Kany García’s García, arrives at No. 8. The pair marks the first time the Latin Pop Albums chart has dual titles launch in the upper region since Oct. 12, 2019, when José José bowed at Nos. 1, 6 and 7, following his death that September, with Serie Platino – 20 Exitos Vol. 2, El Principe de La Canción and Secreto, respectively.
Wheeler’s Música Buena Para Días Malos starts with 5,000 equivalent units earned in the U.S. in the week ending May 2, according to Luminate. Out of those, a little over 4,000 derive from streams, which equates to 6.3 million official on-demand streams of the album’s songs. Traditional album and track sales comprise the remaining sum of the album’s first week.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Música Buena Para Días Malos was preceded by one song on the overall Latin Airplay chart: “Historia,” which peaked at No. 35 (chart dated April 27).
Trending on Billboard
Further, with the simultaneous top 10 debuts on Latin Pop Albums by two different artists, Wheeler and García also repeat a feat last achieved five years ago, when Miguel and Anitta debuted at Nos. 3 and No. 4, with Te Lo Dije (EP) and Kisses on the April 20, 2019-dated list.
Both sets add to the list of few albums that have debuted on Latin Pop Albums in 2024. Here are those five top 10 debuts, including two No. 1 albums:
Debut Date, Debut Pos., Title, ArtistJan. 27, No. 1, Orquídeas, Kali UchisApril 6, No. 1, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, ShakiraApril 13, No. 6, Final, Vol. 2, Enrique IglesiasMay 11, No 4, Música Buena Para Días Malos, Jay WheelerMay 11, No. 8, García, Kany Garcia
García’s eponymous album arrives on Latin Pop Albums with 2,000 equivalent units earned in the U.S. during the same period. García’s opening frame was almost entirely driven by the streaming activity of its 12 songs. That figure equals to 3.4 million official on-demand streams of the set’s songs.
García, who has history on the tally, returns to the top 10 after almost five years, when the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter’s Contra El Viento debuted and peaked at No. 3 in June 2019.
García has landed 10 titles on the chart altogether, with eight of them reaching the top 10, spanning three decades since the album Cualquier Día, her chart debut, rose to No. 10 in September 2007.
García was preceded by three songs on Latin Pop Airplay. The No. 15-peaking “Una Vida Buena” led the new recruits (Feb. 3). Meanwhile, “Que Vuelva,” with Carla Morrison, and “En Esta Boca,” with Young Miko, reached No. 12 on the March 16- and March 30-dated rankings, respectively. Lastly, “Te Lo Agradezco,” with Carin León, re-enters at No. 43 on the current multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, which combines airplay, digital sales, and streaming activity.
Of 15 debuts on the May 11-dated Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, the most noticeable, at least in terms of a lengthy backstory, may not be Tommy Richman’s seemingly out-of-nowhere breakout hit “Million Dollar Baby” (No. 74) or Kendrick Lamar’s rap battle entry “Euphoria” (No. 98). The most surprising title on the tally overall may […]
Madonna played the final shows of The Celebration Tour, closing her six-month trek with $225.4 million and 1.1 million tickets sold over 80 shows, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.
The Celebration Tour is Madonna’s sixth trek to gross more than $100 million. The only other acts to achieve this are the Eagles, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and U2, making her the sole woman in this elite group.
The Queen of Pop first announced The Celebration Tour in January 2023, with a planned start date in July of last year. But a medical emergency delayed the North American leg by five months, instead starting in Europe in October. There, she played 27 shows in 10 countries, finishing with $77.5 million and 429,000 tickets.
Trending on Billboard
By year’s end, Madonna played three shows in Brooklyn and two in Washington, D.C., before resuming the North American leg with 42 more shows from January through April. In the U.S. and Canada, she earned $133.1 million and sold 616,000 tickets, sending the tour’s total figures beyond $200 million and 1 million tickets.
Finally, Madonna went to Latin America for the first time since 2016, as part of the Rebel Heart Tour. Five shows at Mexico City’s Palacio de los Deportes grossed $14.8 million and sold 82,400 tickets.
In all, The Celebration Tour’s $225 million finish marks Madonna’s highest-grossing tour in over a decade. While in Europe, it surpassed her theater experiment on the Madame X Tour ($51.5 million in 2019-20). And during her North American leg, she partied past the Rebel Heart Tour’s $169.8 million from 2015-16.
Madonna’s recent high dates back to 2012’s MDNA Tour, which grossed $305.2 million and sold 2.2 million tickets. That trek played many of the same American arenas as The Celebration Tour, but took her to Europe’s outsized outdoor stadiums, plus a lengthier stadium run throughout Latin America. Her biggest tour ever was the one before that, earning $407.7 million from 3.5 million tickets on the Sticky & Sweet Tour (2008-09).
The apples-to-apples improvement over the Rebel Heart Tour – Madonna’s most recent all-arena run – combines an uptick in ticket prices ($162.42 – > $199.93) with a 12% increase in average per-show attendance count (12,750 – > 14,274).
That average attendance is missing an obvious asterisk. After playing her final show in Mexico City, Madonna staged a free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, marking her first stop in the city since a Dec. 2, 2012, performance on the MDNA Tour. The show’s gargantuan success does not factor into her official Boxscore results because it was a free event, but it’s plenty worth noting that she drew 1.6 million people – roughly 40% more than the combined attendance of her entire tour. According to concert promoter Live Nation, it’s the largest audience ever for a stand-alone concert by any artist in history.
The Celebration Tour pushes Madonna’s reported career total to $1.6 billion and – without accounting for the Brazil show – 12.8 million tickets.
On the Billboard Hot 100 dated May 9, 1964, Louis Armstrong ended the most dominant run at No. 1 in the chart’s history to that point.
The Beatles had ruled the Hot 100 for 14 consecutive weeks, via three singles in a row, neither feat of which had previously been achieved: Their landmark U.S. breakthrough hit “I Want To Hold Your Hand” began a seven-week reign on the Feb. 1, 1964-dated chart, followed by two weeks on top for “She Loves You” and a five-week No. 1 stay for “Can’t Buy Me Love,” through the ranking dated that May 2.
The following frame, amid The Beatles-led British Invasion, famed New Orleans-born trumpeter and vocalist Armstrong’s “Hello, Dolly!” rose to No. 1. The title song from the hit musical was written by Jerry Herman and produced by Michael Kapp. It went on to win song of the year and best vocal performance, male at the Grammy Awards in 1965, while Armstrong’s recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.
[embedded content]
Despite The Beatles’ onslaught of hits at the time, Armstrong’s Hot 100 conquest with “Hello, Dolly!” had momentum thanks in large part to its parent musical.
Trending on Billboard
As researched in-depth by Grammy Award-winning author and Armstrong historian (and musician) Ricky Riccardi for a 2021 piece, “Hello, Dolly! Opens; Critics Toss Hats” a headline read in the Jan. 25, 1964, Billboard issue. “The critics flipped,” the story noted. “‘Don’t bother holding onto your hats,’ said Walter Kerr in The Herald Tribune, ‘because you won’t be needing them. You’d only be throwing them into the air. A musical comedy dream.’ ”
Per Riccardi, Arvell Shaw, who played bass with Armstrong, told documentarian Ken Burns, “Three or four months [after “Hello, Dolly!” was recorded], we were out on the road [in early 1964] doing one-nighters in Nebraska and Iowa, way, way out. And every night we’d hear from the audience, ‘Hello, Dolly!,’ ‘Hello, Dolly!’ The first couple of nights Louis ignored it, and it got louder … ‘Hello, Dolly!’ Louis looked at me and said, ‘What the hell is ‘Hello, Dolly!’?’ We had to get the music and learn it and put it in the concert. The first time we put it in, pandemonium broke out. We were so far out he didn’t even realize he had a big hit.”
“Hello, Dolly!” entered the Hot 100 dated Feb. 15, 1964, when “I Want To Hold Your Hand” was No. 1 and the typically copy-heavy front page of the issue and showed The Beatles behind Billboard’s logo, above three stories devoted to the band. (“U.S. Rocks & Reels From Beatles’ Invasion,” read the main headline.)
Noted Riccardi, Armstrong drew front-page Billboard ink of his own a week later in a story headlined “Broadway Lights Up Labels; Diskers Aim for Peak Year.” “The music and drama of Broadway is making solid impact on the record company scene this season,” Mike Gross wrote. “Not since the heyday of My Fair Lady have the diskers looked to Broadway product with such bullish attitudes.”
As “Hello, Dolly!” scaled the Hot 100, Armstrong further realized its impact. Riccardi sourced a story by columnist Jimmy Breslin quoting Armstrong: “People keep coming up to me about ‘Dolly’ and sayin’, ‘You’re doing all right. You’re selling records right behind The Beatles.’ I’m with The Beatles. Music is music. There’s all kinds. But it all come from the same place. It all come from old, sanctified churches. I don’t care how they change it … old, sanctified churches is the essence of it.”
By mid-April 1964, according to Riccardi, Armstrong told Newsweek of his impending Hot 100 No. 1, “I like that tune. It’s got a good feeling, it’s a good, happy one.” Of its recording, he said, “We didn’t have no arrangement or nothin’. We just scat out our parts. I played it the way I am, Satchmo’s way. The people don’t forget that old beat. They know the essence, and it’s Satchmo.”
As for the acts then occupying the Hot 100’s upper reaches, added Armstrong (whom Ed Sullivan praised in a May 15, 1964, New York Daily News column for “that famous gravel-velvet voice”), “It’s awful nice to be there among all them Beatles.”
The Beatles, meanwhile, reciprocated, Riccardi pointed out, by playing a bit of “Hello, Dolly!” – on kazoo – in a 1964 holiday message.
Billboard
Beyond its notable journey to No. 1 on the Hot 100, “Hello, Dolly!” made history for Armstrong, who at 62 became the most senior artist to lead the list. The mark stood until last December, when Brenda Lee, then 78, jingled to No. 1 with “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (although she was 13 when she recorded the carol, originally released in 1958).
Plus, by dethroning The Beatles after 14 weeks atop the Hot 100, Armstrong put a stop to the longest continuous command for an act in the chart’s history to that point, one that stood solely until 1993, when Whitney Houston tied it, via “I Will Always Love You.” Boyz II Men surpassed the mark with a 16-week No. 1 run in 1994, while The Black Eyed Peas currently hold the record: 26 consecutive weeks, thanks to “Boom Boom Pow” (12 weeks) and “I Gotta Feeling” (12) in 2009.
Following the reign of “Hello, Dolly!,” Armstrong remained prominent on Billboard’s charts. The song’s parent album of the same name crowned the Billboard 200 for six weeks beginning in June 1964, while he added two more Hot 100 entries that year.
“Hello, Dolly!” also became Armstrong’s first of five Adult Contemporary top 10s, ruling for nine weeks – with “What a Wonderful World” reaching No. 7, as well as No. 32 on the Hot 100, in 1988, the 1967 recording revived thanks to its spotlight in the box office hit Good Morning, Vietnam. In 1999, a remake of the latter song by Kenny G featuring Armstrong hit No. 22 on Adult Contemporary.
Armstrong, who died in July 1971, has additionally logged 12 top 10s on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart. Most recently, his retrospective Gold hit No. 7 this March, with its 40-song tracklist including “Hello, Dolly!”