This Day in Top 40 History: January 4
On Jan. 4, 2012, Bryan Ferry married Amanda Sheppard, his son Isaac’s ex-girlfriend. At the time, Sheppard was 37 years younger than the “Let’s Stick Together” hitmaker, who has four children from his first…
Kevin Mazur via Getty Images for NARAS
On Jan. 4, 2012, Bryan Ferry married Amanda Sheppard, his son Isaac's ex-girlfriend. At the time, Sheppard was 37 years younger than the "Let's Stick Together" hitmaker, who has four children from his first marriage to Lucy Helmore. The couple later divorced. Here are other Top 40 history moments from Jan. 4.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Some notable Top 40 singles and albums that saw the light of day on Jan. 4 included:
- 1967: The Doors released their self-titled debut album. Its most successful single was "Light My Fire," which reached the summit of Billboard's Hot 100 and spent up to 23 weeks on the chart. Initially, "Light My Fire" stalled at No. 49 in the U.K. But after the band released their self-titled biographical film in 1991, it re-entered the U.K. Singles chart and reached No. 7.
- 2018: Bruno Mars and Cardi B released "Finesse," which was arguably the most successful collaboration between the two artists. The track joined the short list of hits to debut atop the Billboard Streaming Songs chart. It also broke into the Hot 100, soaring to No. 3.
- 2018: Kendrick Lamar and SZA dropped "All The Stars" from the Black Panther soundtrack album. The song achieved significant chart success, cracking the Top 10 in several countries, including Canada, Australia, and the U.S., where it landed at No. 7. It also garnered four GRAMMY nominations in 2019.
- 2019: Chris Brown launched "Undecided," the lead single from his ninth studio LP, Indigo, through RCA Records. It entered Billboard's Hot 100 at No. 35 but later ascended to No. 15. The track also charted in the U.K., peaking at No. 15 and spending nine weeks on the singles chart.
Industry Changes and Challenges
Industry changes and challenges from Jan. 4 included:
- 1953: Thousands of mourners attended Hank Williams' funeral in Montgomery, Alabama, following his death on New Year's Day at the age of 29. He had several No. 1 hits and 30 Top 10 country singles. Five of his posthumous releases also cracked the Top 40.
- 1969: The BBC reportedly banned Jimi Hendrix and his band after they went off script on the "Happening for Lulu" show. The artists stopped playing their U.K. Top 10 hit "Hey Joe" halfway through and began performing a rendition of "Sunshine of Your Love" to honor Cream. The singers had recently announced they were breaking up.
- 2013: Lead guitarist Rob Caggiano revealed he was leaving Anthrax to focus on production work. Anthrax has placed at least seven Top 40 singles on the U.K. Singles chart, including "Got The Time" and "I'm The Man."
Jan. 4 was a memorable date in Top 40 history. It included Bryan Ferry marrying Amanda Sheppard, his son Isaac's ex-girlfriend, the release of notable Top 40 singles and albums, and the funeral of Hank Williams, who died at the age of 29.
Dawn Palmer-QuaifeWriter
