This Day in Top 40 History: March 25

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 2003: Celine Dion, best known for her smash hit "My Heart Will Go On" from the movie Titanic, launched her Las Vegas residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. After the success of her residency, many other artists, such as Adele and Britney Spears, have held and continue to hold Las Vegas residencies.
• 2003: Linkin Park released Meteora, their first record to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album garnered the admiration of many critics, owing to its polished production, raw lyrics, and artistic ambition. Multiple tracks from the set broke into the Top 40 on a few Billboard charts. “Numb” and “Breaking the Habit,” for instance, topped the Alternative Airplay chart and cracked the Top 20 on the Hot 100. 
• 2011: Britney Spears put out her seventh studio LP, Femme Fatale. Like a majority of her previous releases, it was a massive success, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and delivering several Top 40 singles. The record featured “Hold It Against Me” and “Till the World Ends,” which charted in the Top Five on Billboard's Hot 100.
• 2015: Pop star Sam Smith's song "Lay Me Down" hit the U.K. charts at No. 1 with five weeks in the Top 40 category. At the 2015 GRAMMY Awards, Smith's album, In the Lonely Hour, won Record of the Year and Song of the Year. 
• 2024: At the age of 65 and after four decades of making music, pop queen Madonna played at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, for her Celebration Tour. This milestone highlights how a star with the right energy and vibe can keep selling concert tickets.

Cultural Milestones

• 1945: Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee. During her teens, she spent a lot of time performing gospel songs across the country. She would later place up to 17 Top 10 hits on the Hot 100, including two chart-toppers, “Respect” and “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me).” These achievements helped her earn the moniker “Queen of Soul.” 
• 1947: Elton John was born in England. His extensive discography features more than 20 Top 10 albums and nine No. 1 singles on the Hot 100, including “Island Girl” and “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.” In addition, John has sold over 300 million records and played more than 3,500 concerts worldwide. 
• 1968: March 25 was the last airing of the goofy television show The Monkees, starring the band The Monkees. What's interesting about this band is that they were actors created during the Beatlemania craze. Once they took some creative licensing with their music, they became a top-selling act.
• 1988: Big Sean was born Sean Michael Leonard Anderson in Santa Monica, California. He started participating in rap battles while in high school. His big break came in 2007 when Kanye West's GOOD Music offered him a record deal, two years after he rapped for the “Heartless” singer. As of this writing, Sean has many Top 40 singles, including “Bounce Back” and “No Favors,” which featured guest vocals from Eminem. 
• 1991: Madonna appeared at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California, with rocker Prince by her side. She performed her hit song "Sooner or Later," which later won an Oscar Award for Best Original Song.
• 2020: Whitney Houston's cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" was inducted into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. This song, from the movie The Bodyguard that starred Kevin Costner, was a massive success.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1960: Roy Orbison recorded “Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)” at RCA Victor Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Upon release, the song climbed to No. 1 on the U.K. Singles chart and No. 2 on the Hot 100. 
• 1961: Elvis Presley blew the crowd away at the Bloch Arena in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and helped raise over $60,000 for the U.S.S Arizona Memorial. With an estimated 4,000 fans in attendance, he performed some of his greatest hits, including “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” and “It's Now or Never,” which topped charts in the U.S. 
• 1967: The pop band The Turtles had their only Billboard hit with "Happy Together." This snappy tune stayed at No. 1 for three weeks.
• 2002: The all-boy pop band *NSYNC performed at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, on March 25, with the band Smash Mouth opening for them. *NSYNC was the beginning of Justin Timberlake's career.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 1983: INXS performed in the U.S. for the first time at The Spirit in San Diego, California. Although only 24 people attended this show, it marked the beginning of the band's run in the region. In the years that followed, at least 10 of their songs cracked the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Need You Tonight” and “Never Tear Us Apart.”
• 1990: Tommy Lee was allegedly arrested in Augusta, Georgia, for exposing his buttocks during a show. His band, Mötley Crüe, was in the region promoting their chart-topping album, Dr. Feelgood. That said, the entire incident might have been staged, according to sources. Lee went to the police station and paid a fine, but he didn't spend any time behind bars. 
• 2015: Mariah Carey starred in the Late Late Show's host James Corden's first Carpool Karaoke segment. Corden asked Mariah to join him on his way to work through congested Los Angeles, California, traffic, and they sang "Always Be My Baby."
• 2020: GRAMMY winner Billie Eilish canceled her world tour that would have included a performance on March 25 due to COVID-19.