- _Classic Bands - record chart facts
Sean Garrett (15)
Odds and Ends
The longest title of a song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 is B.J. Thomas'
"Hey Won't You Play Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song".
The longest title of an album to reach the Billboard Hot 200 LP chart is  Fiona Apple's
"When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right"
The title is made up of 90 words.
Paula Abdul's "Forever Your Girl" holds the record for the longest time between release date and reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart, taking sixty-four weeks to reach the top. When the LP finally got there in January, 1990, it stayed at #1 for 10 weeks.
Although it is generally acknowledged that the "Rock 'n' Roll era" began in the US when Bill Haley And His Comets reached the top of the Billboard chart in July, 1955 with "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock", many Rock historians believe that the first true Rock and Roll record was a song called "Rocket 88" by Jackie Brenston and The Delta Cats, which topped the American R&B chart in May, 1951.
Herb Alpert is the only artist to have a US number one single with both a vocal arrangement (This Guy's in Love With You" in 1968) and an instrumental ("Rise" in 1979).
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters were the first group to place three records on The Billboard Hot 100 at the same time - "Finger Poppin' Time", "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" and "The Twist" in mid-July, 1960.
The shortest record to reach the Billboard Top 40 was "Some Kind-A Earthquake" by Duane Eddy. This seldom heard instrumental, which is only one minute, seventeen seconds long, reached #37 in 1959
The first live recording to ever top the Billboard chart was "Fingertips part 2" by Little Stevie Wonder, in August, 1963.
The first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 was Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy", which reached the top on September 24th, 1988.
The first foreign language recording to top the Billboard chart was "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)" by Domenico Modugno in 1958. Translated from Italian, the title means "In The Blue Sky Painted Blue (To Fly)".
The first comedy album to ever top the Billboard chart was "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart" in 1960.
The first Country album to reach the top of the Hot 200 album chart was "Ring Of Fire" by Johnny Cash in January, 1964.
The first triple-disc album to top the Billboard chart was the soundtrack to "Woodstock".
In November, 1958, The Kingston Trio became the first group to ever have an album reach the top of the US chart. Before them, only solo artists had hit number one.
The first 45 rpm record to reach the Billboard charts was "You're Adorable" by Perry Como, on May 7, 1949.
Roy Hamilton's "Don't Let Go" became the first stereo single to reach the Billboard chart when it entered at #13 on February 22nd, 1958.
The first artist to write and record his own US #1 hit was Buddy Knox. His tune "Party Doll" topped the Billboard chart in March, 1957.
The first British artist to top the Billboard chart was Mr. Acker Bilk with "Stranger on the Shore" on May 26, 1962.
However, Vera Lynn was the first British artist to have the best selling record in the U.S. with "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" on July 26, 1952, four years before The HOT 100 was introduced.
"Wild Thing" by The Troggs is the only single to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 while being offered on two different labels simultaneously. Fontana was the group's British label and ATCO was also given a contract to release the song in the US.  The compilers of the Billboard Hot 100 decided to combine the two singles (which had different B-sides) into one chart position.
A 60 track album called "Beatles Anthology I" holds the record for first-day sales, selling  450,000 units on the day of its release, November 19th, 1995.
The term "rock and roll", which was black slang for sexual intercourse, appeared on record for the first time in 1922 on Trixie Smith's "My Baby Rocks Me With One Steady Roll".
The term "rhythm & blues" was coined in 1948 by a young Billboard reporter and future Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler, to replace the negative term "Race Records".
Elvis Presley's 1956 recording of "Love Me" was the first million-seller to make the US charts without being released as a single. It was instead, an EP (extended play) 45 rpm, with three other songs on it: "Rip It Up", "Paralyzed" and "When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again".
The Animals 1964 hit "House Of The Rising Sun" was the first Number 1 to have a playing time of more than four minutes.
The Four Aces 1955 release of  "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing"  was the first US number one record that was specifically written for a motion picture.
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