The Top 40 has been the leading hit list in the Netherlands since 1965. In the Today section we look back at events in pop music that took place exactly X years ago. In this episode of Today: the introduction of the very first form of legal downloading: iTunes.
From the founding of the Top 40 on January 2, 1965, the List of Lists was based on sales figures for many years. Since July 1, 1999, airplay has also been taken into account in the composition of the Top 40. The reason for this was the decline in sales of physical CD singles. Consumers started to make more use of the MP3 player, on which illegal downloads could be placed. Since April 28, 2003 can be downloaded legally in America. Apple has opened the online music service iTunes Music Store there.
In this online store, users can legally download music for a fee. Because Apple managed to sign the five largest record companies, iTunes has had a wide range from its inception, which has grown over the years to millions of available songs. Eighteen months later it is also possible to purchase music from the Netherlands. In 2006, the name was changed to iTunes Store, because the company now also offered films, television series, audio books and games. Although music piracy is not decreasing, the music service is becoming very popular.
In 2010, the 10 billionth song was sold via the site. Since then, iTunes sales have declined somewhat, which is due to the rise of a new form of music consumption: streaming. Streamings on Spotify and Deezer increase in weighting in the Top 40 and legal downloads via iTunes, among others, in turn decrease. In 2014, the Dutch Top 40 completely stopped counting downloads by composition, after the BNN program Rambam showed that charts are fairly easy to manipulate thanks to download data.
Here’s what else happened on April 28:
Cheap Trick performs April 28, 1978 at the Budokan Hall in Tokyo.
The American group Cheap trick had existed since 1973, but a breakthrough in America and Europe did not get off the ground. The only country where the group is extremely popular is Japan. That is why Cheap Trick will perform in Budokan on April 28 and 30, 1978, where the concert is also recorded. Budokan is a sports hall that was specially built in 1964 for the Olympic Games. The hall immediately became known in the Netherlands, because joduka Anton Geesink won a gold medal there that year. Later the hall was also used for rock concerts. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Queen, Fleetwood Mac and Queen, among others, have performed there.
The live album Cheap Trick At Budokan was initially only released in Japan, but because demand also arose in the West, the LP was also released there in 1979. In the Netherlands, exactly one year after the performance, the album entered the Album Top 100 at number 23. A few weeks later, both the album and the single I Want You To Want Me reached first place in the chart. I Want You To Want Me was originally released in 1977 on In Color, the group’s second album. However, this studio version was much braver and a bit slower and slicker than the rough live performance, which also featured the cheering of the 12,000 Japanese fans.
I Want You To Want Me has been particularly successful in the Benelux. In England it was only a modest hit and in the US seventh place in the Billboard Hot 100 turned out to be the highest possible achievement. Cheap Trick eventually scored a number 1 hit in their own country, but that only happened years later. In 1988, The Flame reached first place there, while that song barely caught on in Europe. In the Netherlands, the group had its last Top 40 success in 1982 with Ik You Want My Love.
Also on this day:
1973: Five years and one day after his first number 1 hit, Cliff Richard has reached number 2. With Power To All Our Friends he rose to first place, which he left again four weeks later. For his third number 1 hit Sir Cliff wait even longer; In 1986 he topped the Top 40 with Living Doll, in a version he recorded with The Young Ones.
1979: Boney M. scores his fourth and final number 1 hit with Hooray! Hooray! It’s A Holi Holiday. Later in 1979, the German disco group came close with El Lute/Gotta Go Home, but that single remained stuck at number 2. After that, Boney M.’s success declined rapidly.
1980: Tommy Caldwell has passed away at the age of just 29. The bassist of The Marshall Tucker Band was in a car accident six days earlier on the way to his hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina.
1981: Steve Currie dies in a traffic accident. As bassist for T. Rex, he scored three Top 40 hits in 1971. The biggest hit was Hot Love, which reached eleventh place. Currie is 33 years old.
2000: Ruud Eggenhuizen dies at the age of 53 as a result of cardiac arrest in his hometown of Arnhem. Under his pseudonym DC Lewis, he was in first place for four weeks in 1970 with My Prayer.
2015: Sam Smith has announced that, on doctor’s advice, he will have to cancel the remainder of his Australian tour. The artist has had a hemorrhage on his vocal cords.
Born today:
1937 – Albert Brosensat death 84 years,
1939 – Jimmy Frey,
1941 – Duane West61 years old at death, The Jordanaires
1943 – Jacques Dutronc,
[1945– John Wolters, death aged 52, Dr. Hook
1947 – Ad Visser,
1948 – Scott Fitzgerald,
1955 – Eddie Jobson, Roxy Music | UK | Yes
1957 – Wilma,
1968 – Howard DonaldTakeThat
1971 – General Levy,
1975 – Barby KellyThe Kelly Family
1983 – Bouchra Tjon Pong FongK-Otic
1987 – Robin Schulz,
1988 – Emma Hewitt,
1992 – Wilbert Pigmans,
1994 – Izzy Bizu,
1995 – Melanie Martinez,
2000 – Victoria De AngelisMåneskin
Today at number 1:
1973 – 1 (7) Power To All Our Friends– Cliff Richard (EMI), 1 week at number 1
1979 – 1 (5) Hooray! Hooray! It’s A Holi Holiday– Boney M. (Hansa), 1 week at number 1
1984 – 1 (1) Hello– Lionel Richie (Motown), 3 weeks at number 1
1990 – 1 (1) ThePower– Snap! (Logic), 3 weeks at number 1
2001 – 1 (1) Damn (I Think I Love You)– Starmaker (Jive), 3 weeks at number 1
2007 – 1 (1) Tears Laughter– Guus Meeuwis (EMI), 2 weeks at number 1
2012 – 1 (1) I Follow Rivers– Triggerfinger (Excelsior Recordings), 5 weeks at number 1
2018 – 1 (9) One Kiss– Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa (Sony), 1 week at number 1
(28/04/2024)
