On July 18, 2008, Billy Joel played the final concert at New York’s Shea Stadium before the old venue was demolished. For the farewell show he brought out Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, Paul McCartney, Steven Tyler and more. Here are other Top 40 moments that happened on July 18.
Breakthrough hits and milestones
– 1960: Brenda Lee hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “I’m Sorry.” The mature pop ballad helped shape her career and made the teen singer a star.
– 1964: The Rolling Stones reached No. 48 on the Hot 100 with their cover of Buddy Holly and The Crickets’ “Not Fade Away.” It was an early U.S. chart showing before they broke through here.
– 1980: Two months after Ian Curtis died, Joy Division released their second album, Closer. The record reached No. 6 on the U.K. charts and included standout tracks like “Heart and Soul,” “Isolation” and “Atmosphere.”
– 1995: Monica released her debut album Miss Thang, which hit No. 36 on the Billboard 200 and No. 7 on the R&B chart. The album featured guest spots from Mr. Malik and Usher and produced three No. 1 R&B singles: “Don’t Take It Personal,” “Before You Walk Out of My Life” and “Like This and Like That.”
– 2000: Jill Scott dropped Who’s Jill Scott? Words and Sounds, Vol. 1. The album reached No. 17 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the R&B chart. Key singles included “Gettin’ in the Way” and “A Long Walk.”
Cultural moments
– 1939: Dion DiMucci was born in the Bronx. As Dion and with groups like the Belmonts, he scored Top 40 hits such as “Runaround Sue,” “The Wanderer” and “Donna,” which reached No. 1.
– 1975: M.I.A. (Mathangi Arulpragasam) was born in London. Her song “Paper Planes” gave her a global hit. In 2012 she teamed with Madonna and Nicki Minaj on “Give Me All Your Luvin’,” which hit the U.K. Top 40.
– 1992: Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown married in New Jersey. About 800 guests attended the ceremony at Houston’s estate. Their marriage lasted 14 turbulent years.
