This Day in Top 40 History: October 27

Oct. 27, 2014, was the moment that Taylor Swift became a fully actualized pop girly. With the release of 1989, her seminal pop album, Swift cemented herself as a pop musician. The album’s title is Swift’s birth year, and it symbolized a rebirth of her artistic identity. Several singles from 1989 reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,” and “Bad Blood.” Keep reading for more Top 40 history from Oct. 27.

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

These successful albums and hit songs launched artists to fame around the world – and their music has endured:

• 1982: Prince released 1999, his fifth studio album. It was Prince’s first album recorded with the Revolution, and it peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200.
• 1986: Arista Records dropped Aretha Franklin’s 31st studio effort, Aretha. The album reached No. 32 in the U.S. and spawned three Top 40 singles on Billboard’s Hot 100, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Jimmy Lee,” and the chart-topper “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me).” 
• 2006: Amy Winehouse released her second and final album, Back to Black. The content of the songs focused on a former relationship, and the album includes some of Winehouse’s biggest hits, including “Rehab,” “You Know I’m No Good,” and “Back to Black.”
• 2011: Adele notched a fifth week at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with her song “Someone Like You.” This achievement put Adele over the line as the fourth woman to have multiple songs spend more than five weeks at No. 1 in the same year.
• 2017: Kelly Clarkson’s eighth studio record, Meaning of Life, was released. It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and delivered 14 tracks, including “I Don’t Think About You,” “Medicine,” and “Love So Soft.” 
• 2017: Ty Dolla $ign issued his sophomore album, Beach House 3, featuring guest vocals from Lil Wayne, The-Dream, Jeremih, Wiz Khalifa, and other Top 40 acts. The project landed at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and spent 23 weeks on the chart. 

Cultural Milestones

Culture often responds in a visceral way to music and musicians. These milestones are proof of that:

• 1942: Lee Greenwood was born in California. He taught himself to play instruments like the guitar and bass at an early age. Greenwood would later notch multiple Top 40 country hits, such as “Somebody’s Gonna Love You.”
• 1949: Garry Tallent was born in Wayne County, Michigan. He’s best known as a founding member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, which is behind No. 1 albums such as Born in the U.S.A., The River, and Tunnel of Love.
• 1960: “What’s Love Got to Do with It” hitmaker Tina Turner and her first husband, Ike Turner, welcomed Ronnie Turner. Ronnie became a musician and played with Manufactured Funk. The father of two, however, died of cardiovascular disease and colon cancer in 2022. 
• 1962: The Beatles participated in their first radio interview as a band when they appeared at Hulme Hall.
• 1967: Scott Weiland was born Scott Richard Kline in California. He was best known as a founding member of Stone Temple Pilots, who placed Top 10 records such as Purple, Core, and Shangri-La Dee Da on the Billboard 200. Weiland died in 2015. 
• 1975: Bruce Springsteen was featured on the covers of TIME and Newsweek magazines at the same time. Both magazines were promoting the release of Springsteen’s latest album, Born to Run.
• 1984: Kelly Osbourne was born to “Crazy Train” singer Ozzy Osbourne and his manager Sharon Osbourne. Kelly appeared on The Osbournes, the award-winning reality TV series that shone a spotlight on Ozzy’s family. Her duet with her father, “Changes,” hit No. 1 in the U.K.
• 1988: U2’s concert film, Rattle and Hum, premiered in Dublin. The film featured live performances from the album of the same name.
• 2013: Lou Reed passed away at the age of 71. Reed was part of the Velvet Underground, which was managed by Andy Warhol in the 1960s.
• 2013: Fleetwood Mac cancelled several tour dates after the announcement that John McVie had been diagnosed with cancer. By 2017, McVie had entered into remission from cancer.
• 2022: Carrie Underwood took her Denim & Rhinestones Tour to the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. During this concert, she played a 23-song set that featured “Before He Cheats,” “Poor Everybody Else,” and “Hate My Heart.”

Industry Changes and Challenges 

While some Top 40 acts have been arrested on October 27, others have taken legal steps to end their marriages.

• 2003: On his birthday, Scott Weiland was arrested in Hollywood, California, on charges of driving under the influence and a misdemeanor hit-and-run offense. This came after his vehicle crashed into a few parked cars and the Stone Temple Pilots frontman tried to flee the scene. 
• 2010: After nearly two decades of marriage, “Old Town Road” singer Billy Ray Cyrus filed for divorce from his then-wife, Tish Cyrus, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple, who share five children, including “Wrecking Ball” hitmaker Miley Cyrus, reconciled but eventually divorced in 2022. 
• 2013: Chris Brown was arrested in Washington, D.C., and charged with felony assault. The “Forever” hitmaker and his bodyguard, Christopher Hollosy, were allegedly involved in a fight with two individuals just outside the W Hotel. 

Oct. 27 had an impact on the music industry. We saw album releases, the first radio interview, and much more. For those who missed the U2 concert in 1988, a new trend of releasing concert films was started. Today, thankfully, if you can’t see a concert in person, you can usually just watch the concert film.