On September 13, 2009, Taylor Swift won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video. During her acceptance speech, Kanye West interrupted her, taking the microphone and saying Beyoncé should have won instead. Later, Beyoncé showed her support by inviting Swift onstage after winning Video of the Year.
This date has seen some significant music milestones. In 1965, The Beatles released “Yesterday” in the U.S., where it hit No. 1. Interestingly, they didn’t release it in the U.K. until 11 years later. In 1986, “Take My Breath Away” topped the charts in the U.S. after the success of the movie Top Gun. Fast forward to 2013, Hozier’s debut single “Take Me To Church” became a global hit, topping charts in 12 countries, partly due to its powerful music video addressing homophobia in Russia.
Cultural moments also marked this date. In 1996, Tupac Shakur passed away after a drive-by shooting, leaving a lasting impact on West Coast rap. In 2013, Fleetwood Mac announced that Christine McVie would rejoin the band for two shows. In 2018, Hailey Baldwin and Justin Bieber secretly married in a New York City courthouse.
Live performances have their own stories. In 1979, ABBA began their only North American tour, starting with a warm-up show in Canada. In 2000, Elton John canceled a sold-out show in Lisbon because the audience was slow to leave a VIP dinner. More recently, in 2024, Chappell Roan performed in Manchester as part of The Midwest Princess Tour, marking one of her first U.K. shows.
These moments remind us how music and culture intertwine.
