Music history as you’ve never seen it: a journey in time through the albums, concerts and events that made history – this week in music.
This week saw Michael Jackson’s first #1 single, Radiohead’s groundbreaking In Rainbows, a special appearance at the Beastie Boys’ concert and more!
October 9: The Avengers of ’80s Music: U2, R.E.M. and Moby Assembled!
On this day in music history in 2001, U2 frontman Bono, R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe, and electronica virtuoso Moby made unannounced appearances at the second of two anti-violence benefit concerts. These concerts took place in New York and were organized by the Beastie Boys.
October 10: Radiohead Take a Musical Turn
In Rainbows was the right album at the right time. Bringing a completely new and revolutionary perspective on the concept of music, the album was able to break boundaries between pop and alternative albums. Radiohead released an album that invaded the lives of millions and changed their approach to this art, despite being very innovative and far from the sound that was trending at the time.
This day in 2007 in music history marks the release of the British band’s seventh studio album, innovative also by being a pay-what-you-want download. In fact, most people paid nothing for the download, but the album still fares well.
October 11: Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, the Record-Breaking Siblings
On October 11th, 1986, in music history, Janet Jackson went #1 on the Hot 100 for the first time with her single “When I Think of You.” Produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the single’s result made her and Michael the first siblings to land #1 solo singles on the chart. Janet Jackson reached the top of the US chart nine more times to date.
October 12: First Man On the Moon
October 12th, 2018, saw the debut in US theatres of a biographical film called First Man. The film was an adaptation of the official biography First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, written by James R. Hansen and published in 2005. The movie narrates the story of Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the Moon.
R&B singer Leon Bridges, famous for his solo career as well as his appearance in Khruangbin’s albums Texas Sun and Texas Moon, appears as jazz musician Gil Scott-Heron, reciting the poem “Whitey On The Moon.”
October 13: Bob Dylan Wins the Nobel Prize in Literature
Every year in October, the Nobel Foundation announces the names of the Nobel Prize Winners. These include the Literature Nobel Prize. While this year the winner is Norwegian Jon Fosse, in 2016, the foundation awarded singer-songwriter Bob Dylan the precious prize. The artist was awarded for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” Dylan became the first American in history to win since Toni Morrison in 1993.
October 14: Michael Jackson’s first #1 single
In 1972, at the young age of 14, music prodigy Michael Jackson hit his first-ever #1 with his single “Ben,” a song about a boy and his love for a pet rat.
The single was the first single to top the charts, but it most definitely wasn’t the last one. From then until Michael’s passing in 2009, the King Of Pop topped the charts 12 more times. This number, however, doesn’t include all the singles to which he contributed with his vocals—which include world-breaking successes such as “We Are The World” and Paul McCartney’s “Say Say Say.”
October 15: Madonna Holds a “Sex” Party
On this day in 1992, Madonna, the queen of controversial and boundaries-breaking public choices, decided to promote her upcoming book Sex in a unique way. The singer in fact held a “Sex” party at Industria Superstudio in Manhattan, to which she showed up dressed like Little Bo Peep, carrying a stuffed lamb.
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