This Day in Top 40 History: December 28
On Dec. 28, 1987, George Michael dropped “Father Figure,” the fourth single from his debut album, Faith. At the end of February 1988, the single hit No. 1 on the Billboard…
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On Dec. 28, 1987, George Michael dropped "Father Figure," the fourth single from his debut album, Faith. At the end of February 1988, the single hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track also spent six weeks on the U.K. Singles Chart, where it peaked at No. 11. Keep reading to discover all the significant Top 40 history events from Dec. 28.
Notable Events
Here are the unforgettable industry changes and challenges associated with Dec. 28:
- 1983: Just three weeks after celebrating his 39th birthday, Dennis Wilson, a founding member of The Beach Boys, accidentally drowned while swimming in Marina del Rey, California. According to sources, he was drunk at the time of the incident. As The Beach Boys drummer, he contributed to the making of No. 1 singles such as "Help Me, Rhonda," "Good Vibrations," and "I Get Around."
- 1993: After dating for six months, Shania Twain and Robert "Mutt" Lange got married. Twain, whose Top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 include "From This Moment On" and "You're Still The One," collaborated with Lange on her The Woman In Me and Come On Over albums. The couple broke up in 2008 after Lange cheated on Twain with her former best friend and personal assistant, Marie-Anne Thiébaud. At the time of writing, Twain is married to Frédéric Thiébaud, Marie-Anne Thiébaud's former husband.
- 2003: A little over a week after being charged with child molestation, Michael Jackson addressed the allegations made against him in an interview with Ed Bradley on 60 Minutes. He said that the accusations were false and he was "outraged" after hearing them. In June 2005, Michael Jackson was acquitted on all charges due to a lack of enough evidence to prove he was guilty of child abuse.
- 2015: Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister died at age 70 at his home in Los Angeles, California. Two days before his death, he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. Kilmister was the founder and lead singer of Motörhead. The band has placed seven songs in the Top 40 on the U.K. Singles Chart, including "Ace of Spades."
These Top 40 history events from Dec. 28 still linger in the minds of many artists and music fans. Come back tomorrow to discover all the noteworthy events that took place on that day in Top 40 history.
Dawn Palmer-QuaifeWriter
