Musical Dice -- Return To The Top
Welcome to the music section of my Musical Dice website! For you music trivia enthusiasts, and those who love to learn about the stories behind the music, you've come to the right place! I love sharing my knowledge of music trivia, so that's why I created this section.
This article is all about songs that were bumped out of #1, but then moved back up to #1. Those of you who are chart buffs, should find this article interesting. Even those of you who aren't exactly chart buffs, may find this article interesting, for you may be surprised as to which songs actually fall into this category. Here is a list of those songs:
"Mack The Knife" -- Bobby Darin, 1959 (9 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
One of the biggest hits of 1959 was "Mack The Knife" by Bobby Darin. Apparently, competing for the top spot with this song, was a much softer calmer song called "Mr. Blue" by the Fleetwoods. Apparently, after spending 6 weeks at #1, "Mack The Knife" was knocked out of #1 by "Mr. Blue," but a week later, "Mack The Knife" returned to #1 for 3 more weeks, for a grand total of 9 weeks at #1. It would have been the top song of that year, had it not been for "Battle Of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton.
On a personal note, my dad introduced me to "Mack The Knife" when I was 12 years old, only that it was by Louis Armstrong. I recently asked my dad about the Bobby Darin version, and he said that he couldn't stand that version. I happen to like both versions.
"Come See About Me" -- The Supremes, 1964 (2 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
One of my favorite songs by the Supremes is "Come See About Me" by the Supremes. Given that the Beatles and the Supremes were the two biggest groups of the '60's, it should come as no surprise that they had knocked each other out of #1 on more than one occasion. In this case, "Come See About Me," after just one week, was initially knocked out of the top by "I Feel Fine" by the Beatles toward the end of 1964. Three weeks later, in January of 1965, "Come See About Me" moved back up to #1 for a second and final week at the top.
On a personal note, the Supremes knocked the Beatles out of #1 again, just a few months later, the week I was born. In that case, it was "Stop! In The Name Of Love" that knocked "Eight Days A Week" out of the top.
"I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" -- The Four Tops, 1965 (2 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
Apparently, two completely different musical styles were competing for the top spot in mid-1965. In this case, another Motown classic, "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" by the Four Tops, after one week, was initially bumped out of #1 by "Mr. Tambourine Man" by the Byrds -- written by Bob Dylan. But one week later, "I Can't Help Myself" moved back up to the top for one more week and a total of 2 weeks there at the top.
An interesting side-note about the Four Tops: Their songs spent a combined total of 4 weeks at the top, with the other 2 weeks coming from "Reach Out, I'll Be There" in 1966.
"The Sounds Of Silence" -- Simon & Garfunkel, 1966 (2 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
Once again, two completely different musical styles were competing for the top spot in early 1966. In this case, "The Sounds Of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel was competing with "We Can Work It Out" by the Beatles. After one week at #1, "The Sounds Of Silence" got bumped by "We Can Work It Out," but then two weeks later, "The Sounds Of Silence" returned the favor by returning to the top. But the story doesn't quite end there.
On a personal note, on 12/12/12, "The Sounds Of Silence" was played at my mom's funeral.
"We Can Work It Out" -- The Beatles, 1966 (3 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
Apparently, one week after "The Sounds Of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel returned to #1 after initially getting bumped, so did "We Can Work It Out" by the Beatles, which was bumped out of the top spot after 2 weeks by "The Sounds Of Silence," but then returned to the top for a 3rd and final week, a week later.
"Paperback Writer" -- The Beatles, 1966 (2 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
Two songs with completely different styles, competing for the top spot, when one gets knocked out of the top spot, then returns, seems to be a theme for many of the songs in this article. A great example of this is "Paperback Writer" by the Beatles, which, after one week at #1 was bumped out of the top by "Strangers In The Night" by Frank Sinatra, a completely different song style, to say the least. But after Frank Sinatra spent a week at #1 with "Strangers In The Night," "Paperback Writer" returned to the top for one more week, for a total of 2 weeks at #1.
"Winchester Cathedral" -- The New Vaudeville Band, 1966 (3 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
?vIn this case, the very unique "Winchester Cathedral" by the New Vaudeville Band, after one week at the top, was bumped down to #3, with "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys, taking over the top spot. But somehow, after one week, "Winchester Cathedral" vaulted back to #1 for 2 more weeks, for a total of 3 weeks at #1. And the #2 hit that was caught in the middle of all this? "Mellow Yellow" by Donovan.
"Groovin'" -- The Young Rascals, 1967 (4 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
"Groovin'" by the Young Rascals initially spent 2 weeks at #1, but then gave way to "Respect" by Aretha Franklin (written and originally sung by Otis Redding in 1965), but then after 2 weeks, returned to #1 for 2 more weeks, for a total of 4 weeks at #1.
"Alone Again (Naturally)" -- Gilbert O'Sullivan, 1972 (6 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
"Alone Again (Naturally)" by Gilbert O'Sullivan initially spent 4 weeks at #1, but then gave way to a not-so-sad song, namely "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" by the Looking Glass, but then a week later, returned to #1 for 2 more weeks, for a total of 6 weeks at #1. It almost was the top song of 1972--second to "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack.
"Killing Me Softly With His Song" -- Roberta Flack, 1973 (5 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
Inspired by a performance by singer/songwriter Don McLean, this song spent more weeks at #1 than any other song in 1973, giving Roberta Flack the chance to have the top song of the year, two years ub a row. But there were three songs that stuck around way longer than this song, and that's why this only ranked 4th for the year. "Killing Me Softlu With His Song" spent 4 weeks at #1 initially, then let "Love Train" by the O'Jays move into the top spot, but then, a week later, "Killing Me Softly With His Song" returned to the top for a 5th and final week.
"Let's Get It On" -- Marvin Gaye, 1973 (2 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
This is yet another case of two completely different styles of songs competing for the top spot at the same time. In this case, "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye spent a week at #1 before getting displaced by "Delta Dawn" by Helen Reddy. But then a week later, "Let's Get It On" moved back up to #1 for a second and final week.
"The Way We Were" -- Barbra Streisand, 1974 (3 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
Once again, two songs from two completely different genres of music were competing for the top spot. In this case, the slow sentimental ballad, "The Way We Were" by Barbra Streisand was competing with the R & B instrumental dance tune "Love's Theme" by the Love Unlimited Orchestra (written and conducted by Barry White). In this case, "The Way We Were" was #1 for a week before "Love's Theme" knocked it out of the top spot. But then a week later "The Way We Were" moved back up to the top for 2 more weeks, for a total of 3 weeks at #1. Apparently, that was good enough to become the top song of 1974 ("Love's Theme" stayed around long enough to land in a very respectable 3rd place for the year).
"Fame" -- David Bowie, 1975 (2 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
How many times do I have to say this? Two songs from completely different genres competed for the top spot at the same time. In this case, the rock and dance song "Fame" by David Bowie spent a week at #1 before the slow sad ballad "I'm Sorry" by John Denver moved into #1. But a week later, "Fame" returned to #1 for a second and final week.
"That's The Way (I Like It)" -- K.C. & the Sunshine Band, 1975 (2 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
In this case, unlike many of the others already mentioned here, it would be two disco songs, both of which would become classics, that competed for the top spot. "That's The Way (I Like It)" by K.C. & the Sunshine Band initially spent one week at the top before "Fly Robin Fly" (listed as an instrumental) by the Silver Convention moved in for 3 weeks at #1. Apparently, in the last of those 3 weeks, "That's The Way" had fallen to #4, but somehow, it rebounded back to #1 the following week for a second and final week. Go figure!
"Silly Love Songs" -- Paul McCartney & Wings, 1976 (5 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
It is amazing that this song became the top song of 1976, for initially, "Silly Love Songs" by Paul McCartney & Wings only spent one week at #1. "Love Hangover" by Diana Ross had replaced it at the top, but then two weeks later, "Silly Love Songs" moved back up to #1 for four more weeks, for a total of 5 weeks, which was longer than any other song that year spent at #1.
In the bicentennial year of us being independent from Great Britain, I find it ironic that the two top songs of that year were both done by Brits! "Silly Love Songs" was #1, and the #2 song of the year was "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John and Kiki Dee.
"I Just Want To Be Your Everything" -- Andy Gibb, 1977 (4 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
Written by Barry Gibb, brother of Andy Gibb, and part of the Bee-Gees, "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" by Andy Gibb initially spent 3 weeks at #1, then got knocked out by "Best Of My Love" by the Emotions. But somehow, four weeks later, Andy Gibb moved back up to #1 for a 4th and final week at the top. "I Just Want To Be Your Everything," quite surprisingly, ended up being the top song of 1977. But there's a little more to this battle for the top between this song, and the one that knocked it out...
"Best Of My Love" -- The Emotions, 1977 (5 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
Written and produced by Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire, "Best Of My Love" by the Emotions(Earth, Wind & Fire's proteges) initially spent 4 weeks at #1, but then gave way to "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" by Andy Gibb. A week later, "Best Of My Love" moved back up to #1 to bump "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" out (again), to spend a 5th and final week at #1. "Best Of My Love" ended up the 3rd biggest song of 1977.
"You Don't Bring Me Flowers" -- Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand, 1978 (2 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
This song was sung by two people who went to the same high school together. And it was co-written by Marilyn Bergman, who also co-wrote "The Way We Were" by Barbra Streisand. "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" by Neil Diamond & Barbra Streisand initially spent one week at #1 before "Le Freak" by Chic knocked it out. But then, a week later, Neil and Barbra moved back up to the top for a second and final week. But this story doesn't end here...
"Le Freak" -- Chic, 1978 (6 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
"Le Freak" by Chic was written as a protest song for not being able to get into the famous Studio 54 club. The two frontmen for Chic, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards were planning to meet a friend of theirs who had already gotten into the club, but the two of them were turned away by the doorman, who told them to f**k off. Understandibly, they were really mad about the whole thing, and decided to write a song about it. They couldn't exactly say "Ah f**k off," so they changed it to "Ah freak out!" The song initially only spent 1 week at #1 before getting knocked out by "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" by Neil Diamond & Barbra Streisand, but the following week, "Le Freak" moved back up to #1 for 2 more weeks. Then, "Too Much Heaven" by the Bee-Gees knocked "Le Freak" out of #1, spending 2 weeks at #1, before "Le Freak" returned to the top YET AGAIN!! It spent 3 MORE weeks at #1, for a grand total of 6 weeks at #1 before it was knocked out for good. Pretty freaky, huh?
"I Will Survive" -- Gloria Gaynor, 1979 (3 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
A female empowerment song that was voted best all-time dance song by VH1 listeners, this song, only intended to be a B-side, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor initially spent 2 weeks at #1 before it was bumped from the top spot by "Tragedy" by the Bee-Gees. Two weeks later, "I Will Survive" moved back to #1 for a 3rd and final week. What an interesting contrast in song titles vying for the top spot, huh? "I Will Survive" and "Tragedy."
"Hot Stuff" -- Donna Summer, 1979 (3 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
Featuring a guitar solo by Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of the Doobie Brothers, "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer initially spent 1 week at #1, when "Love You Inside Out" by the Bee-Gees knocked it out of the top spot. However, "Hot Stuff" moved back up to the top a week later, spending two more weeks there, for a total of 3 weeks at #1.
On a personal note: I met Jeff "Skunk" Baxter in person at a Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2001. I even asked him about that guitar solo in this song, and he kind of shrugged his shoulders, and said that it was just another guitar session to him. He was more interested in telling the story of how the Doobie Brothers got Michael McDonald away from Steely Dan to join the Doobie Brothers.
I find it interesting that all three Bee-Gees #1 hits that came from their 1979 album "Spirits Having Flown" all were replaced at #1 with the same songs they had bumped out--like the Bee-Gees songs were only artificially placed at #1, and didn't deserve to be #1 in the first place. If it weren't for the fact that I still hear those three songs from time to time, I would have thought that those Bee-Gees were artifialy placed there at the top.
"Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" -- Rupert Holmes, 1979 (3 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
A quirky song accomplished a very quirky feat. "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes moved up to #1 the week ending 12/22/1979, and spent the last two weeks of that year at #1. Then, the week ending 1/5/1980, "Please Don't Go" by K.C. & the Sunshine Band bumped "Escape" out of #1. But then, the week ending 1/12/1980, "Escape" moved back up to #1, making this song the only song in the Rock Era to move up to #1 in two different decades!!!!
In an interview with the Professor Rock, Rupert Holmes said that he'd heard a rumor that someone had paid Billboard Magazine to put "Please Don't Go" at #1 that first week of 1980. I don't know if that rumor is true, but I sure hope to hell it's NOT true.
"9 To 5" -- Dolly Parton, 1981 (2 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
The first time I listened to American Top 40 was in July of 1980. I had been an avid listener for years since then. This marked the first time I'd ever seen a song move back up to #1, after getting bumped from that spot. In this case, two country songs were vying for the top spot. "9 To 5" by Dolly Parton initially only spent one week at the top before fellow country artist Eddie Rabbitt bumped Dolly out with "I Love A Rainy Night." But two weeks later, Dolly returned to the top to spend a second and final week at #1 with "9 To 5."
"Bette Davis Eyes" -- Kim Carnes, 1981 (9 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
Written and originally recorded in 1975 by Jackie DeShannon, this song was inspired by the Bette Davis movie "Now Voyager," in which Jackie DeShannon was impressed with Bette Davis's presence on the screen. Kim Carnes's remake of "Bette Davis Eyes" initially spent 5 weeks at #1, then gave way to the "Stars On 45 Medley" by Stars On 45. But then, "Bette Davis Eyes" moved back up to #1 the following week to spend 4 more weeks there, for a total of 9 weeks at #1. "Bette Davis Eyes" was named the top song of 1981.
I had predicted "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie (another song that spent 9 weeks at #1 in 1981) to be the top song of that year. That marked one of the first times in my life that I was glad to be wrong about something, because I can't stand that song! It was primarily because "Bette Davis Eyes" didn't spend 9 consecutive weeks at #1 the way "Endless Love" did. I should have paid more attention to the fact that "Bette Davis Eyes" spent one week longer in the top 40 than did "Endless Love." Hey, I was only 16 back then. What did I know?
"Abracadabra" -- The Steve Miller Band, 1982 (2 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
In the case of both bands vying for the top spot in the late summer of 1982, their respective hits would be their first top ten hit since 1977. In the case of "Abracadabra" by the Steve Miller Band, this was their first top ten hit since "Jet Airliner" (#8 in 1977). "Abracadabra" initially spent one week at #1 before being displaced by "Hard To Say I'm Sorry" by Chicago, their first top ten hit since "Baby What A Big Surprise" (#4 in 1977). Two weeks later, however, "Abracadabra" returned to the top for a second and final week at #1.
"Down Under" -- Men At Work, 1983 (4 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
Apparently, for five straight weeks, the #1 song was the name of a place. For the first three weeks, it was "Down Under" by Men At Work, the title, of course, referring to Australia, where the group is from. Then, "Africa" by Toto knocked it out of #1 (possibly due to a boost Toto got just after the Grammy Awards, of which, they'd won five). But a week later, "Down Under" moved back up to #1 for their 4th and final week at #1.
"The Sign" -- Ace Of Base, 1994 (6 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
This marked the first time in 11 years that a song moved back up to #1 after getting bumped from the top. In this case, "The Sign" by Ace Of Base initially spent 4 weeks at #1, then gave way to "Bump 'N" Grind" by R. Kelly (dare I mention his name?). Surprisingly, four weeks later, "The Sign" returned to the top, spending two more weeks at #1 for a total of 6 weeks at the top spot. "The Sign" was named the top song of 1994, as was the album of the same title.
"On Bended Knee" -- Boyz II Men, 1994 (6 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
This song actually accomplished two unusual feats. One, of course, was moving back up to #1, but the other, way more unusual feat was when "On Bended Knee" by Boyz II Men knocked "I'll Make Love To You," also by Boyz II Men, out of #1. It marked the first time in 30 years that a recording act had knocked itself out of #1--the last to do that was the Beatles in 1964, when they did it twice in succession ("I Want To Hold Your Hand" was bumped by "She Loves You," which, in turn, was bumped by "Can't Buy Me Love"). As for the other unusual feat, "On Bended Knee" initially spent two weeks at #1, then gave way to "Here Comes The Hotstepper" by Ini Kamoze. I had predicted that "On Bended Knee" would move back up to #1, since the song was such a brand new song, compared to "Here Comes The Hotstepper," which had been out long before "On Bended Knee" came out. And two weeks later, there was "On Bended Knee" back at #1 (the only time I'd correctly predicted a song to move back up to #1), where it stayed for four more weeks, for a total of 6 weeks at #1.
"I Knew I Loved You" -- Savage Garden, 2000 (4 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
"I Knew I Loved You" by Savage Garden initially spent 3 weeks at #1 before "Thank God I Found You" by Mariah Carey bumped it out. But then, "I Knew I Loved You" moved back up to the top for a 4th and final week at #1.
"Butterfly" -- Crazy Town, 2001 (2 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
"Butterfly" by Crazy Town initially spent one week at #1 before getting bumped out of #1 by "Angel" by Shaggy. But the following week, "Butterfly" moved back to #1 for a 2nd and final week.
"Fallin'" -- Alicia Keys, 2001 (6 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
This song helped Alicia Keys win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist of 2001. "Fallin'" by Alicia Keys spent 3 weeks at #1 before "I'm Real" by Jennifer Lopez feat. Ja Rule knocked it out. But three weeks later, there was Alicia Keys back at the top with her song for three more weeks for a total of 6 weeks at #1. But the story does not end there...
"I'm Real" -- Jennifer Lopez feat. Ja Rule, 2001 (5 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
For most of the summer of 2001, it was "Fallin'" by Alicia Keys and "I'm Real" by Jennifer Lopez feat. Ja Rule. "I'm Real" initially spent 3 weeks at #1 before "Fallin'" moved back up to #1. But three weeks later, "I'm Real" also moved back up to #1, this time, for two additional weeks, for a total of 5 weeks at #1.
"U Got It Bad" -- Usher, 2001 (6 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
Usher was already having a banner year in 2001, with his #1 hit from earlier that year called "U Remind Me." In mid-December, he was at #1 again, but with a different song. "U Got It Bad" by Usher spent only a single week at #1 before it was bumped by "How You Remind Me" by Nickelback. That spent four weeks at #1, but then "U Got It Bad" rebounded back to the top for five additional weeks! It spent a total of 6 weeks at #1 before it was knocked out of the top for good. It's interesting to note that for the last five weeks that "U Got It Bad" was #1, "How You Remind Me" was at #2, and the week that "U Got It Bad" was knocked out of #1 for good, "How You Remind Me" was STILL at #2. It didn't return to the top, but "How You Remind Me" stayed around so long that it became the top song of 2002. Go figure.
"Dilemma" -- Nelly feat. Kelly Rowland, 2002 (10 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
Nelly had already accomplished a most unusual feat when this song bumped his own song "Hot In Herrre" out of #1, after 7 weeks there. But this song would be even bigger. "Dilemma" by Nelly feat. Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child, spent 7 weeks at #1 initially, then was replaced at the top by "A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson, the winner of the first American Idol. But after 2 weeks, "Dilemma" returned to the top for 3 more weeks, and a total of 10 week at #1. Up to that point, this was the longest any song that had rebounded back to #1 had spent there.
There's something about all this that I have to say right here and now. I had suspected even back then that the only reason "A Moment Like This" had gone to #1 was because of the hype from American Idol. To me, Kelly Clarkson has done WAY better songs, like "Breakaway" and "Since U Been Gone," neither of which had gone to #1. Go figure.
"Burn" -- Usher, 2004 (8 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
If Usher had a banner year in 2001, he certainly had a star-spangled banner year in 2004. For more than half the weeks in the year (28 to be exact), the #1 song was one of his songs! On two separate occasions, he bumped himself out of #1--only the Beatles were able to do that, and that was 40 years earlier. Here, we're focusing on a song that had bumped out Usher's own hit "Yeah!" and would later be bumped out by his own hit "Confessions." But before the latter event occurred, "Burn" by Usher initially spent 7 weeks at #1, then ceded the top spot to "I Believe" by Fantasia, that year's American Idol winner. But "Burn" wasn't done yet. The following week, it rebounded back to the top for the 8th and final week at #1. It was the week after that, that Usher's own song "Confessions" knocked "Burn" out for good. The only other artists to have more than one song return to the top like that were the Beatles and Barbra Streisand (and one of hers was a duet with Neil Diamond). And like the Beatles did 40 years earlier, Usher had the two top songs of 2004, with "Yeah" #1, and "Burn" #2. The only other artists to accomplish this were Elvis Presley in 1956, and Justin Bieber in 2016.
Again, I have to say something about American Idol here. I get the feeling that the only reason why "I Believe" by Fantasia went to #1 was because of the hype of American Idol. It was like they made sure the song debuted at #1, but then, it fell off in record time, only spending ONE additional week in the top ten, and only FOUR weeks in the top 40--records for a #1 hit that Fantasia would rather NOT have!
"We Belong Together" -- Mariah Carey, 2005 (14 non-consecutive weeks at #1)
Mariah Carey made a most successful comeback in 2005, and this song spearheaded that comeback. "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey became the top song of 2005, spending a whopping 14 weeks at #1, but its time at the top was briefly disrupted. In this case, the song that had temporarily dislodged "We Belong Together" from #1 was "Inside Your Heaven" by Carrie Underwood, the year's American Idol winner. "We Belong Together" had spent 4 weeks at #1 when "Inside Your Heaven" moved into the #1 spot. But "We Belong Together" returned to the top the following week,and spent an incredible 10 more weeks at #1 for a total of 14 weeks at #1. And we still hear this song from time to time. Some things are just timeless.
One more time, I have to say something about all this here. Seriously, folks, how many of you remember "Inside Your Heaven" by Carrie Underwood. Yes, it went to #1, courtesy of the American Idol hype, but I think you'll agree with me that BY FAR, the song that Carrie Underwood is best remembered for is "Before He Cheats," which DID NOT reach #1 (it went to #8 in 2006, and stayed around a whopping 64 weeks on the chart--missing the record by just 5 weeks, set by "How Do I Live" by LeAnn Rimes in 1997-1998). In my humble opinion, I think American Idol has done a great job of making a complete mockery out of the pop singles chart. It is on that note that I'm going to stop this list. However, there is one more song I have to mention before I conclude this article.
There's one song that technically did move back up to #1, but only after it was re-issued a second time. That song is "The Twist" by Chubby Checker. It spent 1 week at #1 in 1960, when it came out the first time, and in early 1962, after it came out the second time, it spent 2 weeks at the top then, for a total of 3 weeks at #1. The difference between this song and the ones I'd already listed, was the fact that all the other songs weren't re-issued when they made their respective returns to the top. But since "The Twist" did also make a return to the top, I felt it was only right to mention this song as well. And it's a true classic, so why not?