IT WAS 52 YEARS AGO TODAY THE BEATLES HELD THE TOP 5 SPOTS ON THE "BILLBOARD" HOT 100

Today, April 4, marks the 52nd anniversary of perhaps The Beatles‘ most impressive chart feat, when the band became the only artist ever to simultaneously hold the top five spots on the Billboard Hot 100 singles tally.  That week in 1964, “Can’t Buy Me Love” catapulted from #27 to #1, displacing the Fab Four’s “She Loves You,” which dropped to third place on the chart, while “Twist and Shout” was at #2, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” held the #4 spot, and “Please Please Me” was at #5. 

In the ensuing years, the closest any other artist has come to The Beatles’ milestone was in December 2015 and January 2016, when, for a five-week period, Justin Bieber had three of the Hot 100’s top-five singles — “Sorry,” “Love Yourself” and “What Do You Mean?” Rapper 50 Cent accomplished a similar feat in March 2005, when he also appeared on three top-five hits, although he was a featured artist on one of those three singles.

The Beatles’ made more chart history on April 4, 1964, when “Can’t Buy Me Love” became the band’s third consecutive #1 hit on the Hot 100, following “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and the aforementioned “She Loves You.” In Billboard‘s 57-year history, no other artist has replaced themselves at #1 two times.

“Can’t Buy Me Love” went on to hold the top spot of the Hot 100 for five weeks, and The Beatles have scored 17 more #1 hits since then.  Their 20 total chart-topping singles remains a Billboard record.