Albums That Sold 1 Million in One Week
On the Billboard Hot 100 dated 48 years ago today - April 4, 1964 - the Beatles made history as the only act ever to monopolize the chart's top five positions.
With a 27-1 second-week blast to the top for "Can't Buy Me Love," the Fab Four locked up the chart's entire top five:
The Billboard Hot 100, April 4, 1964
Position, Title
No. 1, "Can't Buy Me Love"
No. 2, "Twist and Shout"
No. 3, "She Loves You"
No. 4, "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
No. 5, "Please Please Me"
The closest any artist has come to the Beatles' airtight top-five mark is 50 Cent, who placed three titles simultaneously - "Candy Shop" (No. 1), the Game's "How We Go," on which he guested (No. 4), and "Disco Inferno" (No. 5) - in the top five on the charts dated March 12 and 19, 2005.
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Beginning a five-week reign, "Buy" marked the Beatles' third No. 1, directly following their songs at Nos. 4 and 3, respectively. No other act has linked three consecutive No. 1s in the Hot 100's 52-year history.
The 26-position leap to the summit for "Buy" additionally stood as the record for greatest jump to No. 1 until Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This" rocketed 52-1 in 2002. (Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You" currently holds the mark, courtesy of a 97-1 vault in February 2009).
With 20 career leaders, the Beatles lead all acts for most No. 1s in the Hot 100's archives.
"It truly gives perspective on how powerful the Beatles were as Beatlemania was in full force," says Joe Cortese, assistant program director/music director at WODS (103.3) Boston. The classic hits station airs the nationally-syndicated program "The Beatle Brunch" each weekend.
"That chart reinforces just how top-of-mind the Beatles were this week in 1964."