Elton John pads his mark for the most appearances in the 52-year history of Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, as “Home Again” soars in at No. 21. The song marks his 69th entry on the ranking.
The start of “Home” marks John’s highest on Adult Contemporary since “You Can Make History (Young Again)” launched at No. 11 in 1996. Until this week, John had last graced the list with “Electricity,” which reached No. 17 in August 2009. The new entry ends his longest absence from the chart since he first appeared with the eventual No. 9-peaking “Your Song” the week of Dec. 26, 1970.
“Home” previews John’s 30th studio album, The Diving Board, due Sept. 24. It’s his first set to be released on Capitol Records. “[Bernie Taupin and I] wrote 11 songs … and recorded them in four days,” John says of the collection. Mixing gospel, blues, jazz, brass band, pop and even a waltz, it’s “everything I love about American music,” adds John, who was forced to postpone upcoming touring plans after being felled by appendicitis last week.
In addition to holding the record for the most Adult Contemporary chart visits, John also boasts the most No. 1s (15, a mark he shares with the Carpenters) and top 10s (39). When Billboard celebrated the survey’s 50th anniversary in 2011, John was honored as the chart’s all-time top performer.
Here’s an updated look at the artists with the most entries in the Adult Contemporary chart’s archives:
69, Elton John
64, Barbra Streisand
58, Neil Diamond
53, Elvis Presley
50, Barry Manilow
49, Johnny Mathis
48, Frank Sinatra
47, Kenny Rogers
46, Herb Alpert/Tijuana Brass
45, Dionne Warwick
All charts will be refreshed, as always, on Thursday (July 18) on Billboardbiz.
