Cinco de Mayo on the Hot 100: Hits That Peaked at No. 55 by The Rolling Stones, Blackpink & More
A toast to 10 notable tracks that peaked at No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100, by The Rolling Stones, The Weeknd and more.
In honor of Cinco de Mayo, celebrated on the fifth day of the year’s fifth month, here is a look at notable songs that have peaked at No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.
We’ll run down 10 of them (five and five …)
From rock classics to a ballad remake of a hip-hop smash and more, many songs that reached No. 55 Hot 100 highs remain memorable.
“Let’s Spend the Night Together,” The Rolling Stones, 1967
Famously, the group performed on The Ed Sullivan Show on Jan. 15, 1967 on one condition: that Mick Jagger change the title line of “Let’s Spend the Night Together” to the less risqué, “let’s spend some time together.” Reportedly, Sullivan’s exact words were: “Either the song goes, or you go.” The band acquiesced, although with a notable move from Jagger.
“Someday Soon,” Judy Collins, 1969
The folk story-song followed Collins’ chart breakthrough, 1968’s No. 8-peaking “Both Sides Now.” In 1991, Suzy Bogguss’ cover of “Someday Soon” reached No. 12 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
“Limelight,” Rush, 1981
The Canadian icons sent the track to No. 4 on the Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart, one of their 20 top 10s on the tally.
“Just Be Good to Me,” The S.O.S. Band, 1983
The track grooved to No. 3 on Dance Club Songs, after the act’s first hit, “Take Your Time (Do It Right),” reigned for four weeks in 1980. Written and produced by legendary tastemakers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, it was subsequently reimagined as “Dub Be Good to Me” by Beats International and hit No. 1 on the Official UK Singles and Dance Club Songs charts in 1990.
“Right Now,” Van Halen, 1992
Segueing from its moody intro to an inspirational anthem, “Right Now” spent nearly a year on Mainstream Rock Songs, reaching No. 2.
“Only Happy When It Rains,” Garbage, 1996
“Solid all the way through,” Billboard wrote in a review, “the song plays Shirley Manson’s intriguing vocal style perfectly against Steve Marker and Duke Erikson’s splendid guitars. As usual, Butch Vig’s drumming is tight and full of flare. Faded vocal sections and overdubs perfect the mix, while Garbage maintains status quo with vibrant, haunting lyrics. If you’re not playing this, you don’t have a pulse.”
“Shut Up and Let Me Go,” The Ting Tings, 2008
Sparked by its synch in an Apple iPod ad, the UK duo’s signature single scaled multiple global charts and topped Dance Club Songs.
“Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down,” Alicia Keys, 2010
The original, with Jay-Z, crowned the Hot 100 for five weeks in 2009 (becoming the last leader on the list of the ’00s). Keys reworked it as a pensive piano-driven track, while reprising its triumphant, “New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of” chorus.
“False Alarm,” The Weeknd, 2016
Released on The Weeknd’s Starboy album, the track hit No. 9 on Hot R&B Songs and has drawn 154 million on-demand U.S. streams to date, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
“Ddu-Du Ddu-Du,” Blackpink, 2018
The song made a record-setting arrival on the Hot 100, launching as the then-highest-charting hit ever by a K-pop girl group, as well as the first song by a K-pop girl group to appear on the Streaming Songs chart.