First Hits!

Blue Öyster Cult's first hit, this was written by lead guitarist Donald Roeser, also known as Buck Dharma. He contributed his vocals to this track and also wrote their other Top 40 hit, "Burnin' For You."

This was written by Cutting Crew lead singer Nick Van Eede, who told us that it was inspired by a real relationship. Says Nick: "Yes, I cannot tell a lie. It's a song written about my girlfriend (who is actually the mother of my daughter). We got back together for one night after a year apart and I guess there were some fireworks but all the time tinged with a feeling of 'should I really be doing this?' Hence the lyric, 'I should have walked away.' I know it sounds corny but I awoke that morning and wrote the basic lyrics within an hour and wrote and recorded the demo completely within 3 days."

This was the first of a string of hits for The Carpenters. They dominated Easy Listening radio in the early '70s.

the liner notes to the Beastie Boys anthology, Adam "MCA" Yauch explains that the song began as a "goof" on dumb rock songs. They cut the vocals as a joke, then went on tour. Producer Rick Rubin added the loud drums and guitar track. Continuing with the joke, the Beasties made a video where they played along with the drunken party boy image that this song had created. Soon the Beasties were superstars, thanks to their new fanbase of frat boys. According to MCA, they played into their new roles until they realized that they had become their own joke.

Clarkson was the first winner on the US TV show American Idol, and this was released as her first single after she performed the song on the show. In a sign of American Idol would influence the music industry, the song broke the record for the biggest jump to #1 in the history of the US Hot 100 chart when it soared 52-1 on the week of October 5, 2002. The record had been held for 37 years by the Beatles. In April 1964, "Can't Buy Me Love" rose from 27-1. Clarksons record was beaten in 2007 by Maroon 5's "It Makes Me Wonder," which went 64-1.

This was the first Top 40 hit for TLC. It introduced the group and explained who represented each letter: Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Rozonda "Chili" Thomas.

This was written by guitarist Stone Gossard before the band had a lead singer. It was part of a 3 song instrumental demo they made while looking for a vocalist. Jack Irons, a friend of Gossard's and drummer for The Red Hot Chili Peppers, gave Eddie Vedder the demo tape. Vedder wrote lyrics and recorded a version with his vocals. The band liked what they heard and made him lead singer.

This is the first hit song with vocals by Paul Rodgers. He later joined Bad Company and also played with The Firm and Queen.

This was the first hit for Ace Of Base. A few months later, "The Sign" stayed at #1 in the US for 6 weeks.

Thriving Ivory is a California rock quintet consisting of Clayton Stroope (vocals), Scott Jason (keyboards), Drew Cribley (guitar), Bret Cohune (bass), and Paul Niedermier (drums). The band's self-titled album was originally released on the independent Wolfgang label in 2003. They subsequently signed with Wind-up Records, who re-released Thriving Ivory in June 2008.

Original member Syd Barrett wrote this about a cross-dresser named "Arnold Layne" who used to steal bras and panties from clotheslines in Cambridge, England.

his was Britney's first hit, and it propelled her to stardom. The slick sound earned plenty of radio play, but it was the image of the schoolgirl Spears, who was just 16 when the song was released on October 23, 1998, that made her a sensation. MTV played the video, but it was the internet that gave her the most traction, as teenage girls and guys of all ages logged into their AOL accounts and typed some variation of "Britney Spears" into Alta Vista to see more of the starlet. Over the next 10 years, Spears led the world in celebrity news, with one incident after another documented by eager paparazzi. But it all started with this: a very slick Pop song about a girl who wants another chance with the guy she broke up with.