In 1990 Motley Crue debuted their song Without You.

In '84, Van Halen hit the number one spot with Jump; Bon Jovi made their debut into Billboards Top 100 with Runaway.  Runaway became a radio hit in 1983 after winning New York's WAPP, The Apple, contest of unsigned bands and it went on to be the first single release from the band's self-titled debut album, Bon Jovi.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love was the number one hit this week in 1980 by Queen.  Crazy Little Thing was written by lead singer Freddie Mercury in the "rock-a-billy" style of Elvis as a tribute to him.  Elvis had died less than two years earlier.

The Police debuted Roxanne this week in '79.  Written by lead singer Sting, the song was inspired by the band's compassion they had for the prostitutes working outside their seedy hotel in Paris France when they were scheduled to perform at the Nashville Club in October of '77.

This week in 1977, the Eagles debuted the title song to their fifth album, Hotel California; however, the first single from the album released a few weeks earlier, New Kid In Town, hit the top spot also this week in '77.

In '76, Peter Frampton debuted Show Me The Way.

Do you remember Bertha Butt?  "Bertha, Bertha Butt.  One of the Butt Sisters".  She was a character in several songs by The Jimmy Castor Bunch that was introduced in their hit Troglodytes (Cave Man) in '72.  This week in 1975, The Bertha Butt Boogie made it's debut and turned the bump dance craze into the Boogie.

In '71, George Harrison debuted What Is Life, a song he wrote with the intention of his good friend Billy Preston recording it.

In 1966, the Stones debuted their 19th Nervous Breakdown.

This week in 1971, Santana debuted Oye Como Va on Billboard Hot 100s. The title simply means, Come and Enjoy.

In '72 Harry Nilsson had the number one hit with Without You and the group America made it's debut into the Hot 100s with Horse With No Name.

The B-side to Layla, Eric Clapton's Derek and the Dominos' Bell Bottom Blues made it's debut this week in '73.  Clapton wrote Layla for Pattie Boyd who was George Harrison's wife at the time.  Many have speculated that Bell Bottom Blues was written for her also; however, according to Songfacts.com the song's co-author, Bobby Whitlock, has said it's about a girl Clapton dated for a week in France who "was like a Persian princess or something, and she wore bell bottoms".

Linda Ronstadt hit the number one spot with You're No Good this week in 1975.  Ronstadt had been performing the song since '73 including a televised performance on an episode of The Midnight Special in December of that year.

In '78, Electric Light Orchestra debuted Sweet Talkin' Woman.

Blondie debuted Heart of Glass this week in '79 and Call Me in '80.

In 1980, the Pretenders had the number one hit with Brass In Pocket, co-written by lead singer Chrissie Hynde.  Paul Zollo of American Songwriter wrote, "musically, Hynde, described 'Brass in Pocket' as 'trying to be a Motown song, but it didn't quite get it.'"  That could explain the phrase, "Detroit leaning"; which was a way of driving with one hand on the wheel and in particular steering with the wrist while at the same time leaning waaay back and to the side.

In '82, the J Geils Band debuted Freeze Frame and Stevie Nicks debuted Edge of Seventeen.

In '83, the Clash debuted Should I Stay Or Should I Go.

Clint Eastwood made his debut into the Billboard Hot 100s in 1984 on TG Sheppard's Make My Day.  On a side note, Eastwood reached number one on the Hot Country Songs chart in July 1980 with his duet with Merle Haggard, Bar Room Buddies.

In 1964, the Beatles had the number one hit with I Want to Hold Your Hand and debuted I Saw Her Standing There; and, in '65 they debuted Eight Days A Week.

In 1968, the First Edition, with Kenny Rogers as lead vocals, debuted the psychedelic rock song, Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In).  It became Kenny Rogers' first top 10 hit.  According to Rogers, he met Jimi Hendrix at a bar in Miami and Hendrix told him that Just Dropped In was his favorite song ever. 

Brewer and Shipley debuted One Toke Over The Line in '71.  Mike Brewer has always insisted that the song was just a metaphor about too much excess.

In '72, Yes debuted Roundabout.

In 1973, Vicki Lawrence barely made her debut into the Billboards Hot 100s at number 100 with The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia; however, it only took four weeks to reach number one.

In '75, Queen debuted Killer Queen and Ringo Starr debuted the No No Song (research indicates that Ringo has remained alcohol and drug free for several decades).

Men At Work had the number one hit this week in 1983 with Down Under.

In '86, Robert Palmer debuted Addicted To Love.

In 1987, Bon Jovi had the number one hit with Living On A Prayer.  Written by Desmond Child and Paul Stanley (KISS), Child told Songfacts in a 2023 interview that "The message is, ...we're not going to give up.  Even in the face of failure, we keep trying.  And that's the American Way."

In 1969, Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells was number one, while Someday Soon by Judy Collins made its debuted on Billboards Hot 100s.

Written by Paul McCartney, Badfinger's Come and Get It debuted in 1970.

I'm Just A Singer In A Rock and Roll Band by the Moody Blues debuted in 1973.

This this week in 1982, from their Freeze Frame Album, the J. Geils Band had the number one hit with Centerfold; Joan Jett and the Blackhearts debuted I Love Rock and Roll -- this was the first release with the Blackhearts.

In '83, Journey debuted Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) and went on to spend four weeks at number one. The video, released less than a month later, was chosen in 1999 as MTV's 13th worse videos of "All Time".  Steve Perry's defense, "We're musicians, not actors".

Number one this week in '84, Foreigner with I Want To Know What Love Is.

Making its debut this week in '86, John "Cougar" Mellencamp's R-O-C-K in the USA from his Scarecrow album.  John Mellencamp produced the album under the alias "Little Bastard" taken from the name James Dean had decaled on his Porsche .  It would be the first time Mellencamp credited himself this way but it would not be the last.  Look for the "Little Bastard" on your old albums and CDs.

In 1988, the California Raisins made their Billboards Hot 100 debut with I Heard It Through The Grapevine.  The song would go on to reach #84 before dropping off the charts; however, this was only the beginning of one of the most enduring advertising and marketing campaigns.  Many of the items created for the advertising campaign and the associated merchandise are on display at the Smithsonian Institute.  

Also this week in RnR history:

In '85, Julian Lennon debuted his debut song, Too Late For Goodbyes on Billboards Hot 100.

In '82, 867-5309/Jenny by Tommy Tutone also made it's debut.

John Lennon had the number one hit with (Just Like) Starting Over in '81.

In '78, Van Halen made their debut on Billboards Hot 100 with a remake of the Kink's 1969 You Really Got Me.  Eddie Van Halen remembered hearing it for the first time on the radio at 2:00 in the morning and woke his parents up screaming, "We're on the radio! We're on the radio!"

Ringo Starr had the number one hit this week in '74 with You're 16. Harry Nilsson sang backup and Paul McCartney made the kazoo sound (the album credits McCartney with a solo sax; however, he played a homemade kazoo on Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band track Lovely Rita.  Judge for yourselves).

In '73, David Bowie's Space Oddity made its debut on Billboards Hot 100.

Number one this week in rock-n-roll history in 1971, Don McLean's American Pie.  The phrase, "the day the music died" refers to the February 3, 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and JP "The Bopper" Richardson.