What do previous Super Bowl halftime performers like Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, and Beyoncé have in common with lesser known music recording acts like RikRok Ducent, B2K, and Slim Thug?
Well, they’ve all had Number One songs during the week that a Super Bowl was played. And djrobblog has compiled a list of all the No. 1 songs that were at the top on the day that the 51 Super Bowls were played – in order from SB I to SB LI. There’s also a special Spotify playlist featuring all the songs at the end of the article!
Sorry, Lady Gaga, you’re not on this list. But you came close…twice: first in late January 2009 with “Just Dance” and again in February 2011 with “Born This Way.”
But I’m sure Gaga’s Monsters aren’t disappointed, after all, she’s the halftime performer at this year’s big game.
However, some of the music industry’s biggest names – both past and present – have had their songs top the chart during the week that the NFL’s biggest game was played. And the list of artists and songs is very impressive!
Interestingly enough, over the 51-year history of the game, only three recording acts – Elton John, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars – have had it happen twice, with Beyoncé topping the chart during back-to-back Super Bowls (SB XL and XLI).
Both of Elton John’s two Super Bowl Number Ones came courtesy of collaborations: first as one of the “Friends” in Dionne & Friends “That’s What Friends Are For” (SB XX), and then as George Michael’s duet partner on a 1991 remake of John’s own 1974 hit, “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” (SB XXVI).
Bruno Mars has come closest to having three Super Bowl Number Ones: his “Locked Out of Heaven” was knocked out of chart heaven just a day before Super Bowl XLVII four years ago.
Including featured acts and other collaborations, there’ve been 63 different recording acts that have accounted for the 51 Number One Super Bowl songs. Amazingly, of those 63 acts, 45 of them have had other Number One songs as well.
The 18 who’ve never had another Number One song beyond their Super Bowl chart-toppers, were, in order, John Fred & the Playboys, Don McLean, Carly Simon, Al Wilson, Player, Toto, Yes, Billy Vera & the Beaters, Surface, RikRok Ducent, B2K, Mario, Slim Thug, Wanz, Juicy J, Mark Ronson, Migos and Lil Uzi Vert.
Of those 18, thirteen were lead acts, while the other five were featured guests.
Men have dominated the demographics, accounting for 31 of the 51 Number One songs.
Women have accounted for 13 of them, while mixed groups and collaborations account for the other seven.
And which acts have ruled the charts during each of Atlanta’s and New England’s combined nine other Super Bowl appearances?
Well, for that answer and the complete list of all 51 of the songs that have reigned on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart during the week the Super Bowl was played, along with the corresponding Super Bowl game info, read on!
And you can hear all these songs at your Super Bowl party via my special Spotify playlist by clicking the link.
Enjoy and thanks for all the love and support of djrobblog!
DJRob
Great list combining two of my absolute favorite things, music and football, or in general, music and sports! That’s a very creative idea you had because it doubles down on the music/nostalgia memory aspect of both music and sports, for instance man I remember the year 2006 very well and I remember not liking Beyonce’s “Check up On It” at the time very much (although I dig Beyonce always) and also I can recall Big Ben winning the Superbowl and Mike Holmgren’s time with Seattle but I had so much going on in my life the Super Bowl and Football season seemed like a blur at that time. Plus my local teams, The Raiders and 49ers weren’t doing well! I remember the song “Check Up On It” much better than I do the Super Bowl that year! As an aside, though it wasn’t a #1 that week, there is a story Joe Montana tells of him playing Kenny Loggins “This is It” on the bus on the way to the Pontiac Silverdome for the Niners first Bowl, and Bill Walsh dug it so much he made him loop it all the way there. But in any event, this was a great Creative idea you had and something to be revisited for future Super Bowls I think!!!!
Thanks, Enrique! I actually did a similar article two years ago for SB49 and ran it again last year during SB50. I decided to update it this year and will probably do it again each year.