This Day in Rock History: March 21

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1964: The Beatles made it to the No. 1 spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the second time with their song "She Loves You." Their first No. 1 hit was "I Want to Hold Your Hand."
• 1981: REO Speedwagon's "Keep on Loving You" made it to the top of theUS Billboard Hot 100. It was the band's first No. 1 and stayed at the top for a single week.
• 1987: U2 topped the U.K. charts with their fifth album, The Joshua Tree. It was the band's third U.K. No. 1 album, became the fastest-selling album in U.K. history, and went Platinum within 48 hours of its release.
• 1994: Bruce Springsteen's song "Streets of Philadelphia" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 66th Academy Awards. This marked the first time a rock star had won an Oscar.
• 2009: 22 years to the day after Joshua Tree made it to the top of the U.K. charts, U2's twelfth studio album No Line on the Horizon went to No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart. It sold almost half a million copies in its debut week in the U.S. and went to No. 1 in 30 countries.

Cultural Milestones

• 1949: Singer and songwriter Eddie Money was born in New York City. He released his debut album in 1977 and had eleven Top 40 singles over his four-decade career.
• 1956: One of the first movies that revolved around rock music aimed at teenagers, Rock Around the Clock, was released in the U.S. It starred Bill Haley and His Comets and was named after their hit song.
• 1984: In New York City's Central Park, Yoko Ono attended the groundbreaking ceremony for Strawberry Fields, a 2.5-acre park dedicated to John Lennon, her late husband. The park's main attraction is a large, circular mosaic featuring the word "IMAGINE."

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1952: People attended the Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland, Ohio, widely accepted as the first rock and roll concert. The event, organized by DJ Alan Freed and Leo Mintz, a music store owner, was cut short when a mass of people crashed the gate. This caused overcrowding and riots.
• 1961: The Beatles, with original drummer Pete Best, played their first-ever evening show at Liverpool's Cavern Club. They had only played lunchtime shows at the venue up to that point.
• 1983: Pink Floyd's album, The Final Cut, was released in the U.K. It was the band's last album with founding member Roger Waters, their main songwriter and bassist.
• 1988: The Pixies released their debut studio album, Surfer Rosa, via 4AD, an independent label. It got positive reviews at the time, and many alternative rock bands cite it as an inspiration.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 1973: The BBC banned all teenybopper acts appearing on Top of the Pops after a riot broke out following a David Cassidy performance. This prevented Cassidy and other popular artists from going on the U.K. TV show, but the ban didn't last.
• 2008: Two former members of the Beach Boys, Al Jardine and Mike Love, settled a five-year lawsuit over the use of the band's name. The reconciliation ultimately allowed the Beach Boys to reunite.