10 Fun Facts About Pop Music

Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950s. The terms “popular music” and “pop music” are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular and includes many diverse styles.

The Beatles are the best-selling band of all time

The Beatles are the best-selling band of all time. With sales of over 600 million albums worldwide, they far outsell any other band. They are also the only band to have number one albums in the US, UK, and Australia simultaneously.

2. Michael Jackson is the best-selling artist of all time. With sales of over 800 million albums worldwide, he far surpasses any other solo artist.

3. Madonna is the best-selling female artist of all time. With sales of over 300 million albums worldwide, she is one of the most successful female artists in history.

4. Elvis Presley is the best-selling solo artist of all time. With sales of over 600 million albums worldwide, he is one of the most successful solo artists in history.

5. Mariah Carey has the record for the most #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with 18. She is also the only artist to have a #1 single in every decade since the 1990s.

6. One Direction is the first British group in US chart history to debut at #1 with their first three albums (Up All Night, Take Me Home, and Midnight Memories).

7. Taylor Swift is one of only two artists (the other being The Beatles) to have three consecutive albums (Fearless, Speak Now, and Red) go platinum in less than a year.
8 .Beyoncé is one of only two artists (the other being Whitney Houston) to have topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts in the same week with two different songs (“Crazy in Love” and “Dangerously in Love 2”, respectively).
9 .Britney Spears is one of only three artists (the other being Michael Jackson and Madonna) to have their first five singles debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (“…Baby One More Time”, “Oops!… I Did It Again”, “Britney”, “I’m a Slave 4 U”, and “Toxic”).

Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is the best-selling album of all time

1. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is the best-selling album of all time, with more than 66 million copies sold worldwide.
2. “The Twist” by Chubby Checker is the only song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 twice, first in 1960 and again in 1962.
3. “Yesterday” by the Beatles is the most covered song of all time, with more than 3,000 recorded versions.
4. Elvis Presley holds the record for the most number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with a total of eighteen.
5. Madonna is the solo artist with the most number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with a total of thirteen.
6. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is the best-selling holiday single of all time, with more than 15 million copies sold worldwide.
7. “We Are The World”, written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, is the best-selling single of all time, with more than 20 million copies sold worldwide.
8. Whitney Houston’s rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” is the best-selling national anthem single of all time, with more than 1 million copies sold in the United States alone.
9. The Beatles are the best-selling band of all time, with more than 600 million albums sold worldwide.
10. Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” is the best-selling single of all time, with more than 50 million copies sold worldwide

Madonna is the best-selling female artist of all time

1. Madonna is the best-selling female artist of all time. With more than 300 million records sold, she is one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

2. Michael Jackson is the best-selling artist of all time. Jackson’s Thriller is the best-selling album of all time, with more than 65 million copies sold worldwide.

3. Britney Spears is the youngest artist to have a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart. At just 16 years old, Spears’ debut album…Baby One More Time topped the charts in 1999.

4. The Beatles are the bestselling band of all time. The Fab Four have sold more than 600 million records worldwide, making them the bestselling band in history.

5. Taylor Swift is the youngest artist to win a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. At just 20 years old, Swift won for her 2010 album Fearless—making her the youngest person to ever win that particular Grammy.

6. Adele is the first woman in history to have three albums sell more than 1 million copies in a week. In 2015, her album 25 sold more than 3 million copies in its first week, making it the fastest-selling album in history—and cementing Adele’s place as one of pop music’s most powerful voices.

7. Beyoncé is the most nominated woman in Grammy history—and she’s also won 22 Grammys, making her one of the most decorated musicians of all time, male or female.

8 Lady Gaga was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2010—and she was also named Billboard’s Woman of the Year in 2015 thanks to her impressive career and powerful influence within the music industry and beyond.

9 Rihanna has broken numerous records throughout her career—including becoming the first artist to reach 1 billion streams on Apple Music with her 2016 single “Work” featuring Drake. She also holds the record for most No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart, with an impressive 28 hits to date!

10 Justin Bieber is currently the most followed person on Instagram—with a whopping 89 million followers (and counting). Whether you love him or love to hate him, there’s no denying Bieber’s massive influence on social media—and pop culture as a whole

Elvis Presley is the best-selling solo artist of all time

Elvis Presley is the best-selling solo artist of all time, with record sales over 600 million units worldwide. He has had more number one hit singles on the Billboard charts than any other artist, and his records have sold more than any other artist in history. He is a cultural icon and his influence on popular culture is still felt today, nearly 40 years after his death.

Other interesting facts about Elvis Presley include:

-He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8th, 1935.
-He was one of twin brothers; his brother, Jesse Garon Presley, was stillborn.
-His middle name, Aron, was spelled incorrectly on his birth certificate as “Aaron.”
-He grew up in poverty and was often teased by other kids for being poor.
-He loved to sing and often performed in talent shows.
-He worked a variety of jobs before becoming a professional musician, including being a truck driver and working at an automobile assembly plant.
-In 1954, he recorded a demo tape at Sun Records in Memphis that would eventually lead to him being signed by the label.
-His first single, “That’s All Right,” was released in July 1954 and quickly became a hit.
-He rose to fame in the mid-1950s with hits like “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Hound Dog.”

“We Are the World” is the best-selling single of all time

1. “We Are the World” is the best-selling single of all time
2. “Happy Birthday to You” is the most recognized song in the English language
3. “White Christmas” is the best-selling holiday song of all time
4. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is the best-selling album of all time
5. Madonna is the best-selling female artist of all time
6. The Beatles are the best-selling band of all time
7. “Candle in the Wind 1997” is the best-selling single of all time
8. Elvis Presley is the best-selling solo artist of all time
9. Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” has sold more than 100 million copies
10. The top 10 best-selling artists of all time are: The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Queen, ABBA, Eagles, and Whitney Houston

“White Christmas” is the best-selling holiday song of all time

“White Christmas” is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1942. The best-selling single of all time, it was recorded by Bing Crosby in October 1942 and released as a single on Decca Records in November 1948. It topped the charts in several countries, including the United States, where it became the best-selling single of all time. In addition, Crosby’s recording of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.

“The Twist” is the best-selling single of all time

“The Twist” by Chubby Checker is the best-selling single of all time, with more than 14 million copies sold. The song popularized the dance of the same name, which was all the rage in the early 1960s.

Other notable entries on the list of best-selling singles include “Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” (which, at more than 12 million copies sold, is the only song to have been certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America) and “We Are The World,” a charity single recorded by USA for Africa that has sold more than 8 million copies.

“Mack the Knife” is the best-selling single of all time

“Mack the Knife” is a song written by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill for their 1928 musical Die Dreigroschenoper, or, as it is known in English, The Threepenny Opera. The song has become a pop standard, recorded by many artists including Bobby Darin, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and Frank Sinatra. “Mack the Knife” is the best-selling single of all time, with sales of over 50 million copies.

“Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” is the best-selling single of all time

“Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” is a popular song written by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach for their 1933 musical Roberta. The song was sung in the film by Gracie Fields, and was later recorded by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra. The most successful recording of the song was released in 1945 by The Platters, with lead vocals by Tony Williams. The Platters’ recording reached number one on the Billboard magazine charts, where it remained for three weeks in February 1945. It returned to the top spot for one final week in May 1945, making it a total of four weeks at number one. In the United Kingdom, “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” reached number one on the sheet music sales chart (equivalent to today’s UK Singles Chart) for three weeks in March 1945.

The Platters’ version of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” has been selected as one of the Songs of the Century and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2004, it was ranked number 59 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The song has been covered numerous times by artists such as Hank Williams, Jr., Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis Jr., Andy Williams, Andrea Bocelli, Elvis Presley, Nina Simone and many others.

“Unchained Melody” is the best-selling single of all time

“Unchained Melody” is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North used the music as a theme for the little-known prison film Unchained (1955), hence the name. Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack. It has since become a standard and one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, most notably by the Righteous Brothers. According to Billboard magazine, it was the Billboard Hot 100 chart’s number-one single of 1990.

The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1991, but lost to Bette Midler’s “Wind Beneath My Wings”.

The movie Unchained was based on a true story, and the song is about two prisoners who are trying to escape from prison. The original version of the song was written by Alex North and Hy Zaret, and was recorded by Todd Duncan. The Righteous Brothers’ version of the song was released in 1965, and quickly became a hit. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July 1965, and stayed there for two weeks.

The Righteous Brothers’ version of “Unchained Melody” has sold more than 4 million copies, and is currently the best-selling single of all time in the United States (according to Billboard magazine). It is also one of only three songs to sell more than 2 million copies in both physical and digital formats (the other two are “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby and “Candle in the Wind 1997” by Elton John).