Billboard.com
On this date 31 years ago, Madonna's "Borderline" became her first Hot 100 top 10 & ignited one of the most impressive streaks in chart history: 17 straight top 10s.
"I signed [Madonna] because I believed in Mark Kamins, who I thought was the greatest DJ, and he wanted to be a producer," Seymour Stein -- the man who signed the pop icon to the label he co-founded, Sire Records, in 1982 -- recalled to Billboard in 2012. "So I gave him some money to bring me an artist, and the third or fourth thing he brought me was Madonna. I was very involved in the beginning. Then I realized, 'This woman is smarter than all of us. Just get out of her way.'"
Stein (whose first job was as an assistant at Billboard, aiding in the creation of theBillboard Hot 100 in 1958) foretold Madonna's historic chart run. On this date 31 years ago, on the Hot 100 dated June 16, 1984, "Borderline," the poppy, synth-laced second single from Madonna's self-titled debut album, rose 11-10 to become her first top 10 on the chart. Although it stopped at No. 10, spending a lone week in the top tier, it ignited one of the most impressive streaks in Hot 100 history: a run of 17 straight top 10s for the Material Girl. ("Borderline" is also tied, with 1994-95's "Take a Bow," for her longest-charting Hot 100 hit: 30 weeks on the chart.)
After reaching No. 16 with her debut Hot 100 entry, "Holiday," Madonna's stranglehold on the top 10 lasted from "Borderline" through the rest of the '80s, until "Oh Father" ended the trend in early 1990. (Perhaps symbolically, "Father" stalled at its No. 20 high on Jan. 6, 1990, the first chart week following the decade that brought her meteoric rise to stardom. Then again, she followed "Father" with another eight top 10s in-a-row through 1993.) That five-and-a-half-year stream of top 10 smashes in 1984-89 resulted in some of Madonna's most iconic tracks, including "Like a Prayer," "Papa Don't Preach" and "Like a Virgin."
Madonna's 17 Consecutive Top 10 Hits on the Hot 100
Title, Peak Date, Peak Position
1, "Borderline," June 16, 1984, No. 10
2, "Lucky Star," Oct. 10, 1984, No. 4
3, "Like a Virgin," Dec. 22, 1984, No. 1 (six weeks)
4, "Material Girl," March 23, 1985, No. 2
5, "Crazy for You," May 11, 1985, No. 1 (one week)
6, "Angel," June 29, 1985, No. 5
7, "Dress You Up," Oct. 5, 1985, No. 5
8, "Live to Tell," June 7, 1986, No. 1 (one week)
9, "Papa Don't Preach," Aug. 16, 1986, No. 1 (two weeks)
10, "True Blue," Nov. 15, 1986, No. 3
11, "Open Your Heart," Feb. 7, 1987, No. 1 (one week)
12, "La Isla Bonita," May 2, 1987, No. 4
13, "Who's That Girl," Aug. 22, 1987, No. 1 (one week)
14, "Causing a Commotion," Oct. 24, 1987, No. 2
15, "Like a Prayer," April 22, 1989, No. 1 (three weeks)
16, "Express Yourself," July 15, 1989, No. 2
17, "Cherish," Oct. 7, 1989, No. 2
Had Madonna never scored another Hot 100 top 10 after "Cherish," that 17-song sum would still land her among the top 25 artists with the most all-time top 10 hits. But she wasn't even halfway finished. Since that '80s streak, Madge has added another 21 top 10s for a grand total of 38, the highest sum among all artists. The Beatles follow with 34 Hot 100 top 10s. Her most recent track to reach the upper bracket was "Give Me All Your Lovin'" (featuring Nicki Minaj & M.I.A.), which climbed to No. 10 on the chart dated Feb. 25, 2012, nearly three decades after her "Borderline" breakthrough.
Madonna's 17 Consecutive Top 10 Hits on the Hot 100
Title, Peak Date, Peak Position
1, "Borderline," June 16, 1984, No. 10
2, "Lucky Star," Oct. 10, 1984, No. 4
3, "Like a Virgin," Dec. 22, 1984, No. 1 (six weeks)
4, "Material Girl," March 23, 1985, No. 2
5, "Crazy for You," May 11, 1985, No. 1 (one week)
6, "Angel," June 29, 1985, No. 5
7, "Dress You Up," Oct. 5, 1985, No. 5
8, "Live to Tell," June 7, 1986, No. 1 (one week)
9, "Papa Don't Preach," Aug. 16, 1986, No. 1 (two weeks)
10, "True Blue," Nov. 15, 1986, No. 3
11, "Open Your Heart," Feb. 7, 1987, No. 1 (one week)
12, "La Isla Bonita," May 2, 1987, No. 4
13, "Who's That Girl," Aug. 22, 1987, No. 1 (one week)
14, "Causing a Commotion," Oct. 24, 1987, No. 2
15, "Like a Prayer," April 22, 1989, No. 1 (three weeks)
16, "Express Yourself," July 15, 1989, No. 2
17, "Cherish," Oct. 7, 1989, No. 2
Had Madonna never scored another Hot 100 top 10 after "Cherish," that 17-song sum would still land her among the top 25 artists with the most all-time top 10 hits. But she wasn't even halfway finished. Since that '80s streak, Madge has added another 21 top 10s for a grand total of 38, the highest sum among all artists. The Beatles follow with 34 Hot 100 top 10s. Her most recent track to reach the upper bracket was "Give Me All Your Lovin'" (featuring Nicki Minaj & M.I.A.), which climbed to No. 10 on the chart dated Feb. 25, 2012, nearly three decades after her "Borderline" breakthrough.
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