Birthday Chart Toppers - My Fourth Decade Quiz

Answer: OutKast

"Hey Ya!" was released on September 9th, 2003 as a single from hip-hop duo OutKast's fifth studio album "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below". It received a lot of acclaim, earning a Grammy for 'Best Urban/Alternative Performance' as well as a number of awards for the accompanying video.

The song debuted at Number 57 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in the week ending October 18th, 2003. It worked its way up the chart, reaching Number One in the week ending December 13th, where it stayed for nine weeks! Altogether, "Hey Ya!" remained on the Hot 100 chart for 32 weeks.

Answer: Mario

Written by Ne-Yo, Kameron Houff and Scott Storch, "Let Me Love You" was recorded by Mario (AKA Mario Dewar Barrett) for his second studio album "Turning Point" and released as a single on October 12th, 2004. It was very successful and (in 2008) made the Billboard's list of All-Time Top 100 Hot 100 singles at Number 45 (based on the first 50 years of the chart's existence).

"Let Me Love You" crept onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart at Number 97 in the week ending October 23rd, 2004 and rose to reach the Number One spot in the week ending January 1st, 2005. It rested there for nine weeks before falling back, and stayed on the chart for a total of 36 weeks.

Answer: Beyoncé, featuring Bun B and Slim Thug

Originally intended for the soundtrack of 2006's "The Pink Panther", "Check on It" did not end up making it into the film, so Beyoncé included it as an extra track in the Destiny's Child compilation album "#1's". The song was written as a collaborative effort between Beyoncé, Swizz Beatz, Sean Garrett, Angela Beyincé, and Slim Thug.

Before "Check on It" was officially released as a single in the United States (December 13th, 2005), it had already seen a lot of radio play, earning its way onto the Billboard Hot 100 before its official release, debuting at Number 72 in the week ending November 19th. It reached the Number One spot in the week ending February 4th, 2006, and stayed there for five weeks. Altogether, it remained in the top 100 for 28 weeks.

Answer: Beyoncé

"Irreplaceable" was written by Beyoncé along with Shaffer "Ne-Yo" Smith, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel, S. Eriksen, Espen Lind and Amund Bjřrklund, and recorded by Beyoncé for her second studio album "B'Day". It was released internationally as a single on October 23rd, 2006.

The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at Number 87 in the week ending November 4th, and vaulted up the charts to reach Number One in the week ending December 16th. It stayed at the top of the chart for ten weeks before sliding back down. Altogether, "Irreplaceable" stayed in the top 100 for 30 weeks.

Answer: Flo Rida, featuring T-Pain

As debuts go, it's hard to top Flo Rida's experience. Released on October 9th, 2007, "Low" was his first single from his debut album "Mail on Sunday". It was the most-downloaded (digital) single of the first decade of the 2000s, and was ranked Number Three on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade.

"Low" broke into the Billboard Hot 100 at Number 91 in the week ending November 10th, then moved steadily up the chart to reach Number One in the week ending January 5th, 2008, where it stayed for ten weeks. Altogether, "Low" remained in the Hot 100 for 40 weeks.

Answer: Lady Gaga, featuring Colby O'Donis

Another debut single ("Just Dance") from a debut album ("The Fame"), this time from Lady Gaga (with Colby O'Donis). This one was a bit of a sleeper in the U.S., taking 22 weeks to reach Number One on the Billboard Hot 100, but it has since become one of the most-downloaded singles ever (it was the second single in history to reach six million paid digital downloads). "Just Dance" was written by Lady Gaga, Akon and RedOne and released on April 8th, 2008.

The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at Number 76 in the week ending August 19th, and (as mentioned) took a little while to move up the chart. It reached Number One in the week ending January 17th, 2009 and stayed there for three weeks. In total, "Just Dance" remained on the Hot 100 chart for a whopping 49 weeks!

Answer: Ke$ha

For the third year in a row over my birthday, a debut single from a debut album reached the Number One spot on the Billboard Hot 100. "TiK ToK" was co-written by Ke$ha, Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco, and was released on August 7th, 2009 in advance of her debut album "Animal", which would come out in January of 2010.

"TiK ToK" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at Number 79 in the week ending October 24th and reached the Number One spot in the week ending January 2nd, 2010. It stayed there for nine weeks and remained in the Hot 100 for a total of 38 weeks.

Answer: Bruno Mars

"Grenade" was written by Bruno Mars, Phillip Lawrence and Ari Levine and released on September 28th, 2010 as the second single from his debut album "Doo-Wops & Hooligans".

The song crept onto the Billboard Hot 100 at Number 81 in the week ending October 16th and reached Number One in the week ending January 8th, 2011. It fluctuated a bit, dropping back for a week and reclaiming the top spot the week ending January 22nd, then doing the same thing again and becoming Number One (for a third time) in the week ending February 5th. "Grenade" thus became the sixth single in Billboard Hot 100 history to have three separate runs in the top spot. In total, the song stayed on the chart for 36 weeks.

Answer: Adele

"Set Fire to the Rain" was written by Adele and Fraser T. Smith and released on July 4th, 2011 (in the U.K.) and on November 21st (in the U.S.) as the third single from her second studio album "21". The first three single releases (of five) from the album reached Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 (the other two were "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You").

Even though "Set Fire to the Rain" wasn't released in the U.S. until November, its European release managed to make it over the pond and the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer and was off and on the chart numerous times (21 non-consecutive weeks) before finally reaching Number One in the week ending February 4th, 2012, where it stayed for two weeks. In total, the song charted for a total of 43 (non-consecutive) weeks.

Answer: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, featuring Wanz

Released on August 27th, 2012, "Thrift Shop" was the fourth single released from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' debut studio album "The Heist". The song received much critical acclaim, earning Grammys (in 2014) for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.

"Thrift Shop" debuted at Number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the week ending September 15th, then dropping off the chart for more than a month before making re-entry (again at Number 96) in the week ending October 27th. This time it stayed on the chart and rose to hit Number One in the week ending February 2nd, 2013. It stayed on top for four weeks, and had a total of 49 weeks on the chart.