David Cassidy was a singer/actor/songwriter/guitarist who found stardom as a teen idol after playing a role in the TV show "The Partridge Family". The song "I Think I Love You" was released in 1970 ahead of the debut of the show and when it became a hit, Cassidy started working on solo projects.
He became so famous that a concert in New York's Madison Square Gardens sold out in a day and caused riots. This was back in the day when fans had to physically line up outside places where tickets were sold so selling out that quickly was a huge feat.
In another, tragic incident, at a concert in London, England, almost 800 people were crushed when the stage was rushed and a fourteen-year old girl died. Cassidy struggled with the hysteria that followed him and early in his career posed nude for "Rolling Stone" magazine in the hopes it would change his image. Sadly, he died in 2017 at the age of sixty-seven from liver failure, a result of years of alcohol abuse.
2. Bay City Rollers
Answer: Saturday Night
"The tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh" formed in the 1960s in Scotland and before gaining huge worldwide success in the 70s had a number of different band names as they played mostly covers at small gigs. They settled on the name the Bay City Rollers because they wanted an American sounding name and the Bay City Rollers gave them that.
Their first hit was a cover song called "Keep on Dancing". Between 1971 and 1975 the band gained more popularity in the UK and their record label pushed for stardom in the US. That stardom came with the song "Saturday Night", released in 1975 and reaching number one on the US Billboard chart.
They also gained popularity in Australia and an appearance on a TV show there coincided with a solar eclipse. As hundreds of kids were banging on a door to see the band, they completely missed a total eclipse of the sun.
3. The Beatles
Answer: She Loves You
"She Loves You" was the song that was responsible for catapulting The Beatles into the spotlight in the UK. It's the band's best selling single and the top selling single of the 1960s in the UK by any artist. At the height of their popularity, the band that led the British invasion were so popular that when they left the UK for a US tour, approximately 4,000 fans went to Heathrow airport in London to see them off.
When they arrived in New York, they were met by approximately 3,000 screaming fans.
Their first American TV performance, on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964, was viewed by about twenty three million households and seventy three million viewers. On that tour, the Beatles faced segregation for the first time and refused to play venues where audiences were segregated. Following that tour, they included a clause in their contracts ensuring that shows were integrated.
4. Elvis Presley
Answer: Heartbreak Hotel
One of the biggest artists of the twentieth century, he was nicknamed simply "The King", or "The King of Rock and Roll", or "Elvis the Pelvis". "Heartbreak Hotel" was his first single with record label RCA in 1956 and reached number one on the US charts.
This was followed up with a number of television appearances and live shows and the release of "Hound Dog" which is where the notorious nickname "Elvis the Pelvis" comes from. His gyrations during the performance of the song garnered quite a bit of controversy and the hysteria around his appearances grew.
In his first year at RCA, his sales alone accounted for over fifty per cent of their total sales.
5. Ricky Nelson
Answer: Teen Age Idol
You can call him Ricky Nelson only until he turned twenty-one years old. After that, he dropped the 'y' in Ricky. He was one of the first performers to use TV to market his music and even put together what can be described as early music videos. These were collages of live appearances set to his songs.
His first number one single was "Poor Little Fool", released in 1958 when he was seventeen years old. He had subsequent success with songs such as "Travelin' Man", "Young World" and "Lonesome Town".
He released the song "Teen Age Idol" when he was twenty-two years old. It tells the sad tale of a man who is a famous teenage idol who is sad because he's lonely. It reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100.
6. The Monkees
Answer: Daydream Believer
The Monkees was an idea for a TV show before it was a band. Davy Jones was signed to a contract to appear in TV shows and had previously been nominated for a Tony Award for his role in the Broadway show "Oliver!". To round out the band with the other three members, auditions were held for young men between the ages of seventeen and twenty-one and out of just over four hundred applicants, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith were selected. The band was specifically put together and packaged in order to appeal to American youth as a response to The Beatles and it worked. There has been some backlash and criticism around the manufacturing of a group that was brought together not necessarily for their musical talent but for their appeal to young audiences. The group did become self-directed and their songwriting and musical skills improved over the years.
Their last number one hit in the United States "Daydream Believer", also reached number one in several other countries including South Africa, Ireland, Canada, and New Zealand.
7. Michael Jackson
Answer: Billie Jean
The "King of Pop" absolutely dominated pop culture for years. He brought us the moonwalk and robot dances and influenced music and fashion. Starting out with The Jackson Five, he went solo, releasing several albums before hitting megastardom with "Thriller." The second single off "Thriller" was "Billie Jean", Jackson's best selling single.
It went to number one in the US, the UK, France, Belgium and Switzerland. Jackson performed the song at the "Motown 25" television special in 1983 and his performance has become one of those iconic pop culture moments that go down in history. Wearing a fedora, sequined jacket and single glove, he moonwalked publicly for the first time on television, sliding backwards before spinning on his heels and ending up on his toes.
8. Debbie Gibson
Answer: Only In My Dreams
"Only In My Dreams" is the debut single by Debbie Gibson, written in 1984 and recorded in 1986. The song went to number four in the US and paved the way for Gibson to become a teen sensation during the 80s. Her single "Foolish Beat" earned her a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the youngest artist ever to write, record and produce a number one single.
She was seventeen when she did this. As a teen star, she was often found on the cover of the teen magazine "Tiger Beat." Not all fame and fortune afforded to teen idols is positive, and there are many tragic stories of overindulgence and other negative effects. For Gibson, this came in the form of stalkers. One of these was Robert Bardo, who was convicted of murdering actress Rebecca Schaeffer in 1989.
9. Justin Bieber
Answer: Baby
Justin Bieber, who has been dubbed the "King of Teen Pop" was discovered at the tender age of thirteen and released his debut album in 2010 at the age of sixteen. Teenage girls everywhere adored him and young teenage boys everywhere wanted to be him, copying his clothing and his hairstyle.
The song "Baby" was the debut single from his first album and hit number one in France and Scotland and top ten in several countries, including the United States and Canada. At such a young age he has won multiple awards including twenty-three Teen Choice Awards. Being so famous so young is not easy and Bieber has struggled with mental health issues and run-ins with the law.
10. 2NE1
Answer: Lollipop
2NE1 is a South Korean girl pop group and part of the K-pop craze. Known for their fashion sense and stage presence, they are considered one of the most successful Korean girl pop groups, selling over sixty-five million records. They are extremely popular in South Korea and other parts of Asia.
The song "Lollipop" was created to promote a cellphone and recorded with another South Korean boy band, Big Band. It was never officially released but does serve to unofficially debut the band. It reached number one on Korean online and offline charts despite not being promoted by the band or record label. Fans of the band are called "Blackjacks" and follow their music, dance moves and fashion ardently online still, despite the fact that the band broke up in 2017.
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