Adult Contemporary is a chart published by Billboard ranking the top-performing songs in the United States in the adult contemporary music (AC) market. In 1997, 10 different songs topped the chart in 52 issues of the magazine, based on weekly airplay data from radio stations compiled by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems.
In the year's first issue of Billboard, "Un-Break My Heart" by Toni Braxton moved up to number one, displacing the final chart-topper of 1996, "When You Love a Woman" by the band Journey. [1] Braxton's song held the top spot for 14 consecutive weeks, the year's longest unbroken run at number one, before being displaced by Celine Dion's recording of the 1975 song "All by Myself". In May, Bob Carlisle, an artist most associated with the contemporary Christian music scene, achieved an unexpected crossover hit and spent seven weeks at number one on the AC listing with "Butterfly Kisses"; [2] despite being an Adult Contemporary number one and also charting in other genres, it remains his only song to appear on any of Billboard's charts. [3] The song did not appear on the magazine's all-genre chart, the Hot 100, because it was serviced to radio but not available as a physical single; at the time only songs which were physically released were eligible to appear on the Hot 100. [4]
In the fall, LeAnn Rimes spent 11 weeks at number one with "How Do I Live", the second-longest run at number one in 1997. The song had been written for the soundtrack of the film Con Air , but after Rimes had recorded her version of the song, film company executives changed their minds and asked Trisha Yearwood to record it for the soundtrack instead. Rimes and her record label decided to release her version as a single anyway, with the result that both versions of the song went on sale at the same time in May 1997. [5] While Yearwood's recording achieved some success, it was eclipsed by the version recorded by Rimes, which went on to sell more than 3 million copies. [6] The year's final Adult Contemporary chart-topper was "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" by Elton John, which reached number one in the issue of Billboard dated November 22 and held the top spot for the remainder of the year. The song was released as a double A-sided single with "Candle in the Wind 1997", the singer's tribute to his close friend Diana, Princess of Wales, who had died in August of the same year. [7] Because the Adult Contemporary chart is based on airplay of individual songs, the two tracks charted separately and "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" went all the way to number one while "Candle in the Wind 1997" peaked at number two. [8] The double-sided release went on to become one of the biggest-selling singles of all time, with recorded sales of over 30 million copies. [9] [10]
Indicates best-performing AC song of 1997 [11] |
Issue date | Title | Artist(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
January 4 | "Un-Break My Heart" | Toni Braxton | [1] |
January 11 | [12] | ||
January 18 | [13] | ||
January 25 | [14] | ||
February 1 | [15] | ||
February 8 | [16] | ||
February 15 | [17] | ||
February 22 | [18] | ||
March 1 | [19] | ||
March 8 | [20] | ||
March 15 | [21] | ||
March 22 | [22] | ||
March 29 | [23] | ||
April 5 | [24] | ||
April 12 | "All by Myself" | Celine Dion | [25] |
April 19 | [26] | ||
April 26 | [27] | ||
May 3 | "For the First Time" | Kenny Loggins | [28] |
May 10 | [29] | ||
May 17 | "You Were Meant for Me" | Jewel | [30] |
May 24 | "Butterfly Kisses" | Bob Carlisle | [31] |
May 31 | [32] | ||
June 7 | [33] | ||
June 14 | [34] | ||
June 21 | [35] | ||
June 28 | [36] | ||
July 5 | [37] | ||
July 12 | "Here in My Heart" | Chicago | [38] |
July 19 | "Go the Distance" | Michael Bolton | [39] |
July 26 | [40] | ||
August 2 | [41] | ||
August 9 | "Sunny Came Home" | Shawn Colvin | [42] |
August 16 | [43] | ||
August 23 | [44] | ||
August 30 | [45] | ||
September 6 | "How Do I Live" | LeAnn Rimes | [46] |
September 13 | [47] | ||
September 20 | [48] | ||
September 27 | [49] | ||
October 4 | [50] | ||
October 11 | [51] | ||
October 18 | [52] | ||
October 25 | [53] | ||
November 1 | [54] | ||
November 8 | [55] | ||
November 15 | [56] | ||
November 22 | "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" | Elton John | [57] |
November 29 | [58] | ||
December 6 | [59] | ||
December 13 | [60] | ||
December 20 | [61] | ||
December 27 | [62] |
Diane Eve Warren is an American award-winning songwriter, musician and record producer.
Patricia Lynn Yearwood is an American singer, actress, author and television personality. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single "She's in Love with the Boy," which became a number one hit on the Billboard country singles chart. Its corresponding self-titled debut album would sell over two million copies. Yearwood continued with a series of major country hits during the early to mid-1990s, including "Walkaway Joe" (1992), "The Song Remembers When" (1993), "XXX's and OOO's " (1994), and "Believe Me Baby " (1996).
"Candle in the Wind 1997", also known as "Goodbye England's Rose" and "Candle in the Wind '97", is a song by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, a re-written and re-recorded version of their 1973 song "Candle in the Wind". It was released on 13 September 1997 as a tribute single to Diana, Princess of Wales, with the global proceeds from the song going towards Diana's charities. In many countries, it was pressed as a double A-side with "Something About the Way You Look Tonight". It was produced by Sir George Martin.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1997.
The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by Billboard magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to Billboard by stations that are members of the Adult Contemporary radio panel. The chart debuted in Billboard magazine on July 17, 1961. Over the years, the chart has gone under a series of name changes, being called Easy Listening(1961–1962; 1965–1979), Middle-Road Singles(1962–1964), Pop-Standard Singles(1964–1965), Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks(1979–1982) and Adult Contemporary(1983–present).
"Something About the Way You Look Tonight" is a song by Elton John, taken from his 25th studio album, The Big Picture. It was written by John and Bernie Taupin, and produced by Chris Thomas. It was released as the album's first single on 8 September 1997 by Mercury Records and the Rocket Record Company.
"How Do I Live" is a song written by Diane Warren. It was performed by LeAnn Rimes and the extended version of the song was later featured on her second studio album You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs in 1997. It was also performed by Trisha Yearwood, and Yearwood's version was featured in the film Con Air. Both versions were released to radio on May 23, 1997.
The singles discography of British singer Elton John consists of 140 official singles and 21 as featured artist, as well as 56 other non-single guest appearances. Across his career, John has had 57 top 40 hits in the United States, second only to Elvis Presley in total, with 27 of these hitting the top ten and nine reaching number one. In his native United Kingdom, he has accumulated 69 top 40 singles, including 32 top tens and 8 number ones.
"Sacrifice" is a ballad by English musician Elton John. The song was written by John and his collaborator, Bernie Taupin. The song appears on the 1989 album Sleeping with the Past. It was first released in October 1989 as the second single from the album. It achieved success in 1990, particularly in France and the United Kingdom, becoming John's first solo chart-topper in both nations.
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is a 1976 duet by Elton John and Kiki Dee. It was written by Elton John with Bernie Taupin under the pseudonyms "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche", respectively, and intended as an affectionate pastiche of the Motown style, notably the various duets recorded by Marvin Gaye and singers such as Tammi Terrell and Kim Weston. It should not be confused with the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song of the same title recorded in 1965 by Dionne Warwick for the album Here I Am.
"Written in the Stars" is a song by English singer Elton John and American singer LeAnn Rimes. The song came from the musical Aida, written by Elton John and Tim Rice. In this scene in the musical, Radames informs Aida that he's calling off the wedding. Aida knows that this would ruin her father's escape and tells him he must go through with it. Radames agrees, on condition that she escapes to freedom on a boat he will provide. The two lovers lament the complication of the circumstances of their love together before parting. There are two different recordings of the song, one with Rimes performing the first verse, the other with John.
American country music artist Trisha Yearwood has released 15 studio albums, nine compilation albums, 43 music videos, 56 singles, 29 other charted songs and appeared on 29 albums. Yearwood's self-titled debut album was released in 1991, peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 31 on the Billboard 200. It became the first debut female country album to sell one million copies, later certifying double platinum by the RIAA. The album would spawn an additional three singles, including "The Woman Before Me". Her second studio album was the critically acclaimed Hearts in Armor (1992). It spawned the top five country hits "Wrong Side of Memphis" and "Walkaway Joe". Her third studio record The Song Remembers When (1993) enjoyed similar success and the lead single reached number two on the Billboard country chart. A holiday album appeared before her platinum-selling fourth studio album Thinkin' About You (1995). Reaching the number 3 on the country albums chart and number 28 on the Billboard 200, its first two singles topped the Hot Country Singles chart. Her sixth studio album Everybody Knows (1996) spawned Yearwood's fourth number one single, "Believe Me Baby ".
"Broken" is a song by American alternative band Lifehouse. It is the third single released from their fourth studio album, Who We Are (2007). Lead singer Jason Wade was inspired to write the song after he visited a friend in Nashville who needed a kidney transplant. Originally released on June 18, 2007, as the fifth track on Who We Are, the song was then edited for radio to give it more of a "rock" feel. The new radio version of the song was released via digital download on July 8, 2008.
"Believe Me Baby " is a song recorded by American country music artist Trisha Yearwood. It was released in July 1996 as the lead single from her album, Everybody Knows. It was Yearwood's fourth single out of five during the course of her career to reach number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
"You Can Make History " is a song by Elton John, initially recorded in 1996 and released on the American version of the compilation Love Songs. As the song was recorded after the release of the original European version of the compilation, it was not included on that version.
The Billboard Hot 100 is a chart that ranks the best-performing singles of the United States. Its data, published by Billboard magazine and compiled by Nielsen SoundScan, is based collectively on each single's weekly physical and digital sales, as well as airplay and streaming. At the end of a year, Billboard will publish an annual list of the 100 most successful songs throughout that year on the Hot 100 chart based on the information. For 2017, the list was published on December 11, calculated with data from December 3, 2016 to November 25, 2017.