This Day in Rock History: July 23

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1964: The Beatles’ hit song “A Hard Day’s Night” reached the top of the U.K. charts and remained there for three weeks. Officially released on July 10, the single topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 the following month.
• 1977: Foreigner released the song “Cold as Ice.” While it only reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 24 on the U.K. singles chart, the track is widely considered one of the most popular and well-known songs in rock ‘n’ roll history.
• 1983: The Police’s fifth and final studio album, Synchronicity, reached the No. 1 position on the Billboard 200 chart. It spent 17 nonconsecutive weeks at the top spot. The album featured the hit single “Every Breath You Take” and sold over 8 million copies in the U.S. alone.
• 1987: Def Leppard’s fourth studio album, Hysteria, finally reached the top spot on the US Billboard 200 chart after 49 weeks since first entering. It kept the spot for 6 non-consecutive weeks, eventually being replaced by Van Halen’s OU812.

Notable Recordings and Performances 

• 1963: Neil Young participated in his first-ever recording session in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The then-17-year-old was part of a band called The Squires.
• 1977: Judas Priest opened for Led Zeppelin on the first of the two legendary Day on the Green concerts at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. They had just released their major-label debut album, Sin After Sin, and got the gig because its members were friends with Led Zepp’s John Bonham and Robert Plant.
• 1984: The Cars released “Drive,” the third single from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City. It peaked at No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and is one of the band’s most iconic songs.

Cultural Milestones

• 1961: Martin Gore, musician, songwriter, and founding member of Depeche Mode, was born on this day in Essex, England. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020 alongside his fellow band members.
• 1964: Former Megadeth drummer Nick Menza was born in Munich, West Germany. He joined the band in 1989, played on four of their albums, and is widely seen as the band’s “classic era” drummer.
• 1965: Slash, the lead guitarist for Guns N’ Roses, Slash’s Snakepit, and Velvet Revolver, was born in Hampstead, London. Arguably the last of the guitar gods, he brought blues-influenced guitar playing back into the mainstream in the late 1980s and is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar players of all time.
• 1979: Following the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini banned all Western commercial music, including rock, from Iran’s radio and TV stations, claiming it was intoxicating.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 2011: Singer-songwriter and musician Amy Winehouse was found dead in her home in London at the age of 27. The cause of death was later revealed to be alcohol poisoning.