Reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 often is considered a crowning achievement for recording artists and songwriters. A song popular enough to take over the top of the U.S. singles chart has to be rewarding and is relatively rare when you take into account the vast number of tunes released every year.
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Even rarer is a song that has reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 more than once by two different artists. The infrequent instances of this occurring generally have taken place at least a decade apart, so the songs in question must have an enduring appeal.
[RELATED: The Meaning Behind the Song Lyrics of “Lady Marmalade,” Patti LaBelle]
Sometimes the newer versions of these chart-toppers feature more modern production and/or instrumentation. Other times, the newer rendition sounded quite similar to the original hit.
Here are four songs that reached the top of the Hot 100 for two artists:
“Go Away Little Girl” by Steve Lawrence (1963) and Donny Osmond (1971)
In 1963, pop crooner Steve Lawrence scored a No. 1 hit with the ballad “Go Away Little Girl.” The tune, which was co-written by the famed songwriting duo of Carole King and Gerry Goffin, spent two weeks at the top of the chart that January.
Besides being a successful solo artist, Lawrence was part of the popular duo Steve and Edie with wife Eydie Gormé. “Go Away Little Girl,” though, was his only chart-topping hit on the Hot 100, either solo or with Gormé.
The song is sung from the perspective of a guy who has a girlfriend and who is trying to resist the advances of a younger woman.
In 1971, “Go Away Little Girl” became the first song to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100 a second time by a different artist when teen idol Donny Osmond topped the chart with his own version. Osmond was just 13 years old at the time. His rendition spent three weeks at No. 1 in September of 1971.
Osmond’s cover featured a light, bubblegum-pop arrangement. The singer’s voice had not yet changed when he recorded the tune.
Earlier that same year, Donny scored another Hot 100 hit as a member of the sibling group The Osmonds with “One Bad Apple.”
“You Keep Me Hangin’ On” by The Supremes (1966) and Kim Wilde (1987)
Motown all-female group The Supremes were riding high when they scored their eighth No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 in 1966 with “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” All of the trio’s chart-topping singles were written by the team of Holland-Dozier-Holland.
“You Keep Me Hangin’ On” spent two weeks at No. 1 in November of 1966.
The classic pop-soul tune was reworked into a fast-tempo electronic-dance banger by British New Wave singer Kim Wilde. Wilde’s version topped the Hot 100 for one week in June 1987.
It’s worth mentioning that rock band Vanilla Fudge’s psychedelic take on “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” reached No. 6 on the chart in 1968.
“When A Man Loves A Woman” by Percy Sledge (1966) and Michael Bolton (1991)
Soul-gospel belter Percy Sledge topped the Hot 100 with his very first single, “When A Man Loves A Woman,” in 1966. The classic soul ballad spent two weeks at No. 1 in late May and early June.
“When A Man Loves A Woman” is credited to two members of Sledge’s backing band, The Esquires—Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright. Sledge, though, later claimed he wrote the song.
In 1991, rock-soul crooner Michael Bolton’s version of “When A Man Loves A Woman” reached No. 1 on the Hot 100. It spent one week at the top of the chart in November. Bolton’s cover won him a 1992 Grammy Award in the Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male category.
“Lady Marmalade” by Labelle (1975) and Christina Aguilera, Lil Kim, Mya, & Pink (2001)
The members of Labelle, the soul trio fronted by powerhouse vocalist Patti LaBelle, had been singing together for more than a decade when the group enjoyed its pop breakthrough with “Lady Marmalade.” The rocking, funky tune spent one week at hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 in March 1975.
“Lady Marmalade” was co-written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan. Gaudio was famous for co-writing many of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons’ hits. The song tells the story of a man’s encounter with a New Orleans prostitute.
The track was co-produced and arranged by New Orleans music legend Allen Toussaint, who also played piano on it. The song also features contributions from members of the famed New Orleans funk band The Meters.
In 2001, “Lady Marmalade” was given a modern update by Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lil Kim, and Mya for the soundtrack to the Baz Luhrmann-directed musical romantic-drama flick Moulin Rouge! Aguilera, Pink, and Mya each sang lead on a verse, while Kim delivered a newly written rap for the make. The track was produced by Missy Elliott and her songwriting collaborator Rockwilder.
The new version of “Lady Marmalade” spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in June 2001. The recording won the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals honor at the 2002 Grammy Awards.
(Photo by Paul Natkin/WireImage; Photo by Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect)
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