Billboard #1s for the Week Ending October 29, 1983

This week sees one of the biggest chart performers of all time make her first appearance on the Hot 100. Madonna Louise Ciccone was born in Bay City, Michigan in 1958. She moved to New York City in 1977 where she worked as a dancer and singer. She cut her first solo single, Everybody in 1982; it made it to #3 on the Dance chart but was a pop flop, bubbling under at #107. It was included on her eponymous debut album, which produced another Dance #3, Burning Up / Physical Attraction. The third time was the charm: Holiday, a charming, joyous pop confection, debuted on the Hot 100 at #88 this week. It had just finished an impressive five-week run atop the Dance charts. Holiday sneaked up to #16 in January, a decent start that hardly warned of the phenomenon that was to come.

Madonna spawned two more hits: Borderline [#10, #4 Dance] and Lucky Star (#4, #1 Dance on the flip of Holiday]. The follow-up, Like A Virgin, was a monster hit with four top 5 hits (including the #1 [6 weeks!] title track)  and Madonna was off and running. In the subsequent 30 years, she’s been a stalwart chart presence, ranking as one of the top performers of the Rock Era. Her accomplishments include:

• Longevity: Madonna had a hit on the Hot 100 every year from 1983 to 2006, a 24-year run bested only by Elton John (31 years); her Top 40 run is 23 years, three short of Sir Elton’s record. On the Dance chart, she reigns supreme, with a hit on the chart every year from 1982 to 2010 (and she came back in 2012.)
• Chart Performance: Madonna ranks in the Top 30 on a number of charts. On the Hot 100, she comes in 3rd — after Elvis Presley and the Beatles. She ranked #2 in the 80s and #3 in the 90s. On the Adult Contemporary (AC) chart, she ranks #28 [#14 in the 80s, #11 in the 90s; she is #24 on the Adult Top 40. On the Dance Chart, she’s #1 overall, #2 for the 80s, #1 for the 90s, and #1 for the 2000s.
• Hot 100 Hits: Madonna ranks 5th for most #1s with 12 [and with 32 weeks at the top, she comes in 10th]; she’s racked up 50 Top 40s [#5], and 38 Top 10s [tied for 1st with Elvis].
• Dance Hits: The undisputed Queen of Dance, Madonna ranks #1 for most chart hits, most Top 20], most Top 10, most #1s , and most weeks at #1 This does not count the flips of her three double-sided hits.
• Albums: With over 64.5 million certified units sold, Madonna ties with Bruce Springsteen as the 15th most successful album artist in the U.S. and the second biggest female artist (after Barbra Streisand). All fifteen of her studio albums (including three soundtracks) have gone Top 10, eight of them to #1.

 looks like Madonna will be extending these records for some time to come.