Image: Wiki Commons by NBC TelevisionUnited Press International
About This Quiz
Ever since the 3rd of August, 1958, the Billboard Hot 100 kept track of the hottest singles in the United States, with the coveted number one spot meaning nationwide fame and success. Ever since Ricky Nelson inaugurated the chart with his two-week stint at number one with "Poor Little Fool," the Billboard Hot 100 has been the yardstick of musical success.
British artists began to make inroads in American pop music in the 1960s with what is often referred to as "The British Invasion." This phenomenon was not limited to the boys from Liverpool. Dozens of British acts earned number one spots, including The Tornados and David Rose, both of whom reached number one before The Beatles. As America increasingly looked to a British culture steeped in American jazz, more bands crossed the Atlantic, from Led Zeppelin to Amy Winehouse. This tradition continues with today's artists, especially with the massive number of singles that involve collaborations between several artists, as is often the case in hip hop.
How well can you connect the faces to the voices? Would you know a huge star if you laid eyes on them, or is your musical knowledge limited to the artists whom you follow? It's time to find out!
The Monkees
Led Zeppelin
The Rolling Stones
The Beatles
Perhaps one of the most iconic bands of all time, in the short time they had together, The Beatles collected 20 number ones in the Billboard Hot 100. These chart-toppers stayed in the number one slot for a collective 61 weeks.
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George Michael
Ringo Starr
Paul McCartney
David Bowie
That is correct: David Bowie only had two songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100! It will surprise no one familiar with his music that those tracks were "Fame" and "Let's Dance," which are both classic Bowie.
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21 Savage
George Harrison
Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr is one of the more recognizable British music icons, having provided the Beatles with percussion. He also gave the U.S. charts with hits "Photograph" and "You're Sixteen" in 1973 and 1974, respectively.
Phil Collins
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Rick Roll
Rick Asley
Rick Rastly
Rick Astley
Rick Astley's immortal "Never Gonna Give You Up" may be something of a meme today, but it was a lot bigger than that in 1988 when it hit number one in the U.S. Don't worry. We won't Rick Roll you.
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EMF
The Police
The Monkees
Coldplay
Coldplay has always had a considerable degree of success in the U.S., but it was not until 2008 that the band achieved their first Billboard Hot 100 hit in the U.S. "Viva la Vida" hit number one in June of 2008.
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Bananarama
The Rolling Stones
With eight singles that reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100, The Rolling Stones can paint it whatever color they want. In order, those hits are "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Get Off of My Cloud," "Paint It Black," "Ruby Tuesday," "Honky Tonk Women," "Brown Sugar," and "Angie."
The Spice Girls
Coldplay
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Paul McCartney
Billy Idol
George Michael
Elton John
In October of 1997, Elton John released "Candle in the Wind 1997", a tribute to the late Princess Diana, which rocketed to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, staying in the number one spot for fourteen weeks. It was released as part of a single "track" with "Something About the Way You Look Tonight."
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Mark Ronson
Zayn
Zayn's single "Perfect" hit number one on Billboard's Hot 100 in February 2016. The song was his first solo single, on his first solo album, and signaled Zayn's rise as a solo artist, following his departure from band One Direction.
George Michael
Phil Collins
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Billy Idol
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran achieved two number one Hot 100 Billboard hits in the U.S. — one with "Shape of You" in January of 2017, and one with his collaboration with Beyoncé on "Perfect" later that year. Surely, more number ones are on their way from the young singer.
Zayn
Ringo Starr
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The Spice Girls
The year 1997 saw the rise of the phenomenon that was The Spice Girls. Their hit "Wannabe" hit the U.S. charts like a hurricane, sitting atop the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.
Right Said Fred
The Human League
Bananarama
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Phil Collins
Phil Collins is a massively successful artist, with number one hits in the U.S. including "Against All Odds," "One More Night," "Sussudio," "Separate Lives," "Groovy Kind of Love," "Two Hearts," and "Another Day in Paradise."
Donovan
Lewis Capaldi
Dave Clark
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Mark Ronson
Mick Jones's son Mark Ronson was raised in New York City and born in England, but the truth is that he was born to make music. 2015 saw his collaboration with Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk," reach number one in the U.S.
George Harrison
21 Savage
Lewis Capaldi
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James Blunt
George Harrison
21 Savage
Post Malone's "Rockstar" hit number one on Billboards Hot 100 in the U.S. in October 2017. British rapper 21 Savage was featured on the track, though rap fans unfamiliar with him might not know that he was born in the UK, as he spent most of his young life in Atlanta, Georgia.
George Michael
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Kyla
One shouldn't be expected to know Kyla unless one is very fond of house music. In that case, you would likely know the German-born DJ from her track "Do You Mind." Drake sampled this hit for his single "One Dance," which made the Billboard Top 100 in the U.S.
Lauren Bennett
Bonnie Tyler
Sheena Easton
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James Blunt
James Blunt's 2006 hit "You're Beautiful" was not only a number one hit in the U.S. in March of 2006 but also one of the first music videos distributed on the then-new iPod Video platform, a forerunner of all mobile video platforms. It spent one week at number one.
Joe Cocker
Donovan
Dave Clark
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Kim Wilde
Sheena Easton
Lauren Bennett
Adele
If Adele retired from music today, she would have already cemented her legacy with several number one hits in the U.S., including "Rolling in the Deep" (2011), "Someone Like You" (2011), "Set Fire To The Rain" (2012) and "Hello" (2015).
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Donovan
Joe Cocker
Petula Clark
George Harrison
Former Beatle George Harrison was no slouch, hitting number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in January of 1988 with "Got My Mind Set on You." It was his third solo to reach number one in the U.S. charts, following "My Sweet Lord," "Isn't It a Pity," and "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" in the 1970s.
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Andy Gibb
Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris is famous for his collaborations, but it was his collaboration with Rihanna that hit number one in the U.S. in 2011. "We Found Love" hit number one after six weeks and became one of the longest-running number-one hits on Billboard for the year.
Petula Clark
Paul McCartney
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Lauren Bennett
Lauren Bennett has been a part of many collaborations over her career, but it was her turn with LMFAO and GoonRock that resulted in "Party Rock Anthem." That track peaked at number one in July 2011, just in time to be the hit of the summer.
Bonnie Tyler
Leona Lewis
Kim Wilde
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John Waite
Joe Cocker
Taio Cruz
2010's Billboard Hot 100 hit "Break Your Heart" was a collaboration on the inaugural album of Taio Cruz, who had been a producer until then. A collaboration with Ludacris, it hit number one in March 2010.
Andy Gibb
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Billy Ocean
Seal
Rod Stewart
Jay Sean
Jay Sean's album "All or Nothing" gave birth to the hit single Down, a collaboration with Lil Wayne. On October 17, 2009, the track reached number one on Billboard's Hot 100, giving Jay Sean his first number one U.S. hit.
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Kim Wilde
Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis's hit "Bleeding Love" achieved number one status on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. on the 27th of March, 2008. It is her first and so far only U.S. number one hit on that chart and marked her pop immortality. It was number one for four weeks!
Bonnie Tyler
Sheena Easton
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Seal
The summer of 1995 was the time when Seal reached the apex of his popularity with the single "Kiss from a Rose." A track from his second album, it would go on to be used in the "Batman Forever" soundtrack.
Maxi Priest
John Waite
Billy Ocean
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Lewis Capaldi
Glaswegian singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi, whose father is a cousin of Peter Capaldi of "Doctor Who" fame, scored a U.S. number one hit in 2019 with his song "Someone You Loved." This is quite an achievement, given that this is from his first album.
Dave Clark
James Blunt
Donovan
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Billy Ocean
John Waite
Maxi Priest
Rod Stewart
1994 was a good year for Rod Stewart and fellow British artist Sting. The pair collaborated with Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams on the song "All For Love," written by Adams, Robert Lange, and composer Michael Kamen for the film "The Three Musketeers."
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Whitesnake
Pink Floyd
EMF
Def Leppard
The saga that is the story of Def Leppard would take too long to tell in this medium, but suffice it to say that any band whose drummer can chop as hard as anyone, after losing an arm, is worth reckoning with. Their hit "Love Bites" made it to number one in the U.S. in 1988.
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Ace of Base
EMF
The Animals
UB40
"Can't Help Falling in Love" took UB40 to the top of the U.S. charts in 1993, with the track spending seven weeks at the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The Birmingham-based Reggae band remained hot in the U.S. for some time after that.
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Fine Young Cannibals
Right Said Fred
Perhaps the only song U.S. audiences are familiar with by the band, Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy" took a few weeks to reach number one in the U.S., but once it did, it stayed there for a solid three weeks. The song, the band claims, was inspired by fellow members of the band's gym.
Whitesnake
Fleetwood Mac
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The Bee Gees
EMF
Alternative band EMF made their mark on the American pop charts with their single "Unbelievable." It only spent one week at number one, but as part of the huge wave of alternative artists, EMF found itself in good company.
Fine Young Cannibals
Fleetwood Mac
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Pink Floyd
Billy Ocean
Leo Sayer
Maxi Priest
Maxi Priest came into 1990 with the number one hit "Close to You." The single stood atop the Billboard Hot 100 for only one week, but he is the only reggae fusion artist to achieve this level of popularity.
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Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Acker Bilk
If "Stranger on the Shore" doesn't sound familiar to you, then you probably weren't alive in 1962. Acker Bilk was the first British artist to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 with a number one hit.
Whitesnake
Simply Red
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Peter and Gordon
Fine Young Cannibals
Fine Young Cannibals' album "The Raw & The Cooked" had two major hits reach number one in the U.S. charts. "She Drives Me Crazy" and "Good Thing" each spent a week at number one in 1989.
Fleetwood Mac
Manfred Mann's Earth Band
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Eric Clapton
Former Cream guitarist and musical genius Eric Clapton only ever topped the Billboard Hot 100 once, with his single "I Shot the Sheriff" in 1974. It was by no means his only U.S. hit, but it's one of his more memorable ones.
Manfred Mann
Genesis
Simply Red
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Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac was at times dysfunctional, at times sublime rock band with one foot in America and one in the UK. While the band had more popular songs than "Dreams," it was their one number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Bee Gees
Peter and Gordon
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Simply Red
The Police
Paper Lace
Manfred Mann's Earth Band
While the song was originally by Bruce Springsteen, it is Manfred Mann's Earth Band's version of the iconic "Blinded by the Light" that one would hear on the radio all the time. Between Springsteen's arcane lyricism and Manfred Mann's pronunciation, no one could agree on the words.
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The Bee Gees
The Brothers Gibb, aka The Bee Gees, were a Manx-born, English band with eight hits over their many years recording music. These included "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" "Jive Talkin'," "You Should Be Dancing," "How Deep Is Your Love," "Too Much Heaven," "Tragedy," "Love You Inside Out," and, of course, "Stayin' Alive."
Peter and Gordon
Simple Minds
Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders
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Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders
The Eurythmics
Paper Lace
Peter and Gordon
Peter and Gordon were among the first groups of UK artists to chart with a number one hit in the U.S. They were friends with Paul McCartney, and some of their early hits were written with McCartney, who used a pen name to test if he could write a popular song without using his name.
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Paper Lace
Simple Minds
The Eurythmics
Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders
Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders would go their separate ways one day, but in the meantime, the group recorded "Game of Love." The song only spent a week at number one but ranked 34th in the year among the Billboard Hot 100.
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Paper Lace
Paper Lace is a one-hit-wonder band from Nottingham whose one big hit was a song called "The Night Chicago Died," which makes perfect sense when you see the way they wore their hair in 1974. It only spent a week at number one, but the band is still around.
The Police
The Eurythmics
Simple Minds
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Sheena Easton
Scottish singer Sheena Easton had a number one hit in the U.S. with "Morning Train," sometimes also called "9 to 5," but not the song by Dolly Parton. Written by Florrie Palmer, the song took Sheena Easton to number one in the U.S. for the only time.
Kim Wilde
Kiki Dee
Bonnie Tyler
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