Never underestimate the exposure an artist gets by being featured on Music’s Biggest Night. Thanks to their appearances on the Grammy Awards, both Tracy Chapman and Billy Joel are back on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in years.
Tracy’s duet with Luke Combs on her song “Fast Car” has driven it — pun intended — to number one on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart, as the song experienced a more than 8,000% increase in sales. The song has also reentered the Billboard Hot 100 at #42, marking the first time Chapman has been on that chart since 1996. The last time the song itself was on the chart? 1988.
Meanwhile, Billy Joel is back on the Hot 100 as an artist for the first time since 1997, thanks to “Turn the Lights Back On,” his first new single in 17 years. He performed the song during the Grammy telecast, before closing the show with his classic “You May Be Right.” The new song has entered the Hot 100 at #62.
Billboard notes that Billy makes his return just one week shy of the 50th anniversary of his very first appearance on the chart: On February 23, 1974, “Piano Man” debuted at #94; it would eventually peak at #25.
While Billy’s been absent from the Hot 100 as an artist since 1997, he’s appeared as a writer several times since then. The Glee cast’s versions of “Only the Good Die Young” and “Uptown Girl” charted in 2010 and 2011, respectively, and last year, Fall Out Boy had a hit with their update of “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”
In addition, Olivia Rodrigo mentioned Billy and “Uptown Girl” in her song “deja vu,” which hit #3 in 2021.
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