Ask Billboard: ‘Luther' & Other Legendary Names in the Titles of Hot 100 No. 1 Hits
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Dear Gary,
With 'Luther' by Kendrick Lamar and SZA hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, it joins the list of songs that have incorporated people's names in chart-topping titles. The song is, of course, a tribute to the late Luther Vandross, who never topped the chart as a billed artist, although his voice has been heard on multiple No. 1s dating back nearly a half-century.
No. 1 songs with proper names in their titles continue a trend that began soon after the Hot 100 started in 1958. Here's a (long) look at them below (including one famous group name, in a 2016 hit), while realizing that there's room for interpretation; Faith is a name, but George Michael didn't mean it that way in his 1987 hit. Thankfully, others are as obvious as can be: 'Venus was her name!'
Thanks,
My name … Jesper TanSubang Jaya, Malaysia
'Tom Dooley,' The Kingston Trio (1958)
'Stagger Lee,' Lloyd Price (1959)
'Venus,' Frankie Avalon (1959)
'Running Bear,' Johnny Preston (1960)
'Cathy's Clown,' The Everly Brothers (1960)
'Mr. Custer,' Larry Verne (1960)
'Michael,' The Highwaymen (1961)
'Hit the Road Jack,' Ray Charles and His Orchestra with the Raelettes (1961)
'Runaround Sue,' Dion (1961)
'Big Bad John,' Jimmy Dean (1961)
'Johnny Angel,' Shelley Fabares (1962)
'Sheila,' Tommy Roe (1962)
'Sherry,' The 4 Seasons (1962)
'Hey Paula,' Paul and Paula (1963)
'Dominique,' The Singing Nun (1963)
'Hello, Dolly!,' Louis Armstrong and the All Stars (1964)
'Ringo,' Lorne Greene (1964)
'Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter,' Herman's Hermits (1965)
'Help Me, Rhonda,' The Beach Boys (1965)
'I'm Henry VIII, I Am,' Herman's Hermits (1965)
'Hang On Sloopy,' The McCoys (1965)
'Ruby Tuesday,' The Rolling Stones (1967)
'Ode to Billie Joe,' Bobbie Gentry (1967)
'Judy in Disguise (With Glasses),' John Fred and the Playboys (1968)
'Mrs. Robinson,' Simon & Garfunkel (1968)
'Hey Jude,' The Beatles (1968)
'Love Theme From ,' Henry Mancini (1969)
'Venus,' Shocking Blue (1970)
'Cracklin' Rosie,' Neil Diamond (1970)
'Me and Bobby McGee,' Janis Joplin (1971)
'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey,' Paul & Linda McCartney (1971)
'Maggie May,' Rod Stewart (1971)
'Theme From ,' Isaac Hayes (1971)
'Brandy (You're a Fine Girl),' Looking Glass (1972)
'Ben,' Michael Jackson (1972)
'Me and Mrs. Jones,' Billy Paul (1972)
'Frankenstein,' The Edgar Winter Group (1973)
'Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,' Jim Croce (1973)
'Brother Louie,' Stories (1973)
'Delta Dawn,' Helen Reddy (1973)
'Angie,' The Rolling Stones (1973)
'Bennie and the Jets,' Elton John (1974)
'Billy, Don't Be a Hero,' Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods (1974)
'Annie's Song,' John Denver (1974)
'Angie Baby,' Helen Reddy (1974)
'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,' Elton John (1975)
'Mandy,' Barry Manilow (1975)
'Lady Marmalade,' Labelle (1975)
'A Fifth of Beethoven,' Walter Murphy & the Big Apple Band (1976)
'Sir Duke,' Stevie Wonder (1977)
'MacArthur Park,' Donna Summer (1978)
'Bette Davis Eyes,' Kim Carnes (1981)
'Jessie's Girl,' Rick Springfield (1981)
'Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do),' Christopher Cross (1981)
'Jack and Diane,' John Cougar (1982)
'Mickey,' Toni Basil (1982)
'Billie Jean,' Michael Jackson (1983)
'Come On Eileen,' Dexy's Midnight Runners (1983)
'St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion),' John Parr (1985)
'Oh Sheila,' Ready for the World (1985)
'Sara,' Starship (1986)
'Rock Me Amadeus,' Falco (1986)
'Venus,' Bananarama (1986)
'Amanda,' Boston (1986)
'Jacob's Ladder,' Huey Lewis & the News (1987)
'Dirty Diana,' Michael Jackson (1988)
'A Whole New World ('s Theme),' Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle (1993)
'Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),' Los Del Rio (1996)
'Maria Maria,' Santana feat. The Product G&B (2000)
'Ms. Jackson,' OutKast (2001)
'Lady Marmalade,' Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya & P!nk (2001)
'Hey There Delilah,' Plain White T's (2007)
'Moves Like Jagger,' Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera (2011)
'Black Beatles,' Rae Sremmurd feat. Gucci Mane (2016)
'The Scotts,' The Scotts, Travis Scott & Kid Cudi (2020)
'Montero (Call Me by Your Name),' Lil Nas X (2021)
'We Don't Talk About Bruno,' Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz & Encanto Cast (2022)
'Jimmy Cooks,' Drake feat. 21 Savage (2022)
'Kill Bill,' SZA (2023)
'Luther,' Kendrick Lamar & SZA (2025)
Thanks, Jesper!
Oddly enough for a tribute song with such a title, as fellow longtime 'Ask Billboard' contributor Pablo Nelson notes, the name Luther isn't said in 'Luther' (nor is Bill in SZA's 'Kill Bill').
Meanwhile, five Hot 100 No. 1s other than Lil Nas X's above include the word 'name' in their names:
'Stop! In the Name of Love,' The Supremes (1965)
'A Horse With No Name,' America (1972)
'You Give Love a Bad Name,' Bon Jovi (1986)
'Say My Name,' Destiny's Child (2000)
'What's My Name?,' Rihanna feat. Drake (2010)
It shouldn't be a surprise that so many songs with names in their titles have topped the Hot 100. After all, everyone hears their name in 'Happy Birthday to You,' which is listed first in Guinness World Records' recap of the most frequently sung songs in English.
As for Luther Vandross, he and Richard Marx shared the 2004 Grammy Award for co-writing 'Dance With My Father.' In a 2012 visit to Billboard, Marx mused about meeting Vandross at the American Music Awards in 1990, while they were both touring. 'You meet somebody and … 'I could hang with this guy,'' he recalled of his early impressions of the R&B legend. 'Then when we both came off the road, we went to dinner and he offered to sing background vocals on my record I was making' — 1991's Rush Street, whose lead single, 'Keep Coming Back,' with prominent runs by Vandross, hit No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
'I said at the dinner, 'Dude, that's like if I was having dinner with Michael Jordan and I said, 'You know … me and my buddies play pick-up basketball in the park on Sundays,' and Michael Jordan said, 'Do you need somebody for your team?' '
Ultimately, 'He was just my pal,' Marx said of Vandross, who passed in 2005. 'We spent a lot more time watching movies, going to dinner, just driving around. I was in love with his voice, as everybody was, but I just miss him. He was the funniest guy — hilarious. I just miss my friend. My memories of Luther are, 99%: We were bros.'
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