A Truly Fab Moment in Music History

50 years ago today, something happened on the Billboard Hot 100 that had never happened before and hasn’t happened again since: every one of the top five entries was held by the same artist... and given the unabashed use of the adjective “fab” in the headline, you probably won’t be terribly surprised to learn that it was the Beatles who achieved this still-unparalleled feat.

If you’re wondering, the songs in question were – moving from the top spot down – “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Twist and Shout,” “She Loves You,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and “Please Please Me.”

To celebrate this occasion, we’ve put together a short but very sweet little playlist featuring two covers each of the five songs in question, featuring interpretations from a wide variety of artists, including Booker T. & The MGs, Nelson Riddle, the Flamin’ Groovies, Duke Ellington, and... Peter Sellers?

Oh, yeah: in 1964, everybody was paying attention to the Beatles.