Not sure why there is the debate about older acts and the 90s, the 90s were full of older acts, Rod Stewart, Aerosmith (1994 Steven Tyler), Meat Loaf, Bee Gees, B-52s, Bruce Springsteen, Cliff Richard (No.1 in 1999) to name a few.

 

 

^I think that's precisely why there's a debate?

This argument is making me smile 😀

 

I remember clearly Cher reaching number 1 - it was an amazing achievement.

 

She was up against new artists such as:

#2 George Michael

#3 U2

#4 Culture Club

#7 Aerosmith

 

#11 Beautiful South/#13 Fatboy Slim

 

🤷🏻‍♂️

 

Regardless of the impact of radio playlisting, older artists really struggle to have hits in the streaming era.

Interesting. I’ve noticed that even in my post, all of the artists are male.

Interesting. I’ve noticed that even in my post, all of the artists are male.

Lulu (1993) Candi Staton (1991) bette midler (1991) Jocelyn Brown, Barbra Streisand

And before Believe you had Aretha’s ‘A Deeper Love’ peaking at #5 in 1994 when she was 52. Tina and Diana were scoring top 20 hits consistently in the 90s, it’s not like nowadays where there’s just a total absence of older women on the charts

Do P!nk, Sia, Beyonce & Nicki Minaj not fall under the category of "old women"? :huh:

Lulu (1993) Candi Staton (1991) bette midler (1991) Jocelyn Brown, Barbra Streisand

 

Thanks for those. I do genuinely believe that if we look at the 90s we would find a fair number of artists over the age of 50 having hits - both male and female (most of the artists I mentioned were probably in their 40s - certainly the first ones I mentioned had careers already lasting 15 years.)

 

Do P!nk, Sia, Beyonce & Nicki Minaj not fall under the category of "old women"? :huh:

 

Good point. How old are each of them?

 

(most of the artists I mentioned were probably in their 40s - certainly the first ones I mentioned had careers already lasting 15 years.)

Actually, all the male artists mentioned in your post, except for Steven Tyler, were under 40 in 1998.

Good point. How old are each of them?

All of them are over 40.

Actually, all the male artists mentioned in your post, except for Steven Tyler, were under 40 in 1998.

 

Even more remarkable then that all of these guys in their mid-late 30s (with careers already at least 10 years old - in most cases 15 years) were beaten to the number 1 spot by Cher!

Even more remarkable then that all of these guys in their mid-late 30s (with careers already at least 10 years old - in most cases 15 years) were beaten to the number 1 spot by Cher!

I don't remember thinking it was remarkable, more remarkable was probably the sales and the worldwide appeal but she got a good song, used the unique voice sample and released it at the right time, I remember a lot of woman in their late thirties loving it, then in 1999 Shania Twain gave the same genre another album of hits that hit the right note with ladies of that age and then again Dido also did the same.

 

Considering Cher had the 2nd biggest song of 1991 and a number in 1995 and had a hit most years of the decade and was probably the biggest female artist in the UK of the decade I just assumed it was normal.

Edited June 15, 20232 yr by steveh31

All of them are over 40.

 

But in the context of this discussion, are any over 50? And how old were they when they had their last top 10 (solo and in collaboration).

 

Sia is 47 - and her last solo top 10 hit was 7 years ago.

P!nk is 43 - and her last solo top 10 hit was 3 years ago

 

So both were around 40.

 

The point here I guess is that it is very rare for older artists to have significant chart success. I don’t know whether there is a gender disparity.

 

Personally I think it’s understandable - as younger music listeners typically have more agreement in their tastes - but also are more likely to be inspired by younger artists.

 

It’s brilliant that Beyoncé etc have continued success!

 

So when artists over 50 have chart success, it’s cause for celebration, whether it’s Cher or Kylie.

 

I’m not sure if it’s just that I’m older now, but it certainly seemed that older artists had more hits back in the 90s.

 

omg entering this thread is the same as opening the hell's door lol too hot in here!!!

 

Kylie so close but the way she's climbing on Spotify and now Top 10 on apple + #1 on iTunes, I strongly believe next week it is the week that she's entering Top 10 (if not this Friday)!!!

 

And all done naturally and gradually...it reminds me of 90's songs chart run <3

I think this is a complete list of new top 10 hits from 2010-present which had at least one credited vocalist aged 45+ at the time of the song's release* (might be a year out with some of the ages, having to do a bit of mental maths here):

 

Michael Jackson and Akon - Hold My Hand (Michael Jackson, would have been 52)

Dr. Dre - I Need A Doctor (feat. Eminem and Skylar Grey) (Dr. Dre, 46)

will.i.am - T.H.E (The Hardest Ever) (feat. Mick Jagger and Jennifer Lopez) (Mick Jagger, 68)

Public Enemy - Harder Than You Think (Flavor Flav, 48 / Chuck D, 47) {released in 2007, charted in 2012}

David Bowie - Where Are We Now? (66)

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Thrift Shop (feat. Wanz) (Wanz, 50)

Lady Gaga - Do What U Want (feat. R. Kelly) (R. Kelly, 46)

Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake - Love Never Felt So Good (Michael Jackson, would have been 55)

Rik Mayall - Noble England (52) {released in 2010, charted posthumously in 2014}

Waze & Odyssey vs. R. Kelly - Bump & Grind 2014 (R. Kelly, 47)

The Wealdstone Raider - Got No Fans (48)

Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney - FourFiveSeconds (Paul McCartney, 72) {Paul did have some very minimal vocals on this so I'll include it}

Eminem - Walk On Water (feat. Beyoncé) (Eminem, 45)

Rak-Su - Dimelo (feat. Wyclef Jean and Naughty Boy) (Wyclef Jean, 48)

Eminem - River (feat. Ed Sheeran) (Eminem, 45)

Drake - Don't Matter To Me (feat. Michael Jackson) (Michael Jackson, would have been 59)

Eminem - The Ringer (45)

Eminem - Lucky You (feat. Joyner Lucas) (Eminem, 45)

Eminem - Fall (45)

Kygo and Whitney Houston - Higher Love (Whitney Houston, would have been 55)

Eminem - Godzilla (feat. Juice WRLD) (Eminem, 47)

Michael Ball, Tom Moore and The NHS Voices Of Care Choir - You'll Never Walk Alone (Tom Moore, 99 / Michael Ball, 57)

Pop Smoke - The Woo (feat. 50 Cent and Roddy Ricch) (50 Cent, 45)

The Kunts - Boris Johnson Is A Fucking Cunt (Kunt, 47)

Drake - Lemon Pepper Freestyle (feat. Rick Ross) (Rick Ross, 45)

ABBA - Don't Shut Me Down (Agnetha Fältskog, 71)

Elton John and Dua Lipa - Cold Heart (PNAU Remix) (Elton John, 74)

Ed Sheeran and Elton John - Merry Christmas (Elton John, 74)

LadBaby - Sausage Rolls For Everyone (feat. Ed Sheeran and Elton John) (Elton John, 74)

The Kunts - Boris Johnson Is STILL A Fucking Cunt (Kunt, 48)

Stephanie Beatriz and Olga Merediz - The Family Madrigal (Olga Merediz, 65)

Luude - Down Under (feat. Colin Hay) (Colin Hay, 68)

Calvin Harris, Justin Timberlake, Halsey and Pharrell Williams - Stay With Me (Pharrell Williams, 49)

Elton John and Britney Spears - Hold Me Closer (Elton John, 75)

The Kunts - Fuck The Tories (Kunt, 49)

The Krown Jewelz - Scrap The Monarchy (Kunt, 49/50)

 

Plus various one-off charity collectives that had at least one member aged 45+ (Helping Haiti, The X Factor Finalists 2010, The X Factor Finalists 2011, The Justice Collective, Gareth Malone's All Star Choir, Band Aid 30, Artists For Grenfell, Live Lounge Allstars, BBC Radio 2 Allstars). And presumably also Military Wives (2 top 10 hits) and The Lewisham And Greenwich NHS Choir.

 

*this was a somewhat specifically contrived definition to exclude things like Christmas songs re-entering and old songs boosted to the chart for various other reasons (Facebook campaigns, talent show performances etc.), both songs reaching the top 10 for the first time and those re-entering (e.g. Tina Turner - The Best was already a top 10 hit for a 45+ year old artist on its original run let alone its 2010 re-entry) but even then, The Wizard Of Oz Cast - Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead would technically count for this list too, as Billie Burke would have been ~55 at the time it was recorded. But I still thought that would be a bit silly to include as anything more than a footnote

 

The majority are collaborations with younger artists, and in most cases it's fair to assume the younger artist was more responsible for the song's charting. These are the ones which have only 45+ year old credited vocalists:

 

Public Enemy - Harder Than You Think (Flavor Flav, 48 / Chuck D, 47) {released in 2007, charted in 2012}

David Bowie - Where Are We Now? (66)

Rik Mayall - Noble England (52) {released in 2010, charted posthumously in 2014}

Waze & Odyssey vs. R. Kelly - Bump & Grind 2014 (R. Kelly, 47)

The Wealdstone Raider - Got No Fans (48)

Eminem - The Ringer (45)

Eminem - Fall (45)

Kygo and Whitney Houston - Higher Love (Whitney Houston, would have been 55)

Michael Ball, Tom Moore and The NHS Voices Of Care Choir - You'll Never Walk Alone (Tom Moore, 99 / Michael Ball, 57) {give or take choir members}

The Kunts - Boris Johnson Is A Fucking Cunt (Kunt, 47)

ABBA - Don't Shut Me Down (Agnetha Fältskog, 71)

The Kunts - Boris Johnson Is STILL A Fucking Cunt (Kunt, 48)

Luude - Down Under (feat. Colin Hay) (Colin Hay, 68)

The Kunts - Fuck The Tories (Kunt, 49)

The Krown Jewelz - Scrap The Monarchy (Kunt, 49/50)

 

Even then it's hard to say many if any of these are really comparable to 'Padam Padam' potentially becoming a genuine 'normal' top 10 hit without any gimmicks that just happens to be by an older artist - Public Enemy charted from being used heavily in Paralympics coverage, Rik Mayall was a posthumous tribute, Waze & Odyssey/Kygo/Luude were remakes of older hits/recordings that just credited the original vocalists, The Wealdstone Raider and The Kunts/The Krown Jewelz were short lived novelty campaigns, the two Eminem songs both charted as part of an album bomb (one of them was never a single), Michael Ball/Tom Moore was a charity single. ...and that just leaves David Bowie and ABBA, which were both comeback singles from their first albums in 10 and 40 years respectively!

 

(did I spend too much time making this post? Yes. But I hope at least some people read it and find it interesting ddd)

also: the last top 10 solo hit by a female artist aged 45+ was actually not 'Million Dollar Bill' - it was Susan Boyle's 'Wild Horses' (she was 48) :D 'Celebration' was indeed the last top 10 solo hit by a female artist aged 50+, but the 'female' qualifier almost feels like selling Kylie's potential achievement a bit short considering there have only been two male artists who've done it since then (David Bowie in 2013 and Rik Mayall posthumously in 2014).

(did I spend too much time making this post? Yes. But I hope at least some people read it and find it interesting ddd)

 

Super interesting read though!! It is crazy how male heavy that list is though - it is basically all males apart from Whitney which is an old sample and Olga Merediz who is a feature on a dance track. So Kylie could be the first 45+ woman to have a top 10 hit as a lead artist (and of a new song) since 2010 then?

 

Also... more on that 'Padam Padam' is now #8 on Apple Music.

Amazon:

 

9. Kylie

10. Dua

28. Harry Styles - Satellite

59. Tom Grennan

60+63 Anne-Marie

That’s a very good read, Bre! I’d take the second list more as genuine without collabs etc. I think Eminem has still got it with the next release, but he’s like one of a kind phenomenon too.

 

Low top-10 didn’t sound extremely big for the ABBA release, but putting it into perspective you can see how much it defied the trend too. Obviously ABBA and Bowie benefitted from the huge comeback effects, but regardless it is extremely impressive.

 

Unfortunately I don’t see the music industry becoming much less ageist, but if anything, tiktok and other less centralised trends will make the room for at least some good songs by older artists regardless of ageism.

David Bowie’s was also an instant grat, meaning everyone who pre-ordered the album got a copy of the song as well (before they banned it). So it does kind of come with a big asterisk, it dropped from #6 to #41 to out of the charts after 2 weeks.