May 31 Marks Historic Pop and Rock Milestones

May 31 has hosted a series of notable pop and Top‑40 moments. In 1977 the BBC banned the Sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen," yet the single rose to No. 2 on the UK chart. The Beastie Boys released their album Ill Communication in 1994, and in 2003 50 Cent held three songs in the Billboard Hot 100’s top ten. Rihanna’s breakthrough album Good Girl Gone Bad arrived in 2007, while Bad Bunny and Tainy scored a global hit with "Callaíta" in 2019. The Roots Picnic and other festival performances were staged in 2025.

Rock history also records several May 31 milestones. Lipps Inc topped the Hot 100 with "Funkytown" in 1980, and Genesis reached No. 1 with "Invisible Touch" in 1986, the same year Peter Gabriel’s solo album topped the UK chart. The day marks the 1948 birth of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham and Jimi Hendrix’s brief 1961 enlistment in the U.S. Army. The Who were declared the loudest band in 1976, Alan McGee discovered Oasis at a Glasgow venue in 1993, and Michael Jackson achieved top‑10 hits across five consecutive decades in 2014. Gordon Lightfoot’s Sundown went gold in 1974, and the Rolling Stones performed a surprise club show in London in 1982.