The Beatles & Rolling Stones Together Again in the Top 10 of a Billboard Chart, 59 Years Later

Gary Trust
·4 min read
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On the Billboard Hot 100 dated Dec. 12, 1964, The Beatles’ “I Feel Fine” flew from No. 22 to No. 5 in its second week on the chart. It jumped over The Rolling Stones’ “Time Is on My Side,” which held at No. 6.

The same week, The Rolling Stones’ LP 12 x 5 bounded into the top 10 from No. 11 to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as The Beatles’ Something New remained in the region, at No. 10.

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That week marked the first time that the bands shared space in the top 10 on Billboard’s charts.

Nearly 59 years later, their iconic imprints long stamped on pop culture, they’re together again in the top 10 of a Billboard ranking.

On the latest Adult Alternative Airplay chart, dated Nov. 18, 2023, The Beatles’ “Now and Then” debuts at No. 9. It joins The Rolling Stones’ “Angry,” up to No. 6 (time is still on their side), a new high in its ninth week on the list.

All Nov. 18-dated Billboard charts will update on Billboard.com on Tuesday, Nov. 14.

“Now and Then” is billed as the final Beatles song, first recorded as a demo in 1977 by John Lennon and initially intended for the band’s three-edition Anthology series in the mid-‘90s before being shelved. Completed at last, it was released Nov. 2, followed by the premiere of its official video Nov. 3, after new technology helped extract Lennon’s vocals from the original demo, while George Harrison guitar parts from the initial attempt to finish the song were also incorporated into the song.

The Rolling Stones’ “Angry” is from their new LP Hackney Diamonds, which debuted two weeks ago as their record-extending 38th top 10 on the Billboard 200. Don Was and Andrew Watt produced the set, the band’s first of all-new material since 2005. (“It’s like going to college,” Watt, 32, told Billboard, “and learning from the literal masters.”)

Hot 100, 12-12-64
Hot 100, 12-12-64

On that Hot 100 dated Dec. 12, 1964, the two bands placed in the top 10 alongside the likes of The Beach Boys and The Supremes (and, fittingly, Lorne Greene’s “Ringo”). On the Billboard 200, Elvis Presley was also in the top 10.

On the newest Adult Alternative Airplay chart, The Beatles’ and The Rolling Stones’ contemporaries in the top 10 include such rising acts as boygenius and Tyler Childers. Additionally in the bracket are fellow veterans including U2 – whose “Atomic City” hits No. 1 – Foo Fighters and Wilco, reflecting the format’s trademark mix of established and ascending artists.

Adult Alternative Airplay chart reporter KINK Portland, Ore., has both “Now and Then” and “Angry” in rotation. “The Beatles and Rolling Stones have been a part of KINK’s DNA since our inception in 1968, and their appeal continues to span multiple generations,” says program director Ken Benson. “We feel an obligation to share noteworthy new releases from iconic artists with our listeners and let them decide on their merits. We recently added ‘Atomic City’ for many of the same reasons.”

Adult Alternative Airplay panelist WTTS Indianapolis is also playing both “Now and Then” and “Angry.” Of The Beatles, says pd Lenny Diana, “No matter what genre of music you are into, direct lines can be drawn back to that band.

“The Rolling Stones,” Diana further muses, “do not need to work with a thirty-something-year-old producer. They can stay inside the Rolling Stones world, and no one will complain. To do what they did with Andrew Watt and do it at a high level is inspiring. I give the band a lot of credit for challenging themselves and embracing today’s sonics within the framework of their band.”

Music Choice’s Adult Alternative channel is likewise spinning both “Now and Then” and “Angry.” Echoes pd Mike Popadines, “The songs are there. They’re both getting major reactions and sounding great in the mix. This just goes to show, you never know what can happen when iconic artists release new music this late into their careers and strike gold. We’re here for this moment.”

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