Birthday Chart Toppers - My Fifth Decade Quiz

Answer: Pitbull, featuring Ke$ha

"Timber" was released on October 7th, 2013 as the lead single from Cuban-American rapper Pitbull's EP release "Meltdown". With Ke$ha joining in on vocals, the song became Pitbull's second worldwide hit. In addition to reaching Number One on the U.S Billboard Hot 100, "Timber" also topped the charts in 15 other countries.

The song debuted at Number 49 in the U.S. in the week ending October 10th, 2013. It worked its way up the chart, reaching Number One in the week ending January 18th, 2014, where it stayed for three weeks! Altogether, "Timber" remained on the Hot 100 chart for 39 weeks.

Answer: Mark Ronson, featuring Bruno Mars

"Uptown Funk" was released on November 10th, 2014 as the lead single from Mark Ronson's fourth studio album "Uptown Special." The song was actually a joint writing effort by Ronson, Bruno Mars, Jeff Bhasker, and Philip Lawrence, which they put together in a jam session with Bruno Mars' band. "Uptown Funk" reached the top of the charts in 19 countries and made the Top 10 in another 15.

The song debuted at Number 65 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in the week ending November 29th, 2014, taking over Number One from Taylor Swift in the week ending January 10th, 2015. From there, "Uptown Funk" spent 14 weeks in the Number One spot before sliding down the ranks until it dropped off after a total 55 weeks.

Answer: Justin Bieber

"Sorry" was released on October 22nd, 2015 as the second single from Canadian singer Justin Bieber's fourth studio album "Purpose." The song was co-written by Bieber, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, Skrillex, and BloodPop. "Uptown Funk" reached the top of the charts in 13 countries, including a seven-week run at the top of the Canadian Hot 100.

The song jumped in on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in the Number Two spot in the week ending November 13th, 2015, but it still took until the week ending January 21st, 2016 to knock Adele out of the Number One spot. "Sorry" spent three weeks at the top and a grand total of 42 weeks on the chart.

Answer: Migos, featuring Lil Uzi Vert

"Bad and Boujee" was released on October 28th, 2016, as the lead single from American hip-hop group Migos' second studio album "Culture." When the song reached Number One on the Billboard Hot 100, it was the first time for both Migos and for Lil Uzi Vert.

It took until the week ending January 21st, 2017 for "Bad and Boujee" to reach the Number One spot, and just as quickly, it was supplanted by Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You," but Migos (and Lil Uzi Vert) were able to reclaim the top spot in time for my birthday. They held on for two weeks this time, before being bumped by Sheeran once again. So, "Bad and Boujee" spent three non-consecutive weeks at the top and a total of 14 weeks in the top ten. It finally dropped off the Hot 100 chart after 36 weeks.

Answer: Drake

"God's Plan" was released on January 19th, 2018, by Canadian rapper Drake as the lead single from his fifth studio album, "Scorpion," AND as a single from his second EP, "Scary Hours." During its run, "Havana" reached Number One in 14 different countries, and eventually winning Best Rap Song at the 2019 (61st) Grammy Awards.

"God's Plan" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at Number One in the week ending February 3rd, 2018 (which included my birthday of January 30th), and stayed at the top for 11 weeks. After 26 weeks in the top ten, "God's Plan" stayed on the chart for an additional 10 weeks before finally disappearing after 36 weeks in total.

Answer: Ariana Grande

"7 Rings" was released on January 18th, 2019 by American singer Ariana Grande as the second single on her fifth studio album, "Thank U, Next." Grande co-wrote the song with Victoria Monét, Tayla Parx, Njomza, and Kaydence. The song reached Number One in 23 different countries, and reached the top ten in another ten countries.

"7 Rings" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at Number One in the week ending February 2nd, 2019, and stayed at the top for 8 weeks. In total, the song remained on the chart for 33 weeks before dropping off.

Answer: Roddy Ricch

"The Box" was released on December 6th, 2019 by American rapper Roddy Ricch as the fourth single on his debut studio album, "Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial." The song reached the top of the charts in four countries, and garnered three nominations at the 63rd Grammy Awards in 2020, including for Song of the Year.

"The Box" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at Number 47 in the week ending December 21, 2019, and worked its way up the chart to reach Number One in the week ending January 18th, 2020, where it settled for 11 weeks. In total, "The Box" remained on the chart for 38 weeks.

Answer: Olivia Rodrigo

"Drivers License" was released on January 8th, 2021 by American singer Olivia Rodrigo as her debut single from her debut studio album, "Sour." When the song entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at Number One, Rodrigo became the youngest artist to do so, at age 17. "Drivers Licence" topped the charts in 25 countries, and was nominated for three awards at the 65th Grammys in 2022, winning Best Pop Solo Performance.

As mentioned, "Drivers License" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at Number One in the week ending January 23rd, 2021, where it stayed for eight weeks. In total, "Drivers Licence" remained on the chart for 28 weeks, finally dropping off at the end of July.

Answer: The cast of "Encanto"

"We Don't Talk About Bruno" was written by American composer, singer and filmmaker Lin-Manuel Miranda (of "Hamilton" fame), and was performed in the Disney animated movie "Encanto" by Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz, and the rest of the cast of the film. It was the fourth song on the soundtrack, which was released on November 19th, 2021.

"We Don't Talk About Bruno" entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at Number 50 in the week ending January 8th, 2022, and by the end of the month, reached the Number One spot (in the week ending February 5th). It stayed at Number One for five weeks, and altogether, the song stayed on the chart for 20 weeks.

Answer: Miley Cyrus

"Flowers" was released on January 12th, 2023 by American singer Miley Cyrus as the lead single from her eighth studio album, "Endless Summer Vacation." Cyrus announced the release date of the song during her televised New Years Eve special, and upon its release, "Flowers" set a record on Spotify for most plays in its first week, with over 96 million, beating Adele's previous record of 85 million for "Easy on Me." Then in its second week of release, it surpassed its own record with over 115 million plays.

"Flowers" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at Number One in the week ending January 28th, 2023, which it maintained during the subsequent week over my (January 30th) birthday, completing my list of birthday chart toppers for my 40s.