This Day in Rock History: November 21

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1970: The Jimi Hendrix Experience song "Voodoo Chile" reached the No. 1 spot on the U.K. Official Singles Chart, two months after Hendrix's passing. Part of the Electric Ladyland album, this song was his only U.K. No. 1 and stayed at the top for a single week.
• 1981: "Under Pressure," Queen's collaboration with David Bowie, topped the U.K. Official Singles Chart after being released a few weeks earlier, on Nov. 2. Recorded in September of that year in Montreux, Switzerland, it marked Queen's second No. 1 in their home nation and Bowie's third.
• 1987: Billy Idol's cover of the 1968 hit "Mony Mony" by Tommy James & The Shondells reached the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Coincidentally, it replaced another cover of a Tommy James & The Shondells song, Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now."

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1975: Queen released their fourth studio album, A Night at the Opera, through EMI Records in the U.K. and Elektra Records in the U.S. The album was hugely successful, largely due to its lead single, "Bohemian Rhapsody," which remains one of the most popular and iconic songs in music history.
• 1980: Steely Dan released their seventh studio album, Gaucho, through MCA Records. It was a significant stylistic shift from their earlier work, with a more complex and atmospheric style that involved more than 42 session musicians and which earned the band a GRAMMY in the Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical category.
• 2011: Nickelback released their seventh studio album, Here and Now, via Roadrunner Records. It debuted at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart and went on to sell over 2 million copies worldwide.