: The Notorious B.I.G. became the fifth artist to achieve a #1 single posthumously with "Hypnotize" and "Mo Money Mo Problems" following his death in March 1997. Chart Longevity Records : An unusual 14 songs from the 1996 Year-End list
1997 is arguably the greatest year for songs that appeared once, burned a hole in your brain, and then vanished.
You can’t talk about 1997 without addressing the elephant in the room: the death of Princess Diana. Elton John’s reworked tribute to Marilyn Monroe became the best-selling single in Billboard history (until streaming changed the math). It was inescapable, somber, and utterly dominant. It spent 14 weeks at #1.
This would never happen in 2025. The streaming era has siloed genres. In 1997, a radio listener could hear The Notorious B.I.G., then Elton John, then Spice Girls ("Wannabe," #11), then The Wallflowers ("One Headlight," #56), all within an hour.
The represents a brief moment when the music industry sold 12 million units of a tribute to a dead princess, made a star out of a woman who sang about being a "bitch," and let a one-man band from England with a Casio keyboard take over the radio.
Looking at this list, you notice what isn’t there yet.
