Music History Events: Comebacks
February 28, 2012 Fall Out Boy lead singer Patrick Stump makes a blog post titled "We Liked You Better Fat: Confessions of a Pariah" where he writes about hitting a low point with a failed solo album and taunts from audience members. The post prompts FOB bass player Pete Wentz to contact Stump, and they get the band back together, staging a triumphant comeback with their 2013 album Save Rock and Roll and the hit "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)."More
October 25, 2008 Britney Spears returns to the top of the Hot 100 with "Womanizer," her first #1 on that chart since her debut single, "...Baby One More Time," in 1999.More
November 18, 2006 With the aid of a private jet, Jay-Z plays seven 30-minute sets across the US in one day to promote his comeback album, Kingdom Come.
June 15, 1999 After a seven-year recording hiatus, Santana release the album Supernatural, which goes to #1 thanks to hit singles like "Smooth," "Maria Maria," and "Put Your Lights On." It's their first chart-topping album in 28 years.More
May 8, 1993 The comeback is complete as Aerosmith's Get a Grip album debuts at #1, marking their first trip to the top of the albums chart.
March 17, 1992 After reuniting at their ex-manager's funeral, Spinal Tap issue their 17th album, Break Like The Wind.More
January 28, 1991 At the American Music Awards, Gloria Estefan performs live for the first time since a tour bus accident 10 months earlier where she seriously injured her back. She debuts her new single, "Coming Out Of The Dark," which is inspired by her recovery.
November 25, 1989 Thanks to a video that gets Alice Cooper his first significant spins on MTV, "Poison" hits #7 - the rocker's first Top 40 hit in nine years.
April 15, 1989 Roy Orbison's posthumous single "You Got It" climbs to #9 in America four months after his death. It's his first Top 10 hit in that country since "(Oh) Pretty Woman" in 1964.
November 10, 1988 After a 6-year hiatus where he waits out the '80s, Steve Miller starts touring again, kicking off with a show in Burlington, Vermont.
November 5, 1988 The Beach Boys, who haven't had a #1 hit since "Good Vibrations" in 1966, top the charts with the Brian Wilson-less "Kokomo," used in the movie Cocktail. It's the longest gap between #1 hits for any artist.More
July 9, 1988 Cheap Trick, hitless since the '70s, go to #1 in America with "The Flame," joining the power ballad party of the late '80s.More
February 20, 1988 "What Have I Done To Deserve This?" by Pet Shop Boys climbs to #2 in America, behind Tiffany's "Could've Been." The song features Dusty Springfield, marking her first big hit since 1969.
August 16, 1986 At a soggy Monsters Of Rock festival at Castle Donington, England, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen gets a huge ovation when he takes the stage with the band. Twenty months earlier, Allen's left arm was severed in a car accident, and after extensive rehab and some warm-up gigs, he makes a triumphant return at the festival, playing barefoot behind a drum kit modified with electronic pedals. Scorpions and Motörhead are also on the bill, which is headlined by Ozzy Osbourne.
September 1, 1984 Tina Turner completes her comeback as "What's Love Got To Do With It" hits #1 in America.More
May 29, 1984 Tina Turner releases Private Dancer, her big comeback album.More
September 4, 1982 "Abracadabra" by the Steve Miller Band hits #1 in the US, giving the veteran rocker his third chart-topper.More
January 13, 1973 Eric Clapton returns to the stage for the first time in about 18 months, playing the first of two all-star shows at the Rainbow Theater in London. Recorded as Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert, it also features Pete Townshend (of The Who); Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Ric Grech and Rebop Kwaku Baah (of Traffic); and Ronnie Wood (of Faces). Townshend helped set up the shows to get Clapton out of his drug-induced depression. A highlight of both shows is Clapton performing on "Layla."
October 24, 1970 "Lola" peaks at #9 in the US, giving The Kinks their first American Top 10 since "Tired of Waiting for You" in 1965. After their US tour in 1965, they were denied visas for the next three years, killing their momentum in that country. Following their return in 1969, "Lola" gets them back on the airwaves.
July 31, 1969 Elvis Presley comes to Vegas! Making his first live concert appearance since March 25, 1961, he plays the International Hotel in Las Vegas, the first of 57 shows that help revive his career and earn him $1.5 million.
July 2, 1966 "Strangers in the Night" goes to #1, giving Frank Sinatra his first #1 pop hit since "Learnin' The Blues" in 1955. The song appeared in the film A Man Could Get Killed, winning the Oscar for Best Song.
March 20, 2026 BTS release their comeback album, ARIRANG, their first since 2022, when they started their mandatory South Korean military service. They're still a very big deal, but they now have lots of competition from K-pop acts like Stray Kids, Blackpink, and the animated superheroines Huntr/x of Kpop Demon Hunters.
May 7, 2025 Gretchen Wilson of "Redneck Woman" fame makes a comeback with a win on The Masked Singer, where she sings as a crustacean called Pearl. Wilson beats out Andy Grammer and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line for the victory.
July 26, 2024 Celine Dion makes a spectacular return with a performance of "Hymne À L'amour" from the Eiffel Tower at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. It's her first performance since 2020, when she was sidelined with Stiff Person Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
September 10, 2015 Craig David breaks his hiatus with a guest slot on BBC Radio 1Xtra during a takeover by spoof garage and grime collective Kurupt FM, made popular by the BBC mockumentary People Just Do Nothing (also featuring grime MCs Big Narstie, Stormzy and MC Vapour). The session goes viral and helps launch David's comeback alongside the rising grime scene.More
April 13, 2004 Pixies return to the stage after 12 years with a 27-song set at the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis.
October 18, 2001 Mexican singer Paulina Rubio, whose languishing career made a spectacular comeback with her 2000 release, Paulina, is the big winner at the third annual El Premio de la Gente Ritmo Latino Music Awards. Rubio wins for Album of the Year and Best Female Artist of the Year, while her hit "Y Yo Sigo Aqui" wins in the music video category.
May 15, 2001 God Bless the Go-Go's, the Go-Go's fourth album, is released. It is the band's first studio album in 17 years.
June 29, 1994 Barbra Streisand sets a new record after grossing $16 million for a series of Madison Square Garden comeback shows.
April 26, 1994 Johnny Cash releases American Recordings, the first of a series of albums produced by Rick Rubin that revitalize his career.More
©2026 Songfacts®, LLC