96 Steps to Glory: Kelly Clarkson’s historic leap defies the statistical limits of the Billboard Hot 100 and proves that she is the only artist capable of beating her own impossible records.
In the meticulously measured world of the Billboard Hot 100, chart success usually happens in increments. Songs inch upward week by week, propelled by radio spins, sales, and eventually streams. But in early 2009, Kelly Clarkson did something unprecedented. She didn’t climb the chart—she catapulted. Her single “My Life Would Suck Without You” debuted quietly … Read more