From the Beatles to Bruno Mars, here are spring break's greatest hits over the years

As spring break rolls toward its closing weekend, this year’s annual student influx is again powered by the hits of the day.

That pop soundtrack is inescapable along the sands of Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach and other hotspots for students and families in Volusia County. From twangy country hits to the thundering bass of hip-hop jams, it’s obvious that music is a must for many visitors.

In the country realm, the annual student invasion has even inspired a few references to the World’s Most Famous Beach.

Daytona goes country: Spring break in Daytona Beach: 5 times country singers name-dropped destination

Where the students are: Ground Zero for spring break just might be Flagler Avenue in New Smyrna Beach

Spring break 101: Spring break history: Daytona Beach parties meant mayhem in MTV-fueled heyday

When you turn back the clock, the nation’s chart-topping songs during spring break’s past offer a panoramic scope of pop music from the Beatles to 50 Cent to Bruno Mars.

Here’s a look at what was topping the chart during spring break over nearly six decades, based on Billboard magazine’s weekly Hit 100 rankings for this very week of March 20-25:

1965: The Beatles ruled

A year after the Beatles took America by storm and launched the British Invasion, the band still ruled atop the charts with “Eight Days a Week.” It was the band’s seventh chart-topping single in a little over a year.

The title of John Lennon-Paul McCartney song is often credited to one of drummer Ringo Starr’s catchy malaprops, a wellspring that also generated the titles “Hard Day’s Night” and “Tomorrow Never Knows,” according to Beatles lore.

Listen

1975: Frankie Valli croons

Originally recorded by the Four Seasons a year earlier, "My Eyes Adored You" reached the top of the charts in March 1975, but it was lead singer Frankie Valli’s solo rendition of the soaring, melodramatic ballad.

It only stayed atop the chart for a week, however, before it was replaced by Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade,” perhaps the more enduring earworm from that year’s spring break.

Listen

1985: REO Speedwagon rolls

“Can’t Fight This Feeling” is a power ballad from REO Speedwagon that topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three straight weeks in March 1985. It was the height of the original MTV era, so the song’s popularity certainly was propelled by the two music videos that the band made to promote it.

Listen

1995: Madonna takes a bow

This lush ballad "Take a Bow" by Madonna spent seven weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, encompassing the entire month of March. It was Madonna's 11th chart-topping single.

The song was the second single off Madonna’s sixth album, "Bedtime Stories," a release that found her moving away from the sexual edginess of her previous album, "Erotica."

Listen

2005: Sweet success for 50 Cent

“Candy Shop,” a midtempo dance track from rapper 50 Cent and R&B singer Olivia, was the chart-topping soundtrack that helped power spring break in 2005. It was Fiddy’s third No. 1 single and his fifth song in the Top 10.

Produced by Scott Storch, the song was flavored by Middle Eastern influences as well as samples from The Salsoul Orchestra's song "Love Break." Lyrically, the song mirrored the blunt sexuality of the rapper’s 2003 collaboration with Lil’ Kim on “Magic Stick.”

Listen

2015: 'Uptown' scores for Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars

British record producer Mark Ronson put the spotlight on Bruno Mars on “Uptown Funk,” a throwback to 1980s funk, soul and Minneapolis dance sounds. The song occupied the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks that included spring break. It was certified 11 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

In addition, the song’s official music video ranks among the most-viewed YouTube videos of all-time, garnering more than 4.7 billion views.

Listen

2023: Morgan Wallen's 'Last Time' at the top

As this year’s spring break heads toward its closing weekend, country singer Morgan Wallen is atop the Billboard Hot 100 with his song “Last Night.” It’s a single from his newly released third studio album, “One Thing At a Time,” a 36-song opus that has taken the Billboard charts by storm.

The new album, released March 3, debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart. In a remarkable feat, all 36 tracks entered the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, breaking a record set by Drake for most songs by an artist on the chart at once, as well as the record for most debuts on the chart, with 27.

Wallen gained his first exposure as a contestant in the sixth season of NBC’s “The Voice” in 2014.

Listen

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Spring break hit songs over the years range from Beatles to 50 Cent