Snoop Dogg is back representing Team USA. The rap legend was honored with carrying the torch through the streets of Northern Italy on Wednesday (Feb. 4) ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina.

Snoop lit up in a different fashion than usual. He bore the flaming torch while bringing his American pride to Gallarate, Italy, which saw him rocking a fresh white tracksuit with “Coach Snoop” inscribed on his Team USA pants above the Olympic rings.

“I’m showing peace and love and it’s an honor to have this torch in my hand right now,” Snoop said. “I want to spread a whole lot of love to the athletes, to the people of Italy, to the whole world right now. Because that’s what the Olympics is all about. Spread peace and love from the D-O-dub.”

The Doggfather is running it back as a special correspondent for NBC’s coverage of the Milan-Cortina Games after charming viewers with his memorable performance at the 2024 Paris Games.

That’s not it for Snoop, as he’ll be making Olympic history as the first-ever honorary coach for Team USA at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games.

“I’m jumping in as Team USA’s first honorary coach, a role that’s all about celebrating and supporting athletes beyond what fans see on the field of play,” Snoop wrote on LinkedIn. “I’m here to bring my voice, my heart, and maybe a little wisdom from the sidelines … to help motivate Team USA, shine a light on the full athlete journey and uplift the people who make their dreams possible.”

Snoop will bring his unique perspective to the NBC coverage, which will find him providing primetime updates and sitting down with Olympics host Mike Tirico. The opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Games is set to take place on Feb. 6 airing on NBC and Peacock. 

Watch Snoop walk through the streets of Italy with the Team USA torch below.

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Noel Gallagher has been named the BRIT Awards’ 2026 songwriter of the year in recognition of Oasis’ recent blockbuster reunion tour.

The announcement dovetails with the ceremony moving to Manchester, where Noel and younger brother Liam were born and raised, and where Oasis formed in 1991. Noel will attend the ceremony and collect the award in person at the Co-op Live Arena on Feb. 28.

The award is judged by an expert panel, with recent winners including Ed Sheeran (2022), Kid Harpoon (2023), RAYE (2024) and Charli xcx (2025).

The prize marks the first BRIT Award either Gallagher has won for 16 years. In 2010 the group was awarded the British album of 30 year prize for 1995’s (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? The award was collected by Liam, who promptly threw the award and his microphone into the audience and walked off stage; host Peter Kay subsequently called him a “knobhead” later in the broadcast.

The group’s history with the awards has been illustrious, however. Oasis won its first in 1995 for British breakthrough, and won a further three at 1996’s raucous ceremony that arrived at the height of Britpop, and where the band went toe-to-toe with rival Blur. In 2007, Oasis collected the outstanding contribution to music prize, its final BRIT Award before the band split in 2009.

In 2015, Noel claimed to the BBC that the awards were “rigged” and said it was “a bit of a carve-up between the majors.” He added, “Don’t let this put you off giving me a table. I like award ceremonies and all that social scene — it’s a good laugh.” The BRITs denied his claims at the time.

The recognition comes after Oasis’ Live ‘25 reunion tour, which saw Noel and Liam reunite for the first time since 2009. The shows took place in the U.K. and Ireland, North America, Latin America and East Asia, and saw the band’s back catalogue return to the summit of the U.K. Charts. Noel is credited as the sole songwriter on the band’s first three albums (Definitely Maybe, 1994; Morning Glory, 1995; and Be Here Now, 1997) which made up the vast majority of the group’s setlist on tour.

The nominations for the BRIT Awards were shared in late January, with Olivia Dean and Lola Young leading the pack with five nods each. Sam Fender scored four nominations, with Dave, Jim Legaxcy, Wolf Alice, Fred again.. and Lily Allen bagging three each. Dean and Wolf Alice are set to perform on the night alongside a live comeback from Harry Styles.

Number_i’s “3XL” blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, on the chart released Feb. 4.

The trio’s digitally released single was produced by member Sho Hirano. It launches with 75,075 downloads to lead the metric while placing at No. 3 for video views, No. 10 for streaming and topping radio airplay. With this single, Number_i earns its fifth No. 1 hit on the Japan Hot 100 and sixth total week at No. 1.

Number_i’s No. 1 Singles on Japan Hot 100

”U.M.A.”
“GOD_i”
“INZM”
“GOAT”
“3XL”

Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “lulu.” is at No. 2, down a spot from last week. The song comes in at No. 3 for downloads, No. 2 for both streaming and radio, No. 4 for video and No. 59 for karaoke. At No. 3 is Hinatazaka46’s “Cliffhanger,” which sold 587,953 copies — a career high — to lead sales, while also hitting No. 14 for downloads, No. 27 for streaming, No. 33 for radio and No. 34 for video.

Additional entries include HANA’s “Cold Night,” which jumps 45-7 to mark its first appearance inside the top 10. The song is the breakout group’s first anime tie-in, serving as the opening theme for the TV anime Medalist Season 2. The track comes in at No. 6 for both sales and downloads, No. 9 for video, No. 10 for radio and No. 11 for streaming.

Additionally, Aina The End’s “On the Way” returns to the top 10 for the first time in three weeks, logging its 18th total week inside the top tier.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.

See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Jan. 26 to Feb. 1, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Gifting can be tough in general, but when you’re gifting for your wife, it can almost feel like a monumental challenge.

Yet that feat is taken on again and again, year after year, every Valentine’s Day, a proclamation of love that holds a ton of weight. You’ll need something meaningful, but not too sappy. Something that makes reference to your wife’s niche interests or hobbies (hopefully you’ve been paying attention), but won’t cost you a fortune.

It’s a balancing act that can be dizzying and overwhelming if not approached with care. Unlike years past, you have ShopBillboard in your back pocket to guide you through the trials and tribulations of gift-giving for your wife. We’ve compiled a neat little list of gifts into easily-approachable categories, from music-themed gifts (our favorite) to gifts for the fashion-forward wife, and everything in between. If you’re lost and you don’t know where to turn in a sea of gifts, let us be your guiding light in the darkness, so to speak.

Keep reading to shop our picks for gifts for wives this Valentine’s Day. While you’re at it, why not shop our Valentine’s Day gift guide for girlfriends?

For the Music-Inclined Wife

This gift combines two of the world’s most beloved things, music and charcuterie. This Uncommon Goods cheese board retails for $65 and is shaped like, as the name suggests, a turntable with a flat surface to place fancy cheeses and accompanying crackers, fruits, veggies and spreads. If your wife loves to entertain, or simply loves a savory snack, and they’re a fan of music, then this gift should be a hit. 

Forego the traditional Polaroid or couple’s pick with this personalized vinyl record photo from Etsy for $12.65, 50% off the OG price of $25.30. Nestled in the center of a custom colored record, you can input a photo of you and your boo, alongside a chosen song that means the most to you both. You can also customize the base the record sits inside for an extra fee. The custom vinyl is a special way to capture a moment that looks a lot cooler than a plain photo in a frame.

If your life loves spinning records on a record player, she’s going to need all the swag for the player that she can handle, and that includes a slipmat. If you didn’t know, a slipmat is a soft disc, usually made of felt, cork or rubber, that is placed on a turntable platter to reduce friction. It also protects the vinyl from any damage. While it is used to allow DJs to manipulate records for scratching and beatmatching, it has become a cosmetic item for those who spin records at home. This one from Urban Outfitters is in collaboration with singer Laufey and the Peanuts for $25. It’s an easy way to give your record player a pop of color and whimsy if it’s rather plain, which they usually are.

Bose is renowned for its exceptional sound quality, particularly when it comes to listening to music. This romantic speaker style instantly struck us because of the utterly gorgeous Valentine’s Day-esque coloring. It’s this flecked pink with maroon/burgundy accents. Beyond the beauty of this speaker, it also boasts clear, crisp and room-filling sound despite its mini stature. The on-the-go tech retails for $129 and has a battery life of 12 hours. It is also extremely tough, withstanding drops, water and dust all in an extremely cute package.

While record players are often seen set up atop a desk, a stationary decor piece, this Crosley Rohe Record Player & Bluetooth Speaker defies expectations, acting as a full-blown decor piece with dimension. The standing record player retails for $159, a great price as compared to competitors, and is equipped with a built-in Bluetooth speaker to amplify your tunes tenfold. Aesthetically speaking, the record player is extremely chic-looking and almost vintage-inspired. You’ve also got a standard three-speed turntable and a headphone jack in case you want your tunes more private

For the Wife Who’s a Baker

As mentioned, we’re pretty tired of plain old photo albums. They’re great at keeping memories and all but they’re so boring. Enter this recipe book meets photo album, a decorative piece that you can customize with your favorite recipes beside your favorite moments. The book retails for $33.15 and can be shopped now at Papier. To further customize, you can pick the color of your book and the way it’s bound.

Smeg has become an exceedingly popular cookware brand with a ton of products under its proverbial umbrella. Our pick? The brand’s retro-inspired electric hand mixer in this pretty pink hue. The beater makes mixing up delightful desserts, from cakes and cupcakes to puddings, a breeze, and it looks extremely cute too, unlike other standard mixers that look industrial and plain. Got a wife who likes to bake? This mixer should be a major hit.

For the Techy Wife

Capturing moments, especially ones you cherish with your loved ones, is now easier than ever with this bundle from Fujifilm. The set is $85.95, currently 19% off, and features a camera tote where you can place your photos front and center in purple, a Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 camera, a quilted wallet for holding even more photos, a sticker sleeve for decorating your photos and an idea booklet that will give you inspo for future photo shoots with your lover.

If you didn’t know, the viral Oura Ring is a number one best seller on Amazon. The tech-meets-fashion accessory is a wearable health tracker in the form of a ring that monitors sleep, activity and recovery using various sensors. If you’ve wanted to get into that “new year, new me” mindset, this is a great place to start because it easily helps you track your health goals with little to no effort.

I know we’ve been dogging on standard picture frames throughout this article thus far, but just hear us out. This isn’t your average picture frame, because it’s a digital touchscreen version that holds a slideshow of photos on a loop. You’ll be able to upload photos to the photo frame, displaying your memories on a loop for all to see. For $99.99, you’ll get much more use out of this frame than your standard frames.

One of the most annoying things about having a hot beverage is that it goes cold rather quickly, especially if you’re a busy wife or mother who doesn’t have time to sip on their tea or coffee fresh. Alleviate that issue and give your wife hot beverages every time with this warming coffee mug from Walmart that constantly heats up your drink, keeping it toasty and fresh every time. The mug is placed on a charging coaster that heats the mug. You have the option to choose between three temperature settings (135, 140, or 145 F) to customize beverage warmth. For safety, the heated mug has an auto-shutoff function after 3 hours on the coaster or after the cup is empty.

Give the gift of relaxation that’s much cheaper than any spa day with this Mini Theragun from Therabody. Retailing for $219.99, the mini product is compact enough that it can be taken on the go popped in an everyday bag. The vibrating head is said to target knots and pressure points, relieving aches and pains. The massage gun comes in three hues, just in case you’re looking for your loved-ones favorite color.

For the Beauty-Obsessed Wife

Dyson’s AirWrap brought major traction to the brand, but not enough love is given to the Supersonic Nural Hair Dryer. The dryer is available at Macy’s for $399.99, 27% off, and comes with multiple attachments that can be switched out, allowing users to create unique looks. Dyson products pride themselves on high-quality results with minimal damage to the hair, something that we particularly love to look for in our styling products.

If you didn’t know, Carpenter first released a fragrance back in 2022. The Sweet Tooth line was expanded upon throughout the years to include four scents that feature a gourmand profile. That basically just means the fragrance smells like something you’d want to eat. The line includes Caramel Dream, Sweet Tooth, Me Espresso and Cherry Baby. We’ve highlighted Sweet Tooth here, a fragrance with notes of bergamot, candied ginger, chocolate marshmallow, jasmine petals and coconut milk, among others. Each perfume can be purchased at Urban Outfitters for $25 and is packaged in on-theme chocolate bars that are extremely decorative, set on a vanity or with your other perfumes.

This one’s for the busy wives who are looking for a quick solution to depuffing without all the fuss of using a gua sha. This Kitsch Terracotta Ice Roller requires no oils and no manual massaging. The roller is designed to be stored in the fridge or freezer for an extra cold setting. You’ll want to take it out while it’s icy and roll it over your face, specifically in areas that you know are prone to swelling like the jaw and cheeks. Work the cold metal portion into your skin, and the swelling in your face is said to subside in seconds.

It’s all thanks to science that this product works. If you didn’t know, cold reduces facial puffiness through what is known as vasoconstriction, which basically means that low temperatures cause blood vessels to constrict, restricting blood flow. This, in turn, reduces swelling, inflammation and fluid buildup under the skin. The metal portion conducts cold, keeping things extra icy. The metal portion is also more hygienic since it’s less porous than plastic, meaning bacteria won’t cling to it as easily.

Let this Jones Road Hero Kit be your saving grace when life gets too busy to do a complicated makeup look. The kit comes with five products for $86, down from $124, consisting of Mini Miracle Balm in Flushed, Mini Miracle Balm in Magic Hour, The Best Pencil in Brown, The Mascara and an eye cream. Each product is meant for multi use, giving you more mileage out of your products. The mini miracle balms can be used as eyeshadow, blush and highlighter, while the Best Pencil can be used for your brows, on your eyes to create a wing and as lip liner. It’s a full face with half the effort, all in one easy-to-pack kit.

Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty launched an Eau de Parfum in 2021, boasting notes of magnolia, musk and Bulgarian rose. The resulting fragrance is a sweet, floral and subtly musky spritz that is warming and comforting. It’s a luxe scent that works well on all ages and can be used as a layering fragrance along with your other complimentary fragrances to create a more dynamic scent. For $140, you get a 2.50z bottle in a decorative bottle.

If you didn’t know, Shakira has her own haircare brand, which makes total sense considering her hair is extremely beautiful and voluminous, practically the epitome of curly goals. To get your wife’s hair looking just as good, you can get her an Isima Discovery Hair Kit for $39, jam-packed with products tested by the Queen of Latin Music herself. The kit comes with four products, including a Triple Repair Peptide Mask, a Hydrating Shampoo + Conditioner and a Restorative Leave-In Conditioner, all in colorful bottles.

Ipsy has been a beloved service, utilized by many for years. For just $14 a month, subscription holders will be shipped a goodie bag of new mini makeup products, monthly curated by experts on the Ipsy team. This allows users the ability to try out products without having to pay full price for something they’re not sure about. You’re able to test the product for yourself to see if you want to go out and buy a full size. It’s pretty genius.

After a long stressful day either dealing with kids, there’s nothing better than soaking in a tub full of soothing salts like this bath soak from HERBIVORE retailing for $36. This LAPIS Blue Tansy + Magnesium Bath Soak is formulated with magnesium that, according to Ulta, relaxes sore muscles and soothes the body.

This duo cuff and headband set is for easily washing your face without splashing any water on your hair or soaking your sleeves. The duo is a pretty pink and white checkerboard print and is made of a moisture-wicking material, perfect for washing away dirt and grime on your face. This product is just $14.99 at Ulta and it’s extremely useful for a busy wife on-the-go.

For the Fashionable Wife

While jewelry can sometimes be overdone during Valentine’s Day, this piece from Genevive is special enough that we felt it could be an exclusion to the rule. These pink-centric studs are currently 70%, landing at just $39, and feature 8K rose gold plating and pink cubic zirconia heart motifs. Jewelry like this is an eye-catching reminder that studs can be just as striking and stylish as your larger hoops.

If your wife is obsessed with your little fur baby, or babies, you need to get them this custom tote from Stoney Clover Lane. Retailing for $498, this bag can be customized down to the color and the embroidered logo on the front. You can request to put your furry friend’s little face on the front, allowing that special someone to take their fur baby wherever they go, at least in spirit. Beyond the cosmetic, this bag is extremely spacious, allowing you to carry your essentials like a laptop, wallet, notebook, keys and more with ease.

You can’t beat the versatility and style of a denim jacket. This one from Anthropologie is a dark wash with contrasting tan trim, large silver hardware and a high collar. Front-facing breast pockets give way to even more pockets on the sides. The style is baggy but tailored and insanely chic, reminding us of some Parisian “it-girl” with her ballet flats and an unlit cigarette perched between her lips. In short, this jacket will make you feel totally put together, without much effort, something a busy wife might just love.

Another non-negotiable, whether you’re a wife or not, is comfy PJs. These ones from Gap are just that, insanely comfortable. The style is baggy and boxy with a plaid print in green and red and contrasting white drawstrings, allowing wearers to adjust their bottoms accordingly. The set is currently 61% off, that’s just $31, a no-brainer for husbands or significant others looking to impress their wives on a budget.

Melissa is a Brazilian brand pioneering some of the most unique shoes in the footwear industry, and they’re a criminally slept-on brand. Melissa was credited with popularizing the jelly shoe trend in the 80s and 90s, and has continued to use that same jelly-like vegan material in their footwear creations to this day.

The brand’s Spencer Jelly loafer is made of that exact same vegan patented polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material called Melflex that is flexible, durable and extremely comfortable. The $79.20 shoe is available at Urban Outfitters and serves as an updated take on the classic preppy silhouette. It serves as an everyday shoe that we can see wives getting a lot of mileage out of.

Cute, pink and bow-adorned. What more could you want? This cozy ASTR the Label knit cardigan is extremely sweet and stylish, thanks to the bow closures that play on the ever-popular balletcore trend that swept the nation in 2024 and continues to prevail all these years later. The sweater is available at Nordstrom for $79 and comes in sizes XS to XL.

Every wife wants an everyday bag. Something they can comfortably sling over their shoulder and stuff full of anything and everything. The problem? Wives don’t want to have to shell out, at least not for themselves. This Coachtopia shoulder bag is the perfect example of an everyday bag, from the stylish shape to the ample size that is big enough to carry a laptop.

The distressed quilted texture offers the otherwise boring piece some textural interest, while the added hangtag mimics the ever-popular bag charm trend. The bag is a tried-and-true item that goes with just about everything and for $295, it is well worth the investment. You won’t ever have to buy your wife another bag after this one. Trust us.

Every woman needs an everyday set she can throw on and still feel put together. Something soft enough for lounging, easy enough for errands, and versatile enough to wear on repeat. The problem? Most women end up settling for old sweats instead of upgrading their go-to pieces. That’s where the TravisMathew Cloud Terry set comes in.

Made from soft, breathable terry fabric, this set feels just as good as it looks. The relaxed fit works for everything from school drop-offs to travel days, and the pieces are just as wearable together as they are mixed with staples already in your closet. It’s the kind of set that quickly replaces everything else in your drawer—and once it does, you’ll never look back.

Like Shinesty, Underclub is an intimates subscription service, this time, for women only. If you know someone whose underwear drawer desperately needs a refresh, or they’ve been hanging on to the same bras since college, then this subscription is for them. Users have the option to choose between a bralette and bottoms plan, currently 50% off for $48 a month, or the underwear/bottoms plan, which gifts users two bottoms a month for $38. You’ll be able to choose your preferred style and size on Underclub’s website.

For the Home-Body Wife

This Miko Shiatsu Foot Massager Machine is bound to save your wife tons of trips to the spa, giving her the power to destress in the comfort of her own home. The massager currently retails for $171.59, down from $359.99, and features a heated element that warms the soles of the feet while massaging stress and tension away.

Having trouble figuring out what to do for date night? Uncommon Goods has a solution for that. Customizable and decorative, this Personalized Date Night Decider retails for $78 and leaves your date night doings up to chance. The spinning wheel comes with double-sided birch plywood inserts that feature up to 48 possible date night suggestions. The wheel can be customized with you and your partner’s names or meaningful sayings to make this piece your own. To use, you’ll want to place three tokens on the lid and spin the wheel to see what you’ll be getting up to for date night. It certainly spices things up, especially if decision-making is hard for you and your partner.

In the same vein of deciding what to do on date night, this 100 Movies Scratch Off Bucket List Book for $30 should help narrow down a long list of flicks to watch, cuddled up on the couch. The book is filled with 100 movies to choose from. Flip to a page to choose your film and once the film is done, you can scratch off a section of said page to reveal iconography from the movie you just watched. Each page also features space to add photos or ticket stubs, a notes section and stars to give the film your own rating. We’d suggest gifting this to the movie buff in your life.

Candy on Valentine’s Day can be a bit overdone, unless your partner is really into sweets. If they are, then Sugarfina has a candy trunk with their name written all over it. Retailing for $140, the decorative trunk is packed with nine types of candy, ranging from sweet to sour. The package comes with some of Sugarfina’s most popular picks like Cheers to Love Champagne Bears, Sweet Heart Strawberry Hearts, Pucker Up Sugar Lips, Berry Sweet Sour Strawberries and Cocoa Crush Pink Brownie Bites. The box takes the simple gift of candy up a notch by presenting said sweets in a decorative and romantic manner.

Staying in bed all day is a luxury most people can’t afford. There’s really nothing better than cozying up under the covers and lying down. Now, your wife can cozy up while being productive with this Bedsure Blanket Hoodie, retailing for $27.99 on Amazon. The hoodie meets blanket is made of a fuzzy material and comes in an oversized fit with a hood and front-facing pockets. The hoodie is shearling-lined for extra warmth and feels exactly like snuggling up in your favorite blanket, except it’s portable.

Ghia is a brand well-known for their non-alcoholic aperitifs, making it a favorite for sober and sober-curious folks. The brand has a specialized cocktail box featuring their famed aperitif for $99 on their website, making an excellent gift for the wife who’s taking dry January through to February and beyond. The cocktail kit comes with a 500ml bottle of the Original Apéritif, a pour spout, a handmade Totem Glass designed in collaboration with Sophie Lou Jacobsen, a set of cocktail picks for aperitivo accompaniments or garnishes and two Ghia coasters. The set can also be used for alcoholic cocktail making as well. If your wife is a lover of entertaining guests, or she’s looking into becoming a mixologist on the side, then this might be a hit.

Framed photos are sort of boring, but they don’t have to be. This Bad Kitty INSTAX MINI Ceramic Picture Frame Vase is anything but boring, featuring a ceramic picture frame attached to a cheeky, evil kitty with devil horns. The frame is made for storing your favorite memories, while the kitty doubles as a vase for propagating flowers.

Get cozy for a picnic at the park or a chill backyard romp with your wife on this Miffy-themed quilted picnic blanket from Baggu, retailing for $52.50 at Urban Outfitters. The themed blanket is blue with tulips and the beloved rabbit character throughout. The blanket is 54″w x 72″h, large enough to fit you and your lover on a romantic picnic date. If the Miffy print didn’t win you over, this blanket can be rolled up neatly and comes with an attached handle, making it easy to take this piece with you on the go.

Salt & Stone is best known for their haircare and even deodorant products, but did you know they also have bangin candles too? This one, scented like warm oud and floral rose, retails for $49 and can burn for up to 50 hours. If that scent combo isn’t your thing, Salt & Stone has a whole host of aesthetically pleasing glass candles in fantastical scents from santal and vetiver to fig and violet.

We at ShopBillboard love a multi-purpose product like this comb and mirror duo from Etsy. The custom piece is tiny enough to slip into your everyday bag and features a comb attached to a tiny mirror in an engraved turtleshell or mottled material. For $9.99, this gift is simple but effective and means a whole lot more than a gift card.

Forever No. 1 is a Billboard series that pays special tribute to the recently deceased artists who achieved the highest honor our charts have to offer — a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single — by taking an extended look back at the chart-topping songs that made them part of this exclusive club. Here, we honor Chuck Negron, who sang lead on Three Dog Night’s “Joy to the World,” the second of the pop group’s three No. 1 hits.

“Jeremiah was a bullfrog” is one of the silliest opening lines ever in a pop song. It’s also memorable and intriguing, what they call a grabber. It certainly did the job as the opening line of Three Dog Night’s “Joy to the World,” Billboard’s year-end No. 1 hit of 1971, and the only song that year to top the weekly Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks. Chuck Negron, who sang lead on that song and such other Three Dog hits as “One,” “Easy to Be Hard,” “An Old Fashioned Love Song” and “The Show Must Go On,” died on Monday (Feb. 2) at his home in Studio City, California. He was 83.

Three Dog Night was a reliable pop-rock hit machine, landing at least one top five hit on the Hot 100 in every calendar year from 1969 to 1974. They were the only act to reach No. 1 on that chart in each of the first three years of the 1970s, with “Mama Told Me (Not to Come),” “Joy to the World” and “Black & White,” respectively.

The Los Angeles-based group was unique for two reasons. First, they didn’t have one lead singer, but three. Each of their No. 1 hits was sung by a different member – Cory Wells, Negron and Danny Hutton, respectively. And second, they didn’t write any of their hits, at a time when writing your own material was becoming essential to having credibility. (That’s one reason they were never a critics favorite.) But they had a knack for finding songs by writers who were on their way up, including Harry Nilsson (“One”), Laura Nyro (“Eli’s Coming”), Randy Newman (“Mama Told Me”), Hoyt Axton (“Joy to the World” and “Never Been to Spain”) and David Courtney & Leo Sayer (“The Show Must Go On”).

Legend has it that Axton hadn’t completed the lyrics to “Joy to the World” — that, keen to demonstrate the melody he’d written, he just put in some nonsensical placeholder lyrics: “Jeremiah was a bullfrog/Was a good friend of mine.” Three Dog Night went ahead and recorded the song with Axton’s temp words intact.

Three Dog Night wasn’t at all sure about “Joy to the World.” Hutton and Wells wanted to pass on the song, but Negron heard its potential. Even so, the song was positioned as the closing track on the band’s fourth studio album Naturally, which was released in November 1970. It was bypassed as the album’s lead single in favor of “One Man Band,” a bluesy pop/rock song that blended into the FM album rock sound of the time. But “blending in” isn’t going to make a song a hit. “One Man Band” peaked at No. 19, which had to be a big disappointment for the group. The lead singles to their two previous studio albums, “Easy to Be Hard” (from Suitable for Framing) and “Mama Told Me” (from It Ain’t Easy) had both been top five smashes, reaching No. 4 and No. 1, respectively. No. 19 wasn’t going to cut it.

“Joy to the World” was selected as the album’s second single. It entered the Hot 100 for the week ending March 13, 1971 at No. 58. It was that week’s third-highest new entry, behind tracks by Glen Campbell and Stephen Stills (neither of which made the top 30). “Joy to the World,” by contrast, flew up the chart, reaching No. 1 in its sixth week, April 17, replacing The Temptations’ sublime “Just My Imagination” (Running Away With Me).” It stayed on top for six consecutive weeks, the longest run since Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” the previous year.

It held off stiff competition, too. Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” a classy and soulful rumination on the state of the world, was No. 2 for the first two of those six weeks, followed by Ocean’s folky Christian pop hit “Put Your Hand in the Hand” (for one week) and The Jackson 5’s midtempo pop/R&B ballad “Never Can Say Goodbye” (for the last three weeks). None of those records made it to the top spot, a real shame in the case of “What’s Going On,” one of the classic singles of the era.

The Rolling Stones finally ended Three Dog Night’s reign with the undeniable rock classic “Brown Sugar,” which rose to the top in the issue dated May 29. But “Joy to the World” didn’t fall far. It was No. 2 the two weeks that “Brown Sugar” was No. 1. (So, were it not for the Stones, “Joy to the World” would have had eight weeks on top, something no single had accomplished since The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” led for nine consecutive weeks in 1968.)

Why was “Joy to the World” such a monster hit? It’s catchy and ebullient, a joybomb when we needed one amid tumultuous times, which included the never-ending war in Vietnam. It’s fun to sing along to. In fact, it’s hard not to sing along to it.

The passion with which Negron sings the song gives it some necessary heat. The song is kinda dippy, but he sings the hell out it, coming in hot from the opening line. He sings it with a cocky strut that gives it at least some heft. Axton included lines about wine-drinking and lovemaking that give the song at least a little bit of an adult sensibility and kept it from seeming too dippy.

In his Stereogum series “The Number Ones,” Tom Breihan wrote, “Considering that they never expected anything to happen with ‘Joy to the World,’ maybe it’s admirable that Three Dog Night completely committed to the song. Negron, in particular, completely throws himself into it, rasping and howling and wailing out ad-libs. This was the right approach. If Negron had sung the song with even the tiniest trace of wink, if he’d acted like he was in any way above it, ‘Joy to the World’ would’ve been a total flatline.”

“Joy to the World” kicked off a run of four consecutive top 10 hits, the longest such run of the group’s career. They followed it with Russ Ballard’s “Liar” (No. 7), Paul Williams’ Carpenters-style “An Old-Fashioned Love Song” (No. 4) and another Axton song, “Never Been to Spain” (No. 5).

“Joy to the World” received two Grammy nods – record of the year (it lost to Carole King’s “It’s Too Late”) and best pop vocal performance by a duo, group or chorus (it lost to Carpenters’ hit-laden album, Carpenters). The group performed the song on both of the first two live Grammy telecasts. They performed it in 1971 as a hot new single, and on the 1972 telecast as a record of the year nominee.

Axton (who died in 1999) was the son of Estelle Axton, who had co-written Elvis Presley’s breakthrough smash “Heartbreak Hotel,” which topped a pre-Hot 100 songs chart in Billboard in 1956. When “Joy to the World” also summited, they became the first mother and son to each have written a No. 1 hit in the rock era (which is generally defined as starting in 1955).

Axton was audacious in giving this secular song the same title as one of the most famous religious Christmas songs. Mariah Carey, who knows a thing or two about Christmas music, used the refrain from the Axton song in her 1994 recording of the hymn on her best-selling Merry Christmas. (It’s a “Joy to the World” mash-up!)

“Joy to the World” has been often featured in film and TV shows. The song is sung by the son of one of the main characters in The Big Chill (1983) and the group’s recording was featured on the multiplatinum soundtrack. The song was included in the 1994 film Forrest Gump and its multiplatinum soundtrack. The song experienced a particular boost of nostalgic affection during the 1990s: It was featured on Friends (Chandler sings the song at karaoke), Sex and the City (Carrie and her friend Jeremiah sing the song while drunk) and The X-Files (Scully sings the song to a wounded Mulder in the forest at night).

As noted above, Three Dog Night returned to No. 1 in September 1972 with “Black & White,” a call for racial harmony set in the framework of a children’s song. The song seems to borrow that basic idea from Sly & the Family Stone’s far superior 1969 smash “Everyday People.”

For a few weeks in the summer of 1973, the group seemed to be headed for a No. 1 hit in a fourth consecutive year. But “Shambala” ultimately peaked at No. 3. That was the group’s last great single. They had one more big hit in 1974, “The Show Must Go On,” cowritten by Leo Sayer and David Courtney, but to anyone who knew prime Three Dog (“Eli’s Coming”), this was clearly sub-prime. It was their last appearance in the top 10. They had one more top 20 hit, a John Hiatt song, “Sure as I’m Sittin’ Here,” then a couple more top 40 hits, then that was it. They made their final appearance on the Hot 100 in September 1975.

Axton co-wrote one more big hit, Ringo Starr’s “No No Song,” a genial song about swearing off drugs and alcohol that rose to No. 3 on the Hot 100 in April 1975.

Richard Podolor produced Three Dog’s long string of hits. Fun Fact: The very week “Mama Told Me” rose to No. 1, Blues Image’s psychedelic pop smash “Ride Captain Ride” – another Podolor production – reached its No. 4 peak.

True pop nerds know that Three Dog Night was No. 1 (with “Mama Told Me”) on the very first episode of American Top 40 in July 1970, so it’s appropriate that the group gave host Casey Kasem one of his all-time best anecdotes, which he told more than once on the show. In his authoritative but friendly tone, Casey would tell his rapt listeners (including me) how the group came to get that odd name.

To quote our trusted countdown guide: “From Hollywood, this is Casey Kasem with American Top 40. And now the case of the strange name of the great group with the No. 1 song in the nation. They took the name from a very practical custom of a primitive people, the aborigines of Australia, who live out in the bush and don’t have blankets, so they use their pet dogs to keep warm at night. Usually, one or two dogs will do the trick, but occasionally it gets cold enough to be a three dog night, and they’re the hottest act on the charts at the moment.”

Below, you can listen to Casey tell the story during the week of May 1, 1971 – the third week that “Joy to the World” was No. 1. 

RIP, Casey, and now Chuck Negron, too.