History highlight:

On this day in 2014, British rock band Coldplay released their sixth studio album, Ghost Stories. (This was the U.K. release. The U.S. release followed on May 19.) It arrived less than two months after frontman Chris Martin and wife Gwyneth Paltrow announced they were experiencing a “conscious uncoupling.” You don’t have to listen long to hear the pain, broken promises, and mixed emotions of a dissolving marriage in the lyrics. Plus, the cover depicts two angel wings forming a broken heart. It’s not a total bummer of an album, though. Singles like “A Sky Full of Stars” and “Magic” are carried by warm and upbeat electronic instrumentation. Ghost Stories was one of the best-selling albums worldwide of 2014.

Also, today in: 

1965 - Driving away from a gig at the Civic Hall in Long Beach, the limo taking the Rolling Stones back to their hotel was besieged by fans who caved in the roof by standing on it. The band attempted to hold the roof up while their chauffeur drove off with bodies falling onto the road. 

1966 - The Beach Boys released the critically-lauded Pet Sounds. It was the band's 11th studio album and peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard chart, lower than the band's previous albums. The album did well in the U.K. though, peaking at No. 2 in the U.K. Top 40 Albums Chart and remaining in the top 10 for six months. Since its debut, critics and fans have embraced and hailed the album as one of the most influential of all time. The album features songs like "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "Sloop John B" and "God Only Knows.” 

1969 - Pete Townshend spends the night in a New York City jail after assaulting a man who jumped onstage during a Who concert at the Fillmore East. It turned out that this man was a plainclothes police officer trying to warn the audience that a fire had broken out, which Townshend wasn't aware of. 

1970 - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young went to No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Deja Vu. 

1970 - Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane is arrested on charges of drug possession in his Bloomington, Minnesota, hotel room after police find him smoking pot. His eventual punishment is a $100 fine. 

1976 - Patti Smith made her U.K. debut at the Roundhouse in London. 

1983 - Michael Jackson introduced the moonwalk for the first time on TV when he broke out the move on the Motown 25th anniversary TV special. 

1986 - Caitlin O'Riordan of The Pogues marries Elvis Costello in Dublin, Ireland. They divorce in 2002. 

1987 - U2 started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "With Or Without You," the group's first U.S. No. 1. 

1990 - Sammy Davis Jr. dies of complications from throat cancer at age 64. 

1992 - Red Hot Chili Peppers peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with Blood Sugar Sex Magik, which went on to sell seven million copies in the U.S. 

1994 - Erasure released their sixth studio album, I Say I Say I Say. It features the hit single “Always.”

1998 - Keith Richards fell while reaching for a book of nude art in his Connecticut home. The fall broke his ribs, causing the Stones to postpone many dates on their Bridges To Babylon tour. 

2000 - Britney Spears' second album, Oops!... I Did It Again, sold 1.3 million copies in its first week, setting a new record for highest debut by a female artist. 

2000 - With his Warner Bros. contract terminated, Prince starts using that name again. He changed it to an unpronounceable symbol in 1993 after a dispute with the label. On May 16th, 2000, Prince organized a press conference in New York: “On December 31, 1999, my publishing contract with Warner/Chappell expired, thus emancipating the name that I was given before birth, Prince, from all long-term, restrictive documents. I will now go back to using my name instead of the symbol I adopted as a means to free myself from undesirable relationships.” 

2009 - Bob Dylan went to No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Together Through Life, his 33rd studio album. The album received two Grammy Award nominations in Best Americana Album category and Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance category for "Beyond Here Lies Nothin’." The album is also significant as the only album by Dylan to top the U.S. and U.K. charts consecutively. 

2010 - Ronnie James Dio, singer for Rainbow, Black Sabbath & Dio, died of stomach cancer in Houston. He was 67 years old. 

2012 - Chuck Brown, the "Godfather of Go-Go," died at age 75. 

2014 - Coldplay released their sixth studio album, Ghost Stories.

Birthdays: 

Liberace was born today in 1919. 

Betty Carter was born today in 1929.

Robert Fripp, guitarist for King Crimson, is 78. 

Darrell Sweet, drummer for Nazareth, was born today in 1947. 

Barbara Lee of The Chiffons was born today in 1947. 

Jonathan Richman is 73.

Richard Page of Mr. Mister is 71.

Boyd Tinsley, former violinist, mandolinist and singer for the Dave Matthews Band, is 60. 

Krist Novoselic, bassist for Nirvana, is 59. 

On May 16, 1966, Janet Damita Jo Jackson was born, making her 58 today. Her 1986 breakout album, Control, marked the start of an ongoing partnership with Minneapolis’ Jerry Jam and Terry Lewis — close collaborators and friends of Prince. The duo produced most of Jackson’s albums following Control, including Rhythm Nation 1814, which was recorded in Flyte Tyme Studios in Edina.

Ralph Tresvant of New Edition is 56.

Rachel Goswell of Slowdive and Mojave 3 is 53. 

Simon Katz of Jamiroquai is 53. 

Laura Pausini is 50.

Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D. is 50.

Emilíana Torrini is 47.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.