Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Billboard Hot 100 Update - Week of September 22nd

Taylor Swift is never, ever, ever giving up the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. After sliding one spot last week to #2, country's princess is back on top for a third week with We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. According to Billboard, the song's third week at #1 makes it the longest stay at the top for a country song in 32 years, since Kenny Rogers' Lady claimed the top spot for six weeks. Of course, there is much debate about whether the song is really considered "country," but Billboard apparently thinks so. Swift was aided by a closing performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, which certainly helped her keep atop the Digital Songs chart for a fourth week and also helped her #10-#7 rise on Radio Songs. Will the song be able to make it four weeks on top? Not if Maroon 5 have anything to say about it! Their single One More Night lifts one more spot #3-#2 after a #13-#11 push on Radio Songs, but a #2-#3 slip on Digital Songs. If the song can get another big push at radio next week, it's a threat for the top slot. Last week's #1, Whistle by Flo Rida, drops 2 spots to #3 despite a #3-#2 climb on Radio Songs. fun.'s Some Nights hits a new high, climbing one spot to #4. The song is hoping to climb higher and maybe even match the performance of the band's star-making single We Are Young. The rise comes at a price for Ellie Goulding, whose breakout US single Lights falls one spot to #5.
Pink has the VMAs to thank for the giant leap for her single Blow Me (One Last Kiss). After spending the past few weeks outside the Top 10 and falling, her performance fueled sales and airplay for the song and it jumps back into the top tier from #11 to #6. With her new album coming out next week, Pink could spend a little more quality time at the top. Even though he was absent from this year's VMAs, Justin Bieber must have been on the mind of everyone since his new single As Long As You Love Me jumped back into the race to the top, leaping #9-#7, a new peak for the song. Of course, for every jump, there must be a fall, and this time, Neon Trees, Owl City, and Carly Rae Jepsen are the victims. Neon Trees, jumping into the Top 10 last week at #6, fall two spots to #8, while Owl City and Carly Rae's duet, Good Time, take a step back #8-#9 after a few weeks of steady rises. However, the biggest success story of the charts is saved for a newcomer at #10. And who is it? Alex Clare and his single Too Close. After being featured on Fox's TV dance competition So You Think You Can Dance?, the song's sales flew, an #11-#6 raise on Digital Songs, and a #15-#10 jump on the Hot 100. Pretty impressive, I say.
Katy Perry's Wide Awake and Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe fall out of the Top 10 for the first time this summer/early fall, to #11 and #12, respectively. Both tracks had great runs, however, and Perry can take a bit of a break now. Jepsen, however, is just getting started! She just released her new single, This Kiss, this week, so we'll see if that song can catch some chart success. Maroon 5's Payphone, David Guetta and Sia's Titanium, and Gotye's Somebody That I Used to Know all fall one spot, #12-#13, #13-#14, and #14-15, respectively. Taylor Swift's newest song Ronan made an impressive debut on the chart this week. Following the live debut performance on Friday night, Swift's sales skyrocketed to a #2 peak on Digital Songs and a fantastic #16 debut on the Hot 100. The song's performance on the Digital Songs chart also indicates the first time two country songs have occupied the first two spots on the chart. Of course, next week will be the song's first full week on the charts, but we'll see if it can keep up the momentum. Demi Lovato falls one spot from #16-#17 with Give Your Heart a Break. Meanwhile, Kanye West's Mercy and Nicki Minaj's Pound the Alarm each jump one spot, #19-#18 and #20-#19, a good sign for the latter. Rihanna falls two more spots to #20 with Where Have You Been, but if reports are to be believed, she'll be back in the game soon with a brand new single due to drop Monday, September 17th. Homegirl just never takes a break!
Cher Lloyd takes a tumble from #17-#21, and it doesn't look like the song is going to climb much higher than it's #12 peak, but she's already released her second US single, With Ur Love, so we'll see if that song can go a little higher. Three songs hit new peaks in the #21-#30 range: Hunter Hayes' Wanted at #23, Chris Brown's Don't Wake Me Up at #24, and Carrie Underwood's Blown Away at #28. Train take a step up from #32-#31 with the mariachi-infused 50 Ways to Say Goodbye, hopefully the song can climb higher (look, if Drive By could do it, this song certainly can). The Lumineers' sweetly catchy Ho Hey jumps two spots to a new peak of #35. Alicia Keys' new single Girl on Fire debuts at #37, aided by a VMA performance featuring Nicki Minaj and Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas (no, she didn't sing, she performed a routine, DUH!). Frank Ocean's VMA performance also got him a ridiculously huge jump on the Hot 100 this week, from #78-#39, with Digital Gainer honors. Can the song go any higher? We'll find out soon enough. Also making a huge jump is It's Time, although that's largely based on Imagine Dragons' album release last week, but it goes #63-#49.
Ne-Yo jumps another eight spots, #58-#50, with Let Me Love You. David Guetta's song with Chris Brown and Lil Wayne, I Can Only Imagine, jumps four spots #64-#60. The sudden explosion of PSY's Gangnam Style music video benefited the song, which has a Hot 100 debut at #64. The song is climbing up iTunes as it gets more and more (maybe unneeded?) exposure, so maybe it'll go higher next week. Karmin also see another big jump from #89-#77 with their second single, Hello, and the song is only going to go higher! Due to it's use in a prominent Taco Bell commercial, Passion Pit's addictive Take a Walk jumps #99-#87, so maybe it'll see some radio airplay (after all, radio has been especially nice to alt music this year).  That's all for this week. But before you leave, stop by the comments section and tell me what songs you are currently loving!

Evan

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