1. Rude - MAGIC!
2. All About That Bass - Meghan Trainor
3. Stay With Me - Sam Smith
4. Break Free - Ariana Grande feat. Zedd
5. Fancy - Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX
6. Am I Wrong - Nico and Vinz
7. Problem - Ariana Grande feat. Iggy Azalea
8. Black Widow - Iggy Azalea feat. Rita Ora
9. Chandelier - Sia
10. Bang Bang - Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj
You read that right...that's three top 10's apiece for Iggy and Ariana this week. They join Adele and Ashanti as the only female artists to have three top 10s simultaneously, with Ariana being only in company with Adele for females with lead billing on all three tracks. Male acts who have completed this task: The Beatles (two weeks with 5 songs in the top ten), 50 Cent and T-Pain (both with four top ten songs at once), Akon, The Bee Gees, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and Usher.
I'd like to point out how remarkable it is that Ariana and Iggy are the ones with three subsequent top tens. It's really hard to pinpoint who this is bigger for, because I wouldn't have expected it for either artist a few months ago. Ariana has definitely shed the Nickelodeon mold and is certifiably one of the world's biggest pop stars. She's listed as leading artist on all three tracks, and some might argue she's featured on "Bang Bang," but all three ladies pull similar weight on that song. Neither song sounds like each other, and with her album due to launch the day after the VMAs where she'll be performing twice, Ariana is going to be untouchable. She's a megastar. That might be hyperbole, but look at that impressive feat.
Similarly, this is just nuts to think that Iggy is a member of this club. We've heard the "white female rapper" argument over and over, and there was praise when she was able to land #s 1 and 2 simultaneously earlier this summer, but now she's got three songs in the top ten, two of which she's lead. For someone who many didn't think would be a star, she's shining a lot brighter than her counterparts, as not only one of the biggest female names in music of the moment, but one of the biggest rappers in the world right now. The list of artists/bands who have had at least three songs in the top ten at once includes a lot of big names and contains a handful of notable rappers who probably jumped this hurdle through tracks of their own and features. Iggy joins that prestigious list and breaks down major barriers.
Overall, it's pretty impressive that Ariana and Iggy were able to secure this record, let alone do it in the same week. This is big for the music world going forward.
It looks like Sam Smith won't be getting his #1 with "Stay With Me" :( That's okay, the fact that he has any major success at all is a plus for the music world. A #2 peak isn't shabby at all. Adele, who many compare to Sam Smith, didn't capture her first #1, let alone worldwide success on this major a scale, until "Rolling In The Deep," which was the lead single from her second album. Still, Smith is performing at the VMAs, and depending on what he performs, "Stay With Me" could see a slight bump on the charts, or he could catalyze the launch of his next single, "I'm Not the Only One."
This will be the last week for "Rude" on top, as next week will either be "All About That Bass" or "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift, which Billboard is hyping up for a huge opening week. Its sales are tracking lower than "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," and nowadays, it is hard to debut at #1. With "Rude" falling and "AATB" skyrocketing, it's at least obvious the latter will trump the former, but where its for the #1 or #2 spot is still questionable. For "All About That Bass," the jump to #2 just adds onto an impressive run for a song that came out of nowhere and is possibly headed toward a #1 debut. We really need to keep an eye on Meghan Trainor's future. She struck the right chord of relatable subject matter + catchy beat + ear worm chorus = major success.
It looks like the Tuesday night/Wednesday morning debut of the music videos for "Break Free" and "Black Widow" did wonders for their chart positions. I've been saying for weeks that these songs would be top ten hits, and their tenures begin now. Which song will be bigger, though? Iggy's "Fancy" beat Ariana's "Problem," but I have a feeling "Break Free" will be more popular than "Black Widow." Don't hold me to that. Personally, I've had "Black Widow" in my mix since April, and "Break Free" joined when it made its July debut. As I stated above, though, I'm just glad to see the success of Ariana and Iggy.
"Am I Wrong" is falling, but it couldn't possibly be going any faster. Don't like that song. "Fancy" and "Problem" will probably drop a little faster due to the success of "Break Free" and "Black Widow," whereas Nico and Vinz have nothing else coming out. "Chandelier" is still holding tight at the bottom frame of the top ten, while "Bang Bang" clings to a pole position. The music video is coming Sunday, but streaming is tracked Monday to Sunday, so the real proof will come in two weeks when the song should burst near the top with the music video/VMA combo. Speaking of VMAs, they'll provide a big boost for some of these songs in two weeks, in addition to some songs outside of the top ten (I would say that includes "Maps," which fell out of this week's top ten, but I think Maroon 5 is performing a new single at the VMAs). Meghan Trainor, however, won't be performing and won't get the subsequent boost, but that song has been untouchable in its meteoric rise to the top, so I wouldn't bet against it to get to #1 as September approaches.
The previously mentioned "Maps" and Charli XCX's "Boom Clap" fall out of the top ten this week. We'll see if they can rejoin the ranks as summer hits like "Fancy," "Problem," and "Am I Wrong" wind down. At the very least, "Boom Clap" could see a boost when the movie it was featured in, "The Fault In Our Stars," is available on DVD in mid-September. That sounds crazy, but if ads capitalize on the song's success and soundtrack sales increase, it could happen. Another song to watch out for in the coming weeks is "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit, which is jumping up the iTunes charts and making an impact on radio. No VMA feature could hurt, but it may make a top ten appearance next week.
What do you think of this week's Billboard top ten? I'll be back tomorrow to update with song movement further down the chart, but in the meantime, give me your thoughts on these ten songs below!
No comments:
Post a Comment