Ariana Grande’s ’34+35′ Would Add Up to No. 1 — If Not for Olivia Rodrigo’s Dominant ‘Drivers License’

Chris Willman
·4 min read
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Ariana Grande was nearly able to make her song “34+35” add up to No. 1, by releasing a hit remix that includes Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat. The song moves up to second place on the new Rolling Stone songs chart, thanks to the trio version that was issued on Jan. 14, giving the saucy song a huge boost. But blocking it from moving to the front of the lane is “Drivers License” from Olivia Rodrigo, enjoying its second and probably far-from-last week in the top spot.

Someone else who will likely not soon be budged is Morgan Wallen, who commanded the No. 1 slot on the Rolling Stone album chart for the second week in a row, with little threat from any insurgents in his case.

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On the songs chart, “Drivers License” easily stayed in the lead with 435,900 song units and 53.2 million streams. That’s not that huge a comedown from the 17-year-old Rodrigo’s blockbuster bow last week, when she entered the derby with 568,000 song units and 67.7 million streams.

As for the Grande/Megan/Doja Cat ode to the number 69, the other important numerals adding up this week for the tune were 155,200 song units and 19.3 million streams. In this, the song’s 12th week out (albeit the first with guest features included in the mix), “34+35” moved up dramatically to No. 2 from No. 15. It surpassed Grande’s other hit of the moment, the title song to her “Positions” album, which moves down this week to No. 21.

There were few other dramatic moves this week on either the album or songs chart. Juice WRLD and Young Thug’s “Bad Boy” did debut as the No. 5 song with 106,900 song units and 14.4 million streams. There were no other songs premiering in the top 40, as the year continues to get off to a slow start for new releases.

Wallen continues to hold an inordinate number of slots on the songs chart as well as maintaining his No. 1 album chart spot. Among the week’s top 10 songs, Wallen has “Wasted on You” moving down slightly to No. 4, followed by, among many more, “Somebody”s Problem” at No. 8 and “7 Summers” at No. 9.

On the album chart, Wallen’s No. 1 “Dangerous: The Double Album” had 154,700 album units and 160.4 million streams in its second week out. Last week, the country star’s mammoth introductory tallies included 263,900 album units and 223 million total song streams.

To find the top-debuting album for the week, you had to go all the way down to No. 33, which found the group Why Don’t We’s “The Good Times and the Bad Ones” entering with an okay 15,700 album units. Fredo Bang’s “In the Name of Gee” premiered just a little bit behind that, at No. 36.

Whither Zayn, of One Direction? He showed off a huge amount of self-confidence by naming his new solo album “Nobody Is Listening,” knowing full well what kind of headlines (or at least catty remarks) he’d get if that turned out to read as a self-fulfilling prophecy. The amount of listeners indeed turned out to be minimal. Zayn’s album debuted at No. 42 with a weak 14,000 album units, with 13 million song streams figuring into that tally — not quite nobody, but close enough, relatively speaking.

This chart position actually represents an improvement on Zayn’s dismal entry numbers for 2018’s “Icarus Falls,” but it’s worth recalling that the album before that, his 2016 solo debut “Mind of Mine,” entered the charts at No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic. “Nobody Is Listening” has done a little better overseas than in the States, having entered at No. 17 in the U.K.

Joining Wallen in the top 10 albums this week: Pop Smoke back up to No. 2, followed by Grande, Taylor Swift, Lil Durk, the Weeknd, Luke Combs, Juice WRLD, Megan Thee Stallion and the Kid Laroi.

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