
Week Ending March 17, 2013. Songs: The Great Chart Robbery Of 2013
โThrift Shopโ by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz is #1 on Hot Digital Songs for the 10th straight week. Itโs #1 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart for the second week. Under the old chart formula, that would make the genial hip-hop smash a virtual lock for the #1 spot on the Hot 100. But under the new formula, which gives great (and I would contend excessive) weight to YouTube streaming data, it ranks #2 for the fifth straight week, behind Baauerโs โHarlem Shake.โ That viral phenomenon is #6 on Hot Digital Songs and has yet to crack the 75-song Radio Songs chart. (Given that its total radio audience shrank by 9% this week, it probably never will crack the Radio Songs chart.)
โHarlem Shakeโ makes up for its deficits in sales and radio airplay by holding at #1 on the Streaming Songs chart for the fifth week. But even here it is losing its mojo. Its total streams drop by 42% this week, from 48 million to 28 million. (By comparison, the streaming total for โThrift Shopโ is 9.5 million, which represents a gain of 4% compared to last week.)
The streaming total for โHarlem Shakeโ has been shrinking every week since it debuted, from 103 million to 98 million to 54 million to 48 million to 24 million.
Billboardโs Gary Trust reports that, in terms of overall Hot 100 points, โHarlem Shakeโ has a 29% lead over โThrift Shopโ this week. But thatโs down from a 103% lead last week.
This tells us four things. 1. โThrift Shopโ may return to #1 on the Hot 100 next week (though it will also have to contend with Bruno Marsโ new smash). 2. Billboard should seriously consider whether it thinks โThrift Shopโ should have spent the last five weeks at #2. Maybe its run at #1 should have been interrupted for a couple of weeks, when the โHarlem Shakeโ phenomenon was at its peak, but this sustained shut-out seems excessive. 3. Billboard probably should have had a longer trial run period, to get the new chart mix just right. 4. Itโs to Billboardโs credit that it is being so transparent about the numbers behind the numbers. It's not trying to hide anything.
โThrift Shopโ is the first song to top the digital sales chart for 10 weeks since the Black Eyed Peasโ โI Gotta Feelingโ in 2009. Itโs the first song to remain #1 on that chart for 10 consecutive weeks since the Peasโ previous hit, โBoom Boom Pow.โ
โThrift Shopโ is just the fourth song in the history of the Hot Digital Songs chart (which dates back to October 2004), to log 10 or more weeks at #1. โLowโ by Flo Rida featuring T-Pain spent 13 weeks on top in 2007-2008. The two Peas hits each had 10 weeks on top. (Notably, those three earlier hits also spent 10 or more weeks at #1 on the Hot 100. By contrast, โThrift Shopโ has spent just four weeks at #1 so far.)
โThrift Shopโ tops Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for the 10th week. Thatโs the longest run by a white artist since Robin Thickeโs โLost Without Uโ topped the chart for 11 weeks in 2007.
โHarlem Shakeโ has now spent as many weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 as another New York-inspired song, โEmpire State Of Mindโ by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys. โHarlem Shakeโ is also #1 on Dance/Electronic Songs for the fifth week.
Bruno Marsโ
โWhen I Was Your Manโ holds at #3 for the fourth straight week. Itโs closing in on his 2011 hit "It Will Rain,โ which logged five weeks at #3. But โWhen I Was Your Manโ will probably climb higher. It zooms from #7 to #2 on Radio Songs and it holds at #2 on Hot Digital Songs for the third straight week. Assuming that โHarlem Shakeโ will continue to fall apart, Marsโ latest should move up next week.
โSuit & Tieโ by Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z rebounds from #5 to #4. This equals the songโs highest ranking to date. In addition, Timberlakeโs โMirrorsโ rebounds from #77 to #25 in its fifth week. This nearly equals its #24 debut. โMirrorsโ is already in the top 10 on Hot Digital Songs. Digital sales rank: #8 (121K). โMirrorsโ holds at #1 for the third week on The Official U.K. Singles Chart. Itโs Timberlakeโs second hit to have multiple weeks at #1 in the U.K. Madonnaโs โ4 Minutes,โ on which he was featured, had four weeks on top in 2008.
Timberlakeโs The 20/20 Experience will enter The Billboard 200 at #1 next week with sales in the 800K range.
โJust Give Me A Reasonโ by P!nk featuring Nate Ruess jumps from #18 to #9. Itโs the third top 10 hit from P!nkโs former #1 album The Truth About Love. It follows โBlow Me (One Last Kiss)โ and โTry.โ The Truth About Love is P!nkโs first album to spawn three top 10 hits since 2002โs Missundazstood, which spawned โGet The Party Started,โ โDonโt Let Me Get Meโ and โJust Like A Pill.โ Not coincidentally, The Truth About Love has also logged the most weeks in the top 10 on The Billboard 200 (eight) of any P!nk album since Missundazstood (23).
Nate Ruess is starting to know how Adam Levine must have felt in 2011. The fun. front-man has two songs in this weekโs top 30. As noted, P!nkโs โJust Give Me A Reason,โ on which he is featured, jumps from #18 to #9. Also, fun.โs latest hit, โCarry On,โ jumps from #29 to #26. (The latter song has already climbed as high as #20.)
For 23 consecutive weeks in 2011 and early 2012, Levine had two songs in the top 20: Gym Class Heroesโ โStereo Hearts,โ on which he was featured, and Maroon 5โs โMoves Like Jaggerโ (featuring Christina Aguilera). For a remarkable 15 of those weeks, both songs were in the top 10.
Here's the low-down on this week's top 10 songs.
The Top Five: Baauerโs โHarlem Shakeโ holds at #1 in its fifth week on the chart. Digital sales rank: #6 (145K)โฆโThrift Shopโ by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz holds at #2 for the fifth week in its 24th week on the chart. This is its 13th week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #1 (270K)โฆ Bruno Marsโ โWhen I Was Your Manโ holds at #3 for the fourth week in its 13th week on the chart. This is its sixth week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #2 (230K)โฆโSuit & Tieโ by Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z rebounds from #5 to #4 in its 10th week on the chart. This equals its highest ranking to date. This is its seventh week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #4 (201K)โฆโStayโ by Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko dips from #4 to #5 in its sixth week on the chart. The song has climbed as high as #3. This is its fifth week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #3 (222K).
The Second Five: Drakeโs โStarted From The Bottomโ rebounds from #7 to #6 in its sixth week on the chart. This is its fifth week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #9 (118K)โฆTaylor Swiftโs โI Knew You Were Trouble.โ dips from #6 to #7 in its 22nd week on the chart. This is its 15th week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #14 (75K)โฆโScream & Shoutโ by will.i.am featuring Britney Spears holds at #8 for the second week its 16th week on the chart. This is its 11th week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #12 (88K)โฆ โJust Give Me A Reasonโ by P!nk featuring Nate Ruess jumps from #18 to #9 in its fifth week. Digital sales rank: #5 (171K). This is P!nkโs 14th top 10 hit; Ruessโ third (counting fun. hits)โฆโLove Meโ by Lil Wayne featuring Drake and Future dips from #9 to #10 in its ninth week on the chart. This is its third week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #13 (85K).
Bruno Marsโ โLocked Out Of Heavenโ drops from #10 to #13, ending a 20-week run in the top 10.
โFeel This Momentโ by Pitbull featuring Christina Aguilera jumps from #13 to # 11 in its eighth week. Itโs vying to become Pitbullโs eighth top 10 hit; Aguileraโs 10th. Digital sales rank: #7 (136K)โฆImagine Dragonsโ โRadioactiveโ dips from #17 to #18 in its 29th week. Digital sales rank: #10 (102K)โฆDemi Lovatoโs โHeart Attackโ jumps from #22 to #19 in its third week.
Blake Sheltonโs โSure Be Cool If You Didโ jumps from #25 to #24 in its 10th week. The song logs its fourth week at #1 on Hot Country Songs. Thatโs the longest run at #1 for a hit by a male solo artist since Sheltonโs 2011 hit โHoney Beeโ spent four weeks on top.
Icona Popโs โI Love Itโ leaps from #54 to #34 in its seventh weekโฆLady Antebellumโs โDowntownโ jumps from #42 to #35 in its sixth weekโฆFall Out Boyโs โMy Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)โ rebounds from #47 to #36 in its sixth week. The song has already climbed as high as #26โฆโBadโ by Wale featuring Tiara Thomas jumps from #45 to #38 in its fifth weekโฆDarius Ruckerโs โWagon Wheelโ jumps from #56 to #47 in its sixth week.
Museโs
โMadnessโ re-enters the chart at #53. This represents a new peak for the song, which originally peaked at #56. The song has sold 906K copies in 30 weeks.
Krewellaโs โAliveโ jumps from #68 to #57 in its fifth weekโฆPhillip Phillipsโ โGone, Gone, Goneโ leaps from #100 to #59 in the wake of Phillipsโ homecoming performance of the song on American IdolโฆโPower Tripโ by J. Cole featuring Miguel jumps from #70 to #60 in its fifth weekโฆTaylor Swiftโs โ22โ re-enters the chart at #64. The song has already climbed to #44. The song has sold 512K copies in 21 weeksโฆ2 Chainzโs โIโm Differentโ drops from #61 to #65 in its 18th week. The song tops the 1 million mark in digital sales this weekโฆTamar Braxtonโs โLove And Warโ jumps from #80 to #72 in its eighth weekโฆ โShow Outโ by Juicy J featuring Big Sean and Young Jeezy jumps from #98 to #75 in its second week.
โFreaksโ by French Montana featuring Nicki Minaj is the weekโs highest new entry at #77. Itโs from the rapperโs album, Excuse My French, which is due May 21โฆKelly Rowlandโs โKisses Down Lowโ jumps from #96 to #80 in its second weekโฆThe Band Perryโs โDONE.โ is the weekโs second highest new entry at #87. The song is from the trioโs second album, Pioneer, which is due April 2. โBetter Dig Two,โ the albumโs lead single, spent two weeks at #1 on Hot Country Songs and reached #28 on the Hot 100.
โSo Many Girlsโ by DJ Drama featuring Wale, Tyga & Roscoe Dash debuts at #90. The song is from the hip-hopperโs current album Quality Street MusicโฆJason Aldeanโs โ1994โ debuts at #93. Itโs from his current album Night Train. The song, a tribute to Joe Diffie, references eight of Diffieโs hits, including the #1 country hits โThird Rock From The Sunโ and โPickup Man.โ
Maroon 5โs
โOne More Nightโ tops the 4 million mark in digital sales this week. Itโs the groupโs third song to reach this plateau, following โMoves Like Jaggerโ (featuring Christina Aguilera, 5,998,000) and โPayphoneโ (featuring Wiz Khalifa, 5,037,000).
Rascal Flattsโ 2006 hit โLife Is A Highwayโ tops the 3 million mark. Itโs the 10th country song to reach 3 million; the fourth by a duo or group. Among country duo/group hits, it trails Lady Antebellumโs โNeed You Nowโ (6,073,000), The Band Perryโs โIf I Die Youngโ (4,518,000) and Zac Brown Bandโs โChicken Friedโ (4,518,000). Tom Cochraneโs original version of โLife Is A Highwayโ reached #6 on the Hot 100 in 1992. Rascal Flattsโ version, which it recorded for the animated movie Cars, reached #7 on the Hot 100 and #18 on Hot Country Songs.
Reba McEntire
has surpassed Dolly Parton as the top female artist in the history of Billboardโs Hot Country Songs chart. Thatโs the big news from the eighth edition of Joel Whitburnโs Hot Country Songs 1944-2012. Eddy Arnold continues as the top male artist (and top artist overall). Alabama continues as the top group. Brooks & Dunn continues as the top duo. Taylor Swift enters Whitburnโs listing of the top 300 country hit-makers at #101. The heart of the 512-page book is a listing by artist of every song to crack the country chart from January 1944 to December 2012. The book lists nearly 20,000 hits and nearly 2,600 artists. For more information, check out Joelโs website: www.recordresearch.com.