Chart Beat

Fred Bronson
Updated ·7 min read
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JUST ‘BECAUSE’: A 12-10 move for “Because of You” (MCA) by Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson rewrites the history of the Hot Country Songs chart. The main beneficiary is McEntire, who collects her 55th top 10 hit on this survey. That ties her with Dolly Parton as the female artist with the most top 10s, just four top 10 titles ahead of third-place Loretta Lynn, who has 51.

“Because of You” reaches the top 10 in its 10th week on the chart. That is the fastest any McEntire song has catapulted into the top 10 in the last 10 years. It is Reba’s speediest journey to the top 10 since 1996, when “The Fear of Being Alone” arrived in the upper class portion of the chart in a mere five weeks.

McEntire made her debut on the country tally with “I Don’t Want to Be a One Night Stand,” a single that stalled at No. 88 in 1976. Four years later, her 10th chart entry, “(You Lift Me) Up to Heaven,” became her first top 10 hit, peaking at No. 8. Before “Because of You,” Reba was most recently in the top 10 with “He Gets That from Me,” No. 7 in 2005.

Parton made her debut on Billboard’s country chart in 1967 with “Dumb Blonde,” a single that peaked at No. 24 in 1967. Her third chart entry, a duet with Porter Wagoner on “The Last Thing on My Mind,” brought Parton to the top 10 for the first time. That collaboration went to No. 7 in 1968. Parton collected her 55th top 10 hit in 2006 when she was featured on Brad Paisley’s No. 1 hit, “When I Get Where I’m Going.”

“Because of You” gives Kelly Clarkson her first top 10 hit on Hot Country Songs. She previously appeared on this chart with her “American Idol” finale song, “A Moment Like This,” which reached No. 58 in October 2002.

Clarkson enters the top 10 just one week after another “Idol” finalist, Bucky Covington, earned his first top 10 hit. “A Different World” (Lyric Street) continues its upward movement, orbiting 10-7. Clarkson is the fifth “Idol” finalist to enjoy top 10 status on the country songs list, following Josh Gracin, Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler and Covington.


PLENTY OF ‘BLAME’ TO GO AROUND: After an absence of 15 years, Brit pop artist Howard Jones returns to the Adult Contemporary chart with a remake of one of his former hits. “No One Is to Blame” was the first of two No. 1 titles for Jones on the AC list, back in 1986. “Blame” held the top spot for one week (Jones’ other chart-topper was “Everlasting Love,” which ruled for two weeks in 1989).

This week, the lone new entry on the AC tally is “No One Is to Blame” (Kataphonic) by Katrina Carlson with Howard Jones. The song opens at No. 30, and marks Jones’ first AC appearance since “Lift Me Up” peaked at No. 10 in 1992.

Jones made his AC debut in June 1985 with “Things Can Only Get Better,” which did no better than No. 38. That gives the pop star from Southhampton an AC chart span of 22 years and two months.


‘UMBRELLA’ STANDS ABROAD: While “Umbrella” (SRP/Def Jam) by Rihanna and Jay-Z has folded in the United States, the single remains No. 1 in the United Kingdom for the 10th week. That makes it the longest-running chart-topper of the 21st century, and the longest-running U.K. No. 1 since 1994, when Wet Wet Wet’s remake of the Troggs’ “Love Is All Around” remained in first place for 15 weeks.

The longest-running U.K. No. 1 of the rock era is Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,” which remained in the penthouse for 16 weeks in 1991.


YOU REALLY CAN’T STOP THE BEAT: There’s no stopping the “Hairspray” (New Line) soundtrack, which debuted last week at No. 20 before the movie had opened. Now entrenched in the box office top 10, the CD also dances its way into the top 10 of The Billboard 200. A 20-4 move makes the album only the second motion picture soundtrack to find a berth in the top 10 in 2007.

The first soundtrack to spend time in the top 10 this year was “Dreamgirls,” which went all the way to No. 1.
Three other soundtracks have logged weeks in the top 10 in 2007, but two are from television series (“Hannah Montana” and “Hannah Montana 2”) and one is from a TV movie (“Jump In!”).

“Hairspray” is also represented on the Hot 100, where the rousing finale song “You Can’t Stop the Beat” (written for the Broadway musical version of “Hairspray”) enters at No. 88. One cast member of “Hairspray” also figures in another song that is new to the Hot 100 this week. That would be Zac Efron. For details, read on.


TWIN DEBUTS: For the second time this year, two songs debut in the top 10 of the Hot 100. That’s a nice way to celebrate the 49th birthday of the Hot 100, first published on Aug. 4, 1958.

New at No. 6 is the first single from the highly-anticipated “High School Musical 2” soundtrack. “What Time Is It” (Walt Disney), credited to “High School Musical 2 Cast,” is tied for the third highest debut of 2007, behind the No. 2 opening of Fall Out Boy’s “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arm’s Race” and the No. 5 bow of Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend.”

“What Time Is It” is tied with Carrie Underwood’s “I’ll Stand by You” for third place among the highest debuts of the year.

Tied for fourth place with Linkin Park’s “What I’ve Done” is the song that starts at No. 7, “Sorry, Blame It on Me” (Konvict/Upfront/SRC) by Akon.

“What Time Is It” is the highest debuting song from either of the “High School Musical” soundtracks. The previous record-holder was “Start of Something New” by Zac Efron, Andrew Seeley and Vanessa Anne Hudgens. That track was a new entry at No. 28 the week of Feb. 11, 2006.


FANTASIA AT FIVE: “When I See U” (J) by Fantasia rules Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for the fifth week. That makes the track the longest-running No. 1 by a solo female artist on this tally since January, when Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable” completed its reign at No. 1 after nine weeks.


‘NOTHING’ IS SOMETHING: Kenny Chesney collects the 12th No. 1 of his career, as “Never Wanted Nothing More” (BNA) glides 2-1 in its eighth chart week. That is the fastest any of Chesney’s dozen chart-toppers have achieved pole position, besting the nine weeks it took his “There Goes My Life” in 2003 and “When the Sun Goes Down” in 2004 to move into the penthouse.

“Never Wanted Nothing More” has taken the fastest journey to No. 1 of any song on this chart since Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying” drew top chart ink in its seventh week, back in July 2004.


SWIFT AND SWIFTLESS: While Kenny Chesney makes a rapid rise to the top of Hot Country Songs, teenager Taylor Swift makes a not-so-swift climb to first place on Top Country Albums. Her self-titled debut CD inches up 2-1 in its 39th week on the tally. That is the slowest climb to No. 1 this century, and the slowest since the Dixie Chicks’ “Wide Open Spaces” became the leader of the pack in its 51st chart week, back in 1999.

At 17, Swift is not the youngest female artist to have a No. 1 album on this survey. LeAnn Rimes holds the record, as she was just 13 when her debut album “Blue” entered the chart at No. 1 the week of July 27, 1996.

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