Chart Watch: Bruno Works a Little ‘24K Magic’ to Debut in the Top 5
Bruno Mars’s “24K Magic” blasts onto the Hot 100 at #5. It’s the highest-debuting hit of Mars’s hit-studded career. Only three other singles have debuted in the top five so far this year. Zayn’s “Pillowtalk” and Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” both opened at #1. Major Lazer’s “Cold Water” (featuring Justin Bieber and MØ) bowed at #2.
“24K Magic” (pronounced “24-karat magic”) sold 101K copies in its first week, which enables it to enter Top Digital Songs at #2, just 10K behind the Chainsmokers’ monster hit “Closer” (featuring Halsey).
“24K Magic” is the title track from Mars’s upcoming third studio album, which is due Nov. 18. Stevie Nicks had a song with a similar title, “24 Karat Gold,” from her 2014 album 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault.
“24K Magic” is Mars’s 13th top 10 hit; his eighth as a lead artist.
Deep trivia: B.o.B, with whom Mars first cracked the Hot 100 with the chart-topping “Nothin’ on You,” also reached the top 10 with a “Magic” song. His “Magic,” which featured Rivers Cuomo, reached #10 in 2010.
Top Songs
The Chainsmokers’ “Closer” (featuring Halsey) tops the Hot 100 for the ninth straight week. That’s the longest run at #1 by a duo since Outkast’s “Hey Ya!” spent nine weeks on top in 2003-’04. “Closer” also heads Top Digital Songs for the 10th week (with sales of 111K this week). That puts it in a tie with Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” for most weeks at #1 on the digital sales chart so far this year.
The Weeknd’s “Starboy” (featuring Daft Punk) holds at #2 in its fourth week. The song holds at #1 on Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for the third week. As with Mars’s song, this is a title track — a sign of the confidence that the artists had that these songs would be big hits. The Weeknd’s Starboy album is due Nov. 25.
twenty one pilots’ “Heathens” holds at #3 in its 17th week.
DJ Snake’s “Let Me Love You” (featuring Justin Bieber) inches up from #5 to #4 in its 10th week. DJ Snake has reached #4 with three hits, but has yet to climb higher. Will he do so in weeks to come? Stay tuned.
D.R.A.M.’s “Broccoli” (featuring Lil Yachty) holds at #6 in its 18th week.
Major Lazer’s “Cold Water” (which featuring Justin Bieber and MØ) drops from #4 to #7 its 12th week.
Shawn Mendes’s “Treat You Better” dips from #7 to #8 in its 19th week.
Sia’s “Cheap Thrills” (featuring Sean Paul) dips from #8 to #9 in its 35th week.
Ariana Grande’s “Side to Side” (featuring Nicki Minaj) jumps from #12 to #10 in its seventh week. It’s Grande’s eighth top 10 hit; Minaj’s 13th. It’s the second top 10 hit on which the two stars have collaborated, following “Bang Bang” (which also credited Jessie J). That smash reached #3 two years ago.
Grande and Minaj are the third pair of female solo stars who have collaborated on two top 10 hits. The first two pairs were Gwen Stefani and Eve (“Let Me Blow Ya Mind” in 2001 and “Rich Girl” in 2005) and Ciara and Missy Elliott (“1,2 Step” and “Lose Control,” both in 2005). You’ll note all three of these pairs include a hip-hop artist. That’s not surprising, since many pop records these days feature a hip-hopper to give them extra edge and urban appeal.
“Side to Side” is the second top 10 hit from Grande’s third album, Dangerous Woman. Her sophomore album, My Everything, spawned three top 10 hits. (The deluxe edition of My Everything contained a fourth, “Bang Bang.”)
Two songs drop out of the top 10 this week. The Chainsmokers’ previous hit, “Don’t Let Me Down” (featuring Daya) drops from #9 to #13. Gnash’s “I Hate U I Love U” (featuring Olivia O’Brien) drops from #10 to #12. (I expect it to return to the top 10.)
Kenny Chesney’s “Setting the World on Fire” (featuring P!nk) drops from #34 to #36 in its 11th week. The song peaked at #29. In addition, the song reached #1 on Hot Country Songs last week.
It’s unusual, but not unheard of, for pop or rock artists to reach #1 on the country chart via collaborations with top country stars. Kelly Clarkson collaborated with Jason Aldean on “Don’t You Wanna Stay” in 2011. Bon Jovi teamed with Jennifer Nettles (of Sugarland fame) on “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” in 2006. Sheena Easton collaborated with Kenny Rogers on a cover of Bob Seger’s “We’ve Got Tonight” in 1983.
Jimmy Buffett and Paul Davis, best known for their late ’70s pop hits “Margaritaville” and “I Go Crazy,” each later collaborated on two #1 country hits.
Country legend Willie Nelson has partnered with non-country artists on three #1 country hits. He teamed with ’70s rock star Leon Russell on a remake of Elvis’ “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1979, Latin heartthrob Julio Iglesias on “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before” in 1984 and pop/R&B legend Ray Charles on “Seven Spanish Angels” in 1985.
Trailing the Bruno Mars single as the week’s top new entries are John Legend’s “Love Me Now” at #55, Maroon 5’s “Don’t Wanna Know” (featuring Kendrick Lamar) at #56, and Lady Gaga’s “Million Reasons” at #76. “Don’t Wanna Know” an important single for Maroon 5. The group’s last single, ‘This Summer’s Gonna Hurt…,” peaked at #23, breaking a string of eight consecutive top 10 hits.
Top Albums
Green Day land their third #1 album as Revolution Radio enters the Billboard 200 in the top spot. The band previously topped the chart with back-to-back studio albums — 2004’s American Idiot and 2009’s 21st Century Breakdown.
Revolution Radio also enters the Official U.K. Albums Chart at #1. American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown also topped the U.K. chart. Green Day is one of only three American bands to land three transatlantic #1 albums. They follow Metallica and Linkin Park.
Trivia note: Revolution Radio is the third #1 album with the word “radio” in its title. It follows Donna Summer’s On the Radio – Greatest Hits – Volumes I & II (1980) and Kenny Chesney’s The Road and the Radio (2005).
This is Green Day’s 10th top 10 album. The trio first cracked the top 10 in August 1994 with Dookie.
Norah Jones’s Day Breaks debuts at #2. It’s her sixth consecutive top five album.
OneRepublic land their highest-charting album to date as Oh My My debuts at #3. The group’s previous album, Native, reached #4 in 2013. (Ringo Starr had a top five single in 1974 with a song titled “Oh My My.”)
Drake’s Views dips from #3 to #4 in its 24th week. It’s the first album to spend its first 24 weeks in the top five since Taylor Swift’s 1989 in 2014-15.
The Suicide Squad soundtrack dips from #4 to #5 in its 10th week. It’s #1 on Top Soundtracks for the 10th week.
Solange’s A Seat at the Table drops from #1 to #6 in its second week.
twenty one pilots’ Blurryface inches up from #8 to #7 in its 74th week. The album debuted at #1 in May 2015.
Alter Bridge land their second top 10 album as The Last Hero debuts at #8. This is the first top 10 album for the hard rock band since its debut, One Day Remains, reached #5 in 2004.
Phantogram score teur first top 10 album as their third full-length release, Three, debuts at #9. The male/female duo previously climbed as high as #11 with their sophomore album, Voices, in 2014.
Ariana Grande’s Dangerous Woman drops from #7 to #10 in its 21st week. The album debuted and peaked at #2 in May.
Five albums drop out of the top 10 this week. Bon Iver’s 22, A Million drops from #2 to #23. The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ The Getaway drops from #5 to #20. Shawn Mendes’s Illuminate drops from #6 to #14. Van Morrison’s Keep Me Singing plummets from #9 to #58. Travis Scott’s Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight dips from #10 to #12.
Look for Kings of Leon’s Walls to debut at #1 next week. Also look for solid debuts by JoJo’s Mad Love, The Game’s 1992, and Kidz Bop 33.
