Chart Watch Extra: John Lennon, 30 Years Later
Dec 8, 2010 17:27:37 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2010 17:27:37 GMT -5
But since this is in General Music News now, I guess I can finally post this
Chart Watch Extra: John Lennon, 30 Years Later
Posted Tue Dec 7, 2010 12:32pm PST by Paul Grein in Chart Watch
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John Lennon died 30 years ago December 8, but his impact, both on his own and with the Beatles, remains strong. Several Beatles songs that were written chiefly by Lennon have been among the group's most active in the three weeks since the band belatedly joined the digital revolution. These include "Come Together" and "All You Need Is Love."
Lennon's best-selling album since 1991, when Nielsen/SoundScan began tracking sales for
Billboard, is the 1998 compilation Lennon Legend-The Very Best Of John Lennon, which has sold 1,876,000 copies.
Lennon's 1971 classic Imagine is his top-selling original studio album of the Nielsen/SoundScan era, with sales of 497,000 since 1991.
Of course, Lennon's greatest and most enduring legacy is with the Beatles. The group has
sold 61,712,000 albums in the U.S. since 1991. Only Garth Brooks has sold more albums (68,502,000) in this period.
The Beatles were also the second best-selling act of the 2000s, with sales in that decade of 30,477,000 albums. Only Eminem sold more albums (32,502,000) in that decade. The Beatles' 2000 blockbuster 1 was the best-selling album of the 2000s, with sales in that decade of 11,564,000 copies.
Sales of 1 have since jumped to 11,679,000 copies. It's the best-selling greatest hits album of the Nielsen/SoundScan era. The Beatles' best-selling studio album in this period is its 1969 classic Abbey Road, which has sold 4,605,000 copies since 1991.
Lennon's death 30 years ago was especially sad because he was on the cusp of a fresh start. After a self-imposed five-year hiatus from recording, he had decided to get active again.
Double Fantasy, his new album with wife Yoko Ono, and "(Just Like) Starting Over," its lead single, were off to fast starts on the Billboard charts.
And then he was shot. Double Fantasy soared to #1, where it remained for eight weeks. Since 1956, when the album chart became a weekly feature in Billboard, only one album has had a longer run at #1 following an artist's death. Janis Joplin's Pearl was on top for nine weeks in 1971 following the singer's death in October 1970.
(Michael Jackson's Number Ones was the best-selling album in the U.S. for six weeks in 2009 following his death that June. Jim Croce's You Don't Mess Around With Jim was #1 for five weeks in 1974 following his September 1973 death in a plane crash. The Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death was on top for four weeks in 1997 following his shooting death that March.
Elvis Presley's Elv1s: 30 #1 Hits was #1 for three weeks in 2002, a quarter-century after his death in August 1977.)
Lennon's eight-week grip on the #1 spot with Double Fantasy set a record for albums by former Beatles that still stands. George Harrison's All Things Must Pass and Paul McCartney & Wings' Wings At The Speed Of Sound both had seven weeks on top.
Double Fantasy spawned three top 10 hits: "(Just Like) Starting Over," "Woman" and "Watching The Wheels." Only two other albums by former Beatles (Ringo Starr's Ringo and Wings' Band On The Run) have spawned three top 10 hits.
In February 1982, Double Fantasy won a Grammy for Album of the Year. Yoko Ono was on hand to accept the award in person at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Lennon's award marked the first time the Grammy for Album of the Year was presented posthumously. (Ray Charles' 2005 award for Genius Loves Company was also presented posthumously.)
George Harrison paid tribute to his former bandmate with his 1981 hit "All Those Years Ago." Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney assisted Harrison on the smash, which reached #2 on the Hot 100. Elton John remembered his old pal with his 1982 hit "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)." McCartney recorded a tribute of his own ("Here Today") on his 1982 album Tug Of War. Artists ranging from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Mary Chapin Carpenter recorded Lennon songs on the 1995 tribute album Working Class Hero-A Tribute To John Lennon.
Lennon was the first solo Beatle to make the top 10 on both the album and singles charts. The Plastic Ono Band-Live Peace In Toronto cracked the top 10 on the album chart in February 1970. "Instant Karma (We All Shine On)" reached the top 10 on the Hot 100 the following month. (McCartney publicly announced his departure from the band in April of that year.)
Lennon amassed eight top 10 hits on the Hot 100, more than Ringo Starr (seven) and George Harrison (five). Among the former Beatles, only Paul McCartney has had more (22).
Lennon was voted a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. (McCartney received the Grammy honor one year before Lennon, but Lennon beat his former partner to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nod by five years.)
(The Beatles received a Grammy Trustees Award in 1972. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.)
In September, Rolling Stone's critics ranked the Beatles' 100 greatest songs. Forty were written solely or chiefly by Lennon, 35 solely or chiefly by McCartney, 17 by the two men collaborating and eight by George Harrison, who came into his own as a songwriter on the Beatles' final albums. (Here's a link to a separate report on that list.)
In 2004, Rolling Stone's critics ranked the 500 greatest songs of all time. Lennon's "Imagine" placed #3, behind only Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" and the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." "Imagine" was far ahead of the only entries by McCartney ("Maybe I'm Amazed" at #338) and Harrison ("My Sweet Lord" at #454).
In 2003, Rolling Stone's critics ranked the 500 greatest albums of all time. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, from 1970, placed #22. Imagine finished at #78. These albums were higher, by far, than any other releases by former Beatles. Paul McCartney & Wings' Band On The Run was #418. George Harrison's All Things Must Pass was #437.
A steady stream of Lennon releases over the past three decades has burnished his legacy. His first posthumous release, in 1982, was The John Lennon Collection, a single-disk greatest hits album. In 1984, Polydor released Milk And Honey, an album of previously unreleased tracks from 1980. The album rose to #11 on The Billboard 200. One of the tracks, "Nobody Told Me," became a top five hit on the Hot 100.
In 1986, Capitol released a pair of albums: Live In New York City, which was recorded at Madison Square Garden in 1972, and Menlove Ave., a collection of mid-‘70s outtakes. In 1988, Capitol released Imagine: John Lennon, a double-disk soundtrack to a movie documentary of Lennon's life.
Other posthumous releases include Lennon Legend-The Very Best Of John Lennon (1998), Anthology, a four-disk box set (1998), Acoustic (2004) and Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon, a two-disk greatest hits set (2005).
In 1984, Lennon's son, Julian Lennon, then 21, released his debut album Valotte. The album went gold and spawned a pair of top 10 hits, "Valotte" and "Too Late For Goodbyes." The younger Lennon received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, an award his dad had won two decades before with the Beatles
Chart Watch Extra: John Lennon, 30 Years Later
Posted Tue Dec 7, 2010 12:32pm PST by Paul Grein in Chart Watch
Shareretweet
John Lennon died 30 years ago December 8, but his impact, both on his own and with the Beatles, remains strong. Several Beatles songs that were written chiefly by Lennon have been among the group's most active in the three weeks since the band belatedly joined the digital revolution. These include "Come Together" and "All You Need Is Love."
Lennon's best-selling album since 1991, when Nielsen/SoundScan began tracking sales for
Billboard, is the 1998 compilation Lennon Legend-The Very Best Of John Lennon, which has sold 1,876,000 copies.
Lennon's 1971 classic Imagine is his top-selling original studio album of the Nielsen/SoundScan era, with sales of 497,000 since 1991.
Of course, Lennon's greatest and most enduring legacy is with the Beatles. The group has
sold 61,712,000 albums in the U.S. since 1991. Only Garth Brooks has sold more albums (68,502,000) in this period.
The Beatles were also the second best-selling act of the 2000s, with sales in that decade of 30,477,000 albums. Only Eminem sold more albums (32,502,000) in that decade. The Beatles' 2000 blockbuster 1 was the best-selling album of the 2000s, with sales in that decade of 11,564,000 copies.
Sales of 1 have since jumped to 11,679,000 copies. It's the best-selling greatest hits album of the Nielsen/SoundScan era. The Beatles' best-selling studio album in this period is its 1969 classic Abbey Road, which has sold 4,605,000 copies since 1991.
Lennon's death 30 years ago was especially sad because he was on the cusp of a fresh start. After a self-imposed five-year hiatus from recording, he had decided to get active again.
Double Fantasy, his new album with wife Yoko Ono, and "(Just Like) Starting Over," its lead single, were off to fast starts on the Billboard charts.
And then he was shot. Double Fantasy soared to #1, where it remained for eight weeks. Since 1956, when the album chart became a weekly feature in Billboard, only one album has had a longer run at #1 following an artist's death. Janis Joplin's Pearl was on top for nine weeks in 1971 following the singer's death in October 1970.
(Michael Jackson's Number Ones was the best-selling album in the U.S. for six weeks in 2009 following his death that June. Jim Croce's You Don't Mess Around With Jim was #1 for five weeks in 1974 following his September 1973 death in a plane crash. The Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death was on top for four weeks in 1997 following his shooting death that March.
Elvis Presley's Elv1s: 30 #1 Hits was #1 for three weeks in 2002, a quarter-century after his death in August 1977.)
Lennon's eight-week grip on the #1 spot with Double Fantasy set a record for albums by former Beatles that still stands. George Harrison's All Things Must Pass and Paul McCartney & Wings' Wings At The Speed Of Sound both had seven weeks on top.
Double Fantasy spawned three top 10 hits: "(Just Like) Starting Over," "Woman" and "Watching The Wheels." Only two other albums by former Beatles (Ringo Starr's Ringo and Wings' Band On The Run) have spawned three top 10 hits.
In February 1982, Double Fantasy won a Grammy for Album of the Year. Yoko Ono was on hand to accept the award in person at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Lennon's award marked the first time the Grammy for Album of the Year was presented posthumously. (Ray Charles' 2005 award for Genius Loves Company was also presented posthumously.)
George Harrison paid tribute to his former bandmate with his 1981 hit "All Those Years Ago." Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney assisted Harrison on the smash, which reached #2 on the Hot 100. Elton John remembered his old pal with his 1982 hit "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)." McCartney recorded a tribute of his own ("Here Today") on his 1982 album Tug Of War. Artists ranging from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Mary Chapin Carpenter recorded Lennon songs on the 1995 tribute album Working Class Hero-A Tribute To John Lennon.
Lennon was the first solo Beatle to make the top 10 on both the album and singles charts. The Plastic Ono Band-Live Peace In Toronto cracked the top 10 on the album chart in February 1970. "Instant Karma (We All Shine On)" reached the top 10 on the Hot 100 the following month. (McCartney publicly announced his departure from the band in April of that year.)
Lennon amassed eight top 10 hits on the Hot 100, more than Ringo Starr (seven) and George Harrison (five). Among the former Beatles, only Paul McCartney has had more (22).
Lennon was voted a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. (McCartney received the Grammy honor one year before Lennon, but Lennon beat his former partner to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nod by five years.)
(The Beatles received a Grammy Trustees Award in 1972. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.)
In September, Rolling Stone's critics ranked the Beatles' 100 greatest songs. Forty were written solely or chiefly by Lennon, 35 solely or chiefly by McCartney, 17 by the two men collaborating and eight by George Harrison, who came into his own as a songwriter on the Beatles' final albums. (Here's a link to a separate report on that list.)
In 2004, Rolling Stone's critics ranked the 500 greatest songs of all time. Lennon's "Imagine" placed #3, behind only Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" and the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." "Imagine" was far ahead of the only entries by McCartney ("Maybe I'm Amazed" at #338) and Harrison ("My Sweet Lord" at #454).
In 2003, Rolling Stone's critics ranked the 500 greatest albums of all time. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, from 1970, placed #22. Imagine finished at #78. These albums were higher, by far, than any other releases by former Beatles. Paul McCartney & Wings' Band On The Run was #418. George Harrison's All Things Must Pass was #437.
A steady stream of Lennon releases over the past three decades has burnished his legacy. His first posthumous release, in 1982, was The John Lennon Collection, a single-disk greatest hits album. In 1984, Polydor released Milk And Honey, an album of previously unreleased tracks from 1980. The album rose to #11 on The Billboard 200. One of the tracks, "Nobody Told Me," became a top five hit on the Hot 100.
In 1986, Capitol released a pair of albums: Live In New York City, which was recorded at Madison Square Garden in 1972, and Menlove Ave., a collection of mid-‘70s outtakes. In 1988, Capitol released Imagine: John Lennon, a double-disk soundtrack to a movie documentary of Lennon's life.
Other posthumous releases include Lennon Legend-The Very Best Of John Lennon (1998), Anthology, a four-disk box set (1998), Acoustic (2004) and Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon, a two-disk greatest hits set (2005).
In 1984, Lennon's son, Julian Lennon, then 21, released his debut album Valotte. The album went gold and spawned a pair of top 10 hits, "Valotte" and "Too Late For Goodbyes." The younger Lennon received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, an award his dad had won two decades before with the Beatles
