Week Ending Jan. 15, 2012. Songs: The Song That Won’t DropBy Paul Grein | Chart Watch – 5 minutes ago
music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/week-ending-jan-15-2012-songs-song-won-012657212.html"We Found Love" by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris logs its 10th week at #1 on the Hot 100. That's the longest run at #1 by any single since the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" amassed 14 weeks in the lead in 2009. It's the longest run for a collaboration since "Low" by Flo Rida featuring T-Pain had 10 weeks on top in 2008. It's the longest run for a male-female collabo since "Dilemma" by Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland had 10 weeks on top in 2002.
"We Found Love" is the 28th song to log 10 or more weeks at #1 since 1955. The record for most weeks at #1 is held by "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, which was on top for 16 weeks in 1995-1996.
If you went on vacation two weeks ago, you may be surprised to come back and find Tyga's "Rack City" and "Turn Me On" by David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj in the top 10. After all, the songs were way down at #40 and #51, respectively, two weeks ago. They've shot up! "Rack City" jumps from #23 to #8 this week. "Turn Me On" jumps from #25 to #10.
Both songs are doing much better in digital sales than they are in radio airplay, which is typical of new releases. They're both in the top 10 on the Hot Digital Songs chart, but neither is yet in the top 30 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. Tyga's rap smash vaults from #13 to #3 on the digital sales chart and advances from #59 to #47 on the airplay chart. The Guetta/Minaj hit jumps from #21 to #7 on the digital sales chart and progresses from #39 to #31 on the airplay chart.
Adele's "Set Fire To The Rain" jumps from #4 to #2 on the Hot 100 and is likely to reach the top spot next week. But I'm more interested in her 2011 smash "Rolling In The Deep," which tops the 6 million mark in digital sales this week. It reached that plateau faster (just 54 weeks) than any of the six previous songs that have sold 6 million digital copies. (The old record was held by the Black Eyed Peas' aforementioned "I Gotta Feeling," which reached the 6 million mark in its 59th week.)
"Rolling In The Deep" is the overwhelming favorite to win a Grammy as Record of the Year on Feb. 12. If it comes through for me, this will be the third year in a row that the winner in that category has been a smash hit. Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," which won last year, has sold 5,591,000 copies. Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody," which won two years ago, has sold 3,790,000.
Six of the eight Record of the Year winners since 2003 (the year that the iTunes store opened for business) have been big digital sellers. Here are four other winners, in descending order of sales: Coldplay's "Clocks" (2,362,000), Green Day's "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" (2,123,000), Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" (1,932,000), and the Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready To Make Nice" (1,528,000).
The two remaining Record of the Year winners since 2003 are collaborations. Oddly, in an era in which collabos have dominated the Hot 100, the only two collabos to win Record of the Year in didn't even crack the chart (though they both "bubbled under"). They are "Please Read The Letter" by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, which has sold a mere 95K copies, and "Here We Go Again" by Ray Charles with Norah Jones, which has sold just 84K copies. Why did they fall short? Both are (very) slow ballads, which were out-of-step with the tempo preferences of contemporary pop radio stations. And the artists were a little old for the Top 40. Plant was 60 when "Please Read The Letter" "bubbled under" the chart. Charles had died (at 73) when "Here We Go Again" did the same.
For the record, Grammy voters are specifically asked to not take sales into account. (Instructions accompanying the ballot note: "Do not be influenced by personal friendships, company loyalties, or mass sales.") Still, it's always interesting to compare what Grammy voters and music fans respond to.
Adele's current smash, "Set Fire To The Rain," jumps to #1 in its 47th week on the Hot Digital Songs chart. It's the slowest-climbing #1 in that chart's 7-1/2-year history. The old mark was held by Adele's previous hit, "Someone Like You," which reached the top spot in its 32nd week in October.
Flo Rida's "Good Feeling" jumps from #5 to #3 (a new peak) in its 16th week on the Hot 100. The song tops the 2 million mark in digital sales this week. It's Flo Rida's fifth song to reach that milestone. It follows "Low" (featuring T-Pain, 6,174,000), "Right Round" (5,085,000), "Club Can't Handle Me" (featuring David Guetta, 2,719,000) and "In The Ayer (featuring will.i.am, 2,036,000).
Bruno Mars' "It Will Rain" dips from #3 to #4 in its 16th week. The song also tops the 2 million mark in digital sales this week. It's Mars' seventh 2-million seller, combining lead and featured credits. The Grammy-winning "Just The Way You Are" (4,933,000) is his biggest seller, followed by "Grenade" (4,880,000), Travie McCoy's "Billionaire" (3,119,000), "The Lazy Song" (2,981,000), B.o.B's "Nothin' On You" (2,939,000) and Bad Meets Evil's "Lighters" (2,065,000).
Here's the low-down on this week's top 10 songs.
1. Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris, "We Found Love." The song holds at #1 for the 10th week. This is its 17th week on the chart; its 16th week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #6 (140K).
2. Adele, "Set Fire To The Rain." The song jumps from #4 to #2 in its 20th week. This is its fourth week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #1 (193K).
3. Flo Rida, "Good Feeling." The song jumps from #5 to #3 (a new peak) in its 16th week on the chart. This is its 11th week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #2 (163K).
4. Bruno Mars, "It Will Rain." The song dips from #3 to #4 in its 16th week on the chart. This is its 10th week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #10 (120K).
5. LMFAO, "Sexy And I Know It." The former #1 song drops from #2 to #5 in its 20th week on the chart. This is its 17th week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #4 (156K).
6. Katy Perry, "The One That Got Away." The song holds at #6 in its 14th week on the chart. This is its ninth week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #14 (107K).
7. Jay-Z/Kanye West, "Ni**as In Paris." The song holds at #7 in its 23rd week on the chart. This is its seventh week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #8 (130K).
8. Tyga, "Rack City." The song jumps from #23 to #8 in its eighth week. This is the rapper's first top 10 hit. Digital sales rank: #3 (160K).
9. Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa featuring Bruno Mars, "Young, Wild & Free." The song jumps from #11 to #9 (a new peak) in its 14th week. This is its second week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #5 (151K).
10. David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj, "Turn Me On." The song jumps from #25 to #10 in its seventh week. It's Guetta's fourth top 10 hit; Minaj's fifth. Digital sales rank: #7 (137K).
Three songs drop out of the top 10 this week. Jason Mraz's "I Won't Give Up" drops from #8 to #22. Digital sales rank: #9 (127K). "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and Goon Rock drops from #9 to #12. Digital sales rank: #12 (111K). Adele's "Someone Like You" drops from #10 to #16. Digital sales rank: #22 (80K).
Jessie J's "Domino" jumps from #17 to #15 in its 14th week. It's vying to become her first top 10 hit. The song jumps from #8 to #1 in the U.K. this week. It's her second British #1, following "Price Tag" (featuring B.o.B)…Gavin DeGraw's "Not Over You" jumps from #21 to #19 in its 23rd week.
Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" vaults from #58 to #21 in its fourth week. It's the follow-up to the top 10 hit "Mr. Know It All"… "Love You Like A Love Song" by Selena Gomez & the Scene jumps from #28 to #24 (a new peak) in its 30th week. It's unusual for a song by a proven hit act to take 30 weeks to crack the top 25.
"Ass Back Home" by Gym Class Heroes featuring Neon Hitch vaults from #57 to #33 in its fifth week…"Take Care," a former top 10 hit by Drake featuring Rihanna, rebounds from #46 to #39 in its ninth week…"Strip" by Chris Brown featuring Kevin McCall jumps from #64 to #55 in its fifth week.
"Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye featuring Kimbra jumps from #91 to #58 in its second week…Train's "Drive By" debuts at #60. It's from the group's upcoming album. It's vying to become the group's third top 10 hit, following 2001's "Drops Of Jupiter (Tell Me)" and 2010's "Hey, Soul Sister"…Lee Brice's country hit "A Woman Like You" jumps from #81 to #66 in its fourth week.
Van Halen's "Tattoo" debuts at #67. It's the veteran hard rock band's first Hot 100 entry since 1995. It's the first single from the band's album A Different Kind Of Truth, which is due Feb. 7. That's the band's first studio album with original lead singer David Lee Roth since 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was released in January 1984. The band first cracked the Hot 100 in 1978 with a cover of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me." The band reached its zenith in 1984 when "Jump" logged five weeks at #1. The band has had two other top 10 hits: 1986's "Why Can't This Be Love" and 1988's "When It's Love." (Incidentally, Jordin Sparks had a top 10 hit titled "Tattoo" in 2007.)
Snow Patrol's "Called Out In The Dark" debuts at #78. It's vying to become the group's second top 10 hit, following 2006's "Chasing Cars" (which has sold 3,184,000 copies). "Called Out In The Dark" is from the group's sixth studio album Fallen Empires, which is debuts in the top five on The Billboard 200 this week. You already know that if you read Chart Watch: Albums. If you missed it, here's a link.
"Gotta Have It" by Jay-Z/Kanye West jumps from #98 to #84 in its second week. It's the follow-up to one of the most surprising top 10 hits in years. "Ni**as In Paris" was a little like Cee Lo Green's "F**k You (Forget You)" in that once radio programmers got over the shocking title, they realized the record itself had broad appeal…The Wanted's "Glad You Came" debuts at #85. The song spent two weeks at #1 in the U.K. in July. The boy band recently performed the song on Ellen…Lana Del Rey's "Video Games" debuts at #91.
Katy Perry's 2010 smash "E.T." (featuring Kanye West) tops the 5 million mark in digital sales this week. It's her fourth 5-million-seller, which is more than any other artist. Lady Gaga is in second place with three, followed by the Black Eyed Peas and Flo Rida, with two each. Perry's other 5 million-sellers are "Firework" (5,274,000), "California Gurls (with Snoop Dogg, 5,137,000) and "Hot N Cold" (5,116,000).
Shameless Plug I: Adele is nominated for six Grammys. If she wins them all, which is likely, she'll tie Beyonce's record for most Grammys won in one night by a female artist and Eric Clapton's record for most Grammys won in one night by a British artist. I wrote a blog for the "And The Winner Is" folder in which I look at everybody who has won five or more Grammys in one night. It is chock-full of Grammy lore. If you missed it, here's a link.
Shameless Plug II: Who does a better job of honoring the year's best music: the Grammys or MTV's Video Music Awards? One way to find out would be to compare the winners of their top awards: the Grammy for Record of the Year and the VMA for Music Video of the Year. I did just that in another "And The Winner Is" blog. I picked my favorite in each of these showdowns for the past 28 years. I invite you to do the same. If you missed that one, here's a link.
x100 So happy to see this do well. It's by far my favourite Rihanna song. I would have been happy with 10 weeks... but now I want more. I want an 11th week.
Maybe possible with Glee?
x100 So happy to see this do well. It's by far my favourite Rihanna song. I would have been happy with 10 weeks... but now I want more. I want an 11th week.
