Billboard AC Chart: January 22, 2011

[johnm1120]

TW LW WC Artist - Title (Peak)

01 01 54 Train - Hey, Soul Sister (21 weeks at #1)**
02 03 44 The Script - Breakeven (2 weeks at #1)*
03 06 14 Bruno Mars - Just the Way You Are (2)
04 02 52 Lady Antebellum - Need You Now (14 weeks at #1)*
05 04 21 Taylor Swift - Mine (1)
06 07 22 Daughtry - September (6)
07 08 18 Michael Bublé - Hollywood (6)
08 09 28 Sara Bareilles - King of Anything (8)
09 10 16 Katy Perry - Teenage Dream (9)
10 11 25 Maroon 5 - Misery (10)

11 12 25 Five For Fighting - Slice (11)
12 14 11 Josh Groban - Hidden Away (12)
13 13 07 Pink - Raise Your Glass (13)
14 16 21 Lady Antebellum - I Run to You (14)
15 17 25 Train - If It's Love (15)
16 15 14 Bon Jovi - What Do You Got (15)
17 18 03 OneRepublic - Secrets (17)
18 21 05 Plain White T's - Rhythm of Love (18)
19 23 11 Neon Trees - Animal (19)
20 DEBUT Train - Marry Me (20)

21 22 04 Taio Cruz - Dynamite (21)
22 19 15 Seal - Secret (16)
23 20 12 Enrique Iglesias - I Like It (20)
24 24 21 Jim Brickman f/Matt Giraud - Thank You (16)
25 30 02 Rihanna - Only Girl (In the World) (25)
26 26 02 Katy Perry - Firework (26)
27 25 11 Mike Posner - Cooler Than Me (25)
28 27 11 Sheryl Crow - Summer Day (23)
29 DEBUT Usher - DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love (29)
30 DEBUT Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts (30)


Falling off:

-- 05 66 Uncle Kracker - Smile (3)
-- 28 03 Jewel - Satisfied (28)
-- 29 12 Santana f/India.Arie & Yo-Yo Ma - While My Guitar Gently Weeps (24)



Big sigh of relief this week I can hear as "Smile" finally heads recurrent. Train remains at #1 for a 21st week while Bruno Mars gives the top another chance rebounding 6-3 this week.

With Smile going recurrent, Maroon 5 break the top 10 with "Misery." It's their 4th top 10 hit, and the last time they reached the upper 1/3 was with "Makes Me Wonder" back in August 2007. MMW peaked at #9.

Train is the highest of 3 debuts this week impacting at #20 with Marry Me. They are also at #15 with "If It's Love" giving the San Francisco band 3 top 20s this week.

Debut #2 is actually the first AC hit for Usher. Definitely a surprise to me as well when I first saw it, but this is his first appearance on the AC chart. The only other appearance some may was was that some stations played the Usher duet version of Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You" which peaked at #12 back in 2004.

Kicking off the chart at #30 this week is the debut appearance for newcomer Christina Perri with her debut single "Jar of Hearts." I could see this one going places.

[kingofpain]

21 22 04 Taio Cruz - Dynamite (21)
23 20 12 Enrique Iglesias - I Like It (20)
25 30 02 Rihanna - Only Girl (In the World) (25)
26 26 02 Katy Perry - Firework (26)
27 25 11 Mike Posner - Cooler Than Me (25)
29 DEBUT Usher - DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love (29)

I think the top 20 of the AC chart is actually relevant. It seems like there are more and more Pop/Urban hits cracking the 30-20 positions more frequently which is just ridiculous. Otherwise, why even bother having an AC chart?

[areyoureadytojump]

YES! Smile is gone.

Thanks!

[johnm1120]

AC isn't just "soft hits" but also focuses on songs that are considered "familiar." Each of those songs mentioned I think with the exception of Mike Posner made the top 2 on the pop chart. Usually once a song reaches a certain % in the familiarity with the target market, they test the song more to see if it will do better on their station.

[kingofpain]

True, but where else would artists like Dave Koz, Plumb, Seal, Norah Jones, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, etc survive? If the AC chart gets choked out with "familiar" pop hits that did well on the Hot 100 like the above-mentioned tracks, then eventually AC formats will just play those and they will be no different from any other CHR/POP format. There's a dangerous line when you allow the water to slowly boil... before you know it the above-mentioned songs will be in the Top 10 of the AC chart and songs like Five for Fighting and Jim Brickman will be the ones who will barely crack the 20-30 positions.

[johnm1120]

If it hasn't already. If you look at the top 10, with the exception of "Hollywood" the rest made top 20 on pop. I doubt many of the ones mentioned will make the top half of the chart though. Maybe Taio Cruz and Katy Perry will.

[kingofpain]

But that's what I'm saying... it's already leaked into the AC chart... sure, times may have changed from the days when James Taylor and Michael McDonald had top 10 AC hits, but why bother having an AC panel at all if it basically just reflects the same as the CHR/POP panels? It's basically the same chart with acts like Train and Lady Antebellum being able to score a "#1" elsewhere.

[areyoureadytojump]

1/29 chart:

Adult Contemporary
*** No. 1 *** "Hey, Soul Sister" Train
Greatest Gainer No. 3 "Just The Way You Are" Bruno Mars
Debut No. 30 "All In" Lifehouse

[HolidayGuy]

"Misery" just made the top 10 in its 25th week? Wowie-wow.

[johnm1120]

And King of Anything got its first top 10 crack last week in its 27th week.