Week Ending Sept. 2, 2012. Songs: Jepsen Tops .funBy Paul Grein | Chart Watch – 2 hours 39 minutes ago
Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" this week pushes ahead of "We Are Young" by fun. featuring Janelle Monae to become the second best-selling song of 2012. That was no small feat: "We Are Young" has sold 5,515,000 copies so far this year. "Call Me Maybe" is now a hair ahead of it with sales of 5,531,000. "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye featuring Kimbra continues to hold the lead for the year-to-date, with sales of 6,300,000.
In the very unlikely event that nobody bought another copy of any of these songs for the rest of the year, 2012 would still go down as the first year in digital history that three songs sold 5.5 million copies in a calendar year. Last year, just one song topped that threshold: Adele's "Rolling In The Deep" (5,813,000).
As you can see, "Call Me Maybe" is just 769K copies behind "Somebody That I Used To Know" as the year's best-selling hit. Can it possibly catch it before the year is over? I don't think so. "Call Me Maybe" sold 98K copies this week, but the Gotye/Kimbra smash is also still selling. It sold 58K this week, which represents a 1% gain over last week's tally.
Incidentally, I expect "Somebody That I Used To Know" to win Music Video of the Year at tomorrow night's VMA Awards and also Record of the Year at the Grammys on Feb. 10. It would be only the second hit to win the top prizes at both of these events. The first was Green Day's "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams." I wrote more about this in a VMA preview piece which is housed in the And The Winner Is file.
Flo Rida's "Whistle" returns to #1 on the Hot 100 after being displaced for the past two weeks by Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back To Together." "Whistle" is the third song so far this year to return to #1 after being knocked off. It follows "We Found Love" by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris (which was interrupted by LMFAO's "Sexy And I Know It") and Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" (which was bumped off by Katy Perry's "Part Of Me").
"We Are Never Ever…" dips to #2. The song holds at #1 on Hot Digital Songs for the third straight week. It's the first song to spend its first three weeks on top of the digital sales chart since Lady Gaga's "Born This Way," which spent its first four weeks at #1 in February and March 2011.
"We Are Never Ever..." tops the 1 million mark in digital sales this week. It's Swift's 17th million-seller, which is more than any other country artist in digital history. Carrie Underwood is second with 10.
Maroon 5's "One More Night" jumps from #4 to #3. The song also tops the 1 million mark this week.
Neon Trees' "Everybody Talks" jumps from #11 to #6. It's the first top 10 hit for the band, which first climbed as high as #13 in November 2010 with "Animal." Hip-hop, dance pop and teen pop dominate the top 10. A rock track has to be really good to break through, and this one is.
"As Long As You Love Me" by Justin Bieber featuring Big Sean rebounds from #10 to #9 this week. The song also tops the 1 million mark this week.
Here's the low-down on this week's top 10 songs.
The Top Five: Flo Rida's "Whistle" returns to #1 in its 16th week on the chart. This is its eighth week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #4 (161K)…Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" dips to #2 in its fourth week on the chart. This is its third week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #1 (253K)… Maroon 5's "One More Night" jumps from #4 to #3 in its 11th week on the chart. This is its third week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: 2 (193K)… Ellie Goulding's "Lights" dips from #3 to #4 in its 37th week on the chart. This is its 11th week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #16 (70K)… fun.'s "Some Nights" holds at #5 for the second week in its 28th week on the chart. This is its fourth week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #3 (163K).
The Second Five: Neon Trees' "Everybody Talks" vaults from #11 to #6 in its 25th week on the chart. This is the band's first top 10 hit. Digital sales rank: #8 (102K)… Katy Perry's "Wide Awake" holds at #7 for the second week in its 15th week on the chart. This is its 13th week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #20 (64K)… "Good Time" by Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen jumps from #9 to #8 in its 10th week on the chart. This is its second week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #5 (125K)…"As Long As You Love Me" by Justin Bieber featuring Big Sean rebounds from #10 to #9 in its 11th week on the chart. This is its third week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #7 (115K)…Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" drops from #6 to #10 in its 28th week on the chart. This is its 23rd week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #10 (98K).
"Payphone" by Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa drops from #8 to #12 this week, which means Nicki Minaj can breathe a sigh of relief. Let me explain: In July, Minaj's "Starships" became the first single in Hot 100 history to spend its first 21 weeks in the top 10. "Payphone" was starting close in on that mark, but this week drops out after spending its first 19 weeks in the top 10.
Alex Clare's "Too Close" jumps from #18 to #15 in its 23rd week. The song reached #4 on the Official U.K. Chart earlier this year.
Two songs that have had long runs in the top 10 on Hot Digital Songs continue to be listed below the top 10 on Hot 100. Cher Lloyd's "Want U Back" has ranked in the top 10 on the digital sales chart for eight straight weeks. Digital sales rank: #9 (101K). It peaked at #12 on the Hot 100. This week it dips from #16 to #17 in its 12th week. Phillip Phillips' "Home" has been listed in the top 10 on the digital sales chart for six weeks, including the last five in a row. Digital sales rank: #6 (115K). The song has climbed as high as #9 on the Hot 100. This week it rebounds from #23 to #21 in its 10th week. So why aren't these songs higher on the Hot 100? Airplay and streaming activity are lagging behind their hot sales.
Jason Mraz's "I Won't Give Up" rebounds from #25 to #22 in its 35th week. The song has climbed as high as #8…Trey Songz' "Heart Attack" jumps from #39 to #35 in its 22nd week…The Lumineers' "Ho Hey" jumps from #42 to #37 in its 13th week.
matchbox twenty's "She's So Mean" jumps from #53 to #40 in its 10th week. The veteran group's album North is expected to enter The Billboard 200 at #1 next week. It will be their first #1 in a chart career which dates back to 1997…"Pop That" by French Montana featuring Rick Ross, Drake, Lil Wayne jumps from #48 to #42 in its eighth week…Dustin Lynch's "Cowboys And Angels" jumps from #51 to #45 in its 16th week….Keith Urban's "For You" jumps from #64 to #55 in its 14th week…Ne-Yo's "Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself)" leaps from #74 to #58 in its fifth week. It's vying to become Ne-Yo's 11th top 10 hit.
OneRepublic's "Feel Again" is the week's top new entry at #61. The song is vying to become the group's third top 10 hit, following Timbaland's "Apologize," on which it had featured billing (#2 in 2007) and "Good Life" (#8 in 2010)…"I Can Only Imagine" by David Guetta featuring Chris Brown & Lil Wayne jumps from #75 to #64 in its fourth week…Easton Corbin's "Lovin' You Is Fun" jumps from #78 to #72 in its ninth week.
"Battle Scars" by Lupe Fiasco featuring Guy Sebastian is the week's second highest new entry at #73. This is vying to become the hip-hopper's third top 10 hit, following "Superstar" (featuring Matthew Santos, #10 in 2008) and "The Show Goes On" (#9 in 2011). It's from the upcoming Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt. 1, which is due Sept. 25.
Luke Bryan's "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" jumps from #92 to #75 in its second week. (Movie icon James Cagney starred in a 1950 film noir with the same title.)...Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" jumps from #86 to #76 in its third week… "Birthday Song" by 2 Chainz featuring Kanye West jumps from #91 to #79 in its fourth week…Nero's "Promises" jumps from #94 to #84 in its ninth week. The song has climbed as high as #70. The song reached #1 on the Official U.K. Chart in August 2011.
"Tonight (Best You Ever Had)" by John Legend featuring Ludacris re-enters the chart at #85. The song has climbed as high as #79. It's from the Think Like A Man soundtrack…Karmin's "Hello" debuts at #89. It's the follow-up to "Brokenhearted," which reached #16. The new song is the title track to Karmin's album, which was released in May.
Jerrod Niemann's "Shinin' On Me" debuts at #94. It's from Niemann's second major-label album, Free The Music, which is due Oct. 2…"Thrift Shop" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz debuts at #96. It's from Macklemore's album The Heist, which is due Oct. 12…Kendrick Lamar's "Swimming Pools (Drank)" re-enters the chart at #97. The song has climbed as high as #95. It's from good kid, m.A.A.d city, which is due Oct. 22…Passion Pit's "Take A Walk" debuts at #99. It's from the album Gossamer, which was released in July…"Ice" by Kelly Rowland featuring Lil Wayne debuts at #100. This is a reunion for the pair. "Motivation" reached #17 last year.
"We Run The Night" by Havana Brown featuring Pitbull tops the 1 million mark in digital sales this week.
Little Mix's "Wings" enters the Official U.K. chart at #1. "Wings" has now been both the title and artist of a U.K. #1 hit. Wings, Paul McCartney's second group, had a #1 in the U.K. in 1977 with "Mull Of Kintyre"/"Girl's School."
R.I.P.: Hal David wrote the lyrics to some of the best songs of all time: "Alfie," "Make It Easy On Yourself," "I Say A Little Prayer," "The Look Of Love," "This Guy's In Love With You" and many, many more. David had 24 top 10 hits on what is now the Hot 100, mostly written in collaboration with legendary composer Burt Bacharach. David's top 10 hits extended from 1949 (Sammy Kaye and his Orchestra's old-style ballad "The Four Winds And The Seven Seas") to 1983 (Naked Eyes' synth-pop remake of "Always Something There To Remind Me"). The soundtrack of the 1997 movie My Best Friend's Wedding was a valentine to the unmatched Bacharach/David songbook. The pair was honored with the Gershwin Prize in a White House ceremony earlier this year. David was 91 when he died on Sept. 1.
music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/week-ending-sept-2-2012-songs-215603683.html
12. Payphone
15. Too Close
17. Want U Back
21. Home
22. I Won't Give Up
35. Heart Attack
37. Ho Hey
40. She's So Mean
42. Pop That
45. Cowboys And Angels
55. For You (Keith Urban)
58. Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself)
61. Feel Again (OneRepublic)
64. I Can Only Imagine
72. Lovin' You Is Fun
73. Battle Scars
75. Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
76. Cruise
79. Birthday Song
84. Promises (Nero)
85. Tonight (Best You Ever Had)
89. Hello (Karmin)
94. Shinin' On Me
96. Thrift Shop
97. Swimming Pools (Drank)
99. Take A Walk
