Billboard Hot 100: 12/29/12

[fridayteenage]

For the debate that's been going on...Ke$ha herself said that she was never comfortable in the first place about a song centered around the lyric "like we're gonna die young" and she apologizes for the song.

[ListenToItTwice]

Dec 19, 2012 13:52:00 GMT -5 fridayteenage said:

For the debate that's been going on...Ke$ha herself said that she was never comfortable in the first place about a song centered around the lyric "like we're gonna die young" and she apologizes for the song.

She's full of shit. The song never would have seemed inappropriate if the tragedy didn't happen while it was at its peak.

[HolidayGuy]

Yeah- and saying she was "forced" to sing that lyric? Puh-lease.

[Honeymoon]

SHe may not have been "forced" but I think this is her way of saying there are a lot of things about the new album that weren't necessarily her prerogative but rather coercing on the label, A&R team.

[Honeymoon]

So while it might not be fair to put all the blame on the guy from fun and her label, I can see where her frustration may be coming from.

[crystalphnx]

I'm assuming the Ke$ha quote that people are referring to is the one discussed in the following article, so I thought it might be helpful to post it in full:

Ke$ha 'Was FORCED' to Sing 'Die Young' Lyrics, Singer Tweets
December 18, 2012 | By David Greenwald, Los Angeles

With Ke$ha's "Die Young" pulled from a number of radio stations in the wake of the shooting tragedy in Newtown, Conn., the RCA Records the singer had her own criticism for the hit song on Tuesday.
"i understand. I had my very own issue with 'die young' for this reason," she wrote on Twitter on Tuesday evening. "I did NOT want to sing those lyrics and I was FORCED TO."

The tweet was deleted not long after. An RCA rep had not returned a request for comment at press time. It was unclear at press time who she might have been claiming to have "forced" her to sing the lyrics. Ke$ha has a writing credit on the song, alongside Fun.'s Nate Reuss and producers Dr. Luke, Cirkut and Benny Blanco. Luke is also the head of Kemosabe, the label that releases her albums through RCA. She is managed by Vector Management.

She addressed the Connecticut events more directly with her next tweet, which remains published.

"I'm so so so sorry for anyone who has been effected by this tragedy.and I understand why my song is now inappropriate. words cannot express," she tweeted.

WDAQ radio's program director and morning host Rich Minor told Billboard.com that the song was no longer in rotation on the Danbury, Conn., station.

"We've been playing it before Friday but not since and I think we're now done with it," he said. "Even though it's a fun pop/dance record about seizing the moment, all people are going to hear right now is those two words in the title."

He's also removed Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks," turning instead toward tracks including Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven" and Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings." "Die Young," at No. 3 on the Hot 100, drops to the No. 2 spot on this week's Pop Songs charts after an 11% drop in radio plays, with the charting week covering Dec. 10-16. The shootings, which claimed the lives of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in addition to the gunman and his mother, were Friday, Dec. 14.

Read more at www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/ke-ha-was-forced-to-sing-die-young-lyrics-1008054762.story#820UMCuysZ7lFtuJ.99

[cesarams]

I'm posting this just because of the total sales figures.

1 1 Bruno Mars "Locked Out of Heaven" 222,000 (1,571,000) +13%
5 2 Taylor Swift "I Knew You Were Trouble" 167,000 (1,239,000) +29%
4 3 The Lumineers "Ho Hey" 131,000 (1,917,000) -1%
2 4 Rihanna "Diamonds" 121,000 (1,586,000) -15%
3 5 will.i.am & Britney Spears "Scream & Shout" 120,000 (491,000) -15%
-- 6 Cassadee Pope "Stupid Boy" 117,000 (117,000) --
8 7 Justin Bieber "Beauty and a Beat"108,000 (796,000) +1%
13 8 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis "Thrift Shop" 102,000 (673,000) +23%
6 9 PSY "Gangnam Style" 101,000 (3,075,000) -18%
10 10 Ke$ha "Die Young" 94,000 (1,645,000) -2%

[KeepDeanWeird]

^ It's a rather sad way of getting publicity. Saying she was "forced," blah, blah, blah. How about - "I completely understand why programmers have removed my song from the radio. It makes absolute sense in light of the tragedy in Connecticut. My condolences...." Even just the second Tweet would've been fine. Oh, Ke$ha. (And I actually kind of like her.)

[Agent Yoncé]

I don't see why people don't believe her. I've always thought that wasn't a true Ke$ha like song whenever I hear it. This isn't the 1st time an artist had a dispute w/their producer &/or label. The situation is still blown out of propotion & ridiculous, of course.

[HolidayGuy]

^Why wouldn't it be a "true" Ke$ha track? It fits right in line with her other singles, at least stylistically.

I do agree that it's blown out of proportion, though.

[Deleted]

How was she "forced" to sing a song that she co-wrote?

[Deleted]

Maybe she didn't write the chorus? Maybe she wrote it and didn't want to include it? With how much people complain about Record Companies controlling people is it that hard to believe that a company would make someone sing something or release something they don't want too(look's at Kelly C).

Or maybe she is saying it for damage control. In the end she understands why it's happening, and yet it's everyone else blowing shit out of proportion and bitching about every single things. She deleted the tweet for what it's worth, maybe she got in trouble, realized she worded it wrong, or realized it was stupid to say....End Of Story.

Glad to see Ho Hey doing so well :) And Taylor back in the top 10 <3

[felipe]

Dec 19, 2012 14:01:32 GMT -5 ListenToItTwice said:

She's full of s**t. The song never would have seemed inappropriate if the tragedy didn't happen while it was at its peak.

It seemed inappropriate to me even before the tragedy. And I also disliked the fact that the title is simply Die Young, as if it were a command.

[singingsparrow]

I can envision a future interview with Ke$ha right now! ;)

*

Q: "So, then, I gather you expressed reservation with singing many of the lyrics in "Blow" as well?"

A: "Are you f***in' kidding me? 'Blow' is what I consider to be one of my crowning achievements to date. It's a f***in' blast performing live! During the "Get $leazy" tour, regardless of where it were........whether it be Adelaide, or London, or Rio de Janeiro.....you should have seen the looks on the thousands of faces in the crowd every time we shouted "We're taking over! Get used to it! THIS PLACE ABOUT TO BLOW!!!" (makes frenetic arm gestures) It was f***in' sick! So no, quite the opposite in truth!"

*


Namaste,
Noah Hibiscus Eaton

[singingsparrow]

Dec 19, 2012 21:07:57 GMT -5 felipe said:

Dec 19, 2012 14:01:32 GMT -5 ListenToItTwice said:

She's full of s**t. The song never would have seemed inappropriate if the tragedy didn't happen while it was at its peak.

It seemed inappropriate to me even before the tragedy. And I also disliked the fact that the title is simply Die Young, as if it were a command.

If she had retitled it "(Only The Good) Die Young", much like a previous Billy Joel hit, would it have assuaged your concern? ;)

Namaste,
Noah Hibiscus Eaton

[Deleted]

According to Ke$ha there were multiple potential choruses written for the song. The fun. guy wrote the 'die young' hook and sent it over to Dr. Luke, and that is the one that got chosen.

Dec 19, 2012 15:25:10 GMT -5 @jback said:

With how much people complain about Record Companies controlling people is it that hard to believe that a company would make someone sing something or release something they don't want too(look's at Kelly C).

Exactly. Ke$ha is on the same label as Kelly and Avril, both of whom have had well-documented issues with RCA before. Throw in Dr. Luke, who comes off as pretty domineering when it comes to doing what HE thinks is best (there's a reason P!nk won't work with him anymore and I'm pretty sure it's the same reason Kelly hasn't rushed back to him either), and it's really not hard to fathom at all.

Something that I think is forgotten or completely unrecognized is the fact that, for all the glitz and glamor and fun an entertainment career appears to hold, it's still just that - a career, a job. These singers are technically employees and the labels are their bosses. So just like you sometimes are told that you have to do crap that you really don't want to do because it's your job, these singers sometimes are told they have to record crap they don't want to because the label has dictated that it's part of their job.

Note that this analogy wouldn't apply nearly as much to indie artists, who are more or less working "freelance." The much lower amount of money they make on average go right along with that, though. A label provides structure, but to an extent this comes at the expense of 100% control. You could NOT do what your boss tells you, free will and all, but that comes with risk. Same with singers. This is why, when an artist does fight back and it becomes public, opinions split and the support for them isn't there like it was before. (There have also been cases where the fight wasn't open at the time but you find out about it later and you're like "oh, that's why that era was so screwy.") I bet there is a decent overlap between the people who think Ke$ha is full of shit for saying she was told to record that hook, but also thought Kelly and Avril were full of shit to battle over My December and Goodbye Lullaby; and the people in that overlap probably don't see the conflict between these two opinions at all.

I said in the DY thread, I think the only thing that is 'suspect' (if I could even call it that) is the timing, Like, if she said that when the song first came out, or if she had waited a year and then said it, not as many people would rush to call her a liar. Saying it as one's song is freefalling and the news is still fresh on everyone's minds will strike some as convenient.

[KeepDeanWeird]

^"Saying it as one's song is freefalling and the news is still fresh on everyone's minds will strike some as convenient."

We have a winner! That's the point I was trying to make re: her statements and a better approach. The publicity she is getting is only helping keep the song up high on iTunes. If Ke$ha was smart, she would make some sort of donation to the victims, etc. (Not all her profits and it doesn't even have to be a named amount.) Then, the remorse or whatever she is "feeling" would ring true. Otherwise, it really comes across as a weird attention grab.

[felipe]

Dec 19, 2012 21:17:10 GMT -5 @singingsparrow said:

Dec 19, 2012 21:07:57 GMT -5 felipe said:

It seemed inappropriate to me even before the tragedy. And I also disliked the fact that the title is simply Die Young, as if it were a command.

If she had retitled it "(Only The Good) Die Young", much like a previous Billy Joel hit, would it have assuaged your concern? ;)

Namaste,
Noah Hibiscus Eaton

Yes, that would have sounded quite better. For one it's not a command/order.

[vantiboy3]

Lord. The world seemingly is ending tomorrow. And a Kesha debate is gonna be the last thing we all talked about????

SERIOUSLY??

We gonna give this non-event of an issue our curtain call honors???

[popstop]

^LOL. If the world were truly ending tomorrow, I doubt many would even choose to be on pulse.

And like I saw elsewhere - if the Mayans were that good at predicting, there would still be Mayans.

[Deleted]

The Billboard Hot 100
Issue Date: 2012-12-29

This Week Last Week Two Weeks Ago Weeks Title, Artist Peak
on Producer(Songwriter) Position
Chart Imprint | Catalog No. | Distributing Label
1 1 2 11 Locked Out Of Heaven, Bruno Mars 1
2 2 1 12 Diamonds, Rihanna 1
3 4 5 28 Ho Hey, The Lumineers 3
4 3 3 12 Die Young, Ke$ha 2
5 5 4 26 One More Night, Maroon 5 1
6 6 8 12 I Cry, Flo Rida 6
7 9 14 10 Beauty And A Beat, Justin Bieber Featuring Nicki Minaj 7
8 7 7 25 Home, Phillip Phillips 7
9 8 6 43 Some Nights, fun. 3
10 15 32 9 I Knew You Were Trouble., Taylor Swift 3
11 10 9 20 Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself), Ne-Yo 6
12 14 21 13 Don't You Worry Child, Swedish House Mafia Featuring John Martin 12
13 21 28 11 Thrift Shop, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz 13
14 16 20 8 Try, P!nk 14
15 13 12 3 Scream & Shout, will.i.am Featuring Britney Spears 12
16 12 11 15 Girl On Fire, Alicia Keys Featuring Nicki Minaj 11
17 18 23 23 The A Team, Ed Sheeran 17
18 11 10 15 Gangnam Style, PSY 2
19 24 25 28 It's Time, Imagine Dragons 19
20 17 16 18 Cruise, Florida Georgia Line 16
21 19 17 18 Swimming Pools (Drank), Kendrick Lamar 17
22 22 18 15 Clique, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Big Sean 12
23 23 19 20 Adorn, Miguel 17
24 20 13 38 Too Close, Alex Clare 7
25 29 - 3 All I Want For Christmas Is You, Mariah Carey 25
26 26 24 9 Va Va Voom, Nicki Minaj 22
27 25 15 19 We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Taylor Swift 1
28 27 26 26 As Long As You Love Me, Justin Bieber Featuring Big Sean 6
29 28 22 25 Don't Wake Me Up, Chris Brown 10
30 31 31 9 Don't Stop The Party, Pitbull Featuring TJR 30
31 41 45 30 Little Talks, Of Monsters And Men 31
32 42 59 7 F**kin Problems, A$AP Rocky Featuring Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar 32
33 44 58 6 Sweet Nothing, Calvin Harris Featuring Florence Welch 33
34 33 34 19 I Will Wait, Mumford & Sons 23
35 30 29 14 Bandz A Make Her Dance, Juicy J Featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz 29
36 32 35 23 Thinkin Bout You, Frank Ocean 32
37 34 37 34 Wanted, Hunter Hayes 16
38 36 40 12 Hall Of Fame, The Script Featuring will.i.am 36
39 39 42 15 No Worries, Lil Wayne Featuring Detail 39
40 NEW 1 Stupid Boy, Cassadee Pope 40
41 40 44 7 Better Dig Two, The Band Perry 40
42 54 63 5 I'm Different, 2 Chainz 42
43 38 38 52 Lights, Ellie Goulding 2
44 35 30 24 Blow Me (One Last Kiss), P!nk 5
45 45 41 43 Call Me Maybe, Carly Rae Jepsen 1
46 53 67 5 Little Things, One Direction 41
47 56 56 10 Anything Could Happen, Ellie Goulding 47
48 46 47 50 Somebody That I Used To Know, Gotye Featuring Kimbra 1
49 52 53 8 Catch My Breath, Kelly Clarkson 49
50 48 51 10 Goodbye In Her Eyes, Zac Brown Band 48
51 55 57 13 Beer Money, Kip Moore 51
52 37 36 16 Feel Again, OneRepublic 36
53 51 52 14 Til My Last Day, Justin Moore 51
54 50 55 11 Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain), Gary Allan 50
55 65 72 16 Radioactive, Imagine Dragons 55
56 59 61 17 Creepin', Eric Church 56
57 62 64 11 How Country Feels, Randy Houser 57
58 77 - 2 Daylight, Maroon 5 58
59 58 50 17 Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, Luke Bryan 29
60 64 65 6 The Only Way I Know, Jason Aldean With Luke Bryan & Eric Church 60
61 63 69 7 Wicked Games, The Weeknd 61
62 60 60 19 Birthday Song, 2 Chainz Featuring Kanye West 47
63 75 82 4 Remember You, Wiz Khalifa Featuring The Weeknd 63
64 70 75 9 Ball, T.I. Featuring Lil Wayne 50
65 67 66 17 Madness, Muse 60
66 76 78 6 Tornado, Little Big Town 66
67 66 68 13 Did It For The Girl, Greg Bates 66
68 79 81 7 Don't Judge Me, Chris Brown 68
69 73 73 11 Southern Comfort Zone, Brad Paisley 68
70 NEW 1 Let It Be, Terry McDermott 70
71 68 54 19 The One That Got Away, Jake Owen 51
72 61 43 11 Skyfall, Adele 8
73 81 86 4 Somebody's Heartbreak, Hunter Hayes 73
74 72 74 10 El Cerrito Place, Kenny Chesney 72
75 78 77 11 Begin Again, Taylor Swift 7
76 71 76 11 Diced Pineapples, Rick Ross Featuring Wale & Drake 71
77 83 84 8 Poetic Justice, Kendrick Lamar Featuring Drake 76
78 74 70 11 Live While We're Young, One Direction 3
79 90 96 3 One Of Those Nights, Tim McGraw 79
80 86 83 4 Rest Of My Life, Ludacris Featuring Usher & David Guetta 72
81 85 - 2 Stubborn Love, The Lumineers 81
82 NEW 1 Love Sosa, Chief Keef 82
83 82 80 19 Turn On The Lights, Future 50
84 89 91 4 Tip It On Back, Dierks Bentley 84
85 95 90 6 Celebration, Game Featuring Chris Brown, Tyga, Wiz Khalifa & Lil Wayne 82
86 91 93 16 Take A Walk, Passion Pit 85
87 97 87 9 Ready Or Not, Bridgit Mendler 78
88 NEW 1 Merry Go 'Round, Kacey Musgraves 88
89 NEW 1 Guap, Big Sean 89
90 NEW 1 Two Black Cadillacs, Carrie Underwood 90
91 99 - 2 Neva End, Future 91
92 88 89 7 Young & Gettin' It, Meek Mill Featuring Kirko Bangz 88
93 NEW 1 Who Booty, Jonn Hart Featuring iamSU 93
94 94 88 9 Ice, Kelly Rowland Featuring Lil Wayne 88
95 98 92 15 Dance For You, Beyonce 78
96 NEW 1 All Gold Everything, Trinidad James 96
97 57 - 2 Love And War, Tamar Braxton 57
98 100 97 3 Representin', Ludacris Featuring Kelly Rowland 97
99 80 27 3 My Life, 50 Cent Featuring Eminem & Adam Levine 27
100 92 71 14 Finally Found You, Enrique Iglesias Featuring Sammy Adams 24

[kingofpain]

OMG Swedish House Mafia are at 12!!!! Could it happen... Could they actually crack the top 10 here??? Maybe it really is the end of the world tomorrow!! Their sales have increased this week (sitting just outside the top 10 on iTunes) and their airplay has really grown this week too... I'm guessing they just might do it next week!!!

[HolidayGuy]

Thanks, 2m.

By the way- the missing No. 40 is:
40 NEW 1 Stupid Boy, Cassadee Pope

[Peaches. [Ch, r. is]]

Dec 20, 2012 6:56:12 GMT -5 vantiboy3 said:

Lord. The world seemingly is ending tomorrow. And a Kesha debate is gonna be the last thing we all talked about????

SERIOUSLY??

We gonna give this non-event of an issue our curtain call honors???

Well i'm young and ready to die to let's make the most of this discussion?

[Deleted]

Ke$sha understands why her song is not getting played right now, we all understand that right now sensitivity is needed, i dont see a debate.

[Deleted]

Dec 20, 2012 10:23:32 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

Thanks, 2m.

By the way- the missing No. 40 is:
40 NEW 1 Stupid Boy, Cassadee Pope

Oops sorry

Copy and paste error - fixed original post

[Agent Yoncé]

'Scream & Shout' is holding on VERY well.

[rfucom]

Scream and shout is flop

[Nicolexo]

Scream and shout is smash

[bornfearless2000]

Dec 21, 2012 3:16:13 GMT -5 Nicolexo said:

Scream and shout is smash