Billboard Hot 100 : 05/16/2015

[jenglisbe]

My local station is playing a version of "SYA" with local high school students edited in talking about friends they will mass as they go off to college and what not.

[crystalphnx]

May 6, 2015 9:24:27 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

My local station is playing a version of "SYA" with local high school students edited in talking about friends they will mass as they go off to college and what not.

Am I the only one who has an immediately negative reaction to that?

The song's about the death of a friend/loved one - I don't think that was ever meant to be ambiguous (especially with all the Paul Walker tie-ins.) Comparing that to not being able to see your BFF until Winter Break seems a bit...disrespectful? Overly-dramatic? Especially in 2015, when you can just, ya know: call them, email them, Skype them, FaceTime them, Facebook them, SnapChat them, etc. It's almost like:

Person A: "So my best friend died in a horrible car crash last week."
Person B: "OMG, I know exactly how you feel! My bestie is going off to Harvard this fall, but I'm going to USC."

Maybe I'm just a curmudgeon, but I definitely cringed when I read about that new version.

[YourFaveIsAFlop]

Meh. SYA is a song about wringing every last possible penny out of Paul Walker's dead body. If they want to try to expand it into graduation season, why not.

[ss8]

My instant reaction was also kinda eeew/cheesy (even w/out hearing this 'new' version) lol. So predictable. I'd prob. laugh for a few min. then turn it off every time it came on lol. It's only exploiting Paul Walkers death (and the song!) even more. Although I'm not a fan of the song, its a pretty, catchy but very dark and sad.

[Deleted]

^ I'm glad people understand me and that I'm not the only one feeling that way. Gary seems to think that it's only me who feels that SYA is a song that's milking off the dead. Getting so sick of seeing it at #1. I sure hope that with today's official chart, that its more than halfway through its run at #1. Though I'm not really a fan of "Pretty Girls" I wouldn't mind it dethroning SYA but it's been getting consistent dark reds without having even reached the threshold of 2/3 of SYA so unless the video being dropped next week has a big impact on sales PG won't be getting #1.

[jayhawk1117]

And pretty girls is already number 3 on iTunes....

[crystalphnx]

I'm all for respecting the dead, but the whole..."exploitation" argument against SYA seems really weak. Isn't the entire music industry based on exploiting the artists? Labels find someone with talent and then make every cent they possibly can off them until they're no longer popular/profitable, at which point they kick them to the curb and replace them with the next big thing. Yes, some artists become fabulously wealthy during their period of fame and never have to worry about money for the rest of their lives - but that's certainly not always the case. And even if the artists are making a ton of money, is it not exploitation to, say, put 16-year-old Britney Spears in a skanky schoolgirl uniform for profit's sake?

If you're truly against exploitation, you need to start boycotting a lot more songs than SYA.

[Deleted]

May 6, 2015 11:44:29 GMT -5 crystalphnx said:

I'm all for respecting the dead, but the whole..."exploitation" argument against SYA seems really weak. Isn't the entire music industry based on exploiting the artists? Labels find someone with talent and then make every cent they possibly can off them until they're no longer popular/profitable, at which point they kick them to the curb and replace them with the next big thing. Yes, some artists become fabulously wealthy during their period of fame and never have to worry about money for the rest of their lives - but that's certainly not always the case. And even if the artists are making a ton of money, is it not exploitation to, say, put 16-year-old Britney Spears in a skanky schoolgirl uniform for profit's sake?

If you're truly against exploitation, you need to start boycotting a lot more songs than SYA.

But with the case of Britney and others they're not really exploiting them because the singer is actually consenting to it. That's the difference. There's no disrespect here since the singer is voluntarily agreeing to it.

[crystalphnx]

May 6, 2015 11:51:40 GMT -5 @markg94 said:

But with the case of Britney and others they're not really exploiting them because the singer is actually consenting to it. That's the difference. There's no disrespect here since the singer is voluntarily agreeing to it.

I don't want to get too much into the nature of "consent" in this thread - but do you think 16-year-old Britney really understood what she was getting into? Or that her wardrobe and image was really her choice, and not that of the men who'd be profiting the most from her success? Plenty of people initially agree to jobs/contracts and end up being exploited.

But if the problem with SYA is that Paul Walker isn't alive to give consent for the use of his image in the video/association with this song, do you feel the same way every time a current hit samples a song by a deceased artist? Because that deceased artist wasn't able to give consent for that particular use of their material. Or every time a song or album is released after an artist's death?

Obviously, people are allowed to hate SYA as much as they want for whatever reasons they want. I just don't think anyone here is sincerely hurt or offended by SYA for Paul Walker's sake.

[johonmilla]

PREDICTION!

1. See You Again
2. Trap Queen
3. Earned It.
4.Uptown Funk
5.Sugar
6. Shut Up and Dance
7. Love Me Like You DO
8. GDFR
9. Want to Want Me
10/11/12. Hey Mama, Post To be, or Thinking Out Loud

[Deleted]

May 6, 2015 11:59:39 GMT -5 crystalphnx said:

May 6, 2015 11:51:40 GMT -5 @markg94 said:

But with the case of Britney and others they're not really exploiting them because the singer is actually consenting to it. That's the difference. There's no disrespect here since the singer is voluntarily agreeing to it.

I don't want to get too much into the nature of "consent" in this thread - but do you think 16-year-old Britney really understood what she was getting into? Or that her wardrobe and image was really her choice, and not that of the men who'd be profiting the most from her success? Plenty of people initially agree to jobs/contracts and end up being exploited.

But if the problem with SYA is that Paul Walker isn't alive to give consent for the use of his image in the video/association with this song, do you feel the same way every time a current hit samples a song by a deceased artist? Because that deceased artist wasn't able to give consent for that particular use of their material. Or every time a song or album is released after an artist's death?

Obviously, people are allowed to hate SYA as much as they want for whatever reasons they want. I just don't think anyone here is sincerely hurt or offended by SYA for Paul Walker's sake.

Well if she was underage then her parents had to consent for it, but either way they weren't taking advantage of her against her will. And I'm sure Paul's family are deeply hurt by it if they understand what's going on. Let's not forget that if it weren't for FF7 and Paul Walker and being on the official soundtrack, SYA would probably never have even cracked the top 40 on the Hot 100.

[Gary]

OK @markg94. since you mentioned me.

What's the difference between this song and a tribute song (such as Candle In The Wind)?
Or are they both just exploitation of the dead?

Does your dislike of this song have anything to do with the fact that it blocked 'Uptown Funk' from setting a record?

[crystalphnx]

May 6, 2015 12:17:28 GMT -5 @markg94 said:

Well if she was underage then her parents had to consent for it, but either way they weren't taking advantage of her against her will. And I'm sure Paul's family are deeply hurt by it if they understand what's going on.

No, you're not sure. What you're saying is: "If I was Paul's father/brother/etc., I would feel deeply hurt by SYA."

Unless his family has made public statements of which I'm unaware, no one here actually knows how they feel about F7 or SYA. For all we know, they may see it as a very touching and fitting tribute to their son/brother/cousin/etc. What if his mom likes it, but his dad doesn't? Would that make enjoying the song 50% OK?

I'm not advocating exploiting the dead for all they're worth, I just think people here are masking their dislike for the song itself with an insincere...justice-for-Paul-Walker soapbox.

[Deleted]

May 6, 2015 12:31:17 GMT -5 Gary said:

OK @markg94. since you mentioned me.

What's the difference between this song and a tribute song (such as Candle In The Wind)?
Or are they both just exploitation of the dead?

Does your dislike of this song have anything to do with the fact that it blocked 'Uptown Funk' from setting a record?

CITW and other songs aren't a blatant attempt at taking advantage of the current situation (i.e. the release of FF7 which brings up awareness of PW's death). In fact I'm not sure they're even about a particular individual. They were released and made like any other song, not as a manipulative marketing strategy. Allow me to reiterate that SYA would probably never have even reached the top 40 of the Hot 100 if not for the setting and given circumstances. And please note that I'm clearly not the only one even just on this thread who feels this way about the song.

If "Earned It" or "Sugar" or even "Trap Queen" had dethroned UF right after week 14 at #1, I would not have felt such contempt to said song. However, the fact that SYA did it obviously isn't helping its case.

[Gary]

May 6, 2015 12:45:42 GMT -5 @markg94 said:

May 6, 2015 12:31:17 GMT -5 Gary said:

OK @markg94. since you mentioned me.

What's the difference between this song and a tribute song (such as Candle In The Wind)?
Or are they both just exploitation of the dead?

Does your dislike of this song have anything to do with the fact that it blocked 'Uptown Funk' from setting a record?

CITW and other songs aren't a blatant attempt at taking advantage of the current situation (i.e. the release of FF7 which brings up awareness of PW's death). In fact I'm not sure they're even about a particular individual. They were released and made like any other song, not as a manipulative marketing strategy. Allow me to reiterate that SYA would probably never have even reached the top 40 of the Hot 100 if not for the setting and given circumstances. And please note that I'm clearly not the only one even just on this thread who feels this way about the song.

If "Earned It" or "Sugar" or even "Trap Queen" had dethroned UF right after week 14 at #1, I would not have felt such contempt to said song. However, the fact that SYA did it obviously isn't helping its case.

See You Again is the lead single of a blockbuster movie.  Nothing unusual there except that it dethroned Uptown Funk. 


Well....You could say Candle In The Wind was played at a global funeral of Proncess Diana and subsequently released as a single to capitalize on her death and to take money from the global audience?


The second version of Candle in the Wind was about Princess Diana, the first version was about Mariyln Monroe btw




Other tribute songs released in the past are also about specific people who have passed away.

[YourFaveIsAFlop]

There is obviously more to people liking SYA than just the Paul Walker tie in. It's not an awful song, and probably would have been moderately successful even without the movie. I just find it kind of ridiculous that Paul Walker gets some kind of credit for the success of the song. It's not like he was some beloved actor that a huge swath of America had a personal connection to. I'm sure 90% of audiences couldn't name anything he was in other than the Fast & Furious movies.

[Deleted]

May 6, 2015 9:55:57 GMT -5 YourFaveIsAFlop said:

Meh. SYA is a song about wringing every last possible penny out of Paul Walker's dead body. If they want to try to expand it into graduation season, why not.

May 6, 2015 12:51:36 GMT -5 YourFaveIsAFlop said:

There is obviously more to people liking SYA than just the Paul Walker tie in. It's not an awful song, and probably would have been moderately successful even without the movie. I just find it kind of ridiculous that Paul Walker gets some kind of credit for the success of the song. It's not like he was some beloved actor that a huge swath of America had a personal connection to. I'm sure 90% of audiences couldn't name anything he was in other than the Fast & Furious movies.

Well, looks like someone changed his mind quite suddenly lol...

[YourFaveIsAFlop]

I dont see a contradiction there. The producers of the movie turned a pretty sappy but inoffensive hip-pop song into a montage at the end of a massively popular action movie knowing people would buy it. I mean, if the Hanging Tree can turn into a hit song, pretty much anything in a big movie can. What i'm saying is people like the song in general but turning it to a in memoriam montage for an actor nobody really cared about is exploitative.

[Gary]

huh? Somebody probably cared. The 7 movies have made a boatload of money so he was probably missed by somebody? Particularly fans of the franchise. Which is why this song is prominently featured in this movie.


The song gives the fans of the franchise a chance to remember him.

[Dylan :)]

May 6, 2015 11:11:31 GMT -5 @markg94 said:

Getting so sick of seeing it at #1. 

Why, though? I get you can hate a song, but it's been three weeks. I don't like it either, and would rather it not even charting, but it is. Your favourite song just finished 14 weeks at #1, be happy ;) :)

[Gary]

May 6, 2015 13:26:17 GMT -5 Dylan :) said:

May 6, 2015 11:11:31 GMT -5 @markg94 said:

Getting so sick of seeing it at #1. 

Why, though? I get you can hate a song, but it's been three weeks. I don't like it either, and would rather it not even charting, but it is. Your favourite song just finished 14 weeks at #1, be happy ;) :)

Speaking of "Happy" that song did quite well too and knocked off another Mark G fave  'Dark Horse'

[kanimal]

Based on Gary Trust's Tweets, look for Worth It and Honey, I'm Good to cross new milestones this week.

[Dylan :)]

May 6, 2015 13:33:28 GMT -5 kanimal said:

Based on Gary Trust's Tweets, look for Worth It and Honey, I'm Good to cross new milestones this week.

Top 20, I'm guessing 

[Kurt]

Anyway...via Periscope:
10. Thinking Out Loud
9. Nasty Freestyle
8. Want To Want Me
7. Love Me Like You Do
6. Sugar
5. Shut Up And Dance
4. Earned It
3. Uptown Funk - has spent most time in the top three (21 weeks) for any song in Billboard Hot 100 history
2. Trap Queen
1. See You Again

[jenglisbe]

May 6, 2015 9:33:52 GMT -5 crystalphnx said:

May 6, 2015 9:24:27 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

My local station is playing a version of "SYA" with local high school students edited in talking about friends they will mass as they go off to college and what not.

Am I the only one who has an immediately negative reaction to that?

The song's about the death of a friend/loved one - I don't think that was ever meant to be ambiguous (especially with all the Paul Walker tie-ins.) Comparing that to not being able to see your BFF until Winter Break seems a bit...disrespectful? Overly-dramatic? Especially in 2015, when you can just, ya know: call them, email them, Skype them, FaceTime them, Facebook them, SnapChat them, etc. It's almost like:

Person A: "So my best friend died in a horrible car crash last week."
Person B: "OMG, I know exactly how you feel! My bestie is going off to Harvard this fall, but I'm going to USC."

Maybe I'm just a curmudgeon, but I definitely cringed when I read about that new version.

1. I don't think everyone views the song as being about Paul Walker; I mean that in terms of when they hear the song. Obviously it was created in part as a tribute to him, but even Puth wrote it about his own friend and not Walker. I don't think people all view it the way you do.
2. People can bring thing own meaning to songs, too. If you only look at the chorus, "SYA" doesn't have to be about someone dying. It could easily be about someone moving away/going to college and the person is saying "We'll catch up." Not everyone hears songs in a literal sense. And I am sure many people who hear the song think of their own friends and families and don't even think about Paul Walker.

[rimetm]

Wait, Trap Queen up to #2? Definitely didn't expect that. Also really surprised Sugar hasn't started crashing yet and that Thinking Out Loud outlasted GDFR. Nasty Freestyle should also crash next week because the price went back to normal and nobody is going to pay $1.29 for a 2 minute song...I think...

[Dylan :)]

May 6, 2015 13:35:33 GMT -5 Kurt said:

Anyway...via Periscope:
10. Thinking Out Loud
9. Nasty Freestyle
8. Want To Want Me
7. Love Me Like You Do
6. Sugar
5. Shut Up And Dance
4. Earned It
3. Uptown Funk - has spent most time in the top three (21 weeks) for any song in Billboard Hot 100 history
2. Trap Queen
1. See You Again

Trap Queen #2, WTWM barely gains, TOL still in top ten and NF enters. *cries* At least LMLYD is holding on

[jenglisbe]

May 6, 2015 11:51:40 GMT -5 @markg94 said:

May 6, 2015 11:44:29 GMT -5 crystalphnx said:

I'm all for respecting the dead, but the whole..."exploitation" argument against SYA seems really weak. Isn't the entire music industry based on exploiting the artists? Labels find someone with talent and then make every cent they possibly can off them until they're no longer popular/profitable, at which point they kick them to the curb and replace them with the next big thing. Yes, some artists become fabulously wealthy during their period of fame and never have to worry about money for the rest of their lives - but that's certainly not always the case. And even if the artists are making a ton of money, is it not exploitation to, say, put 16-year-old Britney Spears in a skanky schoolgirl uniform for profit's sake?

If you're truly against exploitation, you need to start boycotting a lot more songs than SYA.

But with the case of Britney and others they're not really exploiting them because the singer is actually consenting to it. That's the difference. There's no disrespect here since the singer is voluntarily agreeing to it.

So should Mariah and Boyz II men not have written "One Sweet Day" about their dead friends? Should Eric Clapton have not written "Tears in Heaven" about his dead son? But more so didn't Puth write his part of "SYA" about his own friend, not Walker?

Artists write (and paint, etc.) about their life. It's a form of expression. Ultimately someone writing about a friend who has died is no different than a singer writing about a break-up or a love interest. I mean, if artists can't write about other people, what's left other than self-empowerment anthems?

[Dylan :)]

#14 Hey Mama
#17 Honey I'm Good
#21 Worth It

Go 5H!

[crystalphnx]

Wiz Khalifa Tops Hot 100, T-Wayne Whips Into Top 10

See You Again' rules for a fourth week, while rap newcomer T-Wayne's 'Nasty Freestyle' soars to No. 9, powered by viral video views.

Wiz Khalifa's Furious 7 soundtrack smash "See You Again," featuring Charlie Puth, leads the Billboard Hot 100 for a fourth week.

Meanwhile, rookie rapper T-Wayne vaults into the top 10 with his viral hit "Nasty Freestyle."

As we do each Wednesday, let's look at all the songs in the top 10, and a bit beyond, on the sales/airplay/streaming-based Hot 100 (dated May 16).

"Again," released on Atlantic Records and promoted to radio by Roadrunner Promotions, spends a fifth week at No. 1 on the Digital Songs chart with 285,000 downloads sold (down 10 percent) in the week ending May 3, according to Nielsen Music. The track posts a fourth week at No. 1 on both Streaming Songs (24 million U.S. streams, essentially even from last week) and the subscription services-based On-Demand Songs chart (8 million, down 8 percent).

Although airplay still accounts for the smallest sum (17 percent) of the song's Hot 100 chart points, "Again" roars into the Radio Songs top 10 (11-7) with a 38 percent blast to 102 million all-format impressions. It wins top Airplay Gainer honors on the Hot 100 for a third week.

"Again" concurrently dominates Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts for a fourth week each.

Fetty Wap's "Trap Queen" again hits a new Hot 100 highpoint, rising 3-2. It holds at No. 2 on Streaming Songs, up by 1 percent to 17.5 million. It dips 4-5 on Digital Songs (106,000, down 1 percent), but keeps at No. 13 on Radio Songs with a 7 percent lift to 64 million. It also passes 1 million in downloads sold to-date.

Notably, two hip-hop-based rap tracks (both having charted on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs) by male rappers rank at Nos. 1 and 2 on the Hot 100 for the first time in more than six years. The last time that two such hits held the top two spots on the Hot 100? March 28, 2009, when Flo Rida's "Right Round" ranked at No. 1 and T.I.'s "Dead and Gone" (featuring Justin Timberlake) followed at No. 2.

Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk!," featuring Bruno Mars, drops 2-3 on the Hot 100 after ruling for 14 weeks, tying for the second-longest command in the Hot 100's 56-year history. It drops 3-4 on both Radio Songs (123 million, down 9 percent) and Streaming Songs (12.8 million, down 3 percent) and 5-8 on Digital Songs (90,000, down 12 percent).

While "Funk" fell short of breaking the record for most weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 (held by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's "One Sweet Day": 16), it has set another mark. As noted by astute reader and chart-watcher Brian Cole, "Funk" has spent the most time, 21 weeks, in the Hot 100's top three of any song all-time. With it having rewritten the record last week, here's a look at the hits to inhabit the top three the longest:

Songs With the Most Weeks in the Hot 100's Top Three

21 weeks, "Uptown Funk!," Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, 2014-15

19, "Smooth," Santana feat. Rob Thomas, 1999-2000

18, "We Belong Together," Mariah Carey, 2005

18, "Un-Break My Heart," Toni Braxton, 1996-97

17, "All About That Bass," Meghan Trainor, 2014

Billboard Music Awards 2015: See the Full List of Finalists; Taylor Swift Leads With 14 Nominations

The Weeknd's "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)" holds at No. 4 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 3, and spends a second week atop Radio Songs (155 million, up 3 percent). The sultry track slips 4-5 on Streaming Songs (9 million, down 8 percent) and 8-10 on Digital Songs (83,000, down 14 percent). It tops the Hot R&B Songs chart for a sixth week.

Rounding out the Hot 100's top five, Walk the Moon's "Shut Up and Dance" darts 7-5. It stays at No. 2 on Digital Songs (136,000, down 2 percent) and climbs 7-5 on Radio Songs (111 million, up 14 percent) and 12-11 on Streaming Songs (6.1 million, up 7 percent). It leads Hot Rock Songs for a sixth week. The group is the first rock band to hit the Hot 100's top five with a debut entry since Bastille peaked at No. 5 slightly more than a year ago with "Pompeii."

Maroon 5's No. 2-peaking "Sugar" descends 5-6 on the Hot 100 (ahead of forthcoming single "This Summer's Gonna Hurt," a new song to be added onto the band's V album); Ellie Goulding's Fifty Shades of Grey hit "Love Me Like You Do" steps down 6-7 after peaking at No. 3, while taking over atop the Adult Pop Songs airplay chart); and Jason Derulo's "Want to Want Me" jumps 10-8.

Rapper T-Wayne rockets into the Hot 100's top 10 with "Nasty Freestyle" (17-9). His debut anthem has been fueled by user-generated viral clips of the Whip dance featuring the song. Claiming the Hot 100's top Streaming Gainer trophy for a second week, the track flies 10-3 on Streaming Songs, doubling to 12.8 million streams. It also vaults 11-4 on Digital Songs, up by 29 percent to 106,000. (Radio airplay makes up less than 1 percent of the single's Hot 100 points.)

"Freestyle" whips into the Hot 100's top 10 in just its third week, tying for the second-fastest flight to the region this year, and the fastest by a new artist. Maroon 5's "Sugar" is the only song to debut in the top 10 this year, having launched at No. 8 on Jan. 31, while Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney's "FourFiveSeconds," like "Freestyle," also needed only three weeks.

"Freestyle" has taken off "because it's so catchy," T-Wayne (real name: Rickey Wayne) told Billboard exclusively in his first interview in more than year. "Those lyrics, you can't deny, because it really is a hard freestyle. It says some real stuff, but it also says some funny stuff that people can relate to. It will make you laugh."

Closing out the Hot 100's top 10, Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" drops 8-10 after peaking at No. 2.

In highlights just below the Hot 100's top tier, David Guetta's "Hey Mama," featuring Nicki Minaj and Afrojack, bounds 19-14; Andy Grammer's hyper hoedown "Honey, I'm Good." roars 28-17 as the chart's top Digital Gainer (up by 47 percent to 105,000 sold); and Fifth Harmony nears its first top 20 hit, as "Worth It" (featuring Kid Ink) charges 32-21. More details on noteworthy news below the top 10 in the weekly "Hot 100 Chart Moves" column to post on Friday (May 8).

Visit Billboard.com tomorrow (May 7), when all rankings, including the Hot 100 in its entirety and Digital Songs, Radio Songs and Streaming Songs, will refresh, as they do each Thursday. The Hot 100 will also appear in the next issue of Billboard magazine, on sale on Friday (May 8).

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6554093/wiz-khalifa-tops-hot-100-t-wayne