Elton John & Britney Spears - "Hold Me Closer"

[Koochie]

Top 12 is still fantastic, lmao. A lot of artists would kill for that this far into their careers.

This could very easily slip into the top 10 too, which would be pretty incredible actually. This is going to be one to watch and I'm very optimistic about where It goes. 

[degen]

So are we going to sit here and act like the high debut in Europe and Australia isn’t because of Elton John? I mean congrats to Britney but let’s address the whole picture. Elton has momentum going for him, and the fact that this did well where he’s been slaying lately is a testimony to HIS staying power more than anything else. It fell short in America because he doesn’t have as big of a fanbase here.

As for Britney, it just proves what we’ve suspected for a long time. She still has a strong rapid fanbase, but the splash wears off quickly and her commercial success will never equate to what it once was in the 2000’s with the public. We are just at a fraction of that. Also her heavy media interest does NOT translate to the same commercial success. I think seeing how badly this song was perceived in areas like Facebook and Twitter goes to show that her presence can somewhat be polarizing for many. The autotune and vocal filtering is def not everyone’s cup of tea anymore and probably a thing of the past.

[upsidedown]

Aug 31, 2022 15:54:51 GMT -5 Koochie said:

Top 12 is still fantastic, lmao. A lot of artists would kill for that this far into their careers.

This could very easily slip into the top 10 too, which would be pretty incredible actually. This is going to be one to watch and I'm very optimistic about where It goes. 

If radio at least keeps being supportive into next week, it could get interesting if it gets TTH placement and say, a 69 cent discount on iTunes. Elton's team seems to be going for longevity here.

[Daenerys]

Aug 31, 2022 10:17:06 GMT -5 upsidedown said:

Aug 31, 2022 9:36:25 GMT -5 SPRΞΞ said:

um...

MTE lmao. This will likely end up with nearly a +4000 bullet at Pop on Fridays update. How is that "lagging"? (let alone it's incredible Hot AC performance so far)

My point was if you look at the top ten predictions in the tweet on the last page, most of the songs in the top 10 have higher radio play and impressions than Hold Me Closer does. The average radio impressions in the top 10 is 50 million. HMC will end up with maybe around 20-25 million total, which is half that. When you look at it's points across the board its radio which it's not trending as strongly against other top ten hits.

It's streaming and sales points are in line with or overperforming compared with other songs in the top 10.

[upsidedown]

Aug 31, 2022 16:00:28 GMT -5 degen said:

So are we going to sit here and act like the high debut in Europe and Australia isn’t because of Elton John? I mean congrats to Britney but let’s address the whole picture. Elton has momentum going for him, and the fact that this did well where he’s been slaying lately is a testimony to HIS staying power more than anything else. It fell short in America because he doesn’t have as big of a fanbase here.

As for Britney, it just proves what we’ve suspected for a long time. She still has a strong rapid fanbase, but the splash wears off quickly and her commercial success will never equate to what it once was in the 2000’s with the public. We are just at a fraction of that. Also her heavy media interest does NOT translate to the same commercial success. I think seeing how badly this song was perceived in areas like Facebook and Twitter goes to show that her presence can somewhat be polarizing for many. The autotune and vocal filtering is def not everyone’s cup of tea anymore and probably a thing of the past.

What are you talking about? Half of the reason this song made a splash is because it was the "return of Britney." Yes, Elton plays a part b/c he has a huge fanbase and is riding high off of Cold Heart, but I think most of the credit still goes to Britney here. There was immense hype for this.

This is doing incredible on US radio + iTunes and streaming is doing pretty much as well as can be expected without extra playlisting, so I don't get where you're surmising that the "splash" has worn off already. If anything, the fact that a song by a 40 year old popstar who has been in the game for 25 years is even doing these numbers is frankly incredible.

Also, not sure where you're looking, but this has generally gotten a pretty good reception from the general public from what I can tell. (Also, just as a factual statement, there is not that much autotune on this, it's called layering, so if you're going to be shady at least get it right)

Britney never ceases to bring out the haters! Still has em shook after 25 years.

[upsidedown]

Aug 31, 2022 16:31:11 GMT -5 Daenerys said:

Aug 31, 2022 10:17:06 GMT -5 upsidedown said:

MTE lmao. This will likely end up with nearly a +4000 bullet at Pop on Fridays update. How is that "lagging"? (let alone it's incredible Hot AC performance so far)

My point was if you look at the top ten predictions in the tweet on the last page, most of the songs in the top 10 have higher radio play and impressions than Hold Me Closer does. The average radio impressions in the top 10 is 50 million. HMC will end up with maybe around 20-25 million total, which is half that. When you look at it's points across the board its radio which it's not trending as strongly against other top ten hits.

It's streaming and sales points are in line with or overperforming in regards to points compared with other songs in the top 10.

Are people really just making up insane predictions that are just incredibly unrealistic? All of the other songs in the top 10 have been out for quite some time, so yes, obviously most are going to have more radio impressions than a song that just came out 5 days ago.

Some of y'all are really doing the most.

[theyaintready]

Aug 31, 2022 16:00:28 GMT -5 degen said:

So are we going to sit here and act like the high debut in Europe and Australia isn’t because of Elton John? I mean congrats to Britney but let’s address the whole picture. Elton has momentum going for him, and the fact that this did well where he’s been slaying lately is a testimony to HIS staying power more than anything else. It fell short in America because he doesn’t have as big of a fanbase here.

As for Britney, it just proves what we’ve suspected for a long time. She still has a strong rapid fanbase, but the splash wears off quickly and her commercial success will never equate to what it once was in the 2000’s with the public. We are just at a fraction of that. Also her heavy media interest does NOT translate to the same commercial success. I think seeing how badly this song was perceived in areas like Facebook and Twitter goes to show that her presence can somewhat be polarizing for many. The autotune and vocal filtering is def not everyone’s cup of tea anymore and probably a thing of the past.

The interest in this song is because of Britney.   A new solo Elton song wouldn't have charted on radio, iTunes or the Spotify chart at all.   Let's be real.   The track benefits them both.   Smart of Elton to get the "return of Britney" and bill it as sequel to "Cold Heart" and smart of her to jump on this so it doesn't have the pressure of it all being about her commercial performance.    If it had underperformed we would have for sure seen the 'Death of Britney's Career' comments flooding this space.

[kimberly]

Aug 31, 2022 16:00:28 GMT -5 degen said:

As for Britney, it just proves what we’ve suspected for a long time. She still has a strong rapid fanbase, but the splash wears off quickly and her commercial success will never equate to what it once was in the 2000’s with the public. We are just at a fraction of that. Also her heavy media interest does NOT translate to the same commercial success. I think seeing how badly this song was perceived in areas like Facebook and Twitter goes to show that her presence can somewhat be polarizing for many. The autotune and vocal filtering is def not everyone’s cup of tea anymore and probably a thing of the past.

I think Britney Spears could make a proper comeback and have people tune in, and "Hold Me Closer"s performance in the US is a testament to that. If Elton John released it solo, I'm sure it would have missed the Hot 100 completely here, lol. "Cold Heart" only managed a No. 81 debut and his two other pre-release singles after that with Charlie Puth and Stevie Wonder did not chart.

Britney Spears needs an image overhaul for it to work, in my opinion. And it's fully up to her to pursue whatever she wants at this point. Would she benefit from hiring some social media manager/strategist? Yes. Would a sit-down, tell-all interview (after taking a break from posting 6 times a day on Instagram) get people interested? Yes. Does she want that? Sounds like she does not, at least from that 22-minute voice memo she posted the other day.

Anyone with a clear mind knows that Britney Spears' commercial dominance ended around 2013, with "Scream & Shout" being her last major smash. "Work Bitch" was front loaded and Britney Jean was panned immediately, "Pretty Girls" was a desperate attempt at a hit, and Glory era did not have any hits for her (even though it was better received than her previous album overall). I don't think anyone is expecting "...Baby One More Time" and "Womanizer" numbers here, but I think an "I Wanna Go"-sized hit is very plausible, and a "Hold It Against Me" scenario isn't out of reach.

[upsidedown]

Anyway, if this keeps at the pace it's going, this could hit Top 20 on Pop by Friday's update.

Guess the splash didn't wear off TOO quickly ;)

[skizzo]

Such a shame she doesnt have her biggest social media platform activated during the week this came out, instagram.

Wouldnt kill her to post a link to the song on twitter though

[Koochie]

Aug 31, 2022 16:00:28 GMT -5 degen said:

So are we going to sit here and act like the high debut in Europe and Australia isn’t because of Elton John?

uh, yes?

[pnobelysk]

I think what’s really cool is that they both are helping this succeed in different ways. Pop radio has never had a problem launching a new britney single into the top 25 or even top 20 and I’m sure she still could’ve done that without Elton.

But the strong hot ac numbers are Deff coming from Elton + the success of cold heart

Streaming while mostly just good is likely more britney fans than Elton bc of age

While cold heart was a SUPER strong seller compared to everything else released over the last year. It sold 350k which is much higher than bigger smashes like heat waves and stay. Elton clearly has a digital fan base that can be tapped

[Ryan]

Spotify - Day 6:
US: #36 (▽7) with 466,043 streams (-33,665)
GLOBAL: #40 (▽2) with 1,809,931 streams (-32,854)

[jumpb4uthink]

Rises 6 spots to number 21 with +605 spins.

[Az Paynter]

POP:
-- 21 ELTON JOHN & BRITNEY SPEARS Hold Me Closer 3555 0 3555 14.290

+605 Spins
+605 Bullet
+1.788 Audience

HOT AC:
-- 17 ELTON JOHN & BRITNEY SPEARS Hold Me Closer 1558 0 1558 6.445

+296 Spins
+296 Bullet
+0.957 Audience

AC:
-- 13 ELTON JOHN & BRITNEY SPEARS Hold Me Closer 327 0 327 2.255

+54 Spins
+54 Bullet
+0.252 Audience

[upsidedown]

Damn! Radio is stanning this one out of the gate, you love to see it.

Looks like Spotify is stabilizing at about 1.8-1.9M global and 450-500K in US. Hopefully we'll get a boost from TTH tomorrow.

[KeepDeanWeird]

Tiny Dancer (aka HMC) peaked at #41, yet far outlived its initial chart performance as a radio staple and critics choice. Top 10? Top 20? Eh, doesn’t matter. What matters is that Britney received an unexpected way to get back into both music and radio. I need Blackout Vo. 2.

I’m not sure how much longevity this will have at radio. We’ve seen numerous tracks race to the Top 20 on Top 40 Radio only to stall after a few weeks. The track is mediocre at best. Frankly, most of us would take a pass but for Britney.

[frenchuser]

Sept 1, 2022 7:17:10 GMT -5 Az Paynter said:

POP:
-- 21 ELTON JOHN & BRITNEY SPEARS Hold Me Closer 3555 0 3555 14.290

+605 Spins
+605 Bullet
+1.788 Audience

HOT AC:
-- 17 ELTON JOHN & BRITNEY SPEARS Hold Me Closer 1558 0 1558 6.445

+296 Spins
+296 Bullet
+0.957 Audience

AC:
-- 13 ELTON JOHN & BRITNEY SPEARS Hold Me Closer 327 0 327 2.255

+54 Spins
+54 Bullet
+0.252 Audience

Make me Day 6 :
POP:
-- 23 BRITNEY SPEARS Make Me f/G-Eazy 3417 0 3417 28.830
+516 Spins
+516 Bullet
+3.331 Audience

HOT AC:
-- 46 BRITNEY SPEARS Make Me f/G-Eazy 293 0 293 2.148
+50 Spins
+50 Bullet
+0.279 Audience


Pretty Girls Day 6 :
-- 23 BRITNEY SPEARS & IGGY AZALEA Pretty Girls 2993 0 2993 22.057
+342 spins
+342 bullet
+1.910 audience


Work Bitch Day 6 :
POP
0 26 BRITNEY SPEARS Work Bitch 3037 0 3037 26.679
+426 Spins
+426 Bullet
+2.900 Audience

RHYTHMIC
?? ?? BRTINEY SPEARS Work Bitch 217 0 217 1.468
+54 Spins
+54 Bullet
+0.283 Audience

HOT AC
?? ?? BRTINEY SPEARS Work Bitch 47 0 47 0.375
+6 Spins
+6 Bullet
+0.057 Audience

[Daenerys]

The biggest trend I am seeing from this is that Hot AC prior to this release didn't touch Britney with a ten foot pool. The numbers for Make Me... and Work Bitch show that clearly.

Is it changing demographics or something else? Is Elton that much of a AC staple that he is pulling these numbers like this on name alone?

[Deleted]

Probably all of the above. Also, _maybe_ they’re supporting Britney after all she’s been though. I’m thinking it’s a number of things.

[upsidedown]

I think you could argue that Elton is definitely helping on AC and Hot AC, especially given the success of Cold Heart. Hot AC though is probably more receptive to Britney than they have been in the past as well since more songs of hers have been popping up on the format.

[Tylerjamesnerd]

Yassss my gym is playing the new song!! Let’s goooo. 😆 I knew they had taste.

[slw84]

Sept 1, 2022 9:01:39 GMT -5 Daenerys said:

The biggest trend I am seeing from this is that Hot AC prior to this release didn't touch Britney with a ten foot pool. The numbers for Make Me... and Work Bitch show that clearly.

Is it changing demographics or something else? Is Elton that much of a AC staple that he is pulling these numbers like this on name alone?

All of the above...many people with significant roles as program directors all the way down to listeners are in the same generation, too.

Sept 1, 2022 9:06:06 GMT -5 @silver16 said:

Probably all of the above. Also, _maybe_ they’re supporting Britney after all she’s been though. I’m thinking it’s a number of things.

That too. She's gained a lot of goodwill with the public and also we are all getting older so people who grew up with Britney are no longer the Top 40 audience and are now the Hot AC/AC audience.

[Juan Carlos]

#21 on Today's Top Hits.

[Ryan]

[Az Paynter]

Britney's 6th Australian #1, and first in 18 years - her last one was 'Everytime'.

[Az Paynter]

POP:
171 19 ELTON JOHN & BRITNEY SPEARS Hold Me Closer 4156 11 4145 16.033

+601 Spins
+590 Bullet
+1.743 Audience

HOT AC:
155 17 ELTON JOHN & BRITNEY SPEARS Hold Me Closer 1864 3 1861 7.448

+306 Spins
+303 Bullet
+1.003 Audience

AC:
-- 13 ELTON JOHN & BRITNEY SPEARS Hold Me Closer 382 0 382 2.530

+55 Spins
+55 Bullet
+0.275 Audience

[Ryan]

Spotify - Day 7:
US: #42 (▽6) with 446,109 streams (-19,934)
GLOBAL: #42 (▽2) with 1,804,245 streams (-5,686)

[Marooned@Midnight]

This was a phenomenal week one. It looks like we are on track for an update in the -500-600 range tomorrow, which would be a great 8th day. I would love a top ten hot 100 debut, but it looks like we are falling a little short unless they really blew sales out of the water.

[Tylerjamesnerd]

Sept 2, 2022 6:02:04 GMT -5 Az Paynter said:

POP:
171 19 ELTON JOHN & BRITNEY SPEARS Hold Me Closer 4156 11 4145 16.033

+601 Spins
+590 Bullet
+1.743 Audience

HOT AC:
155 17 ELTON JOHN & BRITNEY SPEARS Hold Me Closer 1864 3 1861 7.448

+306 Spins
+303 Bullet
+1.003 Audience

AC:
-- 13 ELTON JOHN & BRITNEY SPEARS Hold Me Closer 382 0 382 2.530

+55 Spins
+55 Bullet
+0.275 Audience

I hope radio keeps this energy!! I love it! 😻😻 how big do y’all expect the radio affect to be tomorrow? or is that Saturday ?