Showing posts with label Black Eyed Peas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Black Eyed Peas. Show all posts
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"Rude Boy" has the best chance of any of her recent singles to do the job. It's an uncharacteristically light track from a rather dark and brooding album. It was last week's sixth most downloaded song and its growing rapidly at radio, from No. 36 to No. 18 on the radio chart.
"Imma Be" becomes the Peas third chart topper following last year's "Boom Boom Pow" which was No. 1 for 12 weeks and "I've Gotta Feeling" which was No. 1 for 14 weeks. With three No. 1 hits from one album, The E.N.D., the Peas are now the ninth act in chart history to pull off such a hat trick. The last act to do so was Wilson Phillips all the way back in 1990-1991.
What makes B.E.P.'s feat all the more remarkable is the fact that "Boom Boom Pow" is nearly a year old. The single was released in March 2009. In today's a la carte iTunes marketplace, a major act can count on its first one or two singles selling well and charting high, but the rest of the singles beyond that will probably tank.
In terms of female musicians in the 21st century, Ke$ha surpasses two pop stars who spent seven weeks each at No. 1 with their first single. Ciara did so in 2004 with "Goodies" as did Katy Perry more recently in 2008 with "I Kissed A Girl".
Several other singers have done even better with their first single, namely Ashanti, Beyonce, and Kelly Rowland, but each singer's previous appearance in a charting song such as Beyonce and Kelly in all of their Destiny's Child hits, disqualify them.
So, with only two or three weeks left to either equal or break the record for female debut singles, what are the chances that "Tik Tok" can pull it off?
iTunes also released a list of its top twenty best-selling songs. This is the first time the site has released this type of information before.
The top seller is the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling". They also come in at No. 3 with "Boom Boom Pow". Lady Gaga is the only other artist to land two songs in the top ten. Her "Poker Face" is the second most downloaded song and "Just Dance" sits at No. 6. Jason Mraz, Coldplay, Flo Rida, and Taylor Swift also scored high downloaded singles. See the full list after the jump.
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The 2010 Grammy Awards are just days away. Here are 17 Tracks predictions for the show's winners after the jump
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Neilsen Soundscan has released the sales figures for 2009's top selling albums, and Taylor Swift beat out Susan Boyle and Michael Jackson for the top spot. Swift's Fearless sold 3.2 million, just barley ahead of Boyle's I Dreamed A Dream which shifted 3.1 million copies. Jackson's Number Ones came in third selling 2.3 million. Check out 2009's top selling albums below.
1. Fearless3.2 million copies sold
Released November 11, 2008Swift's victory comes as no surprise. Fearless spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. Eleven songs from the album charted on the Hot 100, including "Love Story" at No. 4 and "You Belong With Me" at No. 2. She became the first country artist to win a MTV Video Music Award (and she won over the hearts of Americans thanks to Kanye). Her cross-over appeal ensured both country and top 40 radio airplay. If that wasn't enough, the album was re-released with six new songs (and yes, all six landed somewhere on the Hot 100) spurring sales even more.
2. I Dreamed A Dream3.1 million copies sold
Released November 23, 2009Susan Boyle's second place finish is very impressive. Released the last week in November, I Dreamed A Dream managed to sell almost as much as Fearless did in an entire year. Thank you YouTube. Thanks to the Britian's Got Talent contestant's audition clip which went viral, the entire world fell in love with Boyle, the unlikley star. Her compelling story, powerful voice, and collection of ballads released right before Christmas was a recipe for success. Millions of consumers who usually don't buy CDs did (And the best thing about those kinds of consumers? They don't illegally download, nor do they know how).
3. Number Ones2.3 million copies sold
Released November 18, 2003Chart watchers predicted front runner Fearless would face stiff compitition from Number Ones after Jackson died this June. Although 2.3 million isn't bad for a compilation album released in 2003, sales of Number Ones were cannabalized by consumers buying other Jackson records. I'm sure the Jackson estate isn't too worried; the King of Pop ended up the top selling artist of the year with a total of 8.2 million albums sold. Other albums of his in the top 20 were This Is It landed at No. 12, Thriller at No. 14, and The Essential Michael Jackson at No. 20.
4. The Fame2.2 million copies sold
Released August 19, 2008I actually got The Fame the day it came out. Lady Gaga had lit the blogosphere on fire, but I had no idea that her debut even had the potential to be one of 2009's biggest selling albums. "Just Dance" took its time climbing up the Hot 100, and consumers responded. Gaga wasn't finished though, popping out hit after hit. After so many smash hit singles, consumers eventually decided that buying the full length album was worth their time. The Fame peaked at No. 4 on the album charts in March, but in December, following the release of The Fame Monster, it shot back into the top ten. As of this week, The Fame is ranked No. 2 on the album charts, a new peak.
5. My Christmas2.2 million copies sold
Released November 3, 2009There is something unfullfilling about a Christmas album selling well. At least it isn't 2007, when the best selling album was a Christmas album, Noel by Josh Groben. I guess that's all I have to say about that.
6. Hannah Montana Movie Soundtrack1.8 million copies sold
Released March 23, 2009The artist formerly known as Hannah Montana had one of the same problems as Michael Jackson - too many releases to choose from. Busy soccer moms had three different 2009 Hannah albums to choose from to play for their girls as they drove their SUVs around. The soundtrack to the Disney star's movie was the best choice though, it had "The Climb" on it for crying out loud!
7. The E.N.D.1.7 million copies sold
Released June 9, 2009You would think that six straight months with the No. 1 song in the country would ensure a little more than 1.7 million in sales, wouldn't you? And how much of these sales are from when the price for the digital album dramatically dropped to coincide with their DirectTV ad and the group's attempt to return to the top ten and make "Meet Me Halfway" their third No. 1 single?
8. Relapse1.7 million copies sold
Released May 15, 2009
Eminem had the biggest opening sales week of the year, selling over 600,000 copies of Relapse. That is until Susan Boyle blew him out of the water. Despite a cover that looked like puke in the form of Slim Shady and a slew of under performing singles (except the No. 1 hit "Crack A Bottle"), Relapse was a hit, a comeback for one of the early 00s biggest rappers.
9. Blueprint 31.5 million copies sold
Released September 11, 2009
Jay-Z passed Elvis and became the solo artist with the most No. 1 albums when Blueprint 3 opened at the top spot, his 11th to do so. Anchored by high profile guest appearances like Rihanna, Kanye West, and Alicia Keys, Hova appealed to his rap base but had the hooks to cross over to pop. Even though the artist formerly known as Hannah Montana sang about the Jay-Z song being on, she reportedly never heard one. After Blueprint 3 singles impacted radio, I'm sure that changed.
10. Only By The Night1.3 million copies sold
Released September 19, 2009
Like The Fame, I bough Only By The Night the day it was released after I fell in love with "Sex On Fire". The Kings of Leon seemed destined for mediocrity when it came to sales of their latest album, but then "Use Somebody" happened. Its a cheap Nickleback-lite tune, but for some reason, Americans loved it. Not only did they buy the song, but they ended up buying the entire album. Only By The Night ended up being iTune's Album of the Year.
In 2009, 13 songs topped the Billboard Hot 100 (one of them, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" by Beyonce, was a holdover from 2008). Kelly Clarkson kick started the year by retaking the record for highest jump to No. 1. The Black Eyed Peas spent a record breaking six months at No. 1 that seemed like it would never end. Britney Spears became the first non-American Idol artist to debut at No. 1 in the 21st century. It was quite the year. Let's take a look back at the songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100, the Dow Jones of pop, in 2009.
Lady Gaga"Just Dance" feat. Colby O'Donis
No. 1 the week of Jan. 17
Spent three weeks at No. 1
Lady Gaga's first No. 1 single
"Just Dance" was released nine months prior and had topped the charts in both Australia and Canada when Gagamania finally hit the United States. The song's ascent to the top took 22 weeks, the longest chart run for a No. 1 hit since 2000 when Creed's "With Arms Wide Open" took 27 weeks to do so. Benefiting from the post-Christmas rush to fill up newly purchased iPods, "Just Dance" sold 419,000 digital downloads in a single week, the second highest one week total up to that point (only Flo Rida's "Low", which shifted 467,000 downloads in a week one year earlier, was ahead).
Kelly Clarkson"My Life Would Suck Without You"
No. 1 the week of Feb. 7
Spent two weeks at No. 1
Kelly Clarkson's second No. 1 single
Kelly Clarkson broke the Beatle's 34-year-old record for biggest jump to No. 1 back in 2002 when "A Moment Like This" jumped 52-1. Clarkson wasn't able to hold onto her record as long as the Fab Four were however, because it was soon broken by Maroon 5, T.I. (twice), and Britney Spears. When the Max Martin and Dr. Luke penned "My Life Would Suck Without You" pole vaulted 97-1, Clarkson retook her record, which has yet to be broken.
Eminem"Crack A Bottle" feat. Dr. Dre & 50 Cent
No. 1 the week of Feb. 21
Spent one week at No. 1
Eminem's second No. 1 single, Dr. Dre's third, and 50 Cent's fourth
After Kelly Clarkson's big jump to No. 1 two weeks earlier, Eminem's 78-1 move didn't seem all that exciting, but was the fourth biggest move to the penthouse in chart history. "Crack A Bottle" also posted some big numbers, setting the record for highest first week sales after shifting 418,000 in its first week. That bested the previous record set by T.I. and Rihanna with "Live Your Life". The record would be broken once again a week later by Flo Rida.
Flo Rida"Right Round"
No. 1 the week of Feb. 28
Spent six weeks at No. 1
Flo Rida's second No. 1 single
Flo Rida is an interesting character. Devoid of personality, this rent-a-rapper makes music that can hardly be considered rap. He is either hit or miss, and the success of his two No. 1 hits is grossly disproportionate to the value he adds to popular music. After "Low" sold more copies in a single week than its parent album did in a full year, Flo Rida only grazed the top ten one other time...until "Right Round". The Dead or Alive sampling pop song sold 636,000 digital downloads in one week, completely obliterating the previous record, 467,000 also by Flo Rida, for "Low". Again, excitement over one of his singles failed to generate interest in him or his album, and Flo Rida quietly crept back into obscurity until he one day he will decide to pop off another worthless but popular smash record.
Lady Gaga"Poker Face"
No. 1 the week of April 11
Spent one week at No. 1
Lady Gaga's second No. 1 single
When "Poker Face" topped the charts, Lady Gaga became the first female to have her first two singles go No. 1 since Christina Aguilera did it in 2000 with "Genie In A Bottle" and "What A Girl Wants". It was ironic considering Aguilera had said several months prior that she was, "completely unaware of this person (Lady Gaga)," and that she, "didn't know if it was a man or a woman." What do you want to bet that Christina knows who Lady Gaga is now? "Poker Face" only spent a week at No. 1, but spent eight weeks at No. 2, the longest time spent there since Missy Elliott languished as runner-up for 10 weeks with "Work It" in 2002.
The Black Eyed Peas"Boom Boom Pow"
No. 1 the week of April 18
Spent 12 weeks at No. 1
The Black Eyed Peas' first No. 1 single
With a line like, "I'm so 3008, you're so two thousand and late," "Boom Boom Pow" seemed like it dated itself the moment it was released. Couldn't they have found something to rhyme with nine? Nevertheless, the Black Eyed Peas bounced back from the horror that was "My Humps" to conquer the world. "Boom Boom Pow" topped the charts across the world, including 12 weeks in the U.S., and was crowned the biggest song of 2009 when Billboard released their end of the year lists.
The Black Eyed Peas"I Gotta Feeling"
No. 1 the week of July 11
Spent 14 weeks at No. 1
The Black Eyed Peas' second No. 1 single
The Black Eyed Peas became the tenth artists in chart history to replace themselves at No. 1 when "I Gotta Feeling" kicked "Boom Boom Pow" out of the penthouse. Little did we know that the national nightmare of their chart dominance had only just begun. The Peas spent a record shattering 26 consecutive weeks at No. 1. That's six months. Half a year. Disgusting. Five songs peaked at No. 2 behind the Peas, and none of them could match both strong radio airplay and digital sales at the same time, allowing "I Gotta Feeling" to spend 14 weeks at No. 1, the second longest run on top in the 2000s.
Jay Sean
"Down" feat. Lil Wayne
No. 1 the week of Oct. 17
Spent two weeks at No. 1
Jay Sean's first No. 1 single, Lil Wayne's second
Jay Sean was an unlikely David to the Black Eyed Peas' Goliath. This British R&B singer was the first artist of Punjab descent to top the U.S. charts, and he did so by a razor thin margin. The Peas had finally ran out of steam and dropped to No. 5, and in the ensuing scramble for No. 1, "Down" competed with the likes of Miley Cyrus and Jay-Z to take the penthouse. Billboard reported it was the closest fight for No. 1 in more than six years.
Britney Spears
"3"
No. 1 the week of Oct. 24
Spent one week at No. 1
Britney Spears' third No. 1 single
Britney Spears used to be sexy. Writhing around in nothing but diamonds or draping a snake around her neck, no one could compete with her. Her recent attempts to be sexy however, have fallen flat on their face. Singing about threesomes? Really Britney? You have two kids now. Max Martin, co-writer of "3", also gave the world "I Kissed A Girl" and "If U Seek Amy". He is the master of making worthless trashy songs that sell boatloads. In fact, "3" sold so many digital downloads in its first week, 255,000, that radio airplay was irrelevant and it debuted at No. 1, the first song in three years to do so (how fitting), and the only song not by an American Idol performer to do so in the 00s.
Owl City
"Fireflies"
No. 1 the week of Nov. 7
Spent two weeks at No. 1
Owl City's first No. 1 single
"Fireflies" was an iTunes free single in July and over half a million people downloaded the track. Two months later, it appeared on the Hot 100 and began its ascent up the chart. Owl City isn't a band, it's actually just one guy, Adam Young, who started making laptop music in his parent's basement in Minnesota. The blogosphere dubbed his music "Postal Service lite", because its digital lighter-than-air quality, but let's be honest, the lyrics suck.
Jason DeRulo
"Whatcha Say"
No. 1 the week of Nov. 14
Spent one week at No. 1
Jason DeRulo's first No. 1 single
It's a wonder that Jason DeRulo didn't credit Imogeon Heap in "Whatcha Say", as a sample from her "Hide And Seek" is the hook of the song. Although DeRulo charmed consumers and radio programmers, Heap fans were livid that their favorite singer had her voice shred through an auto-tuner and commercialized. "Whatcha Say" was the fourth No. 1 of the year that was an artist's first single following Lady Gaga, Jay Sean, and Owl City.
Jay-Z
"Empire State of Mind" feat. Alicia Keys
No. 1 the week of Nov. 28
Spent five weeks at No. 1
Jay-Z and Alicia Key's fourth No. 1 single
The team that everyone loves to hate, the New York Yankees, won the World Series, but it didn't stop New York's new theme song from topping the charts. What's even more surprising is "Empire State of Mind" relied more heavily on radio airplay than digital downloads to go No. 1. I doubt Philadelphia radio stations did much to help the song's cause. "Empire" was the first song to not include its title anywhere in its lyrics since Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" hit the top spot in 2008 as well becoming Jay-Z's first No. 1 with the lead credit. Still, he couldn't have done it without Keys. Her hook makes the song.
The nominees for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards have been announced. Beyonce leads the tally with 10 nominations. Taylor Swift follows with 8. Here are some of the highlights:Record of the Year
(Awarded to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s), if other than the artist.)
"Halo" - Beyonce
"I've Gotta Feelin'" - The Black Eyed Peas
"Use Somebody" - Kings of Leon
"Poker Face" - Lady Gaga
"You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift
Album of the Year
I Am...Sasha Fierce - Beyonce
The E.N.D. - The Black Eyed Peas
The Fame - Lady Gaga
Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King - Dave Matthews Band
Fearless - Taylor Swift
Song of the Year
(A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. Singles or Tracks only.)
"Poker Face" - Lady Gaga
"Pretty Wings" - Maxwell
"Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" - Beyonce
"Use Somebody" - Kings of Leon
"You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift
Best New Artist
Keri Hilson
MGMT
Silversun Pickups
The Ting Tings
Zac Brown Band
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
"Hometown Glory" - Adele
"Halo" - Beyonce
"Hot N Cold" - Katy Perry
"Sober" - Pink
"You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
"This Time" - John Legend
"Love You" - Maxwell
"Make It Mine" - Jason Mraz
"If You Don't Know Me By Now" - Seal
"All About The Love Again" - Stevie Wonder
Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group W/ Vocals
"I've Gotta Feelin'" - The Black Eyed Peas
"We Weren't Born To Follow" - Bon Jovi
"Never Say Never" - The Fray
"Sara Smile" - Daryl Hall & John Oates
"Kids" - MGMT
Best Dance Recording
"Boom Boom Pow" - The Black Eyed Peas
"When Love Takes Over" - David Guetta & Kelly Rowland
"Poker Face" - Lady Gaga
"Celebration" - Madonna
"Womanizer" - Britney Spears
Best Rock Perfromance By A Duo Or Group W/ Vocals
"Can't Find My Way Home" - Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood
"Life In Technicolor II" - Coldplay
"21 Guns" - Green Day
"Use Somebody" - Kings of Leon
"I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" - U2
Best Rap Solo Performance
"Best I Ever Had" - Drake
"Beautiful" - Eminem
"D.O.A." - Jay-Z
"Day N Nite" - Kid Cudi
"Casa Bey" - Mos Def
For more of the nominees, click here.
November 8, 2005 - Guitar Hero is Released
I can't tell you how many times a song has come on and I've heard the comment, "Oh, this is on Guitar Hero". The video game that took karaoke a step further by adding plastic instruments also seemed like a viable alternative to selling CDs for a record industry scrambling for a new business model. Guitar Hero became apart of pop culture, a Dance Dance Revolution for your fingers, so much so that the Beatles were on board by decade's end.
American Idol Runner-up David Archuleta Releases His Inner Rock Star in Guitar Hero Commercial
February 22, 2006 - Coldplay's "The Speed of Sound" Becomes One Billionth Song Downloaded on iTunes
Only three years after the launch of iTunes, the one billionth song was downloaded from the site. The billionth song downloaded was Coldplay's "Speed of Sound" by Alex Ostrovsky of West Bloomfield, Michigan. “Over one billion songs have now been legally purchased and downloaded around the globe, representing a major force against music piracy and the future of music distribution as we move from CDs to the Internet," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO.
Coldplay performs "Speed of Sound" on the UK's Top of the Pops
March 11, 2006 - James Blunt Goes No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100American Idol Runner-up David Archuleta Releases His Inner Rock Star in Guitar Hero Commercial
February 22, 2006 - Coldplay's "The Speed of Sound" Becomes One Billionth Song Downloaded on iTunes
Only three years after the launch of iTunes, the one billionth song was downloaded from the site. The billionth song downloaded was Coldplay's "Speed of Sound" by Alex Ostrovsky of West Bloomfield, Michigan. “Over one billion songs have now been legally purchased and downloaded around the globe, representing a major force against music piracy and the future of music distribution as we move from CDs to the Internet," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO.
Coldplay performs "Speed of Sound" on the UK's Top of the Pops
In March of 2006, British singer James Blunt shocked chart watchers when his song "You're Beautiful" went No. 1. It was the first non-hip-hop, non-American Idol coronation song to go No. 1 in America since Nickleback's "How You Remind Me" in 2001 ("Hollaback Girl" was produced by N.E.R.D., so its position as the milestone single has been disputed). "Beautiful" was a turning point for the Hot 100 because after it, the charts were once more diverse. For the remainder of 2006, pop acts like Rihanna, Shakira, and Fergie scored No. 1s alongside Ludacris and Akon. The advent of iTunes democratized the Hot 100, allowing consumers to influence the charts instead of just radio programmers.
James Blunt performs his big hit "You're Beautiful" in Italy.
April 8, 2006 - Gnarls Barkley's Download Only "Crazy" Goes No. 1 in UK
The British singles charts have been more sales oriented than its American counterpart. While the physical single died a painful death in the States, they were still an important part of the British music industry and the weekly charts. With the growing popularity of digital downloads, it was inevitable that a song would come along and top the charts without a physical single release. "Crazy" was that song. On downloads alone, the track went No. 1 for an astounding 9 weeks, an incredibly rare feat in that country.
Gnarls Barkley, dressed in airline uniforms, takes to Top of the Pops to perform a re imagined version of "Crazy"
September 9, 2007 - Britney Spears Performs "Gimme More" at Video Music AwardsGnarls Barkley, dressed in airline uniforms, takes to Top of the Pops to perform a re imagined version of "Crazy"
By 2007, Britney Spears had come a long way from her ubiquitous squeaky clean sex symbol days at the turn of the century. She had her quickie Las Vegas marriage and canceled her World Tour. She married Kevin Federline, made a reality show and two children with him, and divorced him. She attacked the paparazzi with an umbrella, shaved her hair, and went in and out of rehab for the whole world to see. It was a sickening tabloid fueled reality show that kept the world on the edge of their collective seats. No moment encapsulates Spears' public downward spiral like her VMA performance where she lip sync and half-dances to "Gimme More", a song that both lyrically and sonically describes the state Spears was in at the time.
Britney Spears in what some have called the worst VMA performance of all time
October 1, 2007 - Radiohead Releases Choose Your Price "In Rainbows" Online
Radiohead blew up the Internet and what was left of the record industry when they released their seventh studio album, In Rainbows. Having fulfilled their contractual obligation to EMI, the band could do whatever the hell they wanted with their new material. "Every record for the last four—including my solo record—has been leaked. So the idea was like, we'll leak it, then," said lead singer Thom Yorke. The album was put online for fans to download at allowed them to name their own price. You could be a cheapskate and get it for free, or you could drop $50 right then and there if you thought it was worth it. Some speculated that Radiohead ended up making more money this way then they would have with a normal physical release. For the rest of the decade, the phrase "Radiohead model" was knocked around anytime a band thought out of the box to distribute their music.
The winning fan made video for the "Reckoner" music video contest.
May 27, 2008 - Weezer Releases Video for "Pork and Beans"The winning fan made video for the "Reckoner" music video contest.
The 2000s was a decade where anyone could broadcast a message, and if it was interesting enough, millions of people would tune in and watch it. YouTube was the perfect medium for wannabe entertainers seeking an outlet. In the latter half of the decade, it seemed like new viral videos popped up on a weekly basis. Some videos had people who intentionally wanted their 15 minutes of fame, while the fame was probably unwanted for those starring in embarrassing clips. While everyone was nostalgically poking fun at the 80s, Weezer was doing the same thing to the 00s before they were even over. The band packed every YouTube star into their ironic "Pork and Beans".
How many viral video stars can you spot?
June 17, 2008 - Lil Wayne Sells 1 Million Copies of "Tha Carter III" in a Week
As album sales continued to spiral south, 50 Cent's 2005 album The Massacre seemed destined to be the last to post a million plus sales the first week of its release. Three years later, Lil Wayne proved everyone wrong when Tha Carter III stormed the charts with similar numbers. Wayne's route to impressive first week sales seemed counter-intuitive, he flooded the Internet with free music. Offering free mixtapes, demand for his full length album built and buzz on the blogosphere reached dizzying levels. When he dropped Tha Carter III, the buying public responded. Maybe free music is the way to go.
Lil Wayne's first No. 1 hit, "Lollipop".
November 24, 2008 - Kanye West Releases "808s & Heartbreak"
Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreaks was a game changer. It was one of the most controversial records of the decade with many embracing Ye's transition from rapper to pop star and his heavy unashamed used of auto-tune, while many thought it was trash. The record was such a landmark because it was one of the few records of the decade that showed an artist using their music to tell their story. Sure, everyone from Christiana to Ashlee Simpson has promised that they would show you the "real me", but each attempt fell flat on its face. Unfortunately, Jay-Z's announcement that auto-tune was dead along with West's VMA outburst minimized the record's importance as time wore on.
The artsy music video for "Heartless", 808s & Heartbreak's most successful single.
February 7, 2009 - Kelly Clarkson Breaks Record Again
The Hot 100 during the late 2000s became a battleground for breaking and re-breaking the record for largest jump to No. 1. The initial record was set by the Beatles in 1964 when "Can't Buy Me Love" leaped 27-1 in a single week. That record stood until 2002 when Kelly Clarkson laid waste to it with a 52-1 jump of "A Moment Like This". Each record happened for its own quirky reason. The Beatles had released dozens of songs on a handful of American labels without much success and then their television exposure on The Ed Sullivan Show shot them from obscurity to massive success overnight. Similarly, Clarkson received huge exposure after winning American Idol and her debut single was released the week following her win which made for a lot of pent up demand. When Billboard began incorporating digital sales into the singles charts, the whole game changed. To break the record, an artist would need to release a song to the radio only for a few days so it would barley make the Hot 100, and then release the song digitally and sell bus loads of it. Maroon 5 broke Clarkson's record in 2007 with "Makes Me Wonder" followed by T.I. breaking it in 2008 with "Whatever You Like" and breaking it once again with "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna. His new record lasted a week until Britney Spears re-set it with "Womanizer". Kelly Clarkson finally retook the position for biggest leap to No. 1 in 2009 when "My Life Would Suck Without You" pole vaulted 97-1.
Kelly Clarkson performs her second record breaking hit "My Life Would Suck Without You".
April 18, 2009 - Black Eyed Peas Begin 24-week Run at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100Kelly Clarkson performs her second record breaking hit "My Life Would Suck Without You".
As music continued to fragment and the task of getting the whole world to pay attention to one artist for even more than a few days became harder and harder, a few things happened in 2009 to show that it was still possible. Of these three events, two involved some of the greatest artists of all time from decade's past. Only one involved a current act. The Black Eyed Peas shattered the record for most consecutive time at No. 1 when "Boom Boom Pow" topped the charts for 12 weeks and was immediately followed by "I've Gotta Feelin'" which stayed in the penthouse for 14 weeks. That's six months. Half a year. I'm sure the Peas would love to interpret that as meaning they are among the greatest musical acts of all time, but it really came down to Americans not getting tired of these two songs for a very long time as well as no other songs being able to garner enough digital downloads and radio airplay to take them down.
The Black Eyed Peas go Boom Boom Pow at the Much Music Awards.
June 25, 2009 - Michael Jackson Dies
On the eve of his highly anticipated This Is It show, Michael Jackson was rushed to a hospital and declared dead shortly thereafter. News of the singers death blew up the Internet, and soon radio stations switched to an all Michael format. The self proclaimed King of Pop's catalog of music stormed the iTunes store, and in the following weeks, Michael Jackson albums outsold the Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D., the first time an older album had outsold a newer release since Soundscan began tracking album sales in 1992. Michael Jackson's death brought together the world for a single musical force in a way that few artists could have ever done and even fewer will be able to do in the future.
Footage from Michael Jackson's concert rehearsal was turned into a movie and a cash cow called This Is It.
September 9, 2009 - The Beatles' Remastered Catalog, Rockband Game Released
On the prophetic 9/9/09, the Beatles released their entire body of work digitally remastered as well as their very own version of the successful Rockband video game. Only a few months after the death renewed interest in Michael Jackson and his music, many saw this as the Beatles opportunity to do the same. Although the Beatles failed to garner the sales that Jackson did, they did manage to outsell many new releases and by the end of the year, Billboard decided to count older albums in its flagship album chart, the Billboard 2000.
The Beatles' Rockband commercial.
September 13, 2009 - Kanye West Interrupts Taylor Swift During Acceptance Speech
Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" beat out the superior and more culturally significant "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" by Beyonce for Best Female Video at the 2009 Video Music Awards. A drunk Kanye West took to the stage, as he often does, but instead of wanting an award for himself, he stood up for Beyonce (who later won the Moonman for Video of the Year). The word "jackass" was thrown around quite liberally, including by Barack Obama, Taylor Swift became America's sweetheart, and Beyonce, who gave up her mike time to Swift came out a hero.
Kanye West gives his PR team the biggest headache of their careers.
td:ar timeline 2
After being dethroned by Britney Spears for a single week, Jay Sean returns to the penthouse with "Down" featuring Lil Wayne.Digital sales for Spears' "3" dropped 33% after the initial first week sales burst. Although radio airplay is rising, the track dropped down to No. 5 in its second week on the chart.
"Down", which was an unlikely David to the Black Eyed Peas' Goliath two weeks ago, seemed a sure fire flash in the pan. Its No. 1 status came as a result of the Peas' "I've Gotta Feelin'" finally fizzling out as opposed to it being a monster hit. The British singer surprised chart watchers this week as his track is the most played songs on radio stations, and ranked sixth in digital sales.
Another debut track by a new artist, the Imogen Heap sampling "Whatcha Say" by Jason DeRulo reaches a new high at No. 2. The tune uses Heap's "Hide And Seek" liberally and is stirring up her fans in anger. No, seriously, check out the comments for the track on iTunes.
The unstoppable Peas make the top ten for a third time this year with "Meet Me Halfway". After 26 weeks at No. 1, you'd think America would be sick of the group, but thanks to a DirectTV ad using the video clip that's been played to death during the MLB playoffs and iTunes putting their album on sale for a limited time, "Halfway" leaped 17-9 while their album, The E.N.D. moved 23-6 on the album chart. How long till they go No. 1 again? Ugh.
1. "Down" - Jay Sean feat. Lil Wayne (2 weeks at No. 1)
2. "Whatcha Say" - Jason DeRulo
3. "Party In The U.S.A." - Miley Cyrus
4. "Run This Town" - Jay-Z feat. Kanye West & Rihanna
5. "3" - Britney Spears
6. "Paparazzi" - Lady Gaga
7. "Fireflies" - Owl City
8. "I've Gotta Feelin'" - Black Eyed Peas
9. "Meet Me Halfway" - Black Eyed Peas
10. "You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift
As was reported yesterday, British R&B singer Jay Sean knocks the Black Eyed Peas out of the penthouse of the Hot 100. "I've Gotta Feelin'" fell and fell hard. As Sean's "Down" featuring Lil Wayne moved 2-1, "Feelin'" dropped 1-5.Was Sean's triumphant arrival to No. 1 a result of his song exploding in popularity or was it, as was speculated last week, the Black Eyed Peas simply fizzling out? It seems to be the former as the battle for No. 1 this week was the hardest fought in six years.
The point margin between "Down", the artist formerly known as Hannah Montana's "Party In The U.S.A.", and Jay-Z's "Run This Town" featuring Kanye West and Rihanna was razor thin.
At No. 11 is former 17 Tracks Summer Mix artist Owl City whose Postal Service lite "Fireflies" moves up from No. 24. This was a song that made the mix because 1. It was a free iTunes download and 2. It sounded like Postal Service for junior high girls. Now that its actually becoming popular, I regret putting it on the mix. Oh well.
1. "Down" - Jay Sean feat. Lil Wayne (1 week at No. 1)
2. "Party In The U.S.A." -Miley Cyrus
3. "Run This Town" - Jay-Z feat. Kanye West & Rihanna
4. "Whatcha Say" - Jason DeRulo
5. "I've Gotta Feelin'" - Black Eyed Peas
6. "Paparazzi" - Lady Gaga
7. "You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift
8. "Obsessed" - Mariah Carey
9. "Use Somebody" - Kings of Leon
10. "Empire State of Mind" - Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys
After a record breaking 26 week run at No. 1, the Black Eyed Peas will be unseated at the top spot by British R&B artist Jay Sean's "Down" featuring Lil Wayne.
The charts aren't released until tomorrow, but Billboard released the news today on its site. They are probably just as excited about it as we are.
"Down" is not only Jay Sean's first No. 1 single, but his debut single in the United States. The singer, whose real name is Kamaljit Singh Jhooti (his family migrated from the Punjab region of India), has released two albums in the United Kingdom already.
Congratulations Jay Sean, you are our hero.
Check out the song here. It's basically the kind of music Ne-Yo makes or that Usher would make if he still cared about selling CDs.
The Black Eyed Peas have now notched their 26th consecutive week at No. 1. That's half a year. The only other artist to display this level of domination was Usher in 2004 who spent 28 weeks at pole position. Usher however, achieved this feat with four different songs spread throughout the entire year.
With "I've Gotta Feelin'" sitting on top undisturbed for 14 weeks, it is now tied with Mariah Carey's 2005 hit, "We Belong Together", for the longest running No. 1 of the decade.The question remains: How? Sure the Black Eyed Peas had hits on their hands with both "Boom Boom Pow" and "Feelin'", but hasn't this gone a little too far? Is their iron fisted stranglehold over the Billboard Hot 100 a result of being the most wildly popular group of all time or is it something else?
The Peas have already done some major damage to the record books, obliterating the longest consecutive stay at No. 1. With two more weeks at No. 1, they would not only tie Usher for the most weeks logged at the top in a calender year, but"Feelin'" would tie "One Sweet Day", a 1995 collaboration between Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, for the longest running song at No. 1 of all time. If the groups' third
single, "Meet Me Halfway", continues its ascent up the chart (debuted at No. 75 and moved to No. 47 this week) and displays the same popularity as its predecessors, the Peas could become the first act to ever replace themselves at No. 1 twice. We're talking about some major rewriting of Billboard records in the twilight of the record industry age.Chart watcher Chris Molanphy noted, "["I've Gotta Feelin'"s] sales have been slacking and it’s not the biggest radio song anymore, the ongoing story since late summer has been a gross mismatch between sales and airplay (i.e., the big songs at iTunes aren’t the songs radio is playing in power rotation), which keeps clearing the field for the Peas."
The Black Eyed Peas aren't the new Beatles, there just hasn't been a song for the past six month that has been able to get all its stars to line up. Last week for instance, Taylor Swift's
"You Belong To Me" was the most played song on America's radio stations but only the ninth most downloaded one. That combination of radio airplay and digital downloads was only good enough for No. 6 on the Hot 100. The most downloaded song was "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. Compare their 205,000 downloads with "I've Gotta Feelin'" which only sold 153,000 copies last week. "Empire" was No. 5 on the Hot 100.For this national nightmare to end, either "Feelin'" needs to fizzle out, or someone needs a song that can capture both radio programmers and iTunes customers at the same time. The current best seller is the artist formerly known as Hannah Montana. Her "Party In The U.S.A." has been No. 1 on iTunes for five weeks now, but who besides Radio Disney is playing that song? Swift's "Belong" returns to No. 1 for radio airplay but its sales are slipping even more. With mismatched numbers like that, no one can defeat "Feelin'" which is the third most downloaded song and second most played song on the radio.
The recession will end before the Black Eyed Peas are done. Ugh.
1. "I've Gotta Feelin'" - Black Eyed Peas
2. "Down" - Jay Sean feat. Lil Wayne
3. "Party In The U.S.A." - Miley Cyrus
4. "Run This Town" - Jay-Z feat. Kanye West & Rihanna
5. "Whatcha Say" - Jason DeRulo
6. "You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift
7. "Paparazzi" - Lady Gaga
8. "Use Somebody" - Kings of Leon
9. "Obsessed" - Mariah Carey
10. "Empire State of Mind" - Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys
Four songs owe their rise on the Billboard Hot 100 this week to the MTV Video Music Awards. Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me", the controversial female video of the year award winner, moves 6-4. The song's sales are beginning to wane, but this week, "Belong" became the first country song to ever be No. 1 on the airplay charts. Three others have gotten to No. 2 before, including Swift's own "Love Story".
Lady Gaga electrified the VMA's with her bloody performance of "Papparazzi" and it paid off with an 18-7 move. Gaga is now the third artist in the 21st century to score four top ten singles from an album (Christina Aguilera's self titled disc and Fergie's Fergalicious were the first two). Jay-Z closed the awards show with his duet with Alicia Keys, "Empire State of Mind". The single jumps 50-5 giving Jay his second top five single off of Blueprint 3. Down at No. 37, Muse, another VMA performer, scores their highest charting song ever with "Uprising".
"I've Gotta Feelin'" makes its 13th week at No. 1, passing up "Boom Boom Pow"'s 12 weeks. The Black Eyed Peas next single, "Meet Me Halfway", materializes at No. 75. Lets all pray the Peas don't replace themselves at No. 1 again.
1. "I've Gotta Feelin'" - Black Eyed Peas
2. "Run This Town" - Jay-Z feat. Kanye West & Rihanna
3. "Down" - Jay Sean feat. Lil Wayne
4. "You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift
5. "Empire State of Mind" - Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys
6. "Party In The U.S.A." - Miley Cyrus
7. "Paparazzi" - Lady Gaga
8. "Forever" - Drake feat. Kanye West, Lil Wayne, & Eminem
9. "Use Somebody" - Kings of Leon
10. "Whatcha Say" - Jason DeRulo
The Black Eyed Peas notch a twelfth week at No. 1 with "I've Gotta Feelin'" (and twenty-fourth consecutive week at No. 1) as an appearance on Oprah and the NFL Kickoff Special spur a boost in sales. With only two No. 1 hits, the Peas have spent more time at the summit than Diana Ross and the Supremes did with their twelve chart toppers and George Michael who had ten.The cast of Glee also has television to thank as their cover of Rihanna's "Rehab" debut's at No. 46 and their cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" reappears at No. 78. "Believing" initially debuted at No. 4 following the airing of show's pilot episode.
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Jay-Z remains at No. 4 with "Run This Town" featuring Kanye West & Rihanna. Blueprint 3's third single, "Empire State of Mind" featuring Alicia Keys debuts this week No. 50 and is expected to make a big jump next week thanks to the duo's performance at the Video Music Awards.
1. "I've Gotta Feelin'" - The Black Eyed Peas
2. "Down" - Jay Sean feat. Lil Wayne
3. "Party In The USA" - Miley Cyrus
4. "Run This Town" - Jay-Z feat. Kanye West & Rihanna
5. "Use Somebody" - Kings of Leon
6. "You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift
7. "Whatcha Say" - Jason DeRulo
8. "Obsessed" - Mariah Carey
9. "Hotel Room Service" - Pitbull
10. "Good Girls Go Bad" - Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester
Holding onto the No. 1 spot for ten or more weeks is quite a feat and doing it again is almost unheard of. The Black Eyed Peas reach week number ten with "I've Gotta Feelin'" at No. 1 (groan) after "Boom Boom Pow" logged 12 weeks at the summit. The only other artists to ever do that were:Boyz II Men:
- "End of the Road" (13 weeks, 1992)
- "I'll Make Love To You" (14 weeks, 1994)
- "One Sweet Day" w/ Mariah Carey (16 weeks, 1995)
- "One Sweet Day" w/ Boyz II Men (16 weeks, 1995)
- "We Belong Together" (14 weeks, 2005)
- "Smooth" (12 weeks, 1999)
- "Maria Maria" (10 weeks, 1999)
1. "I've Gotta Feelin'" - The Black Eyed Peas
2. "Down" - Jay Sean feat. Lil Wayne
3. "Party In The USA" - Miley Cyrus
4. "Use Somebody" - Kings of Leon
5. "You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift
6. "Run This Town" - Jay-Z feat. Kanye West & Rihanna
7. "Best I Ever Had" - Drake
8. "Knock You Down" - Keri Hilson feat. Kanye West & Ne-Yo
9. "Hotel Room Service" - Pitbull
10. "Good Girls Go Bad" - Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester
"Robert of the Raddish", a blogger for Y! Music posted the top twenty biggest selling singles of the decade today. The article claims that every song on the list has sold over 5 million copies but the article is absent of any other numbers and there are zero sources to back any of this. I have serious doubts about the validity of the article because 1. I don't believe that many people bought "My Humps" and 2. The New York Post said "Womanizer" is Britney's biggest selling single.Regardless, the decade is almost over and I am ready to overwhelmed with all manner of lists. This list is devoid of rock songs save one Green Day track and, it's dominated by pop stars. 80% of the singles were released by female pop singers. Shakira leads with four entries including the alleged best selling single of the 00s, "Hips Don't Lie". Britney Spears is the only other artist with multiple entries, landing three right next to each other.
Another interesting thing to note is how many of these songs are still relatively new. Two of the songs, "Oops!...I Did It Again" and "Stan" were released in 2000 giving them almost ten years to rack up sales but "Womanizer", "I Kissed A Girl", "Just Dance", "Bleeding Love", and "So What" are all less than eighteen months old. That equates to a quarter of the songs on this list not even being two years old showing how dominant a player in music sales iTunes has become.
Once again, not too sure how legit this list is but, for what it's worth, take a look.
1. "Hips Don't Lie" - Shakira
2. "Crazy In Love" - Beyonce
3. "My Humps" - The Black Eyed Peas
4. "Toxic" - Britney Spears
5. "Womanizer" - Britney Spears
6. "Oops!...I Did It Again" - Britney Spears
7. "Stan" - Eminem
8. "Low" - Flo Rida
9. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - Green Day
10. "I Kissed A Girl" - Katy Perry
11. "Just Dance" - Lady Gaga
12. "Bleeding Love" - Leona Lewis
13. "Hung Up" - Madonna
14. "We Belong Together" - Mariah Carey
15. "So What" - Pink
16. "Umbrella" - Rihanna
17. "Whenever Wherever" - Shakira
18. "Underneath Your Clothes" - Shakira
19. "La Tortura" - Shakira
20. "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" - Kylie Minogue
Labels:
Beyonce,
Black Eyed Peas,
Britney Spears,
Eminem,
End of Decade,
Flo Rida,
Green Day,
Katy Perry,
Lady Gaga,
Leona Lewis,
lists,
Madonna,
Shakira
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