Hey guys...sorry for it being a sparse week. I've been backlogged at work, not to excuse, but I really thank you for coming back..and now for my top tunes from last week. This week Michael Franti & Spearhead log a second week on top, while Jennifer Aniston look-alike Colbie Caillat (pictured above), move up in the top-10 in it's sixth week there. The biggest moves are made by Foo Fighters, Whitney Houston, and Luke Bryan, while former big hits by Kings Of Leon, Kristinia DeBarge, BT, Collective Soul, and David Cook drop out. Link-O-Rama is back, so you can click on the highlighted name of any artist to go to their website. Go Phillies!
This Week Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses)
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1. Say Hey (I Love You) - Michael Franti & Spearhead (1)
2. Release Me - Agnes (5)
3. Evacuate The Dancefloor - Cascada (2)
4. I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas (4)
5. 21 Guns - Green Day (6)
6. Fallin' For You - Colbie Caillat (7)
7. Celebration - Madonna (3)
8. Use Somebody - Kings Of Leon (8)
9. She Wolf - Shakira (9)
10. Sexy Bitch/Sexy Chick - David Guetta f/Akon (14)
11. Uprising - Muse (13)
12. Paparazzi - Lady GaGa (22)
13. Never Say Never - The Fray (15)
14. Obsessed - Mariah Carey (10)
15. No Surprise - Daughtry (11)
16. Down - Jay Sean f/Lil' Wayne (18)
17. Battlefield - Jordin Sparks (12)
18. Would've Been The One - Solange (20)
19. Toes - Zac Brown Band (24)
20. Sweet Dreams - Beyonce (16)
21. (If You're Wondering...) I Want You To - Weezer (25)
22. Someday - Rob Thomas (34)
23. Savior - Rise Against (23)
24. Already Gone - Kelly Clarkson (30)
25. Please Don't Leave Me - Pink (21)
26. Chances - Five For Fighting (38)
27. Good Girls Go Bad - Cobra Starship f/Leighton Meester (28)
28. Million Dollar Bill - Whitney Houston (50)
29. Don't Upset The Rhythm - The Noisettes (19)
30. Cowboy Casanova - Carrie Underwood (40)
31. Only You Can Love Me This Way - Keith Urban (36)
32. Check My Brain - Alice in Chains (33)
33. The Real Thing - Vanessa Williams (37)
34. Let The Feelings Go - AnnaGrace (17)
35. Everybody Shake It - Ralphi Rosario f/Shawn Christopher (35)
36. I'm Alive - Kenny Chesney f/Dave Matthews (41)
37. Smile - Uncle Kracker (39)
38. Be There - Howie Day (43)
39. Pretty Wings - Maxwell (29)
40. Right Here - Carmen Reece (46)
41. Bulletproof - La Roux (27)
42. We Weren't Born To Follow - Bon Jovi (44)
43. Bad Habits - Maxwell (48)
44. You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift (42)
45. Red Light - David Nail (49)
46. Never Gonna Be Alone - Nickelback (51)
47. Keep it Goin' Louder - Major Lazer f/Nina Sky (47)
48. Party In The USA - Miley Cyrus (52)
49. I Remember - Deadmau5 & Kaskade (55)
50. Fine Print - Nadia Ali (54)
51. The Sound Of Missing You - Ameerah (53)
52. Her Diamonds - Rob Thomas (32)
53. Waking Up In Vegas - Katy Perry (31)
54. Need You Now - Lady Antebellum (58)
55. This Time Baby - Eddie X f/Niki Haris (59)
56. Runaway - Love & Theft (57)
57. New Divide - Linkin Park (45)
58. Did You See Me Coming? - Pet Shop Boys (71)
59. Welcome To The Future - Brad Paisley (62)
60. Why You Wanna Hurt Me So Bad? - Nicki Richards (61)
61. Hey, Soul Sister - Train (63)
62. Maybe - Ingrid Michaelson (66)
63. Jars - Chevelle (68)
64. Do I - Luke Bryan (84)
65. Consider Me Gone - Reba McEntire (77)
66. Can't Live Without You - Charlie Wilson (79)
67. Gettin' You Home (Black Dress Song) - Chris Young (69)
68. I Look To You - Whitney Houston (72)
69. Wheels - Foo Fighters (96)
70. Fame 2009 - Naturi Naughton (89)
71. S.O.S. (Let The Music Play) - Jordin Sparks (DEBUT)
72. Run This Town - Jay-Z f/Rihanna & Kanye West (73)
73. I Will Be There - DJ Tiesto f/Sneaky Sound System (88)
74. Love Songs - Anjulie (DEBUT)
75. I Wanna - All-American Rejects (82)
76. Come On - Green River Ordinance (81)
77. She Ain't Got... - LeToya (78)
78. Fifteen - Taylor Swift (86)
79. On The Ocean - K'Jon (74)
80. Fireflies - Owl City (DEBUT)
81. Who Says - John Mayer (DEBUT)
82. Bonfire - Craig Morgan (87)
83. Breakeven - The Script (DEBUT)
84. Medicate - AFI (99)
85. Wait For Me - Theory Of A Deadman (DEBUT)
86. I Didn't Know My Own Strength - Whitney Houston (91)
87. I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes - Dierks Bentley (98)
88. Whatcha Say - Jason Derulo (DEBUT)
89. Honky Tonk Stomp - Brooks & Dunn (94)
90. Say It - Blue October (95)
91. American Ride - Toby Keith (92)
92. All I Ask For Anymore - Trace Adkins (100)
93. Southern Voice - Tim McGraw (DEBUT)
94. I Will Not Bow - Breaking Benjamin (DEBUT)
95. Oopsy Daisy - Chipmunk (DEBUT)
96. History In The Making - Darius Rucker (DEBUT)
97. Forever Is Over - The Saturdays (DEBUT)
98. J'aimerais Tellement - Jena Lee (DEBUT)
99. I Just Call You Mine - Martina McBride (DEBUT)
100. Pussy - Rammstein (DEBUT)
This week there are fifteen new songs that enter my chart. I think that's the highest ever! This includes the current and former #1 songs on the pop chart...
I'll start out with American Idol sixth season winner Jordin Sparks. Arizona-born Sparks had 4 US top-40 songs from her self-titled debut album, with "No Air", a duet with Chris Brown, turning out to be one of the top 10 songs of 2008. The title song from her sophomore effort, Battlefield, is still in my top 20. Jordin's new single, "S.O.S. (Let The Music Play)", is one of three hits this year to sample a hit from 80's dance singer Shannon - "Give Me Tonight" has recently been used on songs by Frenchie Davis and Cazwell.
Next up is Anjulie, a singer from suburban Toronto, Canada, who recently had a #1 Billboard dance hit (and 2SC top-40 hit) "Boom". She also wrote "Don't Call Me Baby", which also made #1 in Billboard and top-40 on my chart. Her second single is "Love Songs", which merges nostaglic vocal stylings with a current dance thump on the remix. Here's both versions...
Minnesotan Adam Young goes by the stage moniker Owl City, and his little train that could single "Fireflies" made it to the #1 spot on Billboard's pop chart last week. People have compared Young's music to electronica-emo group The Postal Service, but I don't find that to be the knockdown possibly meant. In fact, the universal childlike charm of "Fireflies" found an audience that this music usually only aspires to. It's simple, yet unforgettable, as any good pop record.
John Mayer had his first album, Room For Squares, in 2001. In the eight years since, Mayer has had a career more varied musically than most in his generation. Between his three studio albums, two major live solo sets, blues side project John Mayer Trio, and collaborations with artists as diverse as Common and Fall Out Boy, Mayer found time for a dozen hit singles and a Grammy for Song of the Year for "Daughters". Unfortunately his antics have centered around his personal romantic forays and unusual comedic writings. His latest song, though, brings Mayer back to basic with him and his guitar, singing about simple things, which apparently focus around getting stoned..
Irish rock band the Script had a refreshing crossover success in the States with their European smash "The Man Who Can't Be Moved". Their third British top-40 (and third Irish top-10) is "Breakeven", which like their previous hit is about heartbreak, but in an adult and non-melancholic way.
Theory of A Deadman are from British Columbia, Canada, and last June spent three weeks on top of my list with the ballad "Not Meant To Be". Their latest is set to a 3/4 (waltz) beat, and like its predecessor strays from their usual harder edge.
20-year-old Jason Derulo has the current #1 Billboard Hot 100 pop hit this week. "Whatcha Say" uses electronica singer Imogen Heap's "Hide And Seek" to base this space-soul jam that transcends the current pigeonholing of pop music today...
As the Phillies just lost the World Series as I'm writing this, it's fitting that Phil slugger Tug McGraw's son, Tim debuts with the second single from his just-released album, Southern Voice. The album is very nuanced and dark at times, surprising considering the two singles pulled from it so far, "It's a Business Doing Pleasure With You" and now the title track, are IMHO the most trite. Even so, "Southern Voice" takes the cliched "southern lifestyle commercial" track and its songwriters slip in references to Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and Jerry lee Lewis, not usual bellweathers of redneck country. Give them (and Tim) credit for that. I guess since this is his tenth album, he thankfully has more leeway. Check out "Good Girls" on his latest album, but here's "Southern Voice"..
Breaking Benjamin are a hard-rock band from Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania, and their sixth song to make the Billboard rock top-10 is "I Will Not Bow", which you'll hear in the upcoming Bruce Willis film Surrogates...
"Chipmunk" is British rapper Jahmaal Fyffe, and his fourth top-40 single in the UK becomes his first #1. He beat out a group also debuting later on, the Saturdays, and a line in this song references them and their former hit "Issues". Here's "Oopsy Daisy"...
And while I'm at it, here is the group he's name-checking. The Irish girl-group Saturdays scored four top-10 UK singles from their first album, Chasing Lights. Their second record, Wordshaker, is preceeded by the song debuted on my list, "Forever Is Over"...
Darius Rucker has sure left his Hootie & The Blowfish nostaglia in the past, since his fourth since from his initial country disc is climbing the chart. The last three, "Don't Want To Think About It", "It Won't Be Like This For Long", and "Alright" all hit #1. Here's the prophetic "History In The Making"...
Next is French singer Jena Lee, who even though born in the South American country of Chile, was adopted at nine months by a French couple. She has written a few songs for another favorite French singer, Sheryfa Luna, and her new single is a smash in its own right, spending the last four weeks at #1 in her home country. Here's "J'aimerais Tellement" (I'd Love).
Martina McBride used to be my favorite female country singer until she got all soccer mom and her music suffered. She hasn't truly recovered from her pop excursions, as her latest album's first single, "Ride" failed to make the top-10, something she's does with every album (save her "covers" album) since 1993. The second single has been marketed circumventing country radio for outlets like the Bachelotette and the Today Show wedding shows, but it's not too hokey. Here's "I Just Call You Mine"...
and finally, here's a 180 degree turn from that last song. It's by German hard-rock act Rammstein, who are superstars in their home country, with 7 #1 albums there (including 2 live ones). Across the ocean, they've accrued more of a cult following, with the biggest hit being "Du Hast", which made the top-20 of the Billboard rock chart (pretty good for a German-language single). I always associated it from the movie The Matrix. Their latest album, Liebe ist für alle da, meaning "Love is there for everyone", actually made the US top-20 albums. Most likely this has been fueled by the first single, "Pussy", which is a smash in Germany. But then again, so is David Hasselhoff. But then again, Hoss doesn't put out videos like this. The clip, filmed by noted director Jonas Aklund (he recently did Madonna's "Celebration" and Lady GaGa's "Paparazzi"), is soooo explicit that the uncut video (complete with hardcore porn shot with body doubles) is only shown on nasty websites (which you can conveniently link from Wikipedia!) Here's as clean as YouTube wanna be. By the way this song ROCKS in the car when you're angry!
And here we are at the end. Again, thanks so much for following my blog, and I promise to get past my writer's block and back in the groove shortly. I'm heading out of country, so that should be something to write about, eh?
