Pop Sweep: July 6, 2013...


Hey folks, it's time to kick off today's five-part "chart sweeps" sampling the songs reaching the radio singles charts in Billboard magazine this week. As always, I'll start off with the pop charts, then throughout the day move on to rock, R&B, country, and dance.

On the "big" chart Billboard's Hot 100, Robin Thicke along with T.I. and Pharrell party at #1 for a third week with "Blurred Lines"...

The top entry of the week belongs to pop/rock outfit OneRepublic, who race in at #32 with the third single (and second top-40 hit) from their third studio album Native, "Counting Stars". In all, the Denver-based group has reached the top-40 a lucky seven times now, including a #2 with their first single "Apologize" with Timbaland...


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Rapper and tabloid magnet Kanye West's sixth solo studio album is the #1 album in the land, and three of the tracks from the album sold enough on their own to chart on the Hot 100. Two were performed live on Saturday Night Live's season finale. First, at #56, is "New Slaves"....


...while the other, "Black Skinhead", arrives at #69. Although he has had lead singles that missed the top-40 ("Diamonds From Sierra Leone", "Can't Tell Me Nothing"), this set (his lowest opener) has his lowest opening "singles", though he deliberately isn't releasing anything to radio (as yet)...


The hiphop artist Kanye "beat out" in the album race this week, J. Cole, sees another track of his, "Crooked Smile" featuring TLC, enter the chart at #74. This is the first time the now-duo has been on the Hot 100 since 2003's "Damaged"...(NSFW)


After all the hype, the Voice (otherwise known as the Blake Shelton fangirl meet-up) ended its fourth season last week, and 17-year-old Danielle Bradbery claimed the inevitable. Deflating though that her finals single, a cover of Sara Evans' "Born To Fly" manages to only come in at #75 (while last season's champ, Cassadee Pope, sunk like a stone with her new one). The Evans original went to #34 on the Hot 100 in 2000...Compared to Sara's amazing vocal power and emotion, this is so damn vapid that proves talent is not the focus of the show...


John Mayer's alleged "answer record" to Taylor Swift's "Dear John", "Paper Doll", enters the chart at #77. John has had ten top-40 hits in the US so far, and with this "prancercize" lyric video, he may just get another...



Speaking of trainwrecks, the new single from Britney Spears for the upcoming Smurfs 2 movie, "Ooh La La", stumbles in at #85...


...and another mess, Rihanna, pops in at #90 with her collaboration with French DJ David Guetta, "Right Now". It's the fourth official single from her latest Unapologetic set...


The third Kanye West track from Yeezus to make the chart this week is "Blood On The Leaves" at #91...


The second-place finisher on The Voice, the more entertaining Michelle Chamuel, takes her hipster cool version of Annie Lennox's "Why" to #92. Good performace, and great "trick" effect (you gotta see it)..Annie's original (her first solo hit) went to #34 in 1992...


Rapper French Montana is in at #97 with "Ain't Worried 'Bout Nothin'", which is already in the top-30 on the R&B chart...(NSFW)


Michelle Chamuel teams up with her "coach" Usher at #98 on their cover of U2's "One", which originally went to #10 in 1992...


The third-place finalists on The Voice, The Swon Brothers from Oklahoma, were the first duo to make the final show, and while they seem destined for reality television, their bar-band take on the Eagles' "I Can't Tell You Why" comes in at #99. The Eagles took it to #8 in 1980...


..now onward to the pop radio format charts...

On the Mainstream Top-40 panel, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis hold on for a third week on top with "Can't Hold Us", while the aforementioned "Ooh La La" by Britney Spears is the top entry at #22...

American Idol winner Phillip Phillips finally crosses over to pop radio with his former top-10 hit on Adult-Top-40 and Triple-A rock, "Gone, Gone, Gone", as it comes in at #38...


Pennsy rockers Paramore are back at #40 with their latest, "Still Into You"...


Meanwhile, on the older-skewing Adult Top-40 format, Pink rules for a ninth week at #1 with "Just Give Me A Reason" with Nate Ruess....

The top debut of the week here is pop/R&B singer Jason Derulo with "The Other Side" at #35...


Rapper turned reggae-pop singer Michael Franti along with his band Spearhead arrive at #38 with his top-5 triple-A rock hit "I'm Alive (Life Sounds Like)". It's my "Pop Pick of the Week"...


Another hit from the AAA format, Canadian singer Serena Ryder's "Stompa" takes her #1 hit from that chart to Adult Top-40 at #39...


The last debut here at #40 is Nick TV star Ariana Grande with rapper Mac Miller on their Hot 100 top-10 hit "The Way"....


Finally, on the Adult Contemporary, or "easy-listening" chart, Pink leaps up to #1 with "Just Give Me A Reason"...

The sole debut of the week at #27 is rock legend Eric Clapton with "Every Little Thing", from his latest Old Sock set...

..
.That's it for part one...I'll return with the newest on rock radio next...


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