Pop Sweep: January 31, 2015...


I'm ready to kick off the first of today's "chart sweeps", checking out the songs making their debut on the various radio and club charts in Billboard magazine. As always, I'll start out on the "pop" side of things, then move on to the latest in rock, R&B, country, and dance music later on in the day...

On the "big" chart, Billboard's Hot 100, which combines tallies of radio airplay from all formats, sales (physical and mp3 like iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play), and internet streaming (like YouTube and Spotify), Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars spend a third week at #1 with "Uptown Funk!"...

The top new entry of the week all the way up at #8 is the third single from pop/rock band Maroon 5's V album, "Sugar". No doubt the impetus for the high debut is the premiere of the video on YouTube, which features the band "crashing" weddings (which really doesn't look very "spontaneous", if you get my drift...) But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do to put three songs in the top-10 from an album these days (their last single, "Animals", peaked at #3), and it's my "Pop Pick of the Week"...


(Click below to see the rest of the post)


The first American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, returns at #37 with "Heartbeat Song", the first single from her upcoming Piece By Piece album. This makes it her 16th top-40 pop hit; she's topped the Hot 100 three times, most recently in 2012 with "Stronger"...


Now that jam-country act the Zac Brown Band have been folded into the Big Machine label, their first single with the imprint, "Homegrown", pops up at #48. Their first nine singles made the Hot 100's Top-40, with "Knee Deep" peaking at #18 in 2011...


The third track from pop-punk hitmakers Fall Out Boy's just-released American Beauty/American Psycho album, "Uma Thurman", lands at #73. Their current radio single, "Centuries", also reached a new high of #12 in its 19th week...


From the Oscar-nominated movie Selma comes "Glory" from rapper Common (one of the film's stars) and John Legend. The track is nominated for Best Song at the upcoming Academy Awards. Common has been in the top-40 once so far as a featured artist on former girlfriend Erykah Badu's "Love Of My Life (An Ode To HipHop)" (#9), while Legend had one of the biggest hits of last year with the chart-topping "All Of Me" ...


The fourth single from country singer Dierks Bentley's Riser album is the third to make the Hot 100 as "Say You Do" enters at #96. The other two made the top-40 here, with "Drunk On A Plane" topping out at #27 last year...


DC-based rapper Wale is back at #98 with "The Body" featuring R&B singer Jeremih. It's the lead single from his upcoming The Album About Nothing. He's reached the top-40 three times, with his featured stint on Waka Flocka Flame's "No Hands" going up to #13...


And now on to the pop radio format charts...

On the Mainstream Top-40 radio panel Taylor Swift sticks around on top for a sixth week with "Blank Space"...

Ellie Goulding has the top-debut at #31 with "Love Me Like You Do" from the upcoming 50 Shades Of Grey soundtrack. She's also at #25 with her collaboration with Calvin Harris, "Outside"...


Maroon 5's "Sugar" (shown above) comes in at #33. Their last single, "Animals", topped the chart in this format...

Also, the aforementioned "Heartbeat Song" from Kelly Clarkson arrives at #38...

Dutch dance-pop singer Natalie La Rose crosses over to this list at #39 with "Somebody" featuring Jeremih, which interpolates Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)", and leaps 11 spots on the "Rhythmic" format to #24...


Meanwhile, on the older-skewing Adult Top-40 format, "Blank Space" rules for a fifth week, while Clarkson's "Heartbeat Song" leaps in at #20 and Maroon 5's "Sugar" drops in at #26...

Taylor Swift's presumed follow-up to her #1 hit, "Style", climbs in at #29 (there's still no official clip for this yet...)

Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do" also makes this list at #31...

French alt-rock act Lilly Wood and the Prick move in at #40 with their Robin Schulz remix of "Prayer In C", which has proven to be a worldwide hit, and is close to being a top-40 hit on the Hot 100 at #47...


Lastly, on the Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart, Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" is at #1 for an eighth non-consecutive week, while Clarkson's "Heartbeat Song" jumps in at #16...

British songstress Ella Henderson lands at #30 with "Ghost", which moves to #22 on the Hot 100...


That's it for the start of today's musical trip..I'll be back in 90 minutes with the latest on rock radio...










Comments