Pop Sweep: October 13, 2012...
Hey gang, it's Saturday, so time again to kick off today's "chart sweeps" of the newest songs making their way on to the weekly music charts at Billboard magazine. This time out it's the latest on the pop side...
On the big chart, the Billboard Hot 100, Maroon 5 fends off a Korean attack to stay at #1 for a third week with "One More Night"....
This week was a busy week, and three singles by A-list artists debut in the top-20. The big winner is the latest by the music world's "Jennifer Aniston", Taylor Swift, with the second single from her upcoming Red album, "Begin Again". It's a return (somewhat) to her country fare, as it's being serviced to that genre's radio stations, since her current hit "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is so far into dance-pop that it falls out of the country top-20 this week. Though of course this song really sounds just like the requisite ballad on other albums, like "Back To December" and "White Horse"...but either way it rockets in at #7, thanks to it being the top-selling single from last week...
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Skanking in at #13 is the queen of trash-pop, Ke$ha, with her first hit in a year, "Die Young". She has two #1 hits to her name, each the first singles to her albums: "Tik Tok" and "We R Who We R". The new track doesn't stray at all from the formula of these other hits, with the electronic synth fart propelling a "let's go out and be crazy" chant for the night, done in her deadpan robot rap-ish delivery...
..and the third top-20 debut is crazy-ass Rihanna, who apparently is living the motto of Ke$ha's song with her probably getting back together with the guy who now has a neck tattoo like a silly putty impression of her bashed-up face. Lord. Well, she's already got eleven chart-topping singles, so at least on the charts right now she's invincible. Her first #1 was "SOS" back in 2006, while her latest, "We Found Love", came at the end of last year. Her latest at #16, "Diamonds", was co-written by Australian Sia Fowler, whose been busy with hits like "Titanium" and "Wild Ones", but this track is more march-like and less dancefloor oriented...
Another collaborator of Sia's, rapper Flo Rida, is back with the fourth single from his Wild Ones album. All three of the others have gone top-5, and the last, "Whistle", topped the chart about a month ago. His newest, "I Cry" at #81, interpolates the melody from the Brenda Russell quiet-storm hit "Piano In The Dark", which peaked at #6 in 1989. Last year the song was redone in an EDM style by Dutch act the Bingo Players as "Cry (Just A Little)", who had a top-10 hit in their own country with it. And in a scenario like his other hit "Good Feeling" coopting Avicii's "Levels", Flo Rida raps over the backbeat of the Bingo Players version...
Another sample-based record debuting this week is by Latin rap heartthrob Pitbull, with the third single from his upcoming album Global Warming, "Don't Stop The Party" at #89. It cribs from house DJ TJR's song "Funky Vodka", hence him getting a featured credit on the track. Pitbull's track "Give Me Everythiing" was his first #1 pop hit in the US last year...
Now for the deluge: half of this week's new entries (five of 'em) are from the #1 album in the land this week, Mumford & Son's Babel, which already has "I Will Wait" on the chart (that song is so far their biggest yet, peaking at #23). That makes them the band (as opposed to act) with the most Hot 100 hits on the chart at the same time since the Beatles in their 60's heyday.
First off is the title track "Babel", which comes in at #60...
Next up at #85 is "Lover's Eyes"...
One notch below that at #86 is "Whispers In the Dark"...
At 92 is the folksy "Holland Road"...
and finally at #94 is "Ghosts That We Know"...
Meanwhile, over on the radio-monitored Adult-top-40 pop chart, Pink colors up the #1 spot for a fourth week with "Blow Me (One More Kiss)"...
Making the highest appearance on this chart this week is Canadian rock band Lifehouse, who have topped this list twice before, with their debut single "Hanging By A Moment" in 2001 and then with "You And Me" four years later. On "Between The Raindrops" at #34, they pair up with British singer Natasha Bedingfield, who went to #2 on adult top-40 in 2006 with "Unwritten"...
Popping in at #37 is the charttopping rock hit "Ho Hey" by the Lumineers...
Diva and Voice coach Christina Aguilera returns at #39 with her latest dance-pop jam, "Your Body". She's been to #1 here last year on the grace of singing like eight bars or so on Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger", but on her own she's only been in this top-10 once before, at #9 in 2002 with "Beautiful". By the way, this is the gayest snuff film ever...
The final entry on this list is by California native Casey Abrams, who came in sixth place on American Idol last year. His first A-40 hit at #40 is "Get Out"...
Finally, over on the Adult-Contemporary (soft rock) list, Gotye and Kimbra are at #1 for a ninth week with "Somebody That I Used To Know"...
Debuting here at #23 is the San Diego model/singer Tristan Prettyman, with her first hit on this chart, "My Oh My"..
..and coming in at #30 is Denver-based OneRepublic, whose last single, "Good Life", went to #2 here at the beginning of this year. Their latest, "Feel Again", is from their upcoming album Native...and is it me, or this sound just like "Dogs Days Are Over"?
Well that covers the pop realm this week..check back in 90 minutes for the latest on rock radio...

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