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Hey blogettes, I'm back from Pride in NYC and ready to check out the songs making the Official Sales Chart in Britain just released this afternoon. After weeks of copycat versions of Icona Pop's "I Love It" reaching the charts here, the real thing gets into UK stores and debuts up at #1 (another phony version by the New Music Masters comes in at #61)..... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's time to kick off this week's "album sweep" of the new records making their way on to the Top 200 Albums sales chart in Billboard magazine. As usual, I've included links to buy anything if possible, but if you can, please stop by an independent record store and show some love... The top-selling album of the week is by new father Kanye West, whose sixth solo studio album Yeezus sold over three hundred thousand copies. It's his sixth #1 album (including his collaboration set with Jay-Z). His only one to miss was his debut The College Dropout (which still topped out at #2)... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Thompson Twins - " Hold Me Now " from the album Into The Gap (1984) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 15 Today's Song of the Day is by the British new-wave trio Thompson Twins, who had their big break in 1983 with their first top-40 hit " Lies ". After securing a sweet spot opening for the Police on their tour in the States, the group recorded their fourth album Into The Gap . The first single was a big change in sound from their earlier dance-pop fare. "Hold Me Now" sounded expansive with a slower rhythm punctuated by vaguely African percussive sounds. Written by the group and produced by Alex Sadkin with singer Tom Bailey, the record would be their big moment.... "Hold Me Now" became the trio's first top-10 hit on the pop chart in America, and their third to top the dance chart in this country. Internationally, the single went top-10 in England, Canada, Australia, and Germany. And most of all, i

Welcome back to the last of today's "chart sweeps" checking out the new songs making the charts in Billboard magazine, and I'll close things out with the latest dance jams in the clubs and on the radio. On the DJ-polled Hot Dance Club Play chart, former Disney queen Demi Lovato moves to #1 with " Heart Attack "... The top debut belongs to singer Plumb, a Christian music artist who has had a lot of success in the clubs, reaching the top-5 three times, and going to #1 with "Hang On". She's back at #40 with "Need You Now (How Many Times)"... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's time for the fourth installment of today's "chart sweeps" of the new music making the radio charts in Billboard magazine, and now I'm up to the latest on country radio. On the Hot Country Airplay chart, Jake Owen claims his fourth consecutive #1 hit with " Anywhere With You "... The top entry at #52 is American Idol season one champ Kelly Clarkson with her new non-album single, "Tie It Up". It's her fourth to reach the country chart so far...it's my " Country Pick of the Week "... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey gang, I'm up to the 'hump' of this week's "chart sweeps" sampling the new records making the weekly charts in Billboard magazine. This time out I'm up to the latest on R&B radio... On the main R&B/HipHop Airplay chart, J. Cole takes over the top spot with "Power Trip". It's his first #1 hit here...He also has reason to celebrate since his "Crooked Smile" featuring TLC is the top debut at #39. It's TLC's first time on the chart since 2004's "Come Get Some" from their greatest hits set...this new one is my " Soul Pick of the Week " ...(NSFW) (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Round two of today's "chart sweeps" of the latest songs reaching the radio charts at Billboard magazine is upon us, and now I've got the newest on rock radio... On the composite Hot Rock Airplay chart, Imagine Dragons seem unstoppable as they reign for a 17th week with " Radioactive "... The top entry at #44 is French modern rock band Phoenix with their top-20 alternative hit "Trying To Be Cool"... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

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... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Howard Jones - " New Song " from the album Human's Lib (1984) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #27 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's Song of the Day was the first hit for singer and keyboardist Howard Jones , who grew up in Wales,England, and Canada, before resettling in England, where he began performing with mime Jed Hoile. Signed in 1983, Jones released his debut album Human's Lib , and for the first single, he kept his mime companion in tow for the video for the intricate synth melodies of "New Song". I was always fascinated by the overlapping riffs in the instrumental break of the song... "New Song" became his first American top-40 pop hit in March of 1984, while the record was the first of a half-dozen top-10 singles in Britain. It also made the top-20 in Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey gang....it's the end of the week, and time to post my top 100 tunes from the last week. There's a new #1 as Daft Punk climb to the top, while Robin Thicke, T.I. and Pharrell Williams (pictured above) jump into the top-10. Songs by Bex, Maroon 5, and the Mowgli's make the biggest moves (jumps of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits by Tegan & Sara, the Lumineers, and Alexis Jordan drop out. Happy Pride weekend everyone! This Week             Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Get Lucky - Daft Punk f/Pharrell Williams (2) 2. Can't Hold Us - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/Ray Dalton (1) 3. Mirrors - Justin Timberlake (3) 4. Safe And Sound - Capital Cities (6) 5. I Love It - Icona Pop f/Charli XCX (7) 6. Lego House - Ed Sheeran (4) 7. Next To Me - Emeli Sande (5) 8. Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke f/T.I. & Pharrell Willi

Daryl Hall & John Oates - " Adult Education " from the album Rock N' Soul Part 1 (1983) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song of the day is by the 80's biggest pop duo, Hall & Oates , who put out their first "greatest hits" set in the fall of 1983. After the first single " Say It Isn't So " reached the #2 spot on the American pop chart, the duo released the other new track from the album, "Adult Education". Written by Hall & Oates with Sara Allen (namesake of "Sara Smile"), the song dealt with peer pressure and image control in high school, while the video went a different way, with crazy only-on-MTV images but at least a barechested (well in a jacket) Oates... "Adult Education" spent a month in the top-10 on the pop chart, while reaching the top-30 on both the dance club and rock radio charts in April of 1984. It even made the R&B chart, maxin

Hey gang - it's time for another throwback to the 80's, and now I've got eight more nuggets from 1981, the year the Centers for Disease Control reported that five men in Los Angeles have a rare form of pneumonia (later to be diagnosed as AIDS)... Kool & The Gang - " Celebration " from the album Celebrate! (1980) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 Songwriters: Robert Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown, Robert Mickens, Claydes Smith, James JT Taylor, Dennis Thomas, Earl Toon, Eumir Deodato In this week's bittersweet Supreme Court victories with DOMA and Prop 8 mixed with the decimation of the Voting Rights Act, we gotta take what we can get. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey gang, it's time for another throwback to the 70s, and this time I'm back to 1971, the year the US ended its trade embargo with China. In honor of a true hero, Texas state senator Wendy Davis, here's some songs about women (and a stray man)... Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose - " Treat Her Like A Lady " from the album Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose (1972) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 Songwriter: Eddie Cornelius This family act teaches the gospel on how to act. Like anyone needs lessons. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

.38 Special - " Back Where You Belong " from the album Tour De Force (1984) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #20 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 Today's Song of the Day is by the Southern rock group .38 Special , who began 1984 with a successful sixth studio album which already spun off a top-20 pop hit with " If I'd Been The One ".  For their followup they released the equally infectious "Back Where You Belong". Written by Gary O'Connor, the song is chock full of harmonies and power-chords and a comical music video to boot... "Back Where You Belong" became the band's second top-20 pop hit from the album in March of 1984, though surprisingly didn't make the rock radio list. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey gang - it's time to go Down Under to check out the new songs reaching the charts in Australia this week, as Robin Thicke checks in to the top spot for a seventh week with " Blurred Lines "... The Australian version of The Voice ended on June 17th, and while the final bunch of performances are coming up, the big winners (of course) are the coaches, as two of the Voice mentors debut inside the top-10, boosted by their performances on the finals. First up at #3 is Ricky Martin, with his new single "Come With Me". It's his first top-10 hit since 2001's "Nobody Wants To Be Lonely"; he's topped the charts here with "Maria" in 1995 and "La Copa De la Vida (The Cup Of Life)" in 1998... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey gang, it's hump day, and time to shuffle out another half-dozen nuggets from the 60s. This week I'm back to 1961, the year John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev meet at the Vienna summit. Chris Kenner - " I Like It Like That " from the album Land Of 1000 Dances (1966) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 Songwriters: Chris Kenner, Allen Toussaint New Orleans soul man had a hit with this record eventually covered by the Dave Clark Five, but didn't have a regular album release before his untimely death in 1968. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Manfred Mann's Earth Band - " Runner " from the album Somewhere In Afrika (US) (1984) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #22 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 Today's Song of the Day is by Manfred Mann's Earth Band , the British progressive rock group evolved from the 60's British Invasion band named for its leader Manfred Mann. Manfred (his original surname is Lubowitz), a keyboardist born and raised in South Africa, moved to England at the beginning of the 60s. Putting together a group with singer Paul Jones and drummer Mike Hugg, Manfred Mann (the band) got their first break in England with the single " 5-4-3-2-1 " (the theme to an ITV pop music show Ready Steady Go! ) which went to #5 in 1964. Their second EP in the UK, Groovin' With Manfred Mann , came later that year, and with a little " Do Wah Diddy Diddy " they became a worldwide sensation, reaching #1 in the UK, Canada and America. Manfred Mann went on to have eleven more top-

Welcome back to this week's recap of the new songs making the official sales chart in Germany this week, as Robin Thicke holds on to the top spot for a second week with " Blurred Lines "... Not a lot of big records coming out this week, and the top debut is found way down at #56. Australian electronic-pop duo Empire Of The Sun come in with "Alive". It's surprising since this country was their biggest success as " We Are The People " went to #1 in 2008... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey gang, it's time again to cross the ocean to check out the new songs making the official sales charts in France this week, as Robin Thicke holds on to #1 for a second week with " Blurred Lines "... It's a slow week on the charts here, as the highest debut is down at #53. It's actress/singer Cecile Cassel, who performs under the name HollySiz, with "Come Back To Me". It's her first to make the top-100... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Tina Turner - " Let's Stay Together " from the album Private Dancer (1984) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #26 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's Song of the Day is by the wigged and legged wonder of the world, Tina Turner , who was famously born in Nutbush, Tennessee in 1939. After moving to St. Louis, she hooked up romantically and professionally with Ike Turner, and a productive but tumultuous partnership. Their first single, " A Fool In Love ", became a top-40 pop/#2 R&B hit in 1960. They went on to place five more songs in the top-40, with their frenetic reading of " Proud Mary "  reaching #4 in 1971. However, Ike's abuse of cocaine and his wife destroyed the act, leaving Tina to divorce him in 1976. The break cost her, as she was held responsible for concert dates and taxes missed. Tina's solo turn actually started while she was still married to Ike, and her first solo album was a collection of country songs that didn&#

Patti LaBelle - " If Only You Knew " from the album I'm In Love Again (1983) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #46 This week's "robbed hit" is by the R&B vocal legend Patti Labelle , a Philadelphia native that started out as frontwoman for a group the Bluebelles. Their big break in 1962 was " I Sold My Heart To The Junkman ", which made the top-20 on the pop and R&B chart. Patti, whose real surname is Holt, changed her recording last name to LaBelle, and together they had a couple more top-40 hits as Patti LaBelle and her Blue Belles. After shortening their name to LaBelle and changing their musical style from girl-group to a rock/soul hybrid, the trio (Labelle along with Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash) put out a few well-reviewed but insufficiently selling album before a little song about a whore brought them to the top of the charts in 1974. " Lady Marmalade ", with its seductive French-language hook, and eventually would land in

Hey gang, it's time for round two of this week's "Album Sweep" sampling the records spending their first week on Billboard magazine's Top 200 Albums chart. You can check out part one by clicking here , and as before I've included links to buy anything you like if possible. As the first part started of heavy with Black Sabbath, so does part two, as "melodic death metal" outfit Children Of Bodom come in at #54 with Halo Of Blood . They are one of the biggest rock acts in their native Finland, where they have topped the album chart four times; in America, they have one top-40 record so far with 2008's Blooddrunk ...(NSFW) (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Re-Flex - " The Politics Of Dancing " from the album The Politics Of Dancing (1983) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #24 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today's Song of the Day is by the British new-wave band Re-Flex , who came together in the beginning of the 80's under singer (John) Baxter and keyboardist Paul Fishman. After a few backing lineup changes, including two members leaving who would eventually join Level 42, the group released their debut album The Politics Of Dancing in 1983. The title track, written by Fishman and produced by Roxy Music studio whiz John Punter, became the band's first and biggest hit... "The Politics Of Dancing" reached the top-40 in America in March of 1984 as well as their native Britain, and was a huge success in Canada, reaching their top-10 at #9. While the song spent just five weeks on the US top-40, is was on the Hot 100 for over five months. It also went up to #8 on the Dance Club chart in Billboard and #

Hey gang, I'm back from the big city and under the "super moon" I'm ready to take a trip across the Atlantic to check out the new songs making the top-100 singles chart in the United Kingdom this week, as Robin Thicke commands a fourth week on top with " Blurred Lines "... The top entry at #2 is American R&B singer Jason Derulo with "The Other Side". He's done really well in this country, as this is his sixth top-10 hit. He went to #1 in 2009 with "In My Head" and again two years later with "Don't Wanna Go Home"... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey gang, it's time to kick off the first half of this week's "album sweep" of the records spending their first week on Billboard magazine's Top 200 Albums chart. As always, I've included links to buy anything if possible, but if you can, stop by an independent record store. The top-selling record of the week belongs to a seminal heavy metal group that waited over 42 years to get their first #1 album. Before now, Black Sabbath's previous high was 1971's Master Of Reality , which went to #8. The trio of Tommy Iommi, Geezer Butler, and singer/clown Ozzy Osbourne have not been on a studio album together since Never Say Die in 1978. The new set titled 13 (even though it's the 19th studio set under the BS name) sold over 150 thousand copies in its first week... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

The Pointer Sisters - " Automatic " from the album Break Out (1983) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (one week) Weeks in the top-40: 14 Today's song of the day is by the soul siblings the Pointer Sisters , who released their tenth studio album Break Out at the end of 1983. The first single released from the set, the midtempo seductive R&B of " I Need You ", failed to reach the top-40 (though it was a big R&B/dance hit). Their follow-up single was much more upbeat, and spotlighted sister Ruth's low-end vocals on "Automatic". Written by Mark Goldenberg and Brock Walsh, "Automatic"'s almost Chic-like guitar riffs and bubbly synth work typified Richard Perry's pop/soul production... Pointer Sister - Automatic (original clip) HD by papafonk .. ."Automatic" returned the trio to the top of the pop charts, becoming their fourth top-10 pop in the US in April of 1984. It also claimed the runner-up spot on both

It's time to wrap up today's five-part "chart sweeps" of the latest songs to make the Billboard magazine singles charts, and now I'm up to the latest dance jams in the clubs and on the radio... On the DJ polled Hot Dance Club Play chart, Kelly Clarkson climbs to #1 with " People Like Us ". It's her fourth straight non-country single to top the chart... The top debut at #44 is Canadian dance-pop act Audio Playground with "You Never Know", featuring the remonikered Snoop Lion. Two years ago they made the top-10 here with "Famous"... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Part four of this week's "chart sweeps" are up, checking out the latest songs making the radio charts at Billboard magazine, and this time I've got the newest on country radio... On the Hot Country Airplay chart, Blake Shelton racks up a 14th #1 hit on the chart (and ninth consecutive) with " Boys 'Round Here "... Barreling in at #26 (meaning somebody probably paid someone off) is Toby Keith with his latest, "Drinks After Work". He hopes to add to his collection of 20 #1 hits... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

We're up to the "hump" of this week's five-part "chart sweeps" sampling the songs making the radio charts in Billboard magazine, and I've got the newest R&B songs on the radio for ya... On the main R&B/HipHop Airplay chart, rapper Wale holds on to #1 for an eighth week with " Bad ".... There's only one debut here, and it's rapper Problem with his first hit at #50, "Like Whaaat", featuring Bad Lucc...(NSFW) (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Round two of today's "chart sweep" is up, and now I've got the latest rock songs to make the radio charts in Billboard magazine... On the aggregate Rock Airplay chart, Imagine Dragons spend an impressive 16th week on top with " Radioactive ", while their next single " Demons " is at #4.... The top entry at #29 is Los Angeles "indietronica" act Grouplove with the first single from their upcoming sophomore set, "Ways To Go", my " Rock Pick of the Week ". Their breakthrough hit "Tongue Tied" made it to #3 in 2011.. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's time to kick off today's five-part "chart sweeps" of the new songs making the weekly music radio charts in Billboard magazine. This time out it's the pop side of things, including the 'big chart' , Billboard 's Hot 100, which combines sales, airplay, and streaming data.... On the Hot 100 , Robin Thicke takes a second week on top with " Blurred Lines ", featuring Pharrell Williams, who also appears on the #2 track, Daft Punk's " Get Lucky "... The Voice excrutiatingly ended it's fourth season this week, and even though the final performance singles won't show up on until next week's chart, five of the ten debuts on this list belong to competitors on the show. The top entry at #66 is the cover of Kenny Loggins' "Danny's Song" by the Swon Brothers, who placed third at the end of it all. Anne Murray originally took the song to #7 in 1972 thirteen years before the elder Swon (Zach) was born

Dan Fogelberg - " The Language Of Love " from the album Windows And Walls (1984) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's Song of the Day is by singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg , who dominated the bearded soft-rock balladeer department in the late 70s and early 80s. Dan released his first Greatest Hits set in 1982 and scored a top-40 hit with the more-upbeat " Missing You " and another with the laid-back " Make Love Stay ". In 1984, Fogelberg put out his eighth studio album, Windows and Walls , and the video for the first single, "The Language Of Love" showed his "harder" side... "The Language Of Love" put Dan back in the top-20 on the pop and adult contemporary chart in America. It would be the last of his to make the top-40 pop chart, though he continued well on down the line on easy-listening radio, even going to #1 with the follow-up to this single, " Believe In Me &

Hey gang - It's time for my 100 top tunes for the week....this time out Macklemore & Ryan Lewis hold on for a second week at #1, while Swedish duo Icona Pop (pictured above) jump up the top-10. Former big hits by Kenny Chesney, Mumford & Sons, and the Lumineers drop off my list, while songs by Bruno Mars, Robin Thicke, and Tony Moran make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). OMG they played "Legal Tender"!.... This Week              Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Can't Hold Us - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/Ray Dalton (1) 2. Get Lucky - Daft Punk f/Pharrell Williams (4) 3. Mirrors - Justin Timberlake (3) 4. Lego House - Ed Sheeran (2) 5. Next To Me - Emeli Sande (5) 6. Safe And Sound - Capital Cities (8) 7. I Love It - Icona Pop f/Charli XCX (10) 8. Just Give Me A Reason - Pink f/Nate Ruess (6) 9. Radioactive - Ima