Pop Sweep: August 10, 2013...

Hey gang, it's time to kick off today's five-part "chart sweeps" checking out the songs making the weekly music charts in Billboard magazine....As always, I'll start out with the big chart and the pop world...

On the "big" chart, the Billboard Hot 100, which tallies sales, airplay, and internet streaming, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" holds on to #1 for am eighth week, the longest stretch since Maroon 5's "One More Night" stayed on top for nine weeks last fall.

Rocketing in at #2 is British boyband One Direction whose rabid fanbase propelled their new (and modest) song "Best Song Ever" to become their highest-ranking single to date ("Live While We're Young" went to #3 last year)...I know this is soooo not meant for my generation, but for real, "biggest band?" They're not a band.  Also, can we have a moratorium on the oh-oh-oh-oh-ohs to replace needing to fill lyrics in? They do have a good sense of humor in this, up to the rote "trashing the place" part.

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With 1D taking the spotlight, it's easy to overlook the respectable #21 debut of singer/actress/Mariah Carey soundalike Ariana Grande with her second top-40 hit "Baby I". It follows her top-10 debut "The Way". This one is less Carey and more late 90s/00s soul (like Jade, SWV, etc)...

British singer Ellie Goulding returns at #53 with "Burn", from the upcoming revamp of her Halcyon album titled Halcyon Days. Her best so far was the slow-burn #2 single "Lights" from 2011, though she's still in the top-20 with her collaboration with Calvin Harris, "I Need Your Love".  "Burn" wins my "Pop Pick of the Week" award this time out, and was co-written by Ellie with members of the band OneRepublic...

R&B singer/Michael Jackson clone/perennial felon Chris Brown is back at #56 with the third promotional single from his upcoming X album, "Love More" featuring Nicki Minaj. The first, "Fine China", reached #31 earlier this year.

Rapper Sage The Gemini debuted last week with "Red Nose" which falls a couple spots to #64. Meanwhile, he's also in at #58 with "Gas Pedal" featuring IamSu...(NSFW)

The Disney Channel TV movie Teen Beach Movie has become this year's pre-teen go-to, and now a track from the soundtrack, "Cruisin' For A Bruisin'", surfs in at #82. It features star Ross Lynch, Grace Phipps, and Jason Evigan, who is not in the movie itself but "Marni Nixons" the voice for character Butchy played by John Deluca (Jason is the son of Greg Evigan of My Two Dads and BJ & The Bear)...

Marc Anthony finally gets his first Spanish-language Hot 100 hit as "Vivir Mi Vida" comes in at #92. In 2000 his "You Sang To Me" almost claimed the prize when it peaked at #2....

The second single from country singer Kenny Chesney's latest album, Life On A Rock, is "When I See This Bar", which drops in at #97. It follows "Pirate Flag", which made it to #46 on the big chart earlier this year. Listening to this, I guess this is meant to be some sort of Buffett-like beach product version of "Pink Houses", no?

Simon Cowell's prefab American boyband Emblem3, who like their British counterparts One Direction came in the middle of the pack on the X Factor (1D came in third, E3 were in fourth). The differences are made apparent though as their first single "Chloe (You're The One I Want)" sneaks in at #98...

The final entry at #100 is Tim McGraw with the fourth single from his underwhelming Two Lanes Of Freedom set for Big Machine, "Southern Girl". It follows "Highway Don't Care" which reached #22.  Lord what kind of regimen or whatever do they have him on?

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

On the Mainstream Top-40 Pop radio panel, "Blurred Lines" racks up a fourth week on top...

The big debut of the week at #30 is another Latin Invaston of the late 90s veteran (along with Anthony), Enrique Iglesias, with "Turn The Night Up". He's still in that Jersey Shore-style vein with some weird EDM sounds mixed in. Not sold on this yet.

Popping in at #39 is Pink along with Lily Allen with a big fave of mine, "True Love"....

The last entry here at #40 is the former #1 alternative rock hit "Sweater Weather" by The Neighbourhood...

Meanwhile, on the older-skewing Adult Top-40 format, Maroon 5's "Love Somebody" ends up at #1 for a second week...

Jumping in at #35 is Justin Timberlake with his neo-disco preview to the second part of The 20/20 Experience dropping in September, "Take Back The Night". His "Mirrors" is still big at #5...

The other entry at #39 are newcomers A Great Big World with their first hit "This Is The New Year". You might recognize the song from it's inclusion on last season's Glee...

Lastly, on the Adult Contemporary, or "easy-listening" chart, Pink's "Just Give Me A Reason" is on top for a fifth week...

Daft Punk final claim this format as their "Get Lucky" dances on to the chart at #38...

And at #39 is middle-age rockers Train with Ashley Monroe on the excellent "Bruises"...

That does it for the first of the bunch....I'll return in 90 minutes with the newest on rock radio....