Pop Sweep: December 21, 2013...

Hey gang, it's time to kick off today's "chart sweeps" sampling the songs making the charts in Billboard magazine. As usual, I'll start with the "big chart" and the pop radio lists...

On the Billboard Hot 100, which tallies radio airplay, sales, and internet streaming (like YouTube), Eminem and Rihanna take over at #1 with "The Monster". It's the rapper's fifth trip to #1, while Rihanna has climbed to the summit thirteen times (once before with Em with "Love The Way You Lie")...

The top entry on the chart all the way at #13 is from the a cappella quintet Pentatonix, who got their big break two years ago when they appeared on and won the third season of the show The Sing-Off (which is thankfully back this week). Since then they've released two regular EPs and a holiday set, and their YouTube channel has garnered millions of views. A new track from their revamped PTXmas, "The Little Drummer Boy", is helped both by sales and their video, which now stands at 17 million views, and now the song is their first to make the Hot 100...(as a side note, while I approve this YouTube tally upping the rank, I wouldn't stand for the one and a half minute parody video doing the same)...

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The ninth of Justin Bieber's "Music Monday" singles, "Change Me", comes in at #59...

The third single from Swedish DJ and producer Avicii's folk-dance hybrid True album, "Hey Brother", featuring bluegrass musician Dan Tyminski on vocals, enters at #78. The first, "Wake Me Up!", hangs tight in the top ten at #6. This one is my "Pop Pick of the Week"...

John Mayer also placed his third single from his latest album on the chart as "Who You Love" featuring his current girlfriend Katy Perry is in at #80. The first single "Paper Doll" went to #77, then "Wildfire" stopped at #85...

Rapper Childish Gambino, the performing moniker for actor Donald Glover, debuts at #86 with his first single to make the big chart, "I. Crawl"...

Country rocker Frankie Ballard arrives at #89 with "Helluva Life". It's the first of his three top-40 country hits to make the pop chart...


Kelly Clarkson returns at #92 with "Underneath The Tree". It's her second holiday track to make the chart; two years ago she went a notch lower with "I'll Be Home For Christmas"...

Latin rapper Lupe Fiasco is back with "Old School Love" featuring British singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran at #95. Lupe has made the top-ten twice so far, with "The Show Goes On" reaching #9 in 2010...

R&B singer and reality show star Tamar Braxton enters at #96 with "All The Way Home". It's from her second album Love and War; the title track went to #57 earlier this year...

The last entry on the Hot 100 this week at #99 is British alternative rock group Arctic Monkeys with "Do I Wanna Know?". The top-ten rock hit is their first to make the "big" chart...

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

On the Mainstream Top-40 radio panel, "The Monster" leaps from #4 to #1...

Coming in at #37 is blue-eyed-soul lothario Robin Thicke with "Feel Good", the third pop single from his Blurred Lines album....

...and Katy Perry enters at #40 with "Dark Horse" featuring rapper Juicy J...

Meanwhile, on the older-skewing Adult Top-40 format, Avicii's "Wake Me Up!" remains on top for a fourth week...

The top entry at #35 is from Lady Gaga as her second single from her ARTPOP album, "Do What U Want" featuring R. Kelly, follows her top-10 "Applause"..

The #1 Hot 100 hit "The Monster" from Eminem and Rihanna finds itself on this format's chart at #37...

Lorde's follow-up to her #1 hit "Royals", "Team", is the third arrival at #38...

Finally, on the Adult Contemporary, or "easy listening" chart, Kelly Clarkson's aforementioned "Underneath The Tree" hangs on to #1 for a second week...

Leona Lewis' seasonal song "One More Sleep" drops in at #16. She topped this format in 2007 with "Bleeding Love"...

Irish vocal group Celtic Thunder chimes in at #27 with their take on the Christmas classic "Carol Of The Bells" (there's no video for the song as yet)...

The third debut and only non-holiday one at #29 is "Come To Me" by the Goo Goo Dolls..

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