Pop Sweep: March 1, 2014...


It's time to roll out the first of today's five "chart sweeps", checking out the songs making the latest singles and radio charts in Billboard magazine. As always, I'll start with the pop side, and later on today cover rock, R&B, country, and dance music.... and away we go...

On the "big" chart, Billboard's Hot 100, which tallies sales, airplay, and internet streaming, Katy Perry remains on top for a fourth week with "Dark Horse"...

The top entry of the week at #62 is the theme to the biggest movie in the land, The LEGO Movie, and Tegan Are Sara proclaim that "Everything Is Awesome!!!" with comic trio the Lonely Island in tow. It's automatically their biggest hit to date - last year they snuck in at #90 with their slow-burner hit "Closer"...


(Click below to see the rest of the post)


Country firebrand Miranda Lambert returns at #63 with the first single from her upcoming fifth album, "Automatic". Mrs. Blake Shelton has placed five songs into the top 40 of this chart with "Mama's Broken Heart" going the highest to #20...


Atlanta rapper Jeffrey Williams, a.k.a. Young Thug, debuts at #75 with his first single, "Stoner"...


I'd say the last record was banal and unnecessary, but that's nothing compared to what arrives at #80. It's rapper Buck 22, otherwise known as Damon Elliott, the son of Dionne Warwick (!), with "Achy Breaky 2". Yes. A rework of the Billy Ray Cyrus line dance hit from 1992. With Cyrus himself making a cameo. It's his first time in the Hot 100 since his duet with his daughter Miley on "Ready Set Don't Go" in 2007, which actually made it to #37...


Mariah Carey comes in pretty modestly at #88 with "You're Mine (Eternal)". It's the third track from the perennially delayed album The Art Of Letting Go. The first, "#Beautiful" with Miguel, made it to #15 last year...


Former teen acting stars turned musical duo MKTO make their debut at #96 with "Classic". The pair appeared on the Nickelodeon show Gigantic, and they already have made the top ten in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands with this record...


While British singer Ellie Goulding's second single from her expanded Halcyon Days album, "Burn", sticks around in the top-40, her next American release "Explosions" sneaks in at #100...


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

On the Mainstream Top-40 radio panel, "Dark Horse" is also at #1 for a second week...

The sole entry at #39 is from the rock group Paramore, with "Ain't It Fun". It's the follow-up to "Still Into You", which climbed to #8 on this chart...


 Meanwhile, on the older-skewing Adult Top-40 format, A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera climb to #1 with "Say Something", making the first for either of them as a lead artist...

The aforementioned "Ain't It Fun" is also the high entry on this chart; they made it to #11 with "Still Into You" here...

Sara Bareilles is in at #36 with my "Pop Pick of the Week", "I Choose You". It's the successor to the #3 hit and Grammy nominated "Brave"...


Right under that at #37 is Danish modern rock band New Politics with "Tonight You're Perfect". It's the follow up to "Harlem", which peaked at #39 last year...


Lastly, on the Adult Contemporary (or "Easy Listening") chart, Katy Perry's "Roar" spends a 13th non-consecutive week on top...

Pharrell has his first lead-artist hit on this format with "Happy" which glides in at #23...


Ellie Goulding's "Burn" flames up at #28. She went to #17 with her breakthrough hit "Lights"...


Bruno Mars comes off his Super Bowl halftime stint at #29 with "Young Girls". It's the fourth single from his Unorthodox Jukebox to make the AC chart - the second, "When I Was Your Man", went all the way tothe top last year...


Finally, Katy Perry bookends the chart as "Dark Horse" makes it in at #30...


That's all for the start of today's musical journey...I'll return with the latest on rock radio....


















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