Pop Sweep: March 29, 2014...
It's time to kick off the start to today's five-part "chart sweeps", checking out the songs making their debut on the various singles charts in Billboard magazine. As always, I'll start out on the "pop" side of things, and then later move on to rock, R&B, country, and dance...
On the "big" chart, Billboard's Hot 100, which tallies info from sales, radio airplay, and internet streaming, Pharrell maintains his lead for a fourth week with "Happy"...
The top debut of the week, rocketing up at #9, is another "stunt" placing from the magazine, with French singer Soko benefiting from her song being the "backing track" to the "viral video" "First Kiss" last week (that's a lot of quotation marks). At first passed around as an art piece claiming to be strangers brought together to be filmed kissing for the first time, it was later revealed to be nothing but a marketing stunt by a clothesewear company that I won't name here. Billboard says that 96% of it's total "points" come from YouTube views of this (I refuse to really call it "streaming", since it's really people watching the video which is really an ad), so you can call this chart placement on enhanced steroids. The only two upsides of it are that at least you're hearing the entire song (as opposed to the "Harlem Shake" debacle), and the song and singer are an obscure openly bisexual French artist whose piece is worthy in its own right, the song "We Might Be Dead By Tomorrow". And most people watching the "First Kiss" probably don't realize the original video for the song done almost two years ago details a lesbian love affair of the artist. The only thing is, with only 10,000 "sales" of the song last week, how is this a measure of the music business? I know tangently, but for real, this is almost making a "bubble" out of the biz, and like housing, you know where that goes...
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The second-highest entry of the week also benefits from a non-artist "viral video" is a track from the Frozen soundtrack at #49. "Love Is An Open Door" features film voice stars Kristen Bell and Santino Fontana. The YouTubes have been blowing up with a couple lipsynching the song in their car (again, the only solace is it's the entire real recording on the video, not a snippet)...
Rapper YG comes in at #78 with "Who Do You Love?" featuring Drake. It follows his "My Hitta/My Nigga" which went to #19 on this chart...
The sixth track from Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP 2, "Headlights" featuring Nate Ruess from the indie-pop group fun, enters at #86. Three of the half-dozen have made the top-10, with "The Monster" topping the chart in December and January...
Country singer Sara Evans arrives at #89 with the title track from her seventh album, "Slow Me Down". She has made the top-40 on this chart seven times, with the highest so far being "Suds In The Bucket" at #33 in 2004...
Ty Dolla $ign drops in at #91 with "Or Nah" featuring Wiz Khalifa and DJ Mustard. The rapper just had his first top-40 his with "Paranoid" at #29...
Dutch trance veteran Tiesto lands at #97 with his #1 dance radio hit "Red Lights". He made the Hot 100 back in 2009 as a featured artist on Three Six Mafia's "Feel It" (#78)...
Jennifer Lopez makes a modest debut at #98 with "I Luh Ya Papi" featuring rapper French Montana. J-Lo has scored four #1 hits on the Hot 100, the most recent being "All I Have" back in 2003...
Rapper Future comes in at #99 with "Move That Doh" featuring Pharrell, Pusha T, and Casino. It's the third single from his Honest album to make this chart; the title track went to #55...
The last debut on the "big" chart is from British neo-house duo Disclosure with "Latch" featuring vocalist Sam Smith...
..and now, on to the pop radio format charts...
On the Mainstream Top-40 radio panel, the aforementioned "Happy" climbs to #1 for its first week...
The highest entry at #34 is from newcomers Rixton with "Me And My Broken Heart"...
Modern rock group Neon Trees come in at #36 with "Sleeping With A Friend"...
DJ and producer prodigy Zedd enters at #37 with "Find You" with Matthew Koma and Miriam Bryant on vocals...
"Mr. Worldwide", Pitbull, lands at #38 with "Wild Wild Love" with G.R.L...
Bringing up the rear at #39 is Mariah Carey is her latest, "You're Mine (Eternal)"...
Meanwhile, on the older-skewing Adult Top-40 format, Lorde ascends to #1 with "Team"...
Entering at #35 is alternative rock band O.A.R. with "Peace", my "Pop Pick Of The Week"... They've actually had more success on this format, reaching #2 in 2008 with "Shattered (Turn This Car Around)"...
Coldplay return at #39 with "Magic", from their upcoming album Ghost Stories...
...and at #40 is New Jersey dance music team Cash Cash with "Take Me Home" featuring Bebe Rexha on vocals...
Lastly, on the Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart, OneRepublic spend a second week at #1 with "Counting Stars"...
Entering the highest at #28 is Celine Dion with "Incredible" featuring R&B singer/songwriter Ne-Yo...
Texan Latin country singer Danny Griego debuts at #29 with "The Coast Is Clear"...
Another newcomer nabs the last debut as Viennie V comes in at #30 with "How Could You"...
That's all for the start of today's musical journey....I'll be back in 90 minutes with the latest on rock radio...
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