Pop Sweep: April 26, 2014...

It's time to kick off the first of today's five "chart sweeps", checking out the songs reaching the singles charts in Billboard magazine. As usual, I'll start off with the pop side of things, and then later in the day move on to rock, R&B, country, and dance music...

On the "big" chart, Billboard's Hot 100, which combines tallies of sales, radio airplay, and internet streaming, Pharrell Williams stands firm at #1 for an eighth week with "Happy"...

Leaping on to the chart all the way at #15 is last week's Saturday Night Live musical guest, British singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran with my "Pop Pick of the Week", "Sing". Produced and co-written by Pharrell, it automatically best's Ed's first hit, "The A Team", by one notch in only its first week. People may be a little surprised about the "funky" vibe of the song, though it does hearken back to his second British single, "You Need Me, I Don't Need You". Though is it me, or does this majorly crib the Doobie Brothers' "Long Train Running"?

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"Mr. Worldwide" himself, Pitbull, arrives at #88 with the "offiical" theme song from this years FIFA soccer match-up in Brazil, "We Are One (Ole Ola)", featuring Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte. It's Pitbull and J-Lo's fourth time together on the Hot 100, while Leitte is a Brazilian singer who is a mentor/judge on that country's version of The Voice. I guess I'm not feeling this as much as Shakira's "Waka Waka" from the last one...

Rapper K-Camp comes in at #89 with "Cut Her Off" featuring 2 Chainz. Meh,

Katy Perry follows up her #1 hit "Dark Horse" with the song at #91, "Birthday". This song is as gay as a hundred Pride parades combined into one. I think I might just be diabetic now. Still as product as it is, it's done well..

British modern rock act Bastille follow up their top-5 crossover hit "Pompeii" with their debut album's title track, "Bad Blood" at #95. The song is already in the top-5 of the rock list, and it's Coldplay-esque sound will probably foresee it doing well here on the pop side..

The fourth track from producer/rapper/auto-tuned singer will.i.am's #willpower album, "Feelin' Myself", enters the chart at #96. The first, "Scream & Shout", made it to #3 last year. This new one features Miley Cyrus and rappers French Montana and Wiz Khalifa, along with DJ Mustard.  I admit I like this more than I really should, but not too much..

The final debut on the "big" chart is from Ingrid Michaelson, with "Girls Chase Boys". Her debut single, "The Way I Am", made the top-40 back in 2007...

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

On the Mainstream Top-40 radio panel,  Jason Derulo climbs to #1 with "Talk Dirty" with 2 Chainz. It's his third single to top this format, after "Whatcha Say" and "In My Head", while the aforementioned "Sing" is the top entry at #28 (his "A Team" went to #9)...

Lady Gaga flies in at #35 with her third single from her ARTPOP project, "G.U.Y.". I'm kind of glad this is getting some radio attention, since without the theatrics of the video it's not a bad electropop song. Her first two singles from the record, "Applause" and "Do What U Want", both made the top-10 on this format...

The other entry here at #40 is from Colombian siren Shakira with "Empire". It follows "Can't Remember To Forget You", which peaked at #23 on Mainstream Top-40....

Meanwhile, on the older-skewing Adult Top-40 format, "Happy" is on top for its fourth week, while Ed Sheeran has the highest debut at #24 (he took both "The A Team" and "Lego House" into the top-10 on this chart)...

The other debut at #37 is from British singer Sam Smith, another Saturday Night Live fave, with his first radio hit in the States, "Stay With Me"...

Lastly, on the Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart, Passenger holds at #1 for a fourth week with "Let Her Go"...

Sara Bareilles is the lone debut at #27 with her "I Choose You". It succeeds her Grammy-nominated "Brave", which made it to #2 on this chart and remains at #6 in its 42nd week...

I'll be back in 90 minutes with the latest on rock radio...