Pop Sweep: May 10, 2014...
It's time to kick off the first of today's five "chart sweeps", checking out the songs making their debut on the various singles charts in Billboard magazine. As usual I'll start off on the pop side, then move on to rock, R&B, country, and dance music throughout the day...
On the "big chart", Billboard's Hot 100, which combines tallies of radio airplay, sales, and internet streaming, Pharrell's "Happy" makes double digits with its 10th week at #1...
In this "slow" week, the top debut doesn't come until #75, and it's another one of those awful "songs" that are making the chart in the wake of the editors including YouTube views in their tallies, but as opposed to the internet memes like "Chinese Food" which are from nobodies passed around for their awfulness, this is an established artist with a mainstream released video. It's Canadian Avril Lavigne, who put out "Hello Kitty" as the Japan-promoted fourth single from her self-titled album. It's accompanying video, which manages to capture every stereotype of that country's bad culture and procured an outcry of racism, was a clusterfuck of evil that was like a car wreck that people had to get their friends to see. So because of the YouTube views, this pops in on the chart. Her first single from the project, "Here's To Never Growing Up", reached #20 last year...
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I actually forgot that The Voice is happening, since I've pretty much given up on the show here as just a tool to run through aspiring singers like expendable Amazon temps, but a performance from this season by Josh Kaufman, who was on Adam Levine's team before being "stolen" by Usher, makes the first appearance this season for a contestant. It's a cover of a song that's pretty new itself; Sam Smith's "Stay With Me", which moves up to #67 on this week's chart. Josh's attempt is in at #92...
Country hunk Chris Young enters at #94 with the second single from his A.M. album, "Who I Am With You". The first, "Aw Naw", made it to #45 last year...
Another easy-on-the-eyes country singer, Billy Currington, is in at #95 with the title track from his current release, "We Are Tonight". It follows "Hey Gitl", which went to #39 on this chart, and was the biggest country single of 2013 according to the magazine...
Canadian reggae/pop act Magic! make their way in at #96 with "Rude", a song that's already been to the top-ten in Australia, New Zealand, and their home country. It's my "Pop Pick of the Week"..
Joe Nichols arrives at #98 with "Yeah", the follow-up to his #1 country hit "Sunny and 75", which went to #39 on this chart...
As rapper Future's top-10 R&B hit "Move That Doh" jumps to #46 on this list, another track from the album, "I Won" with Kanye West, moves in at #100...
...and now on to the pop radio format charts...
On the Mainstream Top-40 radio panel, John Legend spends a second week at #1 with "All Of Me"...
The top entry of the week is the #1 rock hit "Come With Me Now" by South African band KONGOS which is in at #35...
The aforementioned "Rude" by Magic! comes in at #36...
Ohio-based pop/rock band New Hollow enters at #38 with "She Ain't You". The single also moves up to #34 on Adult Pop radio..
The last entry here is singer/songwriter Christina Perri with "Human", which is at #12 on Adult Pop...
Meanwhile, on the older-skewing Adult-Top 40 format, Pharrell's "Happy" hangs on for a sixth week on top...
Jumping in at #29 is OneRepublic with a single from their expanded version of their Native album, "Love Runs Out". It follows their #1 "Counting Stars"...
New Zealand's musical treasure Lorde's first two singles in America, "Royals" and "Team", both topped the chart at this format, and now her third, "Tennis Court", arrives at #39...
Teen stars turned pop duo MKTO come in at #40 with "Classic"...
Lastly, on the Adult Contemporary (or "Easy Listening") radio chart, "Happy" reigns for a second week...
Canadian singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan takes a break from the dogs at #26 with "In Your Shoes". She topped the chart with the song that haunts our dreams, "Angel", in 1999...
The other entry at #30 is "Close Your Eyes" by newcomer Roxanna...
That's it 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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