Pop Sweep: December 6, 2014...

Hey gang, I'm ready to kick off the first of today's five "chart sweeps", checking out the songs making their way on to the various radio and club charts in Billboard magazine this week. As usual, I'll start out on the "pop" side of things, then later in the day cover the latest on rock, R&B, country and dance radio...

On the "big" chart, Billboard's Hot 100, which combines tallies of radio airplay from all formats, sales (like iTunes, Amazon, and what dwindling physical singles sales there are) and internet streaming (with subscription services like Spotify and on-demand like YouTube), Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" holds for a second week on top...

Landing up at #26 as the highest entry on the chart is a-cappella stars Pentatonix, who have been the most successful act from the competition show The Sing-Off by far. And as the show is about to come back for a one-off this holiday season, the quintet's Christmas carol "Mary Did You Know?" lands them their second top-40 hit. Their first, another seasonal track "The Little Drummer Boy", went to #13 last year...

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As British boy-band One Direction's radio hit "Steal My Girl" is still in the top-40 at #29, their next single, "Night Changes", arrives at #55. I've got to say they have a great team making their videos, this one is quite entertaining (you've got to watch 'til the end)...

The 30th anniversary edition of the Band Aid charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas", which will benefit the fight against Ebola in Africa, lands at #63. The original, also put together by Bob Geldof, reached #13 in 1984. The new version features current British stars like Sam Smith, One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Rita Ora, Ellie Goulding, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Emeli Sande, and more..

The fourth single from Nicki Minaj's upcoming The Pinkprint album, "Bed Of Lies" featuring singer Skylar Grey, comes in at #70. The third, "Only", stands at #31, while "Anaconda" drops out of the top-40 this week at #54...

Belizean-American Rapper OT Genasis debuts at #77 with his first Hot 100 hit, "CoCo"...

Singing about "snow" of another sort at #78 is Frozen star Idina Menzel with Michael Buble' with their cover of the winter standard "Baby It's Cold Outside". It's from Menzel's Holiday Wishes album; she went to #5 on the Hot 100 with "Let It Go" from Frozen earlier this year...

The first entry from this season's The Voice comes from Matt McAndrew of Barnegat Light, New Jersey, as his take on Hozier's "Take Me To Church" (which also jumps up to #3) arrives at #92. Matt's on Adam Levine's "team" on the show...

A former Voice coach, Usher, moves in at #95 with "I Don't Mind" featuring rapper Juicy J. It's the third single from his delayed UR album; notable since none of the three have made the top-40 (the first, "Good Kisser", stopped at #65)...

Another track from One Direction's Four album, which tops the albums chart this week, is "Stockholm Syndrome", which sneaks in at #99 on the Hot 100...

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

On the Mainstream Top-40 radio panel Maroon 5 remains at #1 for a second week with "Animals"...

Pop/rock band OneRepublic claim the top debut at #32 with "I Lived", the fifth single from their Native album. The third, "Counting Stars", went all the way to #1 on this chart...

X Factor alums Fifth Harmony, a girl-group that's probably the most successful act from the American version of the now-cancelled show, score their third hit at this format at #35 with "Sledgehammer". Their first, "Miss Movin' On", climbed to #27 last year...

Rapper Big Sean comes in at #37 with "I Don't F**k With You" featuring E-40. It's his third single to cross over to the pop radio list; he went to #27 with "Dance (A$$)" in 2011, though he was featured on Justin Bieber's "As Long As You Love Me" single which peaked at #3 a year later...

French indie-folk duo Lillywood (known outside the US as Lilly Wood & The Prick) and German remixer Robin Schulz take their international hit "Prayer In C" to the pop radio list at #39...

Meanwhile, on the older-skewing Adult Top-40 format, "Animals" climbs to #1, becoming the band's tenth #1 hit on this chart...

British producer Mark Ronson and singer/songwriter Bruno Mars dance in at #35 with last week's "Pop pick", "Uptown Funk"...

The third single from modern rock band Fitz & The Tantrums' More Than Just A Dream album, "Fools Gold", pans in at #38. It's my "Pop Pick of the Week".... The first two made the top-20, with "The Walker" topping out at #13...

Lastly, on the Adult Contemporary, or "Easy Listening" radio chart, Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" spends its third week at #1...

As the format continues its change to seasonal programming, another holiday song makes the list as his musical treatment of the poem "Night Before Christmas" by producer/pianist Jim Brickman featuring John Oates (of Hall & Oates) sleighs in at #26. In 2003 Jim topped this chart with "Sending You A Little Christmas"...

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