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I'm ready to wrap up today's "chart sweeps" checking out the latest songs making the charts in Billboard magazine, and I'll close things out with the latest dance jams in the clubs and on the radio... On the DJ-polled Dance Club Play chart, Madonna claims her record-setting 44th #1 hit with " Living For Love ". In fact, only George Strait has had as many chart-topping hits on any of Billboard 's singles charts... Another club legend, producer Giorgio Moroder, has the top debut of the week and my "Dance Pick Of The Week" with his collaboration with Kylie Minogue, "Right Here, Right Now". In 2000, the Jam & Spoon remix of his classic " Chase " topped the club chart... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Part four of this week's 'chart sweeps' has the latest hits on country radio as monitored by Billboard magazine. On their Country Airplay chart, Thomas Rhett scores his third consecutive #1 hit with " Make Me Wanna ". His father, Rhett Akins, had a #1 hit of his own in 1996 with "Don't Get Me Started"... The fifth single from Eric Church's The Outsiders album, "Like A Wrecking Ball", is the top new entry at #55. It follows his #1 " Talladega "... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

We're at the "hump" of today's "chart sweeps", sampling the songs making their way on to the radio charts in Billboard magazine, and this time I'm serving up the latest on R&B stations.... On the main R&B/Hip Hop Airplay chart, Beyonce' reigns for a fourth week with " 7/11 "... The fourth single from rapper KCamp's EP In Due Time , "Lil Bit", enters at #43. The second, " Cut Her Off ", climbed to #3... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Round two of this week's "chart sweeps" is up, with the latest songs on rock radio as monitored by Billboard magazine. On their main Rock Airplay chart, Walk The Moon stay at #1 for a second week with " Shut Up And Dance "... The sole debut on the big rock chart at #35 is roots-rock act Alabama Shakes with "Don't Wanna Fight", my " Rock Pick of the Week ". It's high placement is helped from its success on Triple-A, where it leaps into the top-10 in its second week. Previously they went to #15 with " Hold On "... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

I'm ready 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 on the pop side of things, then later in the day go over 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 and Amazonmp3), and internet streaming (like Spotify or YouTube), Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars remain at #1 for an eighth week with ' Uptown Funk! "... The top debut of the week was originally an exclusive track on the Target stores deluxe version of Taylor Swift's 1989 album, "Wonderland", it now moves in at #51. She also has back-to-back top-10 hits as " Blank Space " holds at #7 and " Style " moves up to #8... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Control " - Janet Jackson from the album Control (1986) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's Song of the Day is by Janet Jackson , whose breakthrough album Control had already scored the artist a #1 pop hit with " When I Think Of You " as well as two other top-5 single with " Nasty " and " What Have You Done For Me Lately ". For the fourth single from the project Janet went with the title track, the perfect distillation of her attitude and musical signature (helped by producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis) for the album. The music video ran over nine minutes and featured Janet's Good Time co-star Janet Dubois... "Control" became the fourth top-5 pop hit from the album in January of 1987. The single topped both the R&B and Dance Club Play chart (the latter for three weeks). Internationally, the song was a more moderate success, reaching the top-20 in Canada, New Zealand, and t

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars remain on top for a fifth week, while Cage The Elephant (pictured above) jumps in to the top 10. The biggest gainers come from Axwell & Ingrosso, Madonna, and Seether (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Brad Paisley and Sam Hunt drop out. I'm gonna find that groundhog and strangle it! This Week              Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Uptown Funk! - Mark Ronson f/Bruno Mars (1) 2. Lips Are Movin' - Meghan Trainor (3) 3. Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran (4) 4. Jealous - Nick Jonas (2) 5. Take Me To Church - Hozier (6) 6. Cigarette Daydreams - Cage The Elephant (12) 7. Ghost - Ella Henderson (7) 8. Shut Up And Dance - Walk The Moon (18) 9. Like A Cowboy - Randy Houser (10) 10. I'm Not The Only One - Sa

" Welcome To The Boomtown " - David + David from the album Boomtown (1986) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #37 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's Song of the Day come from the mainstream rock duo David + David, who may be better known as songwriters as well as musicians on Sheryl Crow's Tuesday Night Music Club album. But years before that, David Baerwald and David Ricketts had their own act, and released one of the best rock albums of the 80s, Boomtown . Drawing on the trodden down workingman class that also inspired Springsteen and Mellencamp, David and David's music had a more melodic sheen to it, but between the more introspective insights on love and Baerwald's growling voice, it was a steady companion in my Walkman that year. The first single from the set, "Welcome To The Boomtown", Got them exposure on pop radio as well... "...Boomtown" reached the American pop top 40 in December of 1986, while climbing to #8 on the Ma

It's time to head Down Under to check out the songs making their way on to the official singles chart in Australia this week, as British singer Ellie Goulding lands her first #1 hit here with " Love Me Like You Do " from the 50 Shades Of Grey soundtrack... Florence & The Machine, the alternative rock act from England, claims the top debut of the week at #16 with "What Kind Of Man". They've had three top-10 hits in this country, with " Never Let Me Go " reaching #3, while lead singer Florence Welch's collaboration with Calvin Harris, " Sweet Nothing ", went a notch higher in this country... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Foolish Pride " - Daryl Hall from the album Three Hearts In The Happy Ending Machine (1986) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #33 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today's Song of the Day comes from pop singer/songwriter Daryl Hall , whose second album apart from his wildly successful act with John Oates, Three Hearts In The Happy Ending Machine , earned him his first solo hit with the top-5 " Dreamtime " in the fall of 1986. The second single from the project, "Foolish Pride", didn't stray from his Hall & Oates work either... "Foolish Pride" became Daryl's second and final solo top-40 pop hit in the U.S. in December of 1986. The record also went to #21 on the adult contemporary (or easy-listening) radio chart (besting the success of "Dreamtime" there), and even crossed over to the R&B chart at #91. Across the ocean, "Foolish Pride" was his biggest solo hit at #25. A third single from the set, &quo

Here's the top ten hits in Germany this week, according to their official singles chart . 1. "Love Me Like You Do" - Ellie Goulding (DEBUT) 2. " Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix) " - Omi (1) 3. " The Hanging Tree " - James Newton Howard featuring Jennifer Lawrence (2) 4. " Uptown Funk! " - Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (3) 5. " FourFiveSeconds " - Rihanna, Kanye West, and Paul McCartmey (6) 6. " Firestone " - Kygo featuring Conrad (8) 7. " Break The Rules " - Charli XCX (4) 8. " Outside " - Calvin Harris featuring Ellie Goulding (5) 9. " Take Me To Church " - Hozier (10) 10. " Walk " - Kwabs (7) There's a brand new #1 single in Germany this week, and it's from British singer Ellie Goulding with "Love Me Like You Do" from the 50 Shades Of Grey soundtrack. That gives her two top-ten hits in this country, as her former #1 collaboration with Calvin Har

" Love Is Forever " - Billy Ocean from the album Love Zone (1986) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #16 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's Song of the Day comes from the Trinidadian pop/dance singer Billy Ocean , whose Love Zone album had already spun off three top ten pop hits in America with " When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going ", the title track , and the #1 " There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry) ". The fourth single from the album was the ballad, "Love Is Forever", was written by the artist with producers Wayne Braithwaite and Barry Eastmond, and had the same vibe as his top-5 ballad from his last album, "Suddenly"... "Love Is Forever" became the fourth song from Love Zone to make the American pop top-20 in December of 1986. The ballad was even more popular on easy-listening radio, topping the Adult Contemporary chart for three weeks, as well as making the top-10 on the R&B char

Here's the top-10 hits in France this week, according to their official singles chart , as Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars spend a ninth week at #1 with "Uptown Funk!"... 1. " Uptown Funk! " - Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (1) 2. " Take Me To Church " - Hozier (2) 3. " Christine " - Christine and the Queens (9) 4. " Saint Claude " - Christine and the Queens (RE-ENTRY) 5. "Earned It"  - The Weeknd (DEBUT) 6. " FourFiveSeconds " - Rihanna, Kanye West & Paul McCartney (4) 7. " Are You With Me " - Lost Frequencies (6) 8. " Stay With Me " - Sam Smith (RE-ENTRY) 9. " Thinking Out Loud " - Ed Sheeran (5) 10. " Avenir " - Louane (10) Canadian alt-hip-hop/soul artist the Weeknd leaps in at #5 with his first top ten hit in this country, "Earned It", from the soundtrack to 50 Shades Of Grey ...

" Land Of Confusion " - Genesis from the album Invisible Touch (1986) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 15 Today's Song of the Day comes from the British progressive rock-gone-pop trio Genesis , whose 1986 album Invisible Touch had already scored the band their first #1 hit with the title track and a top-5 follow-up with " Throwing It All Away ". The third single from the set, "Land Of Confusion", had the same white-boy funk backdrop as some of Phil Collins' solo ventures, and a sped-up BPM to augment the sense of paranoia in the lyrics from guitarist Mike Rutherford. The music video featured puppets from the popular British show Spitting Images done as the group as well as some world leaders and entertainment icons... "Land Of Confusion" became the third top-10 pop hit from Invisible Touch in January of 1987, while climbing to #11 on the Mainstream Rock radio chart in Billboard magazine. Inter

" Midas Touch " - Midnight Star from the album Headlines (1986) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #42 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the soul/funk band Midnight Star , who had finally scored their big pop crossover with their first #1 R&B hit " Operator " in 1985. A year later, the group released their sixth studio album, Headlines . The title track climbed to #3 on the R&B chart, and was a minor pop hit as well. The second single, "Midas Touch", was much more in the post-disco vein of "Operator". Written by band keyboardist Bo Watson and featuring the production of the Calloway brothers from the group, it seemed to be destined for pop radio as well... While "Midas Touch" went to #7 on the R&B chart, the single stalled right under Billboard 's top-40 at #42 in November of 1986. Not long after that, the Calloway brothers would leave Midnight Star to form their own self-named act, which hit the top-1

" Is This Love " - Survivor from the album When Seconds Count (1986) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's Song of the Day comes from the rock band Survivor , who had scored their second big hit from the Rocky film franchise when " Burning Heart " from Rocky IV hit #2 in the winter of 1986. At the end of the year, the band released their second album with new lead singer Jimi Jamison, When Seconds Count . The first single, "Is This Love", written by band guitarist Frankie Sullivan and keyboardist Jim Peterik, followed that mainstream bread-and-butter workhorse rock they have been successful with but haven't really grown from... "Is This Love" became Survivor's fifth and final top-10 pop hit in January of 1987. The single also crossed over to both the Mainstream Rock (#27) and Adult Contemporary (#25) charts, proving their ability to straddle the line between power and safety in listene

It's time to check out the new songs making their way on to the official singles chart in the UK this week. First, I've got to say to all the other chart geeks out there that the Official Chart Company in that country did an awesome job revamping the look of their website, which Billboard should take note of (they can't even get their own charts right months after their roll-out, issuing "Hot Shot Debut" to their "Greatest Gainer" week after week; but I digress...) The top song of the week in Britain for a third week is Ellie Goulding with " Love Me Like You Do "... There's only one new track in the top-40, and it's English neo-house duo LuvBug with their second top-40 hit and my " Brit Pick of the Week " "Revive (Say Something)" at #17. Last year their " Resonance " went to #13... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey gang, it's time to kick off this week's "album sweep", sampling the albums making their debut on the Top Album Sales chart this week in Billboard magazine. As usual, I've included links to buy any of the new sets, as well as some of the artists' other work. The top-selling album on the chart is Canadian-born rapper Drake with his "mixtape" If You're Readying This It's Too Late , selling just under a half-million copies in America in its first week. It's his fourth #1 album in this country, including all three of his full-length studio albums like 2013's Nothing Was The Same ... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" C'est La Vie " - Robbie Nevil from the album Robbie Nevil (1986) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 16 Today's Song of the Day comes from pop/soul singer Robbie Nevil , who went from writing songs for the likes of the Pointer Sisters to landing a solo deal of his own, releasing his self-titled debut album in 1986. The first single from the record, "C'est La Vie", came in the non-photo single cover above, and unless you saw the music video, you'd swear he was a black guy with a song that made the top-10 on the R&B chart. Even then, they did the "sepia-tone" trick that they would copy with Jane Child... "C'est La Vie" climbed to the runner-up spot on the American pop chart in January of 1987, staying in the top-40 for four months (tying Gregory Abbott's "Shake You Down" for the longest stay of 1987). The record also crossed over to the R&B chart at #7, and topped th

I'm ready to wrap up this week's "chart sweeps", sampling the songs making the charts in Billboard magazine, with the latest dance jams in the clubs and on the radio... On the DJ-polled Dance Club Play chart, Mary J. Blige takes over at the top with " Right Now ". It's her sixth trip to #1... House music hero Tony Moran jumps in at #43 with "Free People" featuring Martha Wash, my " Dance Pick of the Week ". His remake of " I Like You " with Debby Holiday made the top-5 this year and stands at #14 this week... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Part four of this week's "chart sweeps" has the latest hits on country radio as monitored by Billboard magazine... On their Country Airplay chart, Florida Georgia Line score their sixth #1 hit with " Sun Daze "... Newcomer Michael Ray has the highest new entry at #54 with "Kiss You In The Morning"... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

We're at the "hump" of today's "chart sweeps", checking out the songs making their debut on the charts in Billboard magazine, and this time I'm serving up the latest on R&B radio... On their main R&B/Hip Hop Airplay chart, Beyonce is at #1 for a third week with " 7/11 "... American Idol season-six winner Jordin Sparks has the biggest debut of the week at #46 with the remix of "How About Now", her "diss" track from her former fiance' Jason Derulo, and it's from her #BYEFELICIA mixtape, and it's a rework of a Drake record... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Round two of today's "chart sweeps" is up, sampling the songs making their way on to the charts in Billboard magazine, and this time out I've got the latest hits on rock radio... On the main Rock Airplay chart Walk The Moon score their first #1 hit with " Shut Up And Dance "... Alternative rock band Incubus returns with the highest new entry as "Absolution Calling" is in at #28. Their last album in 2011 produced the #3 hit " Adolescents "...  (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's time to kick off the first of today's five "chart sweeps", checking out the songs making their debut on the various radio and club charts in Billboard magazine. As usual, I'll start out on the pop side of the house, then later in the day move on to the latest in rock, R&B, country, and dance music... On the "big" chart, Billboard 's Hot 100 , which combines sales (from places like iTunes and Amazonmp3), internet streaming (like Spotify or YouTube), and radio airplay from all formats, Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars are at #1 for a seventh week with " Uptown Funk! ", making it Bruno's longest stay in the top spot with a song... As Canadian-born rap/hip hop artist Drake tops the album chart this week with his "stealth" release If You're Reading This It's Too Late , five of its tracks sell/stream enough on their own to make the Hot 100, including the top debut of the week, "Energy" at #49. Most recen

" Notorious " - Duran Duran from the album Notorious (1986) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's Song of the Day comes from the British band Duran Duran , who were going through a bit of a crossroads in the mid-80s, with the five members going off on two successful side projects (Arcadia and the Power Station). Also, both John and Andy Taylor managed to have solo top-40 pop hits in America. In 1985, the five members managed to reunite for the one-off single for the James Bond movie A View To A Kill , but by the time it came for them to record their fourth album, drummer Roger Taylor opted out from exhaustion, while guitarist Andy Taylor dropped out after only a couple of tracks. Leaving lead singer Simon Le Bon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes, and bassist John Taylor, Duran Duran went back to Chic headman Nile Rodgers, who had worked with them on their #1 "Reflex" single and subsequent hit "Wild Boys". Rodgers played

Friday is here, so it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars funk about for a fourth week at #1, while neo-soul singer Avery Sunshine (pictured above) climbs a notch in the top-10. Former big hits from Ingrid Michaelson, Tove Lo, Meghan Trainor, and Keith Urban drop off my chart, while songs from Madonna, Ellie Goulding, and Modest Mouse make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). I'm gonna hunt that groundhog down, I tell ya.... This Week                   Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Uptown Funk! - Mark Ronson f/Bruno Mars (1) 2. Jealous - Nick Jonas (2) 3. Lips Are Movin' - Meghan Trainor (3) 4. Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran (4) 5. Centuries - Fall Out Boy (6) 6. Take Me To Church - Hozier (5) 7. Ghost - Ella Henderson (7) 8. I'm Not The Only One - Sam Smith (8) 9. Ca

" Shake You Down " - Gregory Abbott from the album Shake You Down (1986) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 16 Today's Song of the Day comes from R&B singer Gregory Abbott , who had previously been a college student and professor as well as former husband of Freda Payne, who had a top-3 pop hit in the early 70s with "Band Of Gold". Abbott got his own moment in the sun when he released his debut solo album, Shake You Down , in 1986. Written and produced by the artist (like the rest of the album), the title track became a cross-format smash on pop, easy listening, and soul radio... "Shake You Down" went all the way to #1 on the American pop chart in January of 1987. It spent four months in the top-40, tying Robbie Nevil's "C'est La Vie" for longest stint in that year. The single also topped the R&B chart in Billboard magazine for two weeks, and peaked at #2 on the adult contemporary (or &q

It's time to head Down Under to check out the songs making their debut on the official singles chart in Australia this week, as Rihanna lands her ninth #1 hit with " FourFiveSeconds " with Kanye West and Paul McCartney... After pop-dance duo LMFAO split, Redfoo has carved a nice career in this country, no doubt helped by his appearance as a judge on X Factor Australia . He enters at #48 with his new single "Juicy Wiggle"... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" You Know I Love You...Don't You? " - Howard Jones from the album One to One (1986) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #17 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's Song of the Day is by British new wave singer/songwriter Howard Jones , whose Phil Collins-assisted mix of his song " No One Is To Blame " earned him a second top-10 pop hit in America in the summer of 1986. That fall, Jones released his third album One To One , and the first single, "You Know I Love You...Don't You?", was much more frenetic and rock-influenced than his previous work... "You Know I  Love You..." became Howard's sixth top-40 pop hit in America, reaching the top-20 in December of 1986. Strangely, in his home country, it wasn't as warmly received, stalling right under the top-40 at #43. (Click below to see the rest of the post)