Pop Sweep: October 17, 2015...

Finally, after a couple of months of recuperating, I'm back (a day late, mind) with this week's five-part recap of the latest songs to hit the various music charts in Billboard magazine. As before, I'll start out on the pop side of things, then later in the day bring out the latest in rock, R&B, country, and dance. And away we gooooooo...

On the "big" chart, Billboard's Hot 100, which combines tallies of airplay from all formats, sales (like iTunes and AmazonMP3), and internet streaming (like Spotify or YouTube), The Weeknd's second #1 hit, "The Hills", remains on top for a third week (how chill of a chart-topping song is this?)...

Australian singer-songwriter Sia claims the top new entry of the week at #56 with "Alive". It's a song she co-wrote with Adele, who the song originally was meant to be recorded by. Although the track has Adele's personal stamp on it, Sia's voice and manner probably does better suit the more "mumbly" parts. It will be included on Sia's forthcoming This Is Acting album. She's hit the top-10 three times in the U.S., twice as a guest vocalist and once with her own "Chandelier" which peaked at #8...

(Click below to see the rest of the post)


The theme to the next James Bond movie, Spectre, is British songster Sam Smith's "The Writing's On The Wall", which enters at #71. It's my "Pop Pick of the Week". Smith's debut album In The Lonely Hour produced three top-ten pop hits in America with "Stay With Me" going to #2...

Three more tracks from rappers Drake and Future's mixtape What a Time To Be Alive, which went to #1 on Billboard's albums chart, enter the Hot 100 this week. The first two are from the pair; at #78 is "Plastic Bag".

The second from the duo is "Change Locations" at #82. The biggest of the individual tracks from the mixtape is "Jumpman", which leaps up to #21...

Hip-hop singer/songwriter Bryson Tiller scores his first hit at #84 with "Don't"...

Rapper Fetty Wap's self-titled debut release comes in at #3 on the album sales chart this week, and a song from the set, "Jugg" featuring Monty, is in at #86. Now six of the selections from Fetty Wap are in the Hot 100, with "679" up at #5...

The third entry from What a Time To Be Alive, the solo Future track "Jersey", lands at #87. This makes all eleven songs on the album simultaneously on the Hot 100...

The final newbie on the Hot 100 is from British drum and bass act Rudimental, who recruit Ed Sheeran for their single "Lay It On Me" at #96. It's Rudimental's first time on the American pop chart, but they've had nine top-40 hits in their homeland...

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

On the Mainstream Top-40 radio panel, R. City and Adam Levin stay on top for a second week with "Locked Away"...

Australian singer Conrad Sewell arrives at #34 with his first solo hit "Hold Me Up". He sang on Norwegian DJ Kygo's international smash "Firestone"...

Fetty Wap's top-5 hit "679" has enough mainstream pop radio airplay to make this chart at #39. His breakthrough single "Trap Queen" made it to #20 on this list...

The aforementioned Rudimental/Ed Sheeran song is at #40...

Meanwhile, on the older-skewing Adult Top-40 format, Ed Sheeran's "Photograph" spends its sixth week at #1, while "Lay It All On Me" is the top new entry at #33...

British singer Ellie Goulding is back at #36 with "On My Mind". Her contribution to the 50 Shades Of Grey soundtrack, "Love Me Like You Do", went all the way to #1 at this format...

Singer/songwriter Sara Bareilles drops in at #40 with a song from her stage musical Waitress, "She Used To Be Mine"...

Lastly, on the Adult Contemporary, or "easy listening" radio chart, Rachel Platten remains on top for a fourth week with "Fight Song", while the aforementioned "Writing's On The Wall".

 British indie-rock singer/songwriter James Bay comes in at #29 with "Let It Go". It was a top-ten hit in the UK...

That's all for the start of today's musical journey...I'll be back with the latest in rock...