Pop Sweep: May 14, 2016...

Hey gang, it's time to kick off the first of today's "music sweeps", checking out the notable songs making their debut on the various charts in Billboard magazine. As usual, I'll start out on the pop side of things, 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 tallies of internet streaming (like Spotify and YouTube), radio airplay from all formats, and sales (like iTunes and Amazon MP3), rapper Desiigner spends a second week at #1 with "Panda"...

Beyonce' "surprise" dropped yet another album last week, along with a HBO special 'video feature' of her new set Lemonade, which debuted at #1 on the albums chart. And now all twelve tracks from the record make their debut on the Hot 100, breaking a record previously held by Taylor Swift with 11 from her 1989 release. Leaping into the top-10 is her radio single "Formation", which went to #4 on the R&B/HipHop Airplay chart a few weeks back (and was my "soul pick of the week" back then). She lands at #10, the highest of all the new entries. (Heads up for the cameos in the video by "bounce" queen Big Freedia and the late Messy Mya, further endearing her gay fanbase.) Grade: A-

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

On the Mainstream Top-40 radio panel, Zayn holds on top for a second week with "Pillowtalk", while the aforementioned "Panda" is the top new entry at #33...

Scottish DJ/producer Calvin Harris returns at #34 with another collaboration with Rihanna, "This Is What You Came For". Their "We Found Love" in 2011 went to #1 on this chart. Grade: C

The third American single from British singer Ellie Goulding's Delirium album, "Army", marches in at #38. The first, "On My Mind", made it to #5, while "Something In The Way You Move" topped out at #13. Grade: C+

Albanian-American singer Bebe Rexha has landed two top ten pop hits as a featured artist in the past year with spots on David Guetta's "Hey Mama" (#2)  and G-Eazy's "Me, Myself & I" (#1). She comes in at #39 with "No Broken Hearts" with some help from Nicki Minaj. Grade: D+

Melanie Martinez, a former contestant on The Voice, drops in at #40 with "Pity Party". It interpolates the Lesley Gore classic "It's My Party", making it the second single on the chart this week that uses a Gore song, after Grace's "You Don't Own Me" at #27. Grade: C-

Meanwhile, on the older-skewing Adult Top-40 format, Danish rockers Lukas Graham move to #1 with "7 Years"...

twenty-one pilots take their #1 Alternative Rock hit "Ride" to this format at #34. Grade: B+

Nick Fradiani, who won the 14th season of American Idol, lands his second radio hit as well as my "Pop Pick of the Week" as "Get You Home" enters at #38. The breezy single incorporates the hook from rapper Young MC's "Bust A Move" from 1989. Grade: B-

Lastly, on the Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart, Justin Bieber scores his first #1 with "Love Yourself", and no songs enter the list...

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