Thursday, November 24, 2005

US Chart Analysis, 12/3/05

Billboard Hot 100 (Singles):

Chris Brown spends a second week at #1 with "Run It." There are no immediate challengers, as the rest of the top 10 is mostly static; only two tracks are bulleted. D4L moves up one place to #6 with "Laffy Taffy." At #7, Madonna makes another good jump with "Hung Up," up from #14 and this weeks Sales Gainer award winner (it's currently #1 at iTunes). "Hung Up" is Madonna's first top 10 hit since "Die Another Day (#8 in 2002)" and her biggest since "Don't Tell Me," #4 in 2001. All of the proper American Life singles missed the top 10, and in fact, only one (American Life, #37) made the Hot 100 at all. "Hung Up" is a return to form then for the popular singer, whose had an amazing 46 top 40 hits and 36 that have hit the top 10. The track is also #1 on the Dance/Club Play chart for a third week.

Outside the top 10, Mariah Carey earns the Airplay Gainer award and jumps up 6 places to #11. Although available for over a week now for purchase on iTunes, the track is surprisingly unable to attract online buyers, considering that it not available on the original version of Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi. 50 Cent makes a big jump, up 10 to #20, with "Window Shopper," and Gwen Stefani moves up 5 places to #24 with "Luxurious," her fifth single from Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

Three tracks enter the top 40 this week, none of them new entries to the Hot 100. The highest is country singer Dierks Bentley up 11 places at #31 with "Come A Little Closer." Beyonce (featuring Slim Thug) is up from #55 to #34 with "Check on It," Beyonce's sixth Top 40 hit. Although it features neither Kelly Rowland or Michelle Williams, the track is one of the new songs included on Destiny's Child's greatest hits collection #1's. Kanye West (featuring Adam Levine) moves up 5 places to #38 with "Heard 'Em Say," the third single from West's Late Registration and his fifth Top 40 single (seventh, counting featured appearances). Next week, a trio of country artists (Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, and Keith Urban) look set to enter the Top 40.


Billboard 200 (Albums):

Madonna scores her sixth #1 album this week with Confessions on a Dancefloor. Her last album, American Life, also debutted at #1, but quickly tanked in the sales department and failed to generate any hits. Confessions cannot do worse, and will likely do much better. It's first single is already in the top 10 and rising quickly. Carrie Underwood debuts at #2 with her first album, Some Hearts. This year's American Idol winner has crafted a collection designed to appeal to her diverse fanbase: both pop fans and country fans should find something to like. Buoyed by the re-release of its "platinum edition," Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi moves up 11 places to #4. The new version of the album includes current hit "Don't Forget About Us." Two other albums debut in the top 10: Big & Rich's Comin' to Your City at #7 and Green Day's live album Bullet in a Bible at #8.

Looking down the chart, lots of albums are bulleted this week, a usual occurrence in the run up to Christmas. Wait till January--nothing will be bulleted.


R&R CHR/Pop (Top 40 Airplay):

Kelly Clarkson reigns supreme for a fourth week with "Because of You." It's likely her last week at the top, as Chris Brown, who moves up 1 place to #2 with "Run It," looks set to top the chart next week. Clarkson has proven her staying power, having racked up six top 10 hits over the last three years, including four #1s. Singles from her current album, Breakaway, have been quite successful: "Breakaway" spent a week at #1 in October 2004, "Since U Been Gone" topped the chart for seven weeks, beginning in March; "Behind These Hazel Eyes" was kept from #1 by Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together," but spent an impressive eight weeks at #2 (I'm willing to give her a #1 equivalency for that); and then of course there's "Because of You." These tracks have also shown amazing longevity, the first three spending about 30 weeks in the Top 40 each.

Elsewhere in the top 10, The Pussycat Doll's "Stickwitu" and Mariah Carey's "Don't Forget About Us," continue to make big gains in airplay, but stand pat at #7 and #8 respectively. Young Jeezy (Featuring Akon) jumps into the top 10, up 7 to #10 with "Soul Survivor."

Outside the top 10, several tracks also gain significantly in spins, but don't move too many places. Gwen Stefani moves up 3 to #13 with "Luxurious," and is within striking distance of scoring her fourth top 10 single from her recent album. Her last track, "Cool," peaked at #10 and she spent six weeks at #1 earlier this year with "Hollaback Girl." All-American Rejects are up two places to #19 with their second top 40 single, "Dirty Little Secret," one place shy of the #18 peak of their first hit, "Swing Swing Swing." Beyonce moves up 4 places to #20 with "Check On It," and D4L are up 6 to #27 with "Laffy Taffy."

Biggest mover of the week is Eminem, up eight places to #21 with "When I'm Gone."

Two new entries in the Top 40: Switchback at #38 with "Stars" and Saving Jane at #40 with "Girl Next Door."

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