1. Maneater - Nelly Furtado
A third week at #1 for Nelly Furtado, and no strong challengers next week means she'll probably be at the top for a fourth, unless the Pussycat Dolls or the Kooks can pull an upset. Since Taylor Hicks is the new #1 in the US this week, the UK continues to trail the US in the number of singles to hit #1. This would have been shocking just a few years ago. Last year, there were 9 #1s in the US, compared to 28 #1s in the UK. Both charts underwent significant rule changes earlier this year--namely to incorporate sales of digital singles--however, this has led to the unusual result of making the US singles chart more active, while slowing down the traditionally faster UK chart.
Why? I believe it has to do with the heterogeneity of the US population. The US music audience, has for sometime been divided by Genre, while the UK tends to have a stronger mainstream listening base (albeit one that is more diverse than the US mainstream). The US chart also continues to incorporate radio airplay, while the UK does not. This means that it's not just the individual singles competing for the top in the US, but also the genres, whose playlists tend to be very similar for stations within genres. Hence, if R&B has the most listeners at a given time, then R&B would tend to have the #1 hit, especially if the track was also popular at Top 40. This was why the US chart was so slow for the last few years--it became genre-driven, and therefore only the most popular genre would ever top the chart. With the introduction of downloads, suddenly genres become less important, since sales are driven by individual tastes, which tend to cross genres. Sales also tend to spike early, as buyers move on to something new. This has increased Hot 100 turnover, as well as the ability for multiple genres to top the chart. Even country could have a shot at doing at, as evidenced by the #7 placing this week for Rascal Flatts.
In the UK, on the other hand, the rapidly changing chart, which was entirely sales-driven, has slowed down because of the incorporation of downloads. The download-buying public isn't quite as trend-driven as the shop-buying public, therefore singles are staying at the top longer, as their shelf-life is expanded through the digital medium. Interesting, don't you think?
2. Hips Don't Lie - Shakira Featuring Wyclef Jean
Shakira climbs a notch this week to #2, matching the peak of her first single, "Whenever, Wherever."
4. Supermassive Black Hole - Muse
Here comes Muse, back with their industrial/hard rock sound tempered this time by some retro-electro. Sounds slightly like a demented take on Depeche Mode. At #4, it's the band's highest-charting single among their 14 top 40 hits, beating the #8 peak of 2003's "Time is Running Out."
6. Mas Que Nada - Sergio Mendes Featuring Black Eyed Peas
This is apparently popular because it appears in a British ad for Coke. It's not particularly interesting, and I'm ready for BEP to go away for awhile.
8. Rooftops - Lostprophets
This sounds old-fashioned, but I like it. Reminds me of a lighter version of the Foo Fighters. This is their second top 10 hit, matching the #8 peak of "Last Train Home."
9. Valerie - Zutons
The Zutons are sure making a big impact with their second album. Valerie is the second single and it matches the #9 peak of their last hit from 2 months ago, "Why Won't You Give Me More Love?" The track is also #1 on the UK airplay chart--an impressive achievement. It's a great song, which should finally help them breakout big.
11. Buttons - The Pussycat Dolls Featuring Snoop Dogg
Another step down from "Beep," which itself was a big step down from "Don't Cha" and "Stickwitu." Still, I expect it to jump into the top 5 next week (this is a downloads only placing).
14. She Moves in Her Own Way - The Kooks
Downloads again--top 10 next week for sure. Great follow-up to "Naive."
18. Dirty Little Secret - All-American Rejects
Hasn't this already been released in the UK? This song is so old and I'm more than a little tired of it.
21. Sexy Love - Ne-Yo
Downloads downloads. Top 10 next week! It's the follow-up to his #1 hit, "So Sick," his British handler's wisely skipping over sexist 2nd US single, "When You're Mad."
22. Stranger in Moscow - Michael Jackson
Michael would be stranger anywhere.
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