Billboard Hot 100, 12/16/2006

1. Irreplaceable - Beyonce

Beyonce rises to #1 this week with "Irreplaceable," scoring her fourth solo #1. Technically speaking, this is her first true solo #1, as she had an assistant rapper on each of her previous #1s: Jay-Z on "Crazy in Love," Sean Paul on "Baby Boy," and Slim Thug on "Check On It." This is Beyonce's second #1 hit this year, after "Check On It," making her the second artist, after Justin Timberlake, to score two chart-toppers this year. There are only two charts left in 2006, and judging from the historical longevity of Beyonce #1s, the lack of srong competition (now that Akon's 2 singles have lost their bullets), I think she'll be spending the rest of the year at the top. This is her third B'Day single and clearly the biggest. Finally, at 13 letters, "Irreplaceable" is the longest one-word title to hit #1. Beyonce, as a member of Destiny's Child, had been tied for the 12-letter record for "Bootylicious."

4. Fergalicious - Fergie

Fergie gets the Sales Gainer award this week for "Fergalicious," rising six notches following a week in which it plumetted five spots. I think that the Sales Gainer award is a technicality, as I suspect there was some kind of technical error over at iTunes that mysteriously caused Fergie's album to disappear for several days, thus the big chart decline last week. With Akon in decline, she has a shot of beating her previous #3 peak for this song, although I doubt it has #1 potential.

6. Wind it Up - Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani rises another notch with "Wind It Up," edging ahead of "Rich Girl" to become her second highest charting solo single, now only behind #1 hit "Hollaback Girl." Her band, No Doubt, had two higher-charting hits: #5 "Hey Baby" and the #3 "Underneath it All." "Don't Speak," while widely regarded as the band's biggest hit, didn't chart on the Billboard Hot 100, since it wasn't released as a single, and back then charting airplay-only tracks wasn't allowed.

12. Say it Right - Nelly Furtado

Nelly Furtado makes a big jump with "Say it Right," up 13 spots to #12, supassing the #16 peak of her last single, "Maneater." If it goes top 10 next week, it will become her fourth top 10 hit.

22. Keep Holding On - Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne makes a tremendous Hot 100 bow this week with "Keep Holding On," the single from the soundtrack to the forthcoming fantasy & dragons epic Eragon. This is Lavigne's 6th top hit. Her last Hot 100 single, "Nobody's Home," just missed the top 40, peaking at #41.

40. Wait a Minute - The Pussycat Dolls

The Pussycat Dolls score their 5th top 40 hit this week with "Wait a Minute," which moves up a spot to #40. Their last single "Buttons" peaked at #3, their third top 5 hit. In the UK "Wait a Minute" will be their 6th single; their fifth was "I Don't Need a Man," which was not released in the US. I believe this makes them the most recent act to score 5 top 40 hits from one album since Kelly Clarkson, who did it earlier this year with "Walk Away," the fifth Breakaway single.