In a week where Michael Jackson ruled the charts for the first time in years--breaking records and outselling the competition all over the world--you wouldn't know it by reading Billboard. Due to rules about only current releases appearing on the main charts, you'll find no MJ on the Hot 100 or Billboard 200 (the albums chart). Billboard, has, however, reported that three Michael Jackson albums actually outsold this week's Billboard 200 chart-topper: Number Ones, The Essential Michael Jackson, and Thriller all outsold Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. (Billboard's comprehensive chart, which I never knew existed until this week, shows this).
On the singles side, there is no "comprehensive" list, so while "Rock With You" topped the recurrent airplay chart, and "Billie Jean" the recurrent singles chart (sales and airplay), there's no way to tell how they would perform if allowed on the Hot 100. Nevertheless, there are still signs of Michael Jackson to be found in the Hot 100. Curious? Read on...
1. I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
2. Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas trade places this week, ending the 12-week run at #1 for "Boom Boom Pow" and giving the group their second #1 hit with "I Gotta Feeling." In a week dominated by Michael Jackson, the Black Eyed Peas was the only major competition, both for singles and albums sales. According to the digital tracks charts, even "Thriller" didn't manage to outsell "I Gotta Feeling."
4. Knock You Down - Keri Hilson Featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo
Keri Hilson's "Knock You Down" holds at #4 this week. Not very interesting in itself; however, what is interesting is that this song mentions...Michael Jackson! Listen to Kanye's rap for the line "it's bad, real bad Michael Jackson"--a nod to Jackson's 1987 #1 hit, "Bad." Ne-Yo's image and sound is also clearly Michael Jackson-influenced, so this song scores twice on the MJ nostalgia meter.
9. New Divide - Linkin Park
Earning the sales gainer and rocketing up 21 spots in Linkin Park's Transformers II song, "New Divide." The single debuted at #6 a few weeks, falling for a couple weeks, but climbing back up the last 2 weeks.
10. Waking Up in Vegas - Katy Perry
Back into the top 10 for "Waking Up in Vegas," which spent the last 4 weeks just outside the top 10.
14. Halo - Beyonce
This is stretching things a bit (rather a lot actually), but "Halo" has a tenuous connection to Michael Jackson. Beyonce is basically this generation's Diana Ross. Ms. Knowles, like Ms. Ross, got her start in a popular girlgroup before making it big as a solo act with hits on the pop and dance charts plus appearances in movie musicals. Beyonce once duetted with Justin Timberlake--another pop star whose style and act is heavily MJ-influenced. Michael Jackson and Diana ross were good friends and appeared together in The Wiz. There you go. Like they said on Battlestar Galactica--"All this has happened before, and all this will happen again."
24. D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune) - Jay-Z
Rapper/producer Jay-Z is the Hot 100's top debut this week with a song presumably about what's wrong with rap music today (starting with Auto Tune, which really is getting quite old at this point). I haven't heard this, but will check it out.
32. Her Diamonds - Rob Thomas
Rob Thomas enters top 40 at #32 with "Her Diamonds," his third hit single as a soloist. The Matchbox Twenty frontman hit #1 in 1999 as featured vocalist on Santana's massive hit "Smooth," and then hit the top 10 on his own in 2005 with "Lonely No More."
4 comments:
Nice to see Rob back in the top 40. I kind of get the whole "assign old songs to a different chart" but it means that the billboard chart doesn't truly reflect what people are buying (at leasat the singles chart. who knew about the comprehensive!!)
I'm not diggin Linkin Park new stuff. Seriously, I think they have gone to the over-rated category. Sad.
I'm going to be the grumpy old man here. Rob Thomas, while I like him, is becoming a bit boring. I love that Kanye calls out both Michael AND Joe Jackson on the record. That man with Michael's kids is a trainwreck waiting to happen. And I'm just not having the issue with the charts that everyone else is. The charts are industry charts, and they are paid for with industry money. To change the rules for one once-in-a-lifetime event would be kind of crazy.
Rob Thomas doesn't do it for me. I don't really care for any of his solo stuff, and Matchbox Twenty has really gone down hill lately. "Knock You Down," however, just keeps getting better. Great summer song.
Post a Comment