The #1 Hot 100 Song and other #1’s on Billboard for the week of August 30, 2008
Even though this is only the second week for the run of Rihanna’s “Disturbia,” the Billboard Hot100 chart is recording historic firsts. As Puck reported on Thursday, “American Idol” Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta had the best debut on the charts in 18 months with his #2 song “Crush.” The last time a song debuted in the #2 slot was in January of 2007, when Fall Out Boy’s “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” debuted (and peaked) there. It’s also the highest debut for an “AI” alum for a song not originally performed on the show. Furthermore, it’s the second time that the runner-up from the show has bested the winner on the charts, since winner David Cook’s single “The Time of My Life” only peaked at #3 (though it currently sits at #28 with a bullet this week based on actual radio airplay and not just digital downloads.) The first time that happened was when Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken peaked at #1 with his song “This is the Night” over winner Ruben Studdard’s #2 song “Flying Without Wings.” Where do we go from here? “Disturbia” still has a bullet, but if “Crush” gains some airplay, it may topple Rihanna next week (it isn’t anywhere within the top 25 on the Airplay chart.) None of the songs within the Top 10 pose much of a threat to Rihanna (except for the Archuleta song)…including the new one by Taylor Swift, whose song “Change” (from the Olympic AT&T Team USA soundtrack) debuts on the chart at #10.
Before I report about the #1’s on other various Billboard charts, I have to make a rant about legal digital downloading and its effect on the charts. I think I mentioned a few weeks ago that I hadn’t heard Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” on terrestrial radio (i.e. non-online or HD exclusive radio) until it had been #1 for several weeks. It went #1 almost exclusively because of digital downloads, but when buzz about the song got so heavy, it finally recieved radio airplay. I’m not dissing the song, but it makes me wonder if the songs that are currently in the Top 10 are truly the most popular songs in the nation. The Jonas Brothers have had two songs debut in the Top 10 this year (”Burnin’ Up” and “Tonight”), but aside from airplay on Disney Radio, they haven’t been heard by anyone under the age of 14. Here’s further proof that digital downloading is skewing the chart…Kid Rock is enjoying the third highest charting single of his career (behind “Only God Knows Why” and “Picture”) with “All Summer Long,” which is currently sitting at #25 with a bullet. Since Rock has not allowed his singles to be available digitally, the chart performance is due to radio airplay only. For the people who want the song only and don’t care if it is actually Rock singing it, a rip-off karaoke band called the Hit Masters have debuted with the song at #65 (which is available digitally.) Until Rock makes his catalog available for digital download, the only way you can download his vastly superior version is by downloading the album it came off of…Rock and Roll Jesus (which I recommend, because it is a good album.)
Speaking of The Jonas Brothers, they top the Top 200 Albums chart with their third album, A Little Bit Longer, which includes the two songs mentioned above. With sales of 525,000 copies in the U.S., it is the third highest debut week of 2008, behind Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III (1,006,000) and Coldplay’s Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (721,000.) It is also the third appearance by the band on that chart this week. Their self-titled second album is at #10, while the “Camp Rock” soundtrack, which features the band, is at #8. This week marks the first time that the top 7 albums have all been #1 at one point or another since 1963. The #1 song on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Song chart is Rihanna’s “Take a Bow” Despite her amazing success on the Hot 100 chart, this song is actually her first #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Song chart. Taylor Swift’s “Should’ve Said No” spends a second week at #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Coldplay also has their first #1 on another chart…the Modern Rock chart…with “Viva La Vida,” while Shinedown is #1 for a second week on Mainstream Rock with “Devour.” All chart information was found on Billboard.com.
Will Rihanna spend a third week on top next week, or will Archuleta jump to #1? If he does, will we be able to hear the song anywhere other than on AllNumberOneRadio.com?