The #1 Hot 100 Song and other #1’s on Billboard for the week of November 29, 2008
As of this week, T.I. is the king of the Billboard Hot 100. “Live Your Life” (with Rihanna) spends a fourth non-consecutive week at #1 with a bullet…which means that he has spent more weeks at #1 than any other artist in 2008 (”Life,” combined with his other #1, “Whatever You Like,” makes 11 weeks at #1, beating Flo Rida featuring T-Pain’s 10-week stay with their song “Low.”) I’m predicting one more week for “Life” though next week, because last week’s threats, Kanye West’s “Heartless” and Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold,” both dropped positions. “Hot N Cold” slipped one position to #4 (but retains its bullet), while “Heartless” drops from #4 to #12 and loses its bullet. The only threat this week is Beyoncé Knowles’ “If I Were a Boy,” which rises two spots to #3 with a bullet and is the Sales Gainer of the week. This is possibly because of her performance of the song on MTV’s “Total Finale Live” special last week, which included her other single, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” which is ironically the Airplay Gainer of the week (it rises from #39 to #28 this week.)
If T.I. is the Billboard king this week, then Taylor Swift is certainly the queen. Her sophomore album, Fearless, debuts at #1 on the Top 200 Albums chart with 592,000 copies sold in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the largest sum for a country album since Eagles’ Wal-Mart exclusive Long Road Out of Eden started with 711,000 last November. Not only that, but she has seven songs (six debuts) from the album appearing on the Hot 100, which ties a record set by Miley Cyrus (as Hanna Montana) for the most appearances on the chart in a single week for a solo female. Of the 13 tracks on Fearless, 11 have now spent time on the Hot 100. I predicted last week that her album would top the chart…and I was accurate on the success of the other albums last week as well. “American Idol 7” runner-up David Archuleta’s self-titled album came in at #2, the Now That’s What I Call Music! 29 collection came in at #3, T-Pain’s Thr33 Ringz came in at #4, and Christina Aguilera’s Target-exclusive only greatest hits album Keeps Gettin’ Better: A Decade of Hits came in at #9. Since the holiday season is in full swing, we have another batch of possible contenders for next week. My prediction is that Beyoncé’s I Am…Sasha Fierce will be #1, but it could also be The Zac Brown Band’s The Foundation, “American Idol 7” winner David Cook’s self-titled album, Dido’s Safe Trip Home, Il Divo’s The Promise, Mudvayne’s The New Game, Nickelback’s Dark Horse, or Blake Shelton’s Startin’ Fires.
On the Hot Country Songs chart, Swift’s “Love Story” begins a second week at #1. On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Beyoncé shoots up #5-#1 with “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” which is her fifth solo chart-topper on that chart. AC/DC’s “Rock‘N’Roll Train” ends Metallica’s nine non-consecutive week run at the top of the Mainstream Rock chart with “The Day That Never Comes,” while The Offspring’s “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid” is #1 on the Modern Rock chart for a ninth week. All chart information was found on Billboard.com.
All hail the Billboard king and queen…T.I. and Taylor Swift! T.I. is sure to reign for another week, while I’m guessing that a certain former Destiny’s Child singer will take over the throne as queen. We’ll have to check back to find out next week who will truly rule the kingdom!