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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Lady GaGa

  • Chart Chat 5/7/09: Chillin’ Like Bob Dylan

    dylanSurprising no one, Bob Dylan makes his second straight entry at the top of the Billboard charts with his latest album “Together Through Life”. The album scans just under 125,000 units in it’s first week. The remainder of the chart is pretty mellow, with a couple of baby bands (Playing for Change and Heaven & Hell) debuting at #10 and #8, respectively, and the remainder of the Top 10 remaining relatively static.

    Lady GaGa continues her upward momentum, as “The Fame” rises to #5 this week with a 1% increase to 40K scanned. With 775,000 copies having crossed record store shelves (or the virtual equivalent), GaGa should be crossing Platinum territory very soon.

    “American Idol” and “Dancing with the Stars” continue to drive sales, as three of the four biggest increases of the week are due to performances on those shows. Taylor Hicks’ “The Distance” re-enters the chart at #180, with a 148% increase over the previous week’s sales. Robin Thicke and Jamie Foxx also make big increases, and Foxx’s “Blame It” single reaches a new peak on the singles chart, landing at #2 behind The Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow”.

    The biggest drop of the week comes from Depeche Mode, whose “Sounds of the Universe” falls from 3-18 on a 73% decrease to 22,000 units. However, this week’s epic fail has to go to Mike Jones (who??). The Texan rapper, who scored platinum sales several years ago with his debut, “Who is Mike Jones?” can only manage a #12 debut with his latest album, “The Voice”, which opens with a weak 25K.

    Next week, expect Ciara and Chrisette Michele to challenge for the #1 spot. Ciara might have an edge due to the fact that she’s performing on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend. The week after that, the real fireworks start, as Green Day’s album will hit the charts, followed by Eminem a week after that.

  • Chart Chat 4/4/09: Now That’s What I Call a #1 Album

    now30

    A lot of folks have been complaining about the dearth of music releases so far in 2009, and I’d be inclined to agree. I can’t remember a year in recent memory when we’ve gotten to April and I’ve only bought maybe 5 new albums (Franz Ferdinand, The Fray, Lily Allen, Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Hicks). However, this week’s Billboard album charts features a cornucopia of new albums-12 new ones in the Top 20, actually. It’s the highest number of new releases to land in Billboard’s Top 20 since…well, since ever.

    Leading the pack is the 30th (!) installment of the “Now That’s What I Call Music series”, which debuts just short of 150K. It’s amazing that this series continues to sell when iTunes playlists exist. Right behind is Miley Cyrus with the soundtrack to the “Hannah Montana” movie, and R&B vixen Keri Hilson debuts at #4 with “In a Perfect World…”. Look for this one to stick around for a little while. Allegedly, it’s knee-deep in hit singles. This may end up being my 6th new release purchase of 2009.

    Other debuts in the Top 20 include Papa Roach (yes, they’re still around), at #8, untalented Dipset-affiliated rapper Jim Jones at #9, coountry singer Martina McBride at #10, bone-crunching metal outfit Mastodon at #11, future one-hit wonders Blue October at #13, faded Houston MC Slim Thug at #15, songwriter/half of Big & Rich John Rich at #16, Eric Church (I don’t know who he is either) at #17, and Yanni at #20. Yes, Yanni is still making music.

    The glut of debuts means that there are some pretty prestigious drops on the chart. Taylor Swift’s “Fearless” falls out of the Top 10 for the first time since its’ release last fall. Static-X, however, gets the award for biggest drop on the chart, sliding 16-69 with their latest album.

    In a chart like this, it’s weird for an older album to actually move up considerably, but Adele’s “19” does. The Grammy winner for Best New Artist and her Gold album shoots from 41-23 on this week’s chart.

    The holdovers in the Top Ten include the “Twilight” soundtrack, which holds at #3 thanks to the recent DVD release of the film, Kelly Clarkson, who slides to #5 after two weeks at #1, U2 slides 2-6, while Lady GaGa drops two spots to #7.

    Speaking of Lady GaGa, she becomes the first artist in 10 years (since Christina Aguilera) to hit #1 with her first two single releases. again showing that the American music buying public has no taste whatsoever. “Poker Face” climbs to #1, unseating Flo Rida’s “Right Round” after 6 weeks on top. There are two new songs in the Top 10. Miley Cyrus climbs 11-8 with the appropriately titled “The Climb”, while Ciara shoots up 17 spots to #10 with “Love Sex Magic”, a collaboration with Justin Timberlake. With T.I.’s “Dead & Gone” at #4 this week, JT joins GaGa as artists with two songs each in the Top 10. Collaborating with Timberlake seems to be kind of a golden ticket these days, as Timbaland, Madonna, 50 Cent, T.I. and now Ciara have all scored Top 10 hits featuring the former ‘NSync-er.

    Next week’s #1 single may be lurking just inside the Top 40. Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow” inches in at #39, but it’s digital release will catapult it into, at the very least, next week’s Top 10 and it just may unseat GaGa at the top of the chart, although the fact that Lady G performed on “American Idol” last week could keep her at the top. Anyway, here’s this week’s Top 20 album charts. Watch out next week, when Keith Urban, Prince, Flo Rida, Bow Wow and a passel of others debut in the Top 20 of the charts, leading to another round of mega-drops.

    Top 20 Albums

    01-“Now That’s What I Call Music 30”-Various Artists

    02-“Hannah Montana Movie Soundtrack”-Miley Cyrus/Various Artists

    03-“Twilight Soundtrack”-Various Artists

    04-“In a Perfect World…”-Keri Hilson

    05-“All I Ever Wanted” Kelly Clarkson

    06-“No Line on the Horizon”-U2

    07-“The Fame”-Lady GaGa

    08-“Metamorphosis”-Papa Roach

    09-“Pray IV Reign”-Jim Jones

    10-“Shine”-Martina McBride

    11-“Crack the Skye”-Mastodon

    12-“Fearless”-Taylor Swift

    13-“Approaching Normal”-Blue October

    14-“Love vs. Money” The-Dream

    15-“Boss of All Bosses”-Slim Thug

    16-“Son of a Preacher Man”-John Rich

    17-“Carolina”-Eric Church

    18-“Dark Horse”-Nickelback

    19-“Hazards of Love”-The Decemberists

    20-“Voices”-Yanni

  • American Idol Season 8 – Who Is Headed Home Sweet Home?

    Why is Jason Castro sitting next to Alexis Grace in the audience? I didn’t think I’d have to see those dread locks again until the end of this season.

    Why is Lady GaGa on this show tonight? I know she’s hot on the charts, but I don’t know anyone who has the album.

    Why hasn’t Kara DioGuardi returned my phone calls yet?

    Ok, just kidding on that last question. (She returned them.) But the first two are real questions. Someone please answer them for me.

    The top 9 are singing Don’t Stop Believing. Scott is rockin’ out on the keyboard and if you didn’t know this was pre-taped and then lip synced, you know now. Scott was singing but was nowhere near the microphone. Someone should’ve held it for him. It was actually a pretty good version of the song.

    Megan is wearing a dress that resembles red overalls. I don’t think it’s made by Osh Kosh B’Gosh.

    For five minutes, Ryno had some of the contestants do impersonations of each other. None of them were all that good, but at least they were having a good time. Ryno also mentioned that this group of Idol contestants get along better than any others in history. You mean Ruben and Clay weren’t really brothers from another mother? Really?

    Ryno tells Megan, Matt, and Kris to stand up and makes them walk toward the left side of the stage.

    He tells Adam, Allison, and Lil Rounds to walk toward the center of the stage.

    And the final three have to walk toward the right side of the stage. It looks like one of the three groups is the bottom three.

    David Cook is on stage performing Come Back To Me. I’ve added the actual video to the song below.

    They also presented him with his platinum album.

    Ryno just told Kris to sit down.

    Matt was told to sit down, but thought he was in the bottom three. He April Fools’d himself.

    Megan is in the bottom three and for some reason squawked like a bird and flapped her arms.

    Lil Rounds is safe.

    Allison is in the bottom three as well. She doesn’t deserve to be there. But Megan does.

    Adam is safe and they showed a shot of his friends. One guy had a wickedly bad mohawk.

    Danny is safe.

    It’s down to Scott and Anoop.

    Randall says judging on last night, Anoop deserves to be in the bottom three. Anoop agrees for some reason. Anoop predicted correctly. He’s in the bottom three.

    Lady GaGa is performing Poker Face. Nope, I don’t get her just yet. Here’s her actual video to this song.

    Allison was sent back with the rest of the group. She’s safe. So it’s either Anoop Doggy Dogg or Megan who will go home.

    It’s hasta la bye bye to Megan. Simon says they won’t even bother watching her sing before telling her they won’t save her. For some reason, she’s actually loose while performing. Still goofy, but at least she’s looser. I’m not sure she can necessarily feel the rhythm. But it’s ok. She’s going to be cute for at least another 15 years. She can live off that.

    She tells her son that she’s coming home. Carrie Underwood sings her home sweet home.

    Goodbye Megan Joy!