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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Michael Jackson

  • Chart Chat: Radiohead, Van Morrison and More!

    Hey kids, courtesy of the good folks at Billboard magazine, here’s this week’s Top 20 singles and albums!!
    Top 20 Albums:
    1) Troubadour-George Strait
    2) Accelerate-R.E.M.
    3) Now That’s What I Call Music 27-Various Artists
    4) Day26-Day26
    5) Alvin & The Chipmunks-Soundtrack
    6) Still Da Baddest-Trina
    7) Welcome To The Dollhouse-Danity Kane
    8) Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings-Counting Crows
    9) Trilla-Rick Ross
    10) Keep it Simple-Van Morrison
    11) Shine a Light (soundtrack)-The Rolling Stones
    12) Pretty. Odd.-Panic at the Disco
    13) Sleep Through the Static-Jack Johnson
    14) Attack & Release-The Black Keys
    15) Mail on Sunday-Flo Rida
    16) Taylor Swift-Taylor Swift
    17) Little Voice-Sara Bareilles
    18) Consolers of the Lonely-The Raconteurs
    19) Vol. 7: Hope & Sorrow-Sevendust
    20) Good Time-Alan Jackson
    Top 20 Singles:
    1) Touch My Body-Mariah Carey
    2) Bleeding Love-Leona Lewis
    3) 4 Minutes-Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake
    4) Lollipop-Lil’ Wayne feat. Static Major
    5) Love in this Club-Usher feat. Young Jeezy
    6) Sexy Can I-Ray J feat. Yung Berg
    7) No Air-Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown
    8) With You-Chris Brown
    9) Love Song-Sara Bareilles
    10) Low-Flo Rida feat. T-Pain
    11) Don’t Stop The Music-Rihanna
    12) See You Again-Miley Cyrus
    13) Stop & Stare-OneRepublic
    14) Apologize-Timbaland feat. OneRepublic
    15) You’re Gonna Miss This-Trace Adkins
    16) Superstar-Lupe Fiasco feat. Matthew Santos
    17) Independent-Webbie, Lil’ Boosie & Lil’ Phat
    18) No One-Alicia Keys
    19) Beat It-Fall Out Boy feat. John Mayer
    20) Sorry-Buckcherry
    It’s a good time to be a Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famer on the album charts this week: R.E.M. debut at #2 and score their highest charting week and biggest sales week since 1996’s “New Adventures in Hi-Fi”. Meanwhile, Irish troubadour Van Morrison scores the highest chart position of his 40-year career with “Keep it Simple”.
    On the singles chart, it’s worth mentioning that “Nude”, at #37, is Radiohead’s first Top 40 single since “Creep”, their debut single back in 1993!!
    The TV was on while I was doing chores yesterday, and I swear that between VH1-Soul, MTV Hits, MTV Jams and VH-1 proper, I saw the videos for “No Air” and “Love in This Club” a grand total of 1,000 times.
    Here’s the American Idol performance of “No Air”. Back when Chris first came out, I was unsure if he had staying power, but this kid is the real deal. I’m not sure why they felt the need to lip-sync only the pre-chorus though.
    …and the video for “Love in this Club”, which looks remarkably similar to the video for “Yeah!”. I love this song (even though I can definitely do without Young Jeezy). However, given the box office receipts for “In The Mix” and “Light it Up”, should someone send Ush the message that he should maybe stop acting?
    Elsewhere, “Beat It” enters the Top 20 via Fall Out Boy, marking the third cover/major sample of a “Thriller” song to hit the Top 20 this year, following Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop The Music” and Kanye West’s “Good Life”. For those playing at home, if the year was to end today, “Thriller” would be 2008’s 6th best selling album.
    Hmmm…maybe Panic at the Disco (who plummet 2-12) should have changed their album title to Pretty. Over.
    Next week, there’s a good chance Brit Leona Lewis will debut at #1 on the album charts as well as re-planting herself at #1 on the singles chart, making her the first British female ever to score a #1 album! Stay tuned…

  • The Randomizer: NKOTB, George Michael, Mariah and More!

    *So, the NKOTB reunion is in full-swing. The first photo of all the guys together since 1994 is making the rounds, and I gotta say time has been kind to The Kids. They’re on the “Today” show tomorrow, performing and announcing their tour, and I gotta say, I’m pretty stoked! More so to hear the new material than to go see them live, though.
    *Speaking of artists that haven’t performed live in forever, George Michael is touring the U.S. for the first time since 1991, promoting his new “Twenty-Five” hits compilation. I love George, and he remains a singular vocalist who really isn’t all that exciting live. However, considering the man tours so infrequently, it might be a good idea to catch him now.
    *Congrats are due to Mariah Carey and Madonna. “Touch My Body” became Mariah’s 18th #1 hit this week, pushing her into second place, behind The Beatles, when it comes to artists with #1 songs. Meanwhile, “4 Minutes” has become Madge’s 38th Top Ten hit, also bumping her into second place all-time, behind, you guessed it, The Beatles!!
    *Wow, all I have to do is throw a Hammer or Vanilla Ice reference, and the artists mentioned in this column so far could have just as easily been mentioned in 1990. How ’bout staying power, eh?
    *Bobby Brown is writing an autobiography, which promises to dish tons of dirt on Whitney Houston, including the fact that Whit introduced him to cocaine and that she married him to improve her image. Um, wasn’t *Whitney* America’s good girl when she and Bobby got married? What needed improvement? And who knew Bobby could write?
    *Finally, in my current guilty pleasures list, the guys from Fall Out Boy have recorded a pretty nifty cover of “Beat It”, featuring some serious shredding from John Mayer on guitar. I’m not quite sure why I like Fall Out Boy so much. Maybe I take pity on the overwhelming ugliness of Patrick Stump. Anyway, here’s their cover for you (best to ignore the video loop of Patrick Stump blowing kisses):
    It’s good and all, but still doesn’t beat this ridiculously awesome cover by Charlotte Church and a drunk off her tits Amy Winehouse:

  • Chart Check: 3/15/2008: Usher, Sara Bareilles, Ray J and More!!

    Courtesy of the good folks at Billboard, here are this week’s Top 10 singles and albums:
    Top 10 Singles:
    1) “Love In This Club” Usher feat. Young Jeezy
    2) “With You” Chris Brown
    3) “Low” Flo-Rida feat. T-Pain
    4) “Love Song” Sara Bareilles
    5) “Don’t Stop The Music” Rihanna
    6) “No Air” Jordin Sparks feat. Chris Brown
    7) “Sexy Can I” Ray J. feat. Yung Berg
    8) “Apologize” Timbaland feat. One Republic
    9) “Independent” Webbie, Li’l Phat & Li’l Boosie
    10) “Superstar” Lupe Fiasco feat. Matthew Santos
    Top 10 Albums:
    1) “Good Time” Alan Jackson
    2) “Sleep Through The Static” Jack Johnson
    3) “Discipline” Janet Jackson
    4) “Float” Flogging Molly
    5) “Warpaint” The Black Crowes
    6) “Thriller 25” Michael Jackson
    7) “New Amerykah: 4th World War” Erykah Badu
    8) “Little Voice” Sara Bareilles
    9) “As I Am” Alicia Keys
    10) “Taylor Swift” Taylor Swift
    And now some observations:
    *Anyone notice that among the Top 10 albums, there are 3 Jacksons (and a Jack Johnson)? Now might be a good time for La Toya or Rebbie to start working on those comeback albums.
    *Sara Bareilles, with appearances on the singles and albums chart, is officially the first breakthrough album of 2008. With Alicia Keys and Erykah Badu joining her in the Top 10 (and Amy Winehouse just behind at #11), it’s a good time to be a female singer-songwriter.
    Video for Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song” here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=MR5xv3pt7KI (explicit lyrics)
    *Proof that the gap between major labels and non-major labels is lessening, the two top debuts of the week (at #4 and #5) are both distributed independently. This is Flogging Molly’s first Top 10 album ever, and the Crowes’ first in well over a decade.
    *Usher spends a second week at #1 despite the fact that the video for “Love In This Club” hasn’t even been *shot* yet!! Who needs MTV??
    *And is Ush coming back to snatch the crown Justin Timberlake stole from him?
    *Jordin Sparks is the first “American Idol” champ to score two Top 10 pop hits from one album since…our very first “Idol”, Kelly Clarkson.
    *Backpack rapper Lupe Fiasco scores his first ever Top 10. His second album, “The Cool”, has already outsold his 2006 debut (in only 3 1/2 months of release).
    *Formerly known as Brandy’s little brother, singer/actor/adult film star Ray J. scores the first Top 10 pop hit of his decade-long career with “Sexy Can I”. The last time his big sister hit the Top 10 was back in 1999.