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Cee Lo's 'F--- You' Makes Pop-Chart History

Posted 4/7/11 11:12 am EST by in Music


On September 25, 2010, Cee Lo's (now ubiquitous) "F--- You" officially debuted on Billboard's Pop Songs chart, rising to a peak position of #18 within a few weeks before quickly — and, rather unceremoniously — falling off the chart altogether by the end of November.

Of course, within weeks, thanks to a pop-culture groundswell that included a plumb spot on an episode of "Glee" (in Gwyneth Paltrow belted it out as "Forget You,") a spoken-word cover by William Shatner, and, of course, an armload of Grammy nominations (including both Record and Song of the Year), "F--- You" was back on the Pop chart ... and from that moment on, it began a slow-but-steady climb to the top that culminated Thursday, when the tune finally reached #1 ... and made a bit of history in the process.

Because, according to Billboard, "F--- You's" ascension to #1 officially completes the longest journey to the top of the Pop Songs chart in its 18-year history, a voyage that took 25 weeks to complete, breaking a mark first set in 2006-07, when Pink's "U + Ur Hand" reached #1 after a 23-week climb.

All told, "F--- You" has spent 30 weeks on the Pop chart, which ranks songs based on total radio spins. The song has also reached as high as #2 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, and has sold more than 3.7 million downloads to date ... oh, and, of course, it got the deluxe Grammy treatment, too, as Cee Lo and Paltrow (and a whole bunch of puppets) performed a memorable duet of the song during the big show.

And speaking of big shows, Cee Lo has just been confirmed as a judge on NBC's upcoming talent competition "The Voice," a show on which, we suspect, we'll hear "F--- You" several times; though not always in song form, of course.

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Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Still Dominates Hot 100, Katy Perry's 'E.T.' On The Rise

Posted 3/17/11 12:30 pm EST by in Music


Lady Gaga might as well change her name to Lady Juggernaut, as her dominance at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 is starting to get ridiculous. "Born This Way" is number one for the fifth straight week, and it shows no signs of slowing. It has fought off Cee Lo Green's "F--- You" for a third straight week (it remains stuck at number two), and the only competition on the horizon appears to be Katy Perry's "E.T.," which climbed up from number eight to number three this week, and the upcoming premiere of the video could push her over the top.

Gaga's run at number one is the longest reign in that spot since Eminem spent seven weeks on top last summer with "Love the Way You Lie." It has also more than doubled Gaga's career total number of weeks at number one ("Just Dance" spent three weeks in the spot, while "Poker Face" was on top for a week). She is starting to become a true dominating force on the chart, and there will be many more singles from Born This Way to come.

The only other big headline from this week's Hot 100 is the leap that Britney Spears' "Till the World Ends" made, climbing from 20 to nine in a single bound. With the album coming just around the corner, Britney could easily make a play for the pole position in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the "Glee" cast continue to chart songs (their cover of "Landslide" dropped in at number 23 this week; it will be interesting to see if any of their original tunes from this week's episode crack the chart next week) and Jessie J felt the "SNL" effect, as "Price Tag" jumped up from 78 to 58 thanks to her well-received performance on the late night comedy show last weekend.

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Britney Spears' 'Till The World Ends' Opens Strong, But 'Born This Way' Still Leads Hot 100

Posted 3/10/11 11:30 am EST by in Music


While it didn't quite have the same kind of opening week pop as "Hold It Against Me" did, Britney Spears' "Till the World Ends" made a pretty strong chart debut, landing at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 after debuting the tune on Ryan Seacrest's radio show last week. That gives Spears two songs in the top 20, as "Hold It Against Me" (which debuted on the chart at number one last month) still sits comfortably at number 16. The anticipation for Spears' new album Femme Fatale continues to be strong, as fans have been gobbling up digital downloads of both singles and voraciously requesting Spears' songs on the radio.

Still, the top of the Hot 100 belongs once again to Lady Gaga, who rode the premiere of the video for "Born This Way" to yet another week at number one. After debuting in that spot, "Born This Way" has now spent four weeks on the top perch, making it the first real dominant single of the year. It fought off another strong surge from Cee Lo Green's "F--- You," which spent a second straight week at number two. "F--- You" has now spent 28 weeks on the chart, a remarkable feat for a song that clearly has incredible legs. Jennifer Lopez also enjoyed a video-related surge this week, as her new single "On the Floor" (whose clip debuted during an episode of "American Idol" last week) jumped from number nine to number five. Considering the power of "Idol" (the ratings are down slightly, but it continues to be a dominant force on television and in the music world), "On the Floor" could make a run at the top spot (though at this point, unseating Gaga seems like it will be easier said than done).

Ke$ha's "Blow" broke into the top 10 this week, settling in at number seven in its seventh week. That's just ahead of Katy Perry's "E.T.," which held steady at number eight. For the second week in a row, Perry has two songs in the top 10, as "Firework" is also in the upper echelons of the chart. Outside of "Till the World Ends," the only other high-profile debut on the Hot 100 this week belonged to Foo Fighters, whose "Rope" cracked the list at number 70. You can expect that number to get a significant bump next week, as Foo Fighters will be debuting the video for "Rope" tonight (Thursday, March 10) at 7:54 p.m. on MTV and MTV.com (stay tuned to MTV.com for an exclusive interview with the band just after the premiere).

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Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Still Rules The Hot 100, But Jennifer Lopez Is On The Move

Posted 3/3/11 10:30 am EST by in Music


The Billboard Hot 100 has its first official juggernaut of 2011. After debuting in the top spot two weeks ago, Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" — the first single from the forthcoming album of the same name — has notched a third week on top of the chart, with nary a legitimate challenger in sight (the number two song for the second week in a row is Cee Lo Green's "F--- You," which has been on the chart for an impressive 27 weeks and is getting a second wind thanks to its Grammy Awards exposure).

But if there is a song that could upend "Born This Way," it's Jennifer Lopez's new single "On the Floor." The track made its chart debut at number nine this week, giving Lopez the highest-charting debut of her career and her seventh top 10 hit. Certainly the exposure Lopez has received on "American Idol" (still the most-watched show on television) has boosted her profile in the music world, and the video for "On the Floor" (which premieres during Thursday night's (March 3) live broadcast of "American Idol") could give it enough of a push to unseat Gaga from the top of the chart.

Gaga's continued dominance and Lopez's big debut were the big headlines, but there were plenty of other shake-ups on the Hot 100 this week. The top 10 mostly stayed the same (Wiz Khalifa's "Black and Yellow" and Justin Bieber's "Never Say Never" dropped out to make room for Lopez and Katy Perry's "E.T.," which surged from 28 to eight over the past week). Perry wasn't the only star getting a bit boost, as both Ke$ha's "Blow" and Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" experienced great leaps ("Blow" moved from number 32 to number 11, while "Rolling in the Deep" went from 26 to 13, and both have robust digital download sales to thank for those bumps). Kanye West's "All of the Lights" also found itself in its highest spot on the chart yet, moving from 54 to 31 on the back of the premiere of the flashy video.

Who do you think will push Lady Gaga out of the top spot on the Hot 100? Let us know in the comments!

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Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Rules The Billboard Hot 100 For A Second Week

Posted 2/24/11 11:30 am EST by in Music


The Grammy Awards had a clear impact on this week's Billboard album chart, lending huge sales boosts to the likes of Justin Bieber, Mumford & Sons, Lady Antebellum and Arcade Fire. The broadcast also made its mark on the Billboard Hot 100, which features a second straight week of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" at the top spot. But the rest of the top 10 is full of Grammy impact, most notably with the elevation of Cee Lo Green's "F--- You" (or as the Grammy Awards called it "The Song Otherwise Known as Forget You") to the number two spot on the chart (it jumped all the way from number seven, placing it in its highest spot yet). Dr. Dre's "I Need a Doctor," one of the most headline-grabbing performances of the Grammy evening, also scored a big jump, as it ended up at number four this week. And Justin Bieber's "Never Say Never" made a gigantic leap (from number 25 to number eight) thanks to the one-two punch of the Grammys and the film of the same name.

Elsewhere on the chart, Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" continues to hold steady at number 11 (though the recent premiere of the video should probably give it a boost), while Adele's single "Rolling in the Deep" managed to elevate itself from 41 to 26 thanks to a ton of positive press for her new album 21. Mumford & Sons' "The Cave" got a Grammy boost, moving from 68 to 27. The excitement surrounding the upcoming video for Katy Perry's "E.T." earned the song a re-entry into the chart at number 28, and Ke$ha's "Blow" also climbed up from 51 to 32.

The highest debut of the week belongs to New Boyz, whose "Backseat" opened at number 37. The "Glee" version of Justin Bieber's "Baby" also had a big debut, stomping in at number 47 (the cast's "Sing" came in just behind it at number 49). Next week, expect Dr. Dre's "I Need a Doctor" to make a play for the top spot (thanks to the new video) and for more Gaga dominance (which will get a boost from the premiere of that video).

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Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Sets Hot 100 Chart Records

Posted 2/17/11 1:00 pm EST by in Music


Lady Gaga certainly hasn't lost a step. After dominating the pop charts and setting all manner of records with the one-two punch of Fame and The Fame Monster, the 24-year-old singer and icon is back to the business of redefining the pop music universe with "Born This Way." The song, which was released last Friday (February 11), immediately rocketed to the top of the iTunes singles chart (where it still remains) and got spun over 4,000 times on the radio in its first few days of release. Not surprisingly, it has made its debut on top of the Billboard Hot 100, making it not only the 19th song in history to debut at the chart's top spot but also the 1,000th number one in the history of the chart.

"Born This Way" made its mark in a hurry. It sold 448,000 downloads in just three days, making it the third biggest digital debut of all time (behind Flo Rida's "Right Round" and Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow") and the highest selling debut for a female artist in history (Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" held the record for a mere four weeks). "Born This Way" also represents Gaga's third chart-topper (following "Just Dance" and "Poker Face") and her eighth top 10 (each one of her singles has landed in that echelon, with the lowest being the six spot for "Paparazzi"). Truly, Gaga has had her way with the Billboard Hot 100, and "Born This Way" is somehow her biggest yet.

The rest of the chart was pretty free of news, with most of the top 10 staying the same (though you can expect Dr. Dre's "I Need a Doctor" to get a big post-Grammy boost next week, perhaps all the way to the top spot if "Born This Way" weakens — which is unlikely, considering Gaga should get the same Grammy bump).

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Which Now That's What I Call Music! Is The Best?

Posted 2/16/11 5:30 pm EST by in Music


This week's Billboard album chart featured few surprises, mainly involving pre-Grammy sales bumps for Justin Bieber and Mumford & Sons (expect more of those increases next week) and a post-Super Bowl surge from the Black Eyed Peas. At the top of the heap was the 37th (!) volume of the Now That's What I Call Music! series, which collects hits from Eminem ("Love the Way You Lie"), Katy Perry ("Firework"), Ke$ha ("We R Who We R") and Taylor Swift ("Mine"). It also includes chart-topping smashes like Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are," Pink's "Raise Your Glass" and Far East Movement's "Like a G6," not to mention chart sensations like Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair" and Pitbull's "Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor)."

That's a pretty dense collection of singles, which begs the question: Is Now That's What I Call Music! 37 the best in the series' history?

Typically, Now collections are front-loaded with big hits (typically stuff that dominated the charts six to eight months ago) and usually taper off with weaker rock tracks or unknowns toward the back. And while Now 37 certainly has its share of question marks, we count 17 of the 20 tracks to be genuine smashes. That's a strike rate of 85%, which is a pretty high mark.

Comparatively speaking, previous incarnation Now 36 only contained one chart-topper (Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream") and had a hit rate of 60%. Now 35? That had two number ones, but only half of its track list could really be considered top shelf (even though 16 of its 20 songs were still in the Billboard Hot 100 at the time of its release).

Of course, some of the older entries in the Now series have the benefit of hindsight, which is why an entry like Now 10 (which features hits from Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Jennifer Lopez, *NSYNC, Nickelback and Ja Rule) looks especially impressive now (and perhaps more so than it did when it was released in 2002). Of course, time hurts some of these too (2004's Now That's What I Call Music! 17 looks pretty flat today).

But overall, we have to give the nod to Now That's What I Call Music! 14. It has several hits that were absolutely larger than life (Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love" and the Black Eyed Peas' "Where Is the Love?"), a handful of delightful hip-hop novelties (Chingy's "Right Thurr," Murphy Lee's "Wat Da Hook Gon Be"), a tremendously underrated R. Kelly song ("Thoia Thong") and a couple of excellent little radio rock tunes for good measure (Fountains of Wayne's "Stacy's Mom," the Ataris' cover of "The Boys of Summer," Liz Phair's "Why Can't I?" and 3 Doors Down's "Here Without You"). That's a lot of big hits spread over a lot of different styles and genres, which makes that particular Now entry one against which all others should be judged.

What's your favorite entry in the Now series? Let us know in the comments!

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Will Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Be Billboard's 1,000th Chart-Topper?

Posted 2/10/11 12:30 pm EST by in Music


In addition to becoming the first Super Bowl anthem to hit the top of the chart, Wiz Khalifa's "Black and Yellow" has also become the 999th chart-topping song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100. That means that the next song to ascend to the top spot will be the 1,000th chart-topper in the history of the chart. It has been a long road since Tommy Dorsey's "I'll Never Smile Again!" became the first number one in the history of the Hot 100 in 1940 (it spent 12 weeks in that spot before getting knocked off by Bing Crosby's "Only Forever"), but the next chart-topper will certainly live forever as an iconic milestone.

But what song will find its way to the top? Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" will make its debut this Friday (February 11), and between the excitement over her new music and her performance at this Sunday's (February 13) Grammy Awards, it could very well debut at the top spot. It would not only make it the 1,000th Hot 100 chart-topper but also the 20th song to debut at the top of the chart.

However, Gaga's ascension isn't automatic, as the Grammy Awards could create buzz for any of the tracks that have not topped the chart yet. Dr. Dre and Eminem's "I Need a Doctor," which currently sits at number five, will probably continue to sell big numbers in the digital realm and will get some huge exposure on the Grammys. And though it would have to make a pretty dramatic leap to the top, it's possible that Cee Lo Green's "F--- You" could elevate to the number one position (especially after the Gwyneth Paltrow and Muppet-fueled performance he will be unleashing on Sunday). And there's always Pink's "F---in' Perfect," which sits at number four and continues to pick up buzz (mostly thanks to a truly excellent video).

Which song do you think will be the 1,000th Hot 100 chart-topper? Let us know in the comments!

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Wiz Khalifa's 'Black And Yellow' Conquers The Billboard Hot 100 Despite Steelers Loss

Posted 2/10/11 10:30 am EST by in Music


Last Sunday (February 6), the Pittsburgh Steelers failed to win the franchise's seventh Super Bowl, falling to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 31-25. However, the excitement over the big game and the fervor surrounding the Steelers certainly worked out for Pittsburgh native Wiz Khalifa, whose "Black and Yellow" became an accidental Steelers anthem and is at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 this week.

"Black and Yellow" displaced Bruno Mars' "Grenade" at the top of the chart (Mars' track sits at number two this week). It's a great accomplishment for the rapper, whose major label debut album Rolling Papers is set to hit stores in March. Aided by a huge boost in digital sales, a giant uptick in radio play, a killer remix and a mixtape-ready beat that dozens of MCs have been jacking, "Black and Yellow" turned into something of a cottage industry for the 23-year-old. It even inspired an answer song from Lil Wayne in the form of "Green and Yellow" (his endorsement of the Packers).

It was a big week for hip-hop on the Hot 100, as Dr. Dre's "I Need a Doctor" (a collaboration with Eminem and Skylar Grey) debuted at number five this week. After the tepid performance of "Kush" (it topped out at number 34 on the chart), it seemed like perhaps Dre had waited too long to unveil new music from the long-in-development album Detox. But clearly the fans are hungry for more (or perhaps just galvanized by Eminem's involvement), as "I Need a Doctor" was the top-selling digital download last week, even besting "Black and Yellow." With the confirmation that Dre will be performing at the Grammys this weekend, the road to Detox just got all the more exciting.

There was one more big debut this week, as Chris Brown's "Look at Me Now" (which also features Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes) entered the chart at number 11. Brown's singles have been gradually attracting more and more attention (in fact, his "Yeah 3X" is still sitting comfortably at number 17), and "Look at Me Now" promises to be the singer's biggest chart hit in years.

The rest of the chart was pretty static, as no songs really made any big moves, nor were there any huge debuts (though in a short week, the "Glee" versions of "Thriller" and "Need You Now" managed to inspire enough digital sales to break them into the chart at 72 and 75, which means the show will again be making a big impact on the chart moving forward).

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Pink's 'F----- Perfect' Makes A Big Surge, But Bruno Mars Still Rules The Hot 100

Posted 2/3/11 12:30 pm EST by in Music


Though there have been surges by Britney Spears and Katy Perry, the top of the Billboard Hot 100 has belonged to Bruno Mars in 2011. The singer, songwriter and producer's single "Grenade" is on top for a second straight week, giving it a total of four weeks in that spot. That matches the run that "Just the Way You Are" had in the fall of 2010 (though that song sat on top for four consecutive weeks). It's a pretty impressive run by Mars, who has fended off surges by a number of high profile artists like Enrique Iglesias (whose "Tonight" sits at number five this week) as well as upstarts like Wiz Khalifa (whose "Black and Yellow" drops a spot to number four despite all the Super Bowl buzz for the Pittsburgh Steelers).

But Mars' run at the top could come tumbling down sooner rather than later, as thanks to the premiere of an excellent video, Pink's "F----- Perfect" made a huge surge into the number two spot this week. The clip, which stars former "Veronica Mars" actress Tina Marjorino, is as in-your-face and intense as the song itself (which is one of the more badass tunes in Pink's catalog).

"F----- Perfect" is one of two new songs on Pink's recently-released Greatest Hits ... So Far!!!. The first single from that compilation, "Raise Your Glass," already made it to the top of the Hot 100 late last year (it stayed there for a week in December 2010). Between video spins, radio airplay and dominance in digital sales (it was at the top of the iTunes singles chart for most of this week), "F----- Perfect" could find itself on top next week.

There weren't any major debuts or other big surges on this week's chart, though with the Steelers playing on Sunday, you can expect "Black and Yellow" to make a big push to the top, and don't be surprised if Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" makes another ascension based on the excitement over the album's title.

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