Britney Spears - Femme Fatale
With the #1 song of 2009 plus two others in the top 10, it was no secret who would be the #1 artist of 2009 after all the data was compiled. Lady GaGa easily bests the competition after finishing at #28 in the 2008 artist chart. She charted 11 songs on the THO 100 which logged a total of 165 weeks on the chart, 119 inside the top 40, and 58 inside the top 10. Using THO's point system, Lady GaGa had the best single year of any artist in THO's history (beginning in 1993). The previous best was Mariah Carey in 1994. Mariah finished at #33 on the 2009 artist chart. Three other divas followed GaGa at #2-#4: Beyonce, Britney Spears, and Kelly Clarkson. Kanye West and Akon were the only solo male artists to crack the top 10. Last year's #1 artist, Rihanna, was #18.
Two months ago most people had never heard of Jason DeRulo. While he still isn't a household name, his radio hit "Whatcha Say" seems to be gaining fans daily. The song originally only received airplay in the United States, but now the UK, Australia, and other countries are jumping onboard. This week it, after heavy promotion in the UK, it jumps from #27 to #11 on the THO 100. The highest debut on the chart belongs to Susan Boyle, another name that almost no one knew one year ago. Now she has a best-selling album and her single "Wild Horses" arrives on the chart at #51. Meanwhile at the top of the chart, Lady GaGa spends a fourth week at #1 with "Bad Romance" while Britney Spears remains stuck at #2.
Last week it was expected, and written here, that Britney Spears would take over the #1 position on the THO 100 with her latest single, "3." But after all the data was compiled, the hottest song online by our measure is "Bad Romance" by Lady GaGa. It catapults from #11 to #1 in only its fourth week on the chart and barely beats out Spears' hit. "Bad Romance" caps an incredible year for Lady GaGa, who spent time at #1 in January and February with "Just Dance" followed by time at #1 in April and May with "Poker Face." Given that there are only six chart weeks left in 2009, and the fast rise of "Bad Romance," it could still be the #1 song when the calendar turns. Either way, Lady GaGa has a good chance of topping our list of the Top Artists of 2009, which is compiled from all 2009 chart data... coming soon.
UK sensation Cheryl Cole keeps her post atop the THO 100 this week with "Fight For This Love." Cole barely holds off Britney Spears, whose latest single "3" appears poised to take over the #1 position next week. "3" moves from #5 to #2 this week. Other gainers inside the top 10 are Leona Lewis, Black Eyed Peas, and Owl City. This week marks the 52nd chart week (one entire year) for "Use Somebody" by Kings Of Leon. The song first appeared on the November 15, 2008 THO 100 and hasn't left since. It joins a short list of only 16 other songs to spend 52 weeks on the chart. Despite its longetivity, "Use Somebody" has not cracked the top 10, peaking at #11. Currently at #81, it has a shot at remaining on the chart beyond this week. Only 10 songs have spent more than 52 weeks on the chart. The record is 85 weeks by Alanis Morissette's "You Learn."
Bon Jovi - The Circle
In a surprising move, "Uprising" by Muse slides into the #1 position on the latest THO 100 chart. Shakira's "She Wolf" and Madonna's "Celebration" both lost points compared to last week, allowing Muse to back into the top spot even though their hit lost points as well. Judging by the the points allotted to the top songs, it becomes the "weakest" number one song in years on this chart. Nevertheless it is Muse' first #1 song on THO. Their first hit, "Muscle Museum," nearly made it to the top but stalled at #2 in 1999. "Uprising" is the 12th number one song of 2009. Who will rise to the top next week is anyone's guess. The three songs mentioned previously all have a chance, as do Alexandra Burke's "Bad Boys" and Robbie Williams' "Bodies." But after next week, it is widely expected that the momentum of Britney Spears' latest hit "3" will carry it to the top.
This week Madonna does what no other artist has done since 2005... her single "Celebration" returns to the top of the THO 100 after a previous two-week run on the Sept 26 and Oct 3 charts. Last week she gave way to Shakira's "She Wolf," which drops to #3 this week. In early 2005, Green Day's "Boulevard Of Broken Drams" spent 13 weeks atop the chart, then allowed Gwen Stefani's "Rich Girl" a week at the top before return to #1 for a single week. Further down the chart, Jay-Z (featuring Alicia Keys) has the greatest point gainer for the second straight week with "Empire State Of Mind." Britney Spears has a huge debut at #44 with "3." Other debuts come from Chipmunk, Editors, Backstreet Boys, Alicia Keys, Train, and The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart.
We are halfway through the calendar year, so we thought it would be fun to see what the top songs of 2009 are up to this point. Our rankings are based on performance on the THO 100 only. It is probably no surprise that "Poker Face" is #1, having spent seven weeks atop the chart. Lady GaGa has two songs in the top five, the other being "Just Dance" which has been around since June of 2008. Several other songs on the list are 2008 hits that extended their chart run well into 2009. Britney Spears, Beyonce, The Killers, and Pink are the other artists to have two songs in the top 20. And as it often is with the THO 100, which is based on individual personal charts published on the web, women rule the list, leading each of the top 10 tracks.
There is a full slate of new entries on this week's THO 100, and most of them are from international stars outside the U.S. One reason for this is the recent Eurovision competition from which several hit songs have come. Another reason is the relative stagnation on U.S. radio stations at the moment. Jade Ewen's Eurovision-winning song "It's My Time" is the highest debut on the chart at #63. At the top, it is a three-way battle for #1 between Lady GaGa, Britney Spears, and The Black Eyed Peas. It is anyone's guess who will be at #1 after the dust settles next week.
Make it six weeks in a row at #1 for Lady GaGa's "Poker Face." But the end of its run is near, as Britney Spears closes the gap at #2 with "If U Seek Amy." Also closing in fast is "Boom Boom Pow," the latest single from The Black Eyed Peas. This week it moves from #9 to #4 and is the largest point gainer on the chart. The Peas have never had a THO #1 before. Their highest-charting singles stalled at #3: 2003's "Where Is The Love" and 2005's "My Humps." Enjoy the chart this week!
It has been nearly two years since we last heard from one of the biggest bands in the world, U2. But they are back with a new single "Get On Your Boots," which is the highest chart entry on the THO 100 this week. "Boots" is their 24 THO hit, although the THO chart began in late 1993, long after some of U2's greatest successes. "Beautiful Day" is their only chart topper, but they've had seven songs enter the top 10. The initial success of "Boots" is good, but not what we might expect from such a huge band with a two-year layoff. Feedback across the web appears to be the same... good but not great. Meanwhile, Lady GaGa continues her domination of the chart for a fourth consecutive week, leaving Beyonce, Britney, and Pink in the #2-4 positions, respectively. Enjoy the chart this week!
After a disappointing follow-up to her smash album "Breakaway," Kelly Clarkson is back again with a new single from her upcoming album "All I Ever Wanted." The single is "My Life Would Suck Without You," and this week it is the highest debut on the THO 100. It is more reminiscent of her earlier hits, with a soaring vocal chorus set to a dance beat. Is it too early to predict another #1 hit in Clarkson's future? Probably not. For now, Lady GaGa holds on to #1 for a second week with "Just Dance." It now holds a comfortable lead over the Killers' "Human" and big singles by Beyonce, Britney, and Pink. Lady GaGa also has the #12 song on the chart with "Poker Face," which is just now beginning to see significant airplay in the U.S. Please enjoy the chart this week...
The Killers overtake Britney Spears for the #1 position on the THO 100, ending her 7-week run at the top with "Womanizer." The Killers' "Human" therefore becomes the first new #1 song of 2009. It is not their first #1 hit, as "When You Were Young" made it to the top in late 2006. "Human" is their eighth top 10 hit to date. They should enjoy their top billing now, because the chart's greatest point gainer sits at #3 not far behind. That would be Beyonce's red-hot "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)." Beyonce also has the #4 song with "If I Were A Boy," although it retreats this week. Enjoy the chart!
The first post-holiday chart see Britney Spears still at #1, making it 7 weeks in a row for "Womanizer." And now her latest single, "Circus," climbs the chart to land at #14 and earn the largest point gainer award this week. Next week, Spears is likely to have two singles inside the top 10, something that Beyonce accomplishes this week. Her hit "If I Were A Boy" holds stead at #3 while "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" moves from #15 to #9. Further down the chart another diva, Mariah Carey, sees holiday popularity push her 15 year-old hit "All I Want For Christmas Is You" into the #91 position. This is the second time it has landed on the THO chart, following it's appearance around the holidays in 2007. With chart fans likely dropping holiday music from their charts and playlists, this song will likely disappear until the end of 2009. Hope you enjoy the first chart of 2009!
Rihanna had seven different songs appear on the THO 100 in 2008, with two of them reaching #1. She therefore is the runaway winner in our chart of the Top Artists of 2008. "Don't Stop The Music" spent five weeks atop the chart while "Disturbia" added four. Only the combination of Madonna and Justin Timberlake spent more weeks at #1 in 2008, with their hit "4 Minutes." Rihanna was #3 on the 2007 artist chart.
Not much happened this week at the top end of the THO 100, as the top 5 songs maintained their same positions as last week. But crashing into the top 10 in only her third week on the chart is Leona Lewis. Her new single "Run" is receiving almost no airplay in the United States, yet the song is so popular elsewhere that it made the top 10 of many personal chart lists. Two weeks ago it was the highest debut at #34 and this week it moves from #16 to #10. A possible future number one song on THO? Maybe... especially since four of the top five lost points this week, while Britney's #1 single "Womanizer" made a very small gain. Enjoy the chart this week!
Britney Spears - Circus
Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold" was only able to reign over the THO 100 for a single week. Britney Spears' "Womanizer" takes over the top spot this week, giving Spears her second #1 song of 2008. The first was "Piece Of Me," which hit #1 back in January. Only eight artists have had #1 songs in 2008, and now four of them have had two number ones: Spears, Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Coldplay. Overall, "Womanizer" is Britney's seventh #1 song. Her first #1 was "Oops!...I Did It Again" in 2000, after her first three hits peaked at #2 ("...Baby One More Time," "Sometimes," and "(You Drive Me) Crazy". She trails only Madonna and Mariah Carey for the most #1s on the Top Hits Online chart, which began in 1993.
This week on the THO 100 Pink spends a sixth week atop the chart with "So What." It becomes the third song in 2008 to spend as many weeks on top, following Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" and Madonna's "4 Seconds" (featuring Justin Timberlake). But with the song showing signs of fading, there might be a new #1 next week. The question is who? Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold" and Britney Spears' "Womanizer" seem to be the most likely candidates, but Beyonce's "If I Were A Boy" just bounced into the top 10 in only its third week on the chart. A little further down the chart, the largest point gain belongs to English band Razorlight. Their hit "Wire To Wire" sits at #27 after only two weeks and is #15 on the official UK chart.
