Jul 15 2009
Hannah Edges Out Mariah For Top 10 Debut
Mariah Carey was all smiles on the set of her new video for “Obsessed,” the lead single from her upcoming 11th studio record. She perhaps may be smiling less now that the track missed the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 this week. (picture courtesy of Reuters/Allison Joyce)
Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus scored her fourth top 10 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 this week- and in the process, left a veteran hitmaker out in the cold.
Montana’s “He Could Be the One,” from the Hannah Montana season three soundtrack, had virtually zero airplay in the last week, but sales of 150,735 copies were enough to place it at No. 10 on the new Hot 100. Right behind at No. 11 is Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed,” the lead single from her upcoming Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel album.
Such a lofty entry would be considered a triumph for most acts, but for someone as chart-fixated as Carey, it’s a disappointment. The track sold 118,925 units in its first week of digital release, according to Nielsen SoundScan, far less than the 286,000 that greeted “Touch My Body,” the lead single from 2008’s E=MC2.
Why the relatively cold reception? For one, Carey- who publicly apologized for her less-than-stellar rendition of ”I’ll Be There” at Michael Jackson’s memorial service last week- has not given radio or the public much of a chance to miss her. Following 2005’s smash The Emancipation of Mimi, Carey didn’t release the follow-up until three years later. However, selling less than 1.2 million units, E=MC2 was a commercial disappointment, probably leaving Carey anxious to get back to her chart-winning ways. Despite spawning an 18th No. 1 hit in “Body,” none of E=MC2’s other singles placed all that well on the charts: “Bye Bye” topped out at No. 19, while “I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time” stalled at No. 58. Furthermore, a fourth single “I Stay in Love,” failed to chart on either the Hot 100 or Bubbling Under charts.
If that were not enough, Carey also had a soundtrack single late last year that generated no interest. Tennessee’s “Right to Dream,” which with its quiet, restrained production, was a departure for Carey, did not come close to charting on the Hot 100. And, a collaboration with The-Dream on “My Love” got no higher than No. 82 earlier this year.
And now, “Obsessed”- a fairly generic slice of urban-pop, takes a swipe at Eminem, who has made some not-so-gentlemanly comments about his alleged relationship with Carey. The video (half of it, more like it) premiered at the end of NBC’s America’s Got Talent(hosted by her hubby Nick Cannon), and by the looks of it, likely won’t cause much of an upswing for the track. (Carey is scheduled to perform on the program August 5- but, judging by her past performance and their impact on sales, it also unlikely will provide much of a boost).
“Obsessed” is faring pretty well at urban and rhythmic top 40 radio, but mainstream top 40 has not jumped on the track as it has past Carey releases. The official impact date at the latter format comes later in the month, but no matter- for an act of Carey’s celebrity status, impact dates are formalities and don’t mean much of anything.
If “Obsessed” fizzles early, there’s little doubt that Carey will unleash the second single before the album drops. It likely will be a ballad, but even she cannot think she’ll score a hit along the lines of “We Belong Together” at this stage. That track spent 14 weeks atop the Hot 100, breaking airplay records in the process. While “Together” was the same old song, it was Carey’s best ballad in years and marked a remarkable commercial comeback for the diva.
Nowadays, Carey faces an ageist pop format (she’s either 39 or 40, depending on the source), and big airplay at top 40 radio will not come as easy as it once had. However, maybe she can score a top 10 hit with the second single, and add to her already impressive tally.
Both Carey and her mega-mega fans (affectionately known as lambs) should take comfort in any respectable level of success that comes her way. There is no law that says she has to score a No. 1 with each and every album release- but with the way she and fans obsess over her placement on the charts, perhaps they are reading a different lawbook than most.
