Oct 04 2009
Black Eyed Peas Set To Relinquish Top Spot
The Black Eyed Peas have been quite selfish on the Billboard Hot 100 as of late; between “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling,” the quarter has not given any other act a shot at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for the last half-year. (picture courtesy of AP/Joan Leong)
Gotta feeling that the Black Eyed Peas’ 14-week run atop the Billboard Hot 100 will cease this week? You’re not the only one.
The Peas’ ubiquitous summer anthem, “I Gotta Feeling,” just tied Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” for the longest stay at the top of the chart this decade. Aside from that impressive feat, the Peas have not budged from the top slot for the past 26 consecutive weeks: Prior to “Feeling,” “Boom Boom Pow” reigned for 12 weeks. This gives the Peas the record for most consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the Hot 100’s 51-year history.
To put the Peas’ streak into perspective, just one other single has spent more weeks at No. 1 since 1958- Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day,” which dominated for 16 weeks. In addition to Carey and the Peas, four other singles have logged 14 weeks atop the Hot 100: Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” “Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You,” Los Del Rio’s “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” and “Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997,” the latter which rivals Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas,” as the biggest-selling single of all time.
However, all good things eventually come to an E.N.D.(which, incidentally, is the title of the Peas’ current album, and stands for The Energy Never Dies). With declining airplay and sales, the Peas’ single likely will step aside for Jay Sean’s “Down” or Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” “Down” currently sits at No. 2, and is a smash at mainstream and rhythmic top 40 radio, and continues to sell well. Cyrus’ single is a runaway smash at mainstream top 40, and leads as the top-selling digital song in the country.
Also in the hunt is Jason DeRulo’s “Whatcha Say,” which like Sean’s single, is hot at mainstream and rhythmic top 40 radio and also lacks notable urban radio support. But, he’s a hot seller at iTunes and continues climbing in airplay points, so he could be a No. 1 challenger in the coming weeks.
One other single to watch is the new Britney Spears track, “3.” Released to radio just last week, it’s racking up major airplay at Spears’ core format (mainstream top 40). If “3″ debuts on the forthcoming Hot 100 on airplay alone, it will see a major jump the following week, upon its digital release this Tuesday (much like her “Womanizer” jumped 96-1 almost one year ago).
“3″ is the sole new track on Spears’ upcoming Singles Collection, the second hits compilation of her 11-year pop career; her first, Greatest Hits: My Prerogative, was released just five years ago to disappointing sales (less than 1.4 million sold in the USA, according to Nielsen SoundScan). Aside from a single disc, Jive Records also will issue a box set containing 29 of Spears’ singles.
One act who does not look to be in No. 1 contention anytime soon is Mariah Carey. Last year, she landed her 18th No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 with “Touch My Body,” but no single since has posed a challenge. Not that she needs to add any more chart feats to her already impressive stats, but for an act who has placed so much emphasis and importance on the charts, it may be a tad disappointing, especially to the dedicated mega-lambs who place just as much importance (if not more) on her chart showing.
Carey’s lead single from her just-released Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, “Obsessed,” looks to have peaked at lucky No. 7 on the Hot 100; it’s the singer’s first single to peak between Nos. 6 and 10. Previously, every one of her top 10 hits also reached the top five. The second single from Memoirs- a cover of Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is”- has yet to burn up the charts, and more than likely will not match the success of the album’s lead single. Nonetheless, Carey has an upcoming buzzed-about supporting role in the upcoming film Precious, which has received a number of pre-release accolades. Not bad for the star of Glitter.
