It’s P!nk and Paramore at the Top of the Charts

Pop powerhouse P!nk and punk poppers Paramore make it ladies week on the Billboard Charts as they top the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 Album tallies. On the latter list, Paramore nabs their first chart topper with their new self titled album which narrowly holds off the latest from Brad Paisley, Wheelhouse. Other top ten debuts this week come from Eric Church, Tyga, rockers Volbeat and Stone Sour. Falling down to # 3 after three weeks on top is Justin Timberlake with The 20/20 Experience, but he can take solace on the singles chart as “Mirrors” hits # 7 giving him two top ten singles from the disc. More on the singles chart in a bit, but in the meantime check out the new Albums chart below.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Paramore- Paramore (debut)
2. Wheelhouse- Brad Paisley (debut)
3. The 20/20 Experience- Justin Timberlake (last week~ 1)
4. Based on a True Story- Blake Shelton (lw~ 4)
5. Caught in the Act: Live- Eric Church (debut)
6. Pioneer- The Band Perry (lw~ 2)
7. Hotel California- Tyga (debut)
8. I Am Not a Human Being II- Lil Wayne (lw~ 5)
9. Outlaw Gentelmen & Shady Ladies- Volbeat (debut)
10. House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 2- Stone Sour (debut)

Back on the Hot 100 singles chart, P!nk nabs her fourth chart topper as her duet with fun.’s Nate Reuss “Just Give Me a Reason” charges up from # 3. P!nk previously hit the top with “So What”, “Raise Your Glass” and “Lady Marmalade” with Christina Aguilera, Mya and Lil Kim. While this is only her 4th overall # 1, P!nk has had over ten # 1 Pop hits and Adult Pop hits… P!nk boots out Bruno Mars but will have to fend off some newcomers to the top-tier as the aforementioned Timberlake flies up to # 7 with hist twelfth top ten hit “Mirrors” just behind his other hit “Suit & Tie” and Demi Lovato‘s “Heart Attack” which charges into the top ten at # 10… For more on all the charts, head to Billboard here and check out the new top ten below.

Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “Just Give Me a Reason”- P!nk & Nate Reuss (lw~ 3)
2. “Thrift Shop”- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (lw~ 2)
3. “When I Was Your Man”- Bruno Mars (lw~ 1)
4. “Stay”- Rihanna w/ Mikky Ekko (lw~ 4)
5. “Cant Hold Us”- Macklmore & Ryan Lewis w. Ray Dalton (lw~ 7)
6. “Suit & Tie”- Justin Timberlake w. Jay Z (lw~ 5)
7. “Mirrors”- Justin Timberlake (lw~ 12)
8. “Feel this Moment”- Pitbull w. Christina Aguilera (lw~ 10)
9. “Started from the Bottom”- Drake (lw~ 9)
10. “Heart Attack”- Demi Lovato (lw~ 15)

And here’s the # 1 song in the nation, P!nk’s & Nate Reuss with “Just Give Me a Reason” which I am currently predicting will nab 3 Grammy nominations next year including Record and Song of the Year.

Bon Jovi is Back on Top of the Billboard Charts

80′s rock icons Bon Jovi just don’t know how to quit. This fantastic band lands their 5th # 1 album on the Billboard 200 Chart with their new release, What About Now, which got an added boost from their appearance on last week’s American Idol. The group hold off a bunch of new releases from Eric Clapton, Dave Grohl, Mindless Behavior and David Bowie who grabs his highest charting album (EVER!) with his new one The Next Day which debuts in the runner-up spot. Bowie previously peaked at # 3 with Station to Station in 1976…. For more on these new albums and the full album chart, head to Billboard here. Take a look at the new top ten below.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. What About Now- Bon Jovi (debut)
2. The Next Day- David Bowie (debut)
3. Spring Break… Here to Party- Luke Bryan (last week~ 1)
4. Passion: Let the Future Begin- Various Artists (debut)
5. Unorthodox Jukebox- Bruno Mars (lw~ 3)
6. All Around the World- Mindless Behavior (debut)
7. Old Sock- Eric Clapton (debut)
8. Sound City: Real to Reel- Dave Grohl (debut)
9. Babel- Mumford & Sons (lw~ 4)
10. People, Hell and Angels- Jimi Hendrix (lw~ 2)

And here’s the leadoff single from Bon Jovi’s new record, the anthem “Because We Can”. Enjoy

Over on the Hot 100 Singles chart, Baauer remains on top for a 5th week with the viral phenom “Harlem Shake” but it’s losing its grip fast. Next week, Bruno Mars could finally hit the top with “When I Was Your Man” or a fast rising Justin Timberlake with “Suit & Tie”. And watch out for P!nk who grabs her 14th top ten single with the brilliant “Just Give Me a Reason” duet with Nate Reuss of fun. which flies up to # 8…. For all the singles charts, head to Billboard and check out the new top ten below.

Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “Harlem Shake”- Baauer (last week~ 1)
2. “Thrift Shop”- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (lw~ 2)
3. “When I Was Your Man”- Bruno Mars (lw~ 4)
4. “Suit & Tie”- Justin Timberlake w/ Jay Z (lw~ 5)
5. “Stay”- Rihanna w/ Mikky Ekko (lw~ 4)
6. “Started from the Bottom”- Drake (lw~ 7)
7. “I Knew You Were Trouble”- Taylor Swift (lw~ 6)
8. “Just Give Me a Reason”- P!nk w/Nate Reuss (lw~ 18)
9. “Scream & Shout”- Will.I.Am w/ Britney Spears (lw~8)
10. “Feel This Moment”- Pitbull w/ Christina Aguilera (lw~ 13)

The Grammy Awards Spread the Love on a Very fun. Night

Tonight’s Grammy Awards were filled with some great performances, some surprise winners and a really happy Kelly Clarkson. No one artist dominated the night as the love was spread out with wins for all the big nominees. In the big 4 categories, Gotye picked up Record of the Year for “Somebody that I Used to Know” (along with 2 other awards) and Mumford & Sons won Album of the Year (Babel) while fun. grabbed Song of the Year for “We Are Young” and Best New Artist. Other winners included Adele, Frank Ocean, Carrie Underwood, Jay Z, Beyonce, The Black Keys, Zac Brown Band, and an overjoyed Clarkson who took home Pop Album and had the best speech of the night. She also gave arguably the best performance with her brilliant tribute to Carole King and the late Patti Page… Other standout performances came from Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars with Sting, Damian and Ziggy Marley, The Lumineers, Elton John & Ed Sheerhan, and the aforementioned Underwood. Check here tomorrow for more on the performances and the show. In the meantime, check out the winners in the big categories below. Then, head to the Grammy website for all the winners.

2013 Grammy Award Winners:

Album of the Year: Babel- Mumford & Sons
Record of the Year: “Somebody that I Used to Know”- Gotye w.Kimbra
Song of the Year: “We Are Young”- fun.
New Artist: fun.

Pop Album: Stronger- Kelly Clarkson
Pop Solo: “Set Fire to the Rain”- Adele
Pop Duo/Group/Collaboration: “Somebody that I Used to Know”- Gotye w/Kimbra
Traditional Pop Album: My Funny Valentine- Paul McCartney
Dance Recording: “Bangarang”- Skrillex
Dance Album: Bangarang- Skrillex

Country Album: Uncaged- Zac Brown Band
Country Song: “Blown Away”
Country Solo: “Blown Away”- Carrie Underwood
Country Duo/Group/Collaboration: “Pontoon”- Little Big Town

R& B Performance: “Climax”- Usher
Traditional R & B Performance: “Love on Top”- Beyonce
R & B Song: “Adorn”- Miguel
Urban Contemporary Album: Channel ORANGE- Frank Ocean
R & B Album: “Black Radio” by Robert Glasper Experiment

Rock Album: El Camino- The Black Keys
Rock Performance: “Lonely Boy”- The Black Keys
Rock Song: “Lonely Boy”
Alternative Album: Making Mirrors- Gotye

Rap Album: Take Care- Drake
Rap Sung Collaboration: “No Church in the Wild” by Jay-Z & Kanye West, featuring Frank Ocean & The-Dream
Rap Performance: “N****s In Paris” by Jay-Z & Kanye West

Short Form Music Video: “We Found Love”- Rihanna w/Calvin Harris
Musical Theatre Album: Once
Compilation Motion Picture Soundtrack: Midnight in Paris
Original Film Score: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Song Written for Visual Media: “Safe & Sound”- The CIvil Wars & Taylor Swift (from The Hunger Games)
Comedy Album: Blow Your Pants Off- Jimmy Fallon

And here’s Kelly Clarkson’s amazing performance of “Tennessee Waltz/(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman”

It’s Time for my Big Bold 2013 Grammy Award Winner Predictions

Sunday night is the biggest night in the music industry with the Grammy Awards airing on CBS. Some of the big nominees include fun., The Black Keys, Mumford & Sons, Kelly Clarkson, Frank Ocean and Hunter Hayes, but just who will win? … Well, let’s take a look at my big, bold, but totally unscientific predictions below and see… Then, watch the show Sunday night with performances from the above mentioned artists plus Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Justin Timberlake at 8pm on CBS.

My Big Bold 2013 Grammy Award Winner Predicitons~

Record of the Year:
“Lonely Boy”- The Black Keys, “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”- Kelly Clarkson, “We Are Young”- fun. w/Janelle Monae, “Somebody that I Used to Know”- Gotye, “Thinking ‘Bout You”- Frank Ocean, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”- Taylor Swift
Will Win: “Somebody that I Used to Know”
Should win: “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
~ spoiler: “We Are Young”

Song of the Year (award to the songwriter)
“The A Team” (Ed Sheerhan), “Adorn” (Miguel), “Call Me Maybe” (Carly Rae Jepson), “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” (Kelly Clarkson), “We Are Young” (fun.)
Will win: “We Are Young”
Should win: “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
Spoiler: “The A Team”

Album of the Year:
El Camino- The Black Keys, Some Nights- fun., Babel- Mumford & Sons, channel ORANGE- Frank Ocean, Blunderbuss 2- Jack White
Will win: Mumford & Sons
Should win: fun
Spoiler: The Black Keys

Best New Artist:
Alabama Shakes, fun., Hunter Hayes, Frank Ocean, The Lumineers
Will & Should win: fun.
spoiler: Frank Ocean

Best Pop Solo Performance:
“Set Fire to the Rain”- Adele, “Call Me Maybe”- Carly Rae Jepsen, “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”- Kelly Clarkson, “Wide Awake”- Katy Perry, “Where Have You Been?”- Rihanna
Will & Should win: Kelly Clarkson
Spoiler: Adele

Pop Duo/Group/Collaboration:
“Shake It Out”- Florence + the Machine, “We Are Young”- fun. w/Janelle Monae, “Somebody that I Used to Know”- Gotye w/Kimbra, “Sexy and I Know It”- LMFAO, “Payphone”- Maroon 5 w/Wiz Khalifa
Will & Should win: fun.
Spoiler: Gotye w/Kimbra
Pop Album:
Stronger- Kelly Clarkson, Ceremonials- Florence + the Machine, Some Nights- fun., Overexposed- Maroon 5, The Truth About Love- Pink
Will win: fun.
Should win: P!nk
Spoiler: Kelly Clarkson

Country Solo Performance:
“Home”- DIerks Bentley, “Springsteen”- Eric Church, “Cost of Livin’”- Ronnie Dunn, “Wanted”- Hunter Hayes, “Over”- Blake Shelton, “Blown Away”- Carrie Underwood
Will & Should win: Carrie Underwood
Spoiler: Blake Shelton or Eric Church

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg in some of the biggest categories. If you’d like to know my thoughts in the other fields like Rock and Dance, shoot me a private message. In the meantime, please enjoy my favorite Grammy nominated song and artist, Miss Kelly Clarkson with “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” below.

First Look~ P!nk’s New Video for “Just Give Me A Reason”

P!nk has already had two big smashes from her current Grammy nominated album The Truth About Love with “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” and “Try”. Now, and it looks like she’s going to make it a hat trick. Today, the Grammy winner released her new video for the third single from the album, “Just Give Me A Reason” featuring fun.’s Nate Reuss. The duet is my favorite song from this fantastic album and it’s another great video. Watch for this one to fly up the Pop, AC, Adult Top 40 and Hot 100 charts in no time, and see if P!nk and fun. win Grammys this Sunday night on CBS. For more on P!nk and her current tour head here.

P!nk with Nate Reuss “Just Give Me A Reason”

Adele and Gotye are Music’s Biggest Sellers in 2012

Adele ruled the Album Charts throughout 2011 and again in 2012 with her massive smash 21. According to Billboard, she sold another 4.41 million again to have the top-selling album of the year for two years running (and over 10 million to date). The Grammy winning singer held off Taylor Swift and two albums by boy band One Direction not to mention five country albums in the top ten. Take a look at the top sellers of the year below.

Top Selling Albums of 2012:
1. 21- Adele (4.41 million)
2. Red- Taylor Swift (3.11 million)
3. Up All Night- One Direction (1.62 million)
4. Babel- Mumford & Sons (1.46 million)
5. Take Me Home- One Direction (1.34 million)
6. Believe- Justin Bieber (1.34 million)
7. Blown Away- Carrie Underwood (1.2 million)
8. Tailgates & Tanlines- Luke Bryan (1.1 million)
9. Tuskegee- Lionel Richie (1.07 million)
10. Night Train- Jason Aldean (1.04 million)

As for the top-selling digital singles of the year, newcomer Gotye was one of five new artists to land in the year-end top ten. Gotye’s “Somebody that I Used to Know” was the big winner selling 6.8 million to lead over fellow newbie Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” with 6.4 million. The other new artists in the top ten were Psy, One Direction and fun. who grabbed two spots in the final list (as did Maroon 5). Take a look at the biggest selling singles of the year below and head to Billboard here for more info on all the year-end charts and sales figures.

Top Ten Selling Singles of 2012:
1. “Somebody that I Used to Know”- Gotye w/Kimbra (6.8 million)
2. “Call Me Maybe”- Carly Rae Jepsen (6.47 million)
3. “We Are Young”- fun. w/Janelle Monae (5.95 million)
4. “Payphone”- Maroon 5 w/Wiz Khalifa (4.76 million)
5. “Starships”- Nicki Minaj (3. 98 million)
6. “What Makes You Beautiful”- One Direction (3.89 million)
7. “Some Nights”- fun. (3.84 million)
8. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”- Kelly Clarkson (3. 82 million)
9. “Gangnam Style”- Psy (3.59 million)
10. “One More Night”- Maroon 5 (3.46 million)

And here’s the biggest selling single of 2012 by Gotye.

Today’s Grammy Nominations Sure are a lot of fun.

fun. dominated tonight’s Grammy nominations landing in 6 categories including the big four: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best New Artist. They are the first group to contend in all four categories in Grammy history. Also grabbing 6 nods were Frank Ocean, Mumford & Sons, Kanye West and Jay Z. Multiple noms went to The Black Keyes, Hunter Hayes, Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift while my favorite, Kelly Clarkson, also picked up 3 nominations including Record of the Year for “Stronger” becoming the first American Idol vet to land in this category…. Take a look at all the big nominees below and check back for a more in-depth analysis tomorrow. Head to the Grammy website here for all of the nominees and find out which category pits the current First Lady Michelle Obama against Former President Bill Clinton.

2012 Grammy Nominees:

Album Of The Year:
“El Camino” — The Black Keys
“Some Nights” — FUN.
“Babel” — Mumford & Sons
“Channel Orange” — Frank Ocean
“Blunderbuss” — Jack White

Record Of The Year:
“Lonely Boy” — The Black Keys
“Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” — Kelly Clarkson
“We Are Young” — FUN. Featuring Janelle Monáe
“Somebody That I Used To Know” — Gotye Featuring Kimbra
“Thinkin Bout You” — Frank Ocean
“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” — Taylor Swift

Best New Artist:
Alabama Shakes
FUN.
Hunter Hayes
The Lumineers
Frank Ocean

Song Of The Year:
“The A Team” — Ed Sheeran, songwriter (Ed Sheeran)
“Adorn” — Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel)
“Call Me Maybe” — Tavish Crowe, Carly Rae Jepsen & Josh Ramsay, songwriters (Carly Rae Jepsen)
“Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” — Jörgen Elofsson, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin & Ali Tamposi,
songwriters (Kelly Clarkson)
“We Are Young” — Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (FUN. Featuring
Janelle Monáe)

Best Pop Solo Performance:
“Set Fire To The Rain (Live)” — Adele
“Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” — Kelly Clarkson      
“Call Me Maybe” — Carly Rae Jepsen
“Wide Awake” — Katy Perry
“Where Have You Been” — Rihanna

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:
“Shake It Out” — Florence & The Machine
“We Are Young” — FUN. Featuring Janelle Monáe
“Somebody That I Used To Know” — Gotye Featuring Kimbra
“Sexy And I Know It” — LMFAO
“Payphone” — Maroon 5 & Wiz Khalifa

Best Pop Album:
Stronger- Kelly Clarkson
Some Nights- fun.
Ceremonials- Florence + the Machine
Overexposed- Maroon 5
The Truth About Love- P!nk

Dance Recording:
“Levels”- Avicil
“Lets Go”- Calvin Harris w/ NeYo
“Bangarang”- Skrillex
“Don’t You Worry Child”- Swedish House Mafia w/ John Martin
“I Cant Live Without You”- Al Wasler

Dance/Electronica Album:
Wonderland- Steve Aoki
Don’t Think- The Chemical Brothers
Album Title Goes Here- Deadmau5
Fire & Ice- Kaskade
Bangarang- Skrillex

Traditional Pop Album:
Christmas- Michael Buble
A Holiday Carole- Carole King
Kisses on the Bottom- Paul McCartney

Best Rock Album:
The Black Keys, El Camino
Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto
Muse, The 2nd Law
Bruce Springsteen, Wrecking Ball
Jack White, Blunderbuss

Best Alternative Music Album:
Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel…
Bjork, Biophilia
Gotye, Making Mirrors
M83, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
Tom Waits, Bad as Me

Best Rap Album:
Drake, Take Care
Lupe Fiasco, Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt. 1
Nas, Life Is Good
The Roots, Undun
Rick Ross, God Forgives, I Don’t
2 Chainz, Based on a T.R.U. Story

Best Country Album:
Zac Brown Band, Uncaged
Hunter Hayes, Hunter Hayes
Jamey Johnson, Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran
Miranda Lambert, For the Record
The Time Jumpers, The Time Jumpers

Country Solo Performance:
Dierks Bentley, “Home”
Eric Church, “Springsteen”
Hunter Hayes, “Wanted”  
Ronnie Dunn, “Cost of Livin’”
Blake Shelton, “Over”
Carrie Underwood, “Blown Away”

Country Performance Duo/Group/Collaboration:
“Even If Your Heart Breaks”- Eli Young Band
“Pontoon”- Little Big Town
“Safe & Sound”- Taylor Swift & The Civil Wars
“On the Outskirts of Town”-The Time Jumpers
“I Just Come Here for the Music”-Don Williams w/ Allison Krauss

Comedy Album:
Blow Your Pants Off- Jimmy Fallon
Cho Dependent (Live in Concert)- Margaret Cho
In God We Rust- Lewis Black
Kathy Griffin: Seamen 1st Class- Kathy Griffin
Mr. Universe- Jim Gaffigan
Rize of the Fenix- Tenacious D

Best Musical Theater Cast Album:
Follies
The Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess
Newsies
Nice Work if You Can Get It
Once

Compilation Soundtrack:
The Descendants
Marley
Midnight in Paris
The Muppets
Rock of Ages

Best Score Soundtrack:
The Adventures of Tin Tin
The Artist
The Dark Knight Rises
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Journey

Best Song Written for Visual Media (award to the songwriters):
“Abraham’s Daughter”- written & performed by Arcade Fire (The Hunger Games)
“Learn Me Right”- written & performed by Mumford & Sons (Brave)
“Let Me Be Your Star”- performed by Katharine McPhee & Megan Hilty, written by Marc Shaiman & Scott Witman (Smash)
“Man or Muppet”- performed by Jason Segel & Walter, written by Brett McKenzie (The Muppets)
“Safe & Sound”- written & performed by The Civil Wars and Taylor Swift (The Hunger Games)

Dave Matthews Band and Maroon 5 Rule the Charts

Grammy winning rockers Dave Matthews Band land their 6th consecutive # 1 album (a record for groups) on the Billboard 200 proving that 90′s nostalgia is in full swing following top ten albums earlier this year from that era by the likes of Soul Asylum and Alanis Morissette. (That’s good news for No Doubt and Green Day who will return to the charts in the next few weeks.) Dave and his cohorts beat out 6 other debuts in the top ten by Little Big town, Bob Dylan, ZZ Top, the xx, the Avett Brothers and newcomer Amanda Palmer. To see where they all landed, check out the top ten below and head to Billboard here for more info on all the charts.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Away from the World- Dave Matthews Band (debut)
2. Tornado- Little Big Town (debut)
3. Tempest- Bob Dylan (debut)
4. The Carpenter- The Avett Brothers (debut)
5. Coexist- the xx (debut)
6. La Futura- ZZ Top (debut)
7. Night Visions- Imagine Dragons (last week~ 2)
8. North- matchbox twenty (lw~ 1)
9. Now 43 compilation- Various Artists (lw~ 4)
10. Theatre is Evil- Amanda Palmer (debut)

Over on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, Maroon 5 pick up their third # 1 single as “One More Night” climbs to the top surpassing the #2 peak of their last single “Payphone”. The boys should enjoy their run because P!nk and fun. are hot on their tail. Take a look at the top ten below and for more on every chart, head back to Billboard here.

Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “One More Night”- Maroon 5 (last week~ 2)
2. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”- Taylor Swift (lw~ 1)
3. “Some Nights”- fun. (lw~ 4)
4. “Whistle” -Flo Rida (lw~ 3)
5. “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)”- P!nk (lw~ 6)
6. “As Long As You Love Me”- Justin Bieber w/ Big Sean (lw~ 7)
7. “Lights”- Ellie Goulding (lw~ 5)
8. “Too Close”- Alex Clare (lw~ 10)
9. “Good Time”- Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen (lw~ 9)
10. “Everybody Talks”- Owl City (lw~8)

And here’s a fun little treat… please enjoy Little Big Town’s # 1 country hit “Pontoon” from their new #2 pop and # 1 country album. I saw this band open for Carrie Underwood a couple of years back and they’re great. Enjoy… Oh and tell me what you think this crazy song is actually about…
Little Big Town “Pontoon”

Flo Rida Whistles his Way Back to the Top of the Charts

Flo Rida is probably never ever gonna get together with Taylor Swift, that’s for sure. Especially since she booted him out of the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 two weeks ago. However, this week, he fights back as his great dance track “Whistle” returns to the summit pushing Swift’s ludicrous “We are Never Ever Getting Back Together” down to # 2…. We’ll see how the battle plays out next week with fun. and Maroon 5 hot on their heels not to mention a hot new contender with Neon Trees who grab their first top ten single as “Everybody Talks” flies up from # 11 to # 6…. For more on all these acts and the Hot 100, head to Billboard here and take a look at the new top ten below.

Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “Whistle”- Flo Rida (last week~ 2)
2. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”- Taylor Swift (lw~ 2)
3. “One More Night”- Maroon 5 (lw~ 4)
4. “Lights”- Ellie Goulding (lw~ 3)
5. “Some Nights”- fun. (lw~ 5)
6. “Everybody Talks”- Neon Trees (lw~ 11)
7. “Wide Awake”- Katy Perry (lw~ 7)
8. “Good Time”- Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen (lw~ 9)
9. “As Long As You Love Me”- Justin Bieber w/ Big Sean (lw~ 10)
10. “Call Me Maybe”- Carly Rae Jepsen (lw~ 6)

Over on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart, Christian artist TobyMac grab their first # 1 album debuting on top with Eye On It, the first Christian act to hit the top since 1997. Also debuting in the top ten this week are Slaughterhouse at # 2 and Alanis Morrisette at # 5 with her 6th top ten album. Returning to the top ten as well is Carrie Underwood‘s Blown Away and Adele’s 21 after a single week out of the upper region. This now gives her an astounding 79 non-consecutive weeks in the top ten landing her in third place for the longest running top ten albums (behind only The Sound of Music soundtrack and Bruce Springsteen‘s Born in the U.S.A.)…. For more on all these numbers and albums, head to Billboard here and check out the new top ten below.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Eye on It- TobyMac (debut)
2. Welcome to Our House- Slaughterhouse (debut)
3. Chapter V- Trey Songz (lw~ 1)
4. Now 43- Various Artists (lw~ 3)
5. Havoc and Bright Lights- Alanis Morissette (debut)
6. Overexposed- Maroon 5 (lw~ 6)
7. Based on a T.R.U. Story- 2 Chainz (lw~ 2)
8. Blown Away- Carrie Underwood (lw~ 21)
9. Some Nights- fun. (lw~ 11)
10. 21- Adele (lw~ 12)

And here’s a little treat for you…. Enjoy Alanis Morissette’s fantastic new single “Guardian” from her new album Havoc and Bright Lights.

Taylor Swift is “Back” on Top of the Charts

Teen titan turned worldwide Grammy winning phenom Taylor Swift finally has a # 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100. After two songs topped out in the runner up spot, “You Belong with Me” and “Today was a Fairytale”, her brand new single, the terribly juvenile and derivative “We are Never Ever Getting Back Together”, flies up from #72 to the top. It also sets the record for most downloads ever in one week by a female artist and the second biggest week for a downloaded song in history with 623,000 copies sold. Clearly, Taylor’s fans are pretty darn devoted. We’ll see how the song holds up in the weeks ahead but radio formats across the board seem to love it. I find that rather curious especially for her home format, Country, where the song debuts at # 13 on the country chart despite the song being completely pop… Well, what do I know is that I’m clearly in the minority as someone who doesn’t like it…. A song I do like though is fun.‘s “Some Nights” which also charges up to more spots to # 6 and could be a future contender for the top. We’ll see if fun. or last week’s chart leader Flo Rida can return to the summit next week. In the meantime, head to Billboard here for more on Taylor and her accomplishment and check out the new top ten below.

Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “We are Never Ever Getting Back Together”- Taylor Swift (last week~ 72)
2. “Whistle”- Flo Rida (lw~ 1)
3. “Lights”- Ellie Goulding (lw~ 2)
4. “Call Me Maybe”- Carly Rae Jepsen (lw~ 3_
5. “Wide Awake”- Katy Perry (lw~ 4)
6. “Some Nights”- fun. (lw~8)
7. “Payphone”- Maroon 5 w/Wiz Khalifa (lw~ 5)
8. “As Long as You Love Me”- Justin Bieber w/Big Sean (lw~ 12)
9. “One More Night”- Maroon 5 (lw~ 15)
10. “Titanium”- David Guetta w/Sia (lw~ 7)

Over on the Billboard 200 Albums chart, 2 Chainz grabs his first # 1 album with his debut, Based on a T.R.U. Story. He holds off debuts by Insane Clown Posse and Yellowcard in a rather blah week on that chart. Check out the new list below.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Based on a T.R.U. Story- 2 Chainz (debut)
2. Now 43- Various Artists (lw~ 1)
3. God Forgives, I Don’t- Rick Ross (lw~ 2)
4. Mighty Death Pop- Insane Clown Posse (debut)
5. Overexposed- Maroon 5 (lw~ 11)
6. Believe- Justin Bieber (lw~ 7)
7. Up All Night- One Direction (lw~8)
8. 21- Adele (lw~ 9)
9. Uncaged- Zac Brown Band (lw~ 6)
10. Southern Air- Yellow Card (debut)