'Girls' has it -- radio's No. 1 again

It's unlikely to match Beyonce's 12 weeks at No. 1 on the national radio airplay audience chart for Irreplaceable, but Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry is shaping up to be a major multi-week No. 1. This week it racks up its fourth week at the top, according to Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records, and the active competition is situated a comfortable distance below her audience total. Two more weeks would appear to be the minimum she can expect, and if the breaks go her way she could add to that total.

Fabolous' Make Me Better remains at No. 2, dropping slightly in total audience for the second straight week. Then come Timbaland's The Way I Are, up slightly; T-Pain's Bartender, dropping for the first time; Plies' Shawty, still climbing and a possible No. 1 contender; and Keyshia Cole's Let It Go, climbing at a faster rate than Plies but with a greater distance to make up.

The rest of the top 10 is made up of the declining Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's and Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston, followed by the debuts of Soulja Boy's Crank That (a future No. 1 contender) and Elliott Yamin's Wait for You. More details and cryptic commentary follow.

Fergie rolls on unchallenged after not-so-Fabolous week

The potential showdown for No. 1 on the national radio airplay audience chart this week between Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry and Fabolous' Make Me Better fizzled. Fergie, who had dropped in total audience the previous week, according to Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records stats, regained her momentum with a slight increase in audience. Meanwhile, Fabolous dropped slightly in total audience and, while still a solid No. 2, looks unlikely to mount a further challenge for the top spot.

That means the next round of challengers would be drawn from the ranks of the Nos. 3-4-5 songs: T-Pain's Bartender, Timbaland's The Way I Are and Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's. All had solid increases in audience (Plain White T's reversing a slight decline the previous week), but all their totals are a considerable distance from Fergie, who should have No. 1 locked up for next week and maybe the week beyond.

The rest of the top 10 is made up of holdovers: Sean Kingston's Beautiful Girls, Plies' Shawty, Keyshia Cole's Let It Go, Rihanna's Umbrella and T-Pain's Buy U a Drank.

More detail, handicapping and chart news follows.

Fergie collects a second week at No. 1

Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry is No. 1 again on the national radio airplay audience chart, but it's not an unqualified triumph. The song is down in total audience, according to Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records' calculations, and Fabolous' Make Me Better, which climbs to No. 2, has a good shot of overtaking it next week.

The rest of the top 10: Sean Kingston's Beautiful Girls, T-Pain's Bartender, Rihanna's Umbrella, Timbaland's The Way I Are, Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's (written in this form, in case you were wondering, which I doubt considerably, so I don't have to use the awkward "Plain White T's' Hey There Delilah structure), Plies' Shawty, T-Pain's Buy U a Drank and the debut of Keyshia Cole's Let It Go.

Further detail and snarkitude follows.

Fergie scores a 'Big' No. 1

Fergie scores her first No. 1 on the national radio airplay audience chart, as Big Girls Don't Cry made Sean Kingston's No. 1 reign a short one by knocking Beautiful Girls down to No. 2 after its sole week at the top. Fergie's 6% gain in total audience and Kingston's 5% drop, according to Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records, were enough to give Fergie a slim degree of supremacy on the chart.

The rest of the top 10 is made up of Fabolous' Make Me Better, Rihanna's Umbrella, T-Pain's Bartender, Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's, T-Pain's Buy U a Drank, Timbaland's The Way I Are, the top 10 debut of Plies' Shawty, and Shop Boyz' Party Like a Rockstar.

All your cherished detail follows.

'Girls' closes 'Umbrella''s radio reign

Finally, a changing of the guard on the national radio airplay audience chart. Sean Kingston's Beautiful Girls backs into No. 1 (meaning its total audience went down this week), as Rihanna's Umbrella finally toppled from the top spot after four weeks with a sizable audience drop, according to Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records.

Kingston's reign at No. 1 is unlikely to be lengthy, as Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry climbs to No. 3 this week and is on pace to attract more audience than Kingston next week.

Rounding out the top 10 are hits by Fabolous, two by T-Pain (Buy U a Drank followed by Bartender), Plain White T's, Shop Boyz, the debut of Timbaland's The Way I Are, and Hurricane Chris.

More fun with numbers follows.

'Umbrella' shades 'Girls' for No. 1 spot

In an extremely close race, Rihanna's Umbrella attracted slightly more radio listeners than Sean Kingston's Beautiful Girls and earned a fourth week at No. 1 on the national airplay audience chart. As determined by the combined informational resources of Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records, Rihanna picked up about 119 million audience impressions (number of plays on radio stations across the country multiplied by number of estimated listeners at the time of each play). Kingston had slightly more than 117 million and looks like the favorite to take No. 1 next week.

The rest of the top 10 features hits by T-Pain (Buy U a Drank), Fergie, Fabolous, Shop Boyz, T-Pain again (Bartender), Plain White T's, Justin Timberlake and the debut of Hurricane Chris' A Bay Bay. Much greater and arguably more fascinating detail follows.

Another week at the top for 'Umbrella'

As expected, Rihanna's Umbrella coasts to a third week at No. 1 on the national radio airplay audience chart compiled by Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records. But it loses total audience for the first time, a 5.5% drop, while Sean Kingston's Beautiful Girls hops to No. 2 on the strength of a 5.1% audience gain. Right now they're 13 million audience impressions apart. Rihanna lost about 7.5 million impressions this week; Kingston gained nearly 6 million. So if those paces are maintained, there would be a new No. 1 next week.

Rounding out the top 10 are hits by T-Pain, Fergie, Ship Boyz, Fabolous, Justin Timberlake, the debuts of T-Pain's Bartender and Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's, and Daughtry.

All the detail you've come to expect follows.

Rihanna holds sway over stagnant top 10

Commercial radio is hitting the summer doldrums, as no new song enters the top 10 for the second straight week on the national radio airplay audience chart. Rihanna's Umbrella easily notches a second week at No. 1, according to Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records, as former No. 1 Buy U a Drank, by T-Pain, continues to lose audience (while remaining at No. 2) and fast riser Beautiful Girls, by Sean Kingston, slows down a little even as it climbs from No. 4 to No. 3. Rihanna now seems assured of a least another week at No. 1, possibly more.

The rest of the top 10 is populated by familiar hits from Shop Boyz, Fergie, Fabolous, Justin Timberlake, Daughtry, Maroon 5 and Carrie Underwood. All the details and signs of life beneath the top 10 follow.

The 100 top radio songs of 2007 (so far)

The final national radio airplay audience chart for the first half of 2007 is in, so it's time to list the biggest hits of the year to date, according to data from Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records and skillfully massaged by Anthony DeBarros. And here they are:

1. Beyonce, Irreplaceable: Seven weeks at No. 1 in 2007 proper. Its lead would probably have been insurmountable had it not spent much of its early chart life in the last 10 weeks of 2006.

2. Nelly Furtado, Say It Right: A bit of a surprise, since it never hit No. 1, but it was a top 10 fixture for months. I'm not going to argue; it's my second-favorite radio hit of the year. (My fave is also in the top 10.)

3. Akon, Don't Matter: One of three songs he's on in the top 20. Six weeks at No. 1.

4. T-Pain w/Yung Joc, Buy U a Drank: Eight weeks at No. 1, the champ in that department so far this calendar year.

5. Lloyd w/Lil' Wayne, You: One week at No. 1.

6. Robin Thicke, Lost Without U: A breakthrough hit.

7. Gwen Stefani w/Akon, The Sweet Escape: No. 1 download of the year so far.

8. Justin Timberlake, What Goes Around ... : My favorite pop hit of the year.

9. Mims, This Is Why I'm Hot: Two weeks at No. 1. Don't ask me why.

10. Daughtry, It's Not Over: Top Idol on the airplay chart.

Nos. 11-100 (if my energy holds out) follow.

'Umbrella' reigns over airplay chart

As seemed inevitable, Rihanna's Umbrella opens up a sizable lead on the national radio airplay audience chart, and should occupy that spot for at least the next couple of weeks. T-Pain's Buy U a Drank drops to No. 2 after eight weeks at the top, according to Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records. Shop Boyz' Party Like a Rockstar slows down and remains at No. 3, followed by Sean Kingston's Beautiful Girls, close behind at No. 4 and now the biggest threat to Rihanna's supremacy over the long run.

The rest of the top 10 is made up of Justin Timberlake's Summer Love, Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry, Daughtry's Home, Fabolous' Make Me Better, Maroon 5's Makes Me Wonder and Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats. More detail and chart facts follow, and in a separate post, look for the top songs of 2007's first half.

Last call for 'Drank' at radio

T-Pain's Buy U a Drank eked out one final week, its eighth, on top of the national radio airplay audience chart, according to Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records. But Rihanna's Umbrella is closing fast, and barring an unforeseen airplay catastrophe, seems assured of taking over the No. 1 slot next week.

Following behind in the top 10 are Shop Boyz, Sean Kingston, Justin Timberlake, Daughtry, the top 10 debut of Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry, Carrie Underwood, Maroon 5 and the top 10 debut of Fabolous' Make Me Better.

More details follow. Also, for related content, check out what the top 10 songs are really saying in a new recurring Monday feature.

This 'Drank' is on radio ... again

Sorry this took so long -- our resident database whiz is out this week, so I've been hand-compiling some of the background information he usually adds to the raw airplay audience standings kindly compiled by Nielsen BDS based on BDS and Arbitron data with the input of Radio & Records. And my hand-compiling is not exactly a model of speed and efficiency.

Nonetheless, here's this week's results, which show T-Pain's Buy U a Drank retaining the No. 1 spot for week No. 7, and showing unexpected endurance (that's one strong Drank) in the process -- it's down less than 1% in total audience.

That means Rihanna's Umbrella may face a tougher path to the top -- it was up nearly 10% in audience, but is still well behind T-Pain and may not have enough strength left to take over No. 1 by the time radio's ready to cut down on its drankin'. Her best bet may be to join forces with T-Pain for an Umbrella Drank.

Complicating the situation further are Shop Boyz' resurgently hot Party Like a Rockstar (No. 3 again but with double-digit audience growth) and radio's hottest new hit, Sean Kingston's Beautiful Girls, which jumps to No. 4 and shows every sign of becoming a No. 1 of the future.

The rest of the top 10 is made up of hits by Justin Timberlake, Daughtry, Maroon 5, Carrie Underwood, Lloyd and Pink. Detailed analysis and more fun facts follow.

'Umbrella,' 'Drank' battle shaping up

I'm back, although still catching up to everything. But it's time for the weekly radio airplay survey, which follows.

T-Pain's Buy U a Drank is still radio's preferred on-air libation, but it shouldn't be long before programmers are adding an Umbrella to it. For this week, according to the national radio airplay audience chart compiled by Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records, T-Pain is still far ahead in its sixth week at No. 1. But Rihanna's Umbrella is at No. 2 with an 18.3% audience gain, enough to preordain a dogfight for the top position as early as next week.

The rest of the top 10 comprises hits by Shop Boyz, Justin Timberlake, Lloyd, Daughtry, the debut of Sean Kingston's red-hot Beautiful Girls, Carrie Underwood, Pink and the debut of Maroon 5's Makes Me Wonder.

More details and commentary follow.

At No. 1, T-Pain's feeling no pain

Seeing double? T-Pain, Justin, Bow Wow and Akon pop up more than once in this week's top 20 airplay ranking. 

With a 6% boost in audience, T-Pain's Buy U a Drank becomes the third song this year to spend five weeks or more atop the national radio airplay chart, according to Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records. Rihanna's Umbrella and Shop Boyz's Party Like a Rockstar gain more than 20% in audience to hold the second and third spots, followed by Timbaland's Give It To Me and Lloyd's Get It Shawty.

A glance at the top 20:

1. Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin'),T-Pain feat. Yung Joc
2. Umbrella, Rihanna feat. Jay-Z
3. Party Like A Rockstar, Shop Boyz
4. Give It To Me, Timbaland Feat. Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake
5. Get It Shawty, Lloyd
6. Summer Love, Justin Timberlake
7. U + Ur Hand, Pink
8. Before He Cheats, Carrie Underwood
9. Home, Daughtry
10. Pop, Lock & Drop It, Huey
11. Outta My System, Bow Wow feat. T-Pain & Johnta Austin
12. Girlfriend, Avril Lavigne
13. I Tried, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony feat. Akon
14. Makes Me Wonder, Maroon 5
15. The Sweet Escape, Gwen Stefani feat. Akon
16. Don't Matter, Akon
17. I'm A Flirt, R. Kelly, Bow Wow
18. Because Of You, Ne-Yo
19. Last Night, Diddy feat. Keyshia Cole
20. Glamorous, Fergie feat. Ludacris

T-Pain still on top of turbulent top 10

Things are stable at the top of the national radio airplay audience chart, as tabulated by Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records, but nearly every other place in the top 10 is experiencing turbulence.

T-Pain's Buy U a Drank, catchy if insubstantial ditty that it is, earns a fourth week at No. 1. Its audience total drops fractionally, but it's far ahead of the pack and should have at least a couple more weeks at the top, likely more. Rihanna's Umbrella surges to No. 2, followed by Timbaland's Give It to Me and two songs that move up on the chart but drop in total audience, Lloyd's Get It Shawty and Pink's U + Ur Hand.

Then the fun starts, with Shop Boyz' Party Like a Rockstar storming up to No. 6 for its first week in the top 10. Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats climbs three spots to No. 7, followed by three more debuts: Justin Timberlake's Summer Love, Huey's Pop, Lock & Drop It and Daughtry's Home.

More chart facts follow.

Top 10 undergoes a bit of a shake-up

The glacial pace of top 10 radio airplay movement sped up a little this week, according to stats from Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records. Three songs entered the top 10, all of them making substantial jumps to achieve that distinction.

No. 1 is still T-Pain's Buy U a Drank, now in its third week at the top and bigger than ever. It's finally slowing down, with an audience gain of about 3%, but that's more a matter of hitting the ceiling than cooling off -- its lead over No. 2 Give It to Me, by Timbaland, is nearly 55 million audience impressions -- just that difference would be enough to rank No. 18 all by itself.

Rounding out the top 10 are hits by R. Kelly or Bow Wow, Akon, the debut of Rihanna's Umbrella, Lloyd, the debut of Pink's U + Ur Hand, Bow Wow's Outta My System, Diddy and the debut of Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats.

A little more detail follows.

T-Pain takes over radio

T-Pain's Buy U a Drank racks up its second week at No. 1 on the national radio airplay audience chart, and more than doubles its lead over No. 2 Don't Matter, by Akon. Timbaland's Give It to Me follows at No. 3, according to Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records, followed by R. Kelly and Bow Wow's versions of I'm a Flirt, Diddy's Last Night, Ne-Yo's Because of You, the debuts of Bow Wow's Outta My System and Lloyd's Get It Shawty, Fergie's Glamorous and Gwen Stefani's The Sweet Escape.

Further analysis and more fun facts follow.

Pleasure for 'Pain: Buy U a Drank hits No. 1

As the numbers made painfully clear last week, T-Pain's Buy U a Drank easily ascended to No. 1 on the national radio airplay audience chart, parlaying a 13.7% boost in total audience with a 13.5% drop by former No. 1 Don't Matter, by Akon, to open a massive lead and insure multiple weeks at the top.

The rest of the top 10, according to Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records, is a reshuffled version of last week's featuring, in descending order, hits by Timbaland, Diddy, Gwen Stefani, Fergie, Ne-Yo, R. Kelly or Bow Wow, Ciara and Gym Class Heroes.

A more detailed look at airplay developments follows.

Akon's 'Matter' runs streak to six weeks

If that bromide about little acorns spawning mighty oaks is true, then Akon's Don't Matter is a sequoia among oaks. The song celebrates its sixth week atop the national radio airplay audience chart, according to stats from Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records.

It's also nearly certain to be its last week at No. 1, as T-Pain's Buy U a Drank stays at No. 2 with a +15.8% gain in total audience, while Akon's audience is off by 9.2%.

The rest of the top 10 comprises hits by Timbaland, Fergie, a resurgent Diddy, Ne-Yo, Gwen Stefani, R. Kelly or Bow Wow, Gym Class Heroes, and the debut of Ciara's Like a Boy. Copious details follow.

Akon No. 1 for 5th week; heirs now apparent

I see by the post list here that this weekly airplay post got skipped last week, so I'll try to catch you up on two weeks' worth of Nielsen BDS/Arbitron/Radio & Records data. Akon's Don't Matter, which had been at No. 1 for three weeks when we last looked in on its national radio airplay status, still holds a massive lead over the pack in its fifth week at No. 1.

Last week it appeared as if Fergie's Glamorous had the inside track on succeeding Akon eventually, as it jumped from No. 7 to No. 3. But this week, it drops to No. 4, being hopped by T-Pain's Buy U a Drank, which leaps 8-2 with a hulking 17.5% increase in total audience, and TImbaland's Give It to Me, up 6-3 with a 9.9% increase.

The rest of the top 10 comprises hits by Gwen Stefani, Robin Thicke, R. Kelly or Bow Wow (separate versions of the same song with airplay lumped together because Kelly appears on both versions), Diddy, Gym Class Heroes and Ne-Yo.

More details for the more chartistically oriented follow.

Akon racks up third week at No. 1

Akon's Don't Matter strengthens its hold on No. 1 on the national radio airplay audience chart, increasing its total audience by 3.0% to secure its third week at the top, according to Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records. Mims' This Is Why I'm Hot, Robin Thicke's Lost Without U and Diddy's Last Night remain in place in the 2-3-4 slots.

The rest of the top 10 incorporates Gwen Stefani's The Great Escape, Nelly Furtado's Say It Right, Fergie's Glamorous, the debut of Timbaland's Give It to Me, Daughtry's It's Not Over and Justin Timberlake's What Goes Around.

More detail and chart data follow.

Akon: A 'Matter' of fact No. 1

Akon solidifies his grasp on the No. 1 position on the national radio airplay audience chart, increasing his total audience by nearly 6%. Mims'  This Is Why I'm Hot reverses a decline from the previous week, but is a distant second, according to figures from Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records.

The rest of the top 10 is made up of holdover hits from Robin Thicke, Diddy, Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake, Daughtry, Gwen Stefani and Omarion, plus the top 10 debut of Fergie's Glamorous.

More details and commentary, including an unprecedented "Shawty" boom, follow.

Akon radio's new No. 1 icon

Akon's Don't Matter takes the top spot on the national radio airplay audience chart, as Mims' This Is Why I'm Hot does a backflip and falls to No. 2, according to Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records. (It takes a village to create a chart.)

Akon helped his own cause with a double-digit increase in total audience, while at the same time Mims reversed a 5.5% increase the previous week with a 5.9% decline. Akon should settle in for a multi-week stay in the chart penthouse.

The rest of the top 10 comprises hits by Robin Thicke, Nelly Furtado, Omarion, Justin Timberlake, Lloyd, Daughtry, the debut of Diddy's Last Night and Gwen Stefani. More fab facts follow.

Mims: Still hot enough for radio

As predicted (as if it took more psychic power than that possessed by the average salamander to guess this one), Mims' This Is Why I'm Hot holds on to No. 1 on the national radio airplay audience chart for a second week. It's up 5.5% in total audience, but that might not be enough to hold off Akon's red-hot Don't Matter next week -- it climbs to No. 2 with a massive 16.1% audience increase.

The rest of the top 10, according to figures generated by Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records, features hits by Robin Thicke, Nelly Furtado, Lloyd, Justin Timberlake, Omarion, Daughtry, Beyonce and the top 10 debut of Gwen Stefani's The Sweet Escape.

Much more detail follows.

Another new radio No. 1: Mims

Still recovering from the long Hall of Fame night, but here's the radio airplay news. The fourth No. 1 in as many weeks takes over the national radio airplay audience chart, according to figures from Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records. That would be Mims' torrid This Is Why I'm Hot, which rises nearly 5% in total audience just as last week's ephemeral No. 1, Lloyd's You, falls 6% and drops to No. 2.

The remainder of the top 10 were all esconced there last week; they are hits by Nelly Furtado, Robin Thicke, Akon, Ludacris, Beyonce, Omarion, Justin Timberlake and Daughtry. More detail follows.

Musical chairs at the top of the chart

After three months of irreplaceable Beyonce at the top of the national radio airplay chart, suddenly it's open season on the top spot. Ludacris' Runaway Love lasted just one week, falling to No. 2 this week behind Lloyd's You, according to the computations of Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records. And next week odds are that we'll have another No. 1: Mims' This Is Why I'm Hot, which jumped from No. 5 to No. 3.

The rest of the top 10 is made up of hits by Nelly Furtado, Beyonce, Robin Thicke, Omarion, the top 10 debut of Akon's Don't Matter, Justin Timberlake and Daughtry. More detail, analysis and random observations follow.

Seems Ludacris, but there's a new No. 1

Finally, no more need to play off Irreplaceable. Irreplaceable has been replaced at No. 1 by Ludacris & Mary J. Blige's Runaway Love, ending a 12-week reign for Beyonce and giving the American public its first new No. 1 of 2007.

Ludacris is actually down slightly in total audience, according to Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records figures, so its longtime future is not so bright as to require shades. What will take over is an open question, though. Beyonce won't come back; No. 3, Lloyd's You, is also declining in total audience; No. 4, Nelly Furtado's Say It Right, is up slightly but still distantly behind. No. 5, Mims' This Is Why I'm Hot, is a prime candidate for No. 1 eventually, but would appear to be at least two weeks away. Best guess: Ludacris gets another week, then Mims takes over.

The rest of the top 10 features hits by Omarion, Justin Timberlake, the debut of Robin Thicke's Lost Without U, Pretty Ricky and Daughtry. More detail follows.

Irreplaceable: The final week at No. 1

My accelerated American Idol schedule has changed my work schedule radically, so apologies for the unavoidable lateness of the weekly look at national radio airplay. It was almost one of those momentous change-at-the-top weeks, but Beyonce's Irreplaceable hung in there tenaciously to capture a 12th week at No. 1, according to Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records.

Beyonce's total audience dropped 13.5%, however, and Ludarcis' Runaway Love, which barely missed unseating the champ, gained 5.1% and is poised to take over next week.

The rest of the top 10 features hits by Lloyd, Nelly Furtado, Omarion, Justin Timberlake (What Goes Around ...), Mims, Akon & Snoop Dogg, Pretty Ricky and Daughtry. Much more elaborate detail follows.

Surprise: Radio airplay after all

We figured out a way I could get some of the airplay information, so I can at least post a short version. More tomorrow.

No. 1 for the 11th straight week is Beyonce's Irreplaceable, but the end is near. Ludacris' Runaway Love is No. 2, up from 3, and gained 5.4% in total audience, while Beyonce's down 11.4%, according to Nielsen BDS/Arbitron/Radio & Records figures. If they maintain those rates of increase and decrease, more or less, Ludacris has a pretty good shot of taking over No. 1 next week.

Here's the rest of the top 10

3 2 last week  Lloyd/You (-5.4% in total audience)

4 5  Nelly Furtado/Say It Right (+6.7%)

5 4  Akon/I Wanna Love You (-15.0%)

6 8  Justin Timberlake/What Goes Around ... (+4.7%)

7 7  Omarion/Ice Box (+2.3%)

8 6  Ciara/Promise (-13.3%)

9 12  Pretty Ricky/On the Hotline (+11.6%)

10 9  Justin Timberlake/My Love (-5.5%)

If it's Tuesday, it must be Beyonce at No. 1

Beyonce's Irreplaceable is losing its radio audience at a fairly rapid rate now, but it's still easily No. 1 for the 10th week on the national radio airplay chart, according to figures from Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and Radio & Records. (The record for weeks at No. 1 is 16, held by Mariah Carey's We Belong Together, so Beyonce's got a long way to go.)

There's some internal movement within the top 10, although no new songs actually broke into the select circle. The rest of the top 10 is made up of hits by Lloyd, Ludacris, Akon & Snoop Dogg, Nelly Furtado, Ciara, Omarion, Justin Timberlake (What Goes Around ... at No. 8, My Love at 9) and Jim Jones.

Copious detail, word on the up-and-comers and debuts and more follows.

Guess who's No. 1 on the radio?

And by "guess who" I don't mean the Canadian band of American Woman fame. No, as faithful readers will immediately guess, Beyonce's Irreplaceable is No. 1 again, for the ninth straight week. And it wasn't close: Her lead over No. 2 I Wanna Love You, by Akon & Snoop Dogg, actually widened a little, although both songs are declining rapidly in total audience.

The rest of the top 10, according to Nielsen BDS and Arbitron in association with Radio & Records, is made up of hits by Lloyd, Ludacris, Ciara, Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake (My Love), Jim Jones, and newcomers from Omarion (Ice Box) and Timberlake (What Goes Around ... Comes Around).

Much more detail and commentary follows.

Beyonce still ruling the airwaves

Another week, another insurmountable airplay lead for Irreplaceable, the Beyonce juggernaut that just captured its eighth week at No. 1 on the Nielsen BDS/Arbitron national radio airplay audience chart. Last week its total audience impressions exceeded those of the No. 2 record, Akon's I Wanna Love You, by about 54 million; this week, the edge is 60 million.

No. 3 is Lloyd's You, and that's moving up, but it needs to almost double its current total audience (about 99 million) to catch Beyonce's 191 million. Of course, Beyonce will be dropping in coming weeks; the pace of its decline will be the main factor in determining when a new No. 1 comes along.

The rest of the top 10 features hits by Ciara, Justin Timberlake (My Love), Ludacris, Jim Jones, Bow Wow, the debut of Nelly Furtado's Say It Right, and Akon (Smack That). More airplay news and commentary follows.

Beyonce: No. 1 a 7th week, and no end in sight

Good afternoon (weird to be starting the blogging day so late), and here's your radio airplay update. The Beyonce juggernaut rolls on; Irreplaceable continutes to live up to its title with a seventh week at No. 1. Its total audience declined by 4.2%, according to Nielsen BDS and Arbitron figures, but its lead over runner-up Akon's I Wanna Love You increased from 51 million audience impressions to nearly 54 million. That's a huge lead by the national radio airplay audience chart's standards.

Rest of the top 10 comprises hits by Justin TImberlake, Ciara, Lloyd, Bow Wow, Jim Jones, Akon & Eminem, Fergie and the debut of Ludacris' Runaway Love.

Further details, plus pointed (or, alternatively, pointless) observations, follow.

Beyonce hits a new high

Irreplaceable is now nearly inescapable. The Beyonce ballad collected its largest weekly total audience number yet -- 201.9 million audience impressions (number of plays on stations across the country times the number of people listening at the time of the plays). Only one song has ever topped that number in the four-plus-year history of this Nielsen BDS/Arbitron chart: Mariah Carey's We Belong Together, which topped out at 223.0 million in July '05 and exceeded Beyonce's high in six other weeks.

Well, if a song's going to be omnipresent, it's a bonus when it's as good a song as Irreplaceable. Although by now, I wouldn't be surprised if many of you disagreed.

The rest of the top 10 is pretty static, encompassing hits by Akon & Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake, Akon & Eminem, Bow Wow, Ciara, Jim Jones, Fergie, Lloyd and The Fray. More detail follows.

Radio's biggest songs of 2006

The stats are in from Nielsen BDS and Arbitron, and we have radio's top song of 2006 (based on airplay during the calendar year, all formats). Mary J. Blige's Be Without You cruised easily to the top spot.

Check out further statistical breakdowns and analysis. And, as a bonus, following is a longer list of the nation's most-heard songs: the top 100. Feel free to rail about radio's collective taste, or ask me where anything else peaked this year ...

'Irreplaceable': It's still reigning out there

Sorry I've been tardy in getting this (or anything, for that matter) posted today -- I've been buried in year-end airplay statistics, some results of which you'll see later tonight (top hits of the year, that sort of thing).

Anyway, thanks to radio inertia (very few new singles being released or promoted to stations, lots of year-end countdowns, and so forth), the top 10 is identical to last week's. That would be the familiar hits by Beyonce, Akon & Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake, Akon & Eminem, Bow Wow, Ciara, Fergie, Jim Jones, The Fray and Lloyd.

There is a bit of movement in total audience among those records, and that plus other oddball facts follows.

Beyonce reigns over holiday

Beyonce's Irreplaceable celebrated its fourth week at No. 1 on the national radio airplay chart, according to Nielsen BDS and Arbitron data. The chart, covering radio airplay from Dec. 19-25, is at its most Christmas-music-intensive, which cut into the potential growth for many songs. Next week, which encompasses New Year's Eve and Day, will also likely be sluggish, what with the preponderance of year-end countdowns distorting the results. After that, huge upheavals may well occur.

In any case, the rest of the top 10 was Akon & Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake (My Love), Akon & Eminem, Bow Wow, Ciara, Fergie, Jim Jones, The Fray, and (the one newcomer) Lloyd's You.

More detailed stats and analysis, plus a look at the frightening extent of the Invasion of the Christmas Chestnuts, follow.

Beyonce No. 1 again: To the heights, to the heights

Beyonce's Irreplaceable rackedup a third week at No. 1 and looks set for a few more. It's still rising in total audience, according to Nielsen BDS and Arbitron figures, extending its 2006 record to nearly 180 million audience impressions after a 4.8% jump.

That leaves No. 2 (Akon & Snoop Dogg's I Wanna Love You) in the dust. The rest of the top 10 is made up of hits by Justin Timberlake, Akon & Eminem, Bow Wow, Ciara (up from No. 12 to 6), Fergie, The Fray, Jim Jones and Hinder.

Details, Christmas report, the mysterious disappearance of your Worst Song of the Year, and more follow.

Beyonce sets 2006 airplay record

Beyonce's Irreplaceable hits a new 2006 high in total audience (total radio airplay combined with number of listeners tuned in to each airing of a song), edging Mary J. Blige's standard for Be Without You established earlier in the year. The Beyonce ballad also racks up its second week at No. 1, opening a huge lead over the new No. 2, Akon & Snoop Dogg's I Wanna Love You, according to Nielsen BDS/Arbitron figures.

The rest of the top 10 is made up of hits by Justin Timberlake, Akon & Eminem, Bow Wow, Fergie, Ludacris, The Fray, Jim Jones' We Fly High (entering at No. 9) and Hinder.

More details and commentary, plus your Christmas song update, follow.

Beyonce's 'Irreplaceable' force defeats immovable object

With a massive surge in radio airplay, Beyonce's Irreplaceable took over No. 1 on the national airplay audience chart, displacing Justin Timberlake's My Love, which had held the top spot for four weeks, according to Nielsen BDS and Arbitron. Akon's two hits, I Wanna Love You and Smack That, retained the Nos. 3 and 4 positions.

The rest of the top 10 was fairly static: holdover hits from Bow Wow, Ludacris, Hinder, The Fray, Fergie and Chris Brown.

Only five Christmas songs made their debuts on the top 100, joining 19 that hit the chart last week as the all-Christmas format takes hold at many stations.

More details and commentary follow.

Justin No. 1 but may be replaceable

Justin Timberlake's My Love notched its fourth week atop the national radio airplay audience chart compiled by Nielsen BDS and Arbitron. It will probably hang in there for a fifth next week, but Beyonce's Irreplaceable, which shot to No. 2 with a 16.5% audience gain, will give it a strong challenge. And Akon's I Wanna Love You, which fell from 2 to 3 despite a 7.9% audience gain, is still in the mix.

Akon's other hit, Smack That, slowed to a 2.4% gain and remained at No. 4. The rest of the top 10 comprises Ludacris' Money Maker, Bow Wow's Shortie Like Mine, Hinder's Lips of an Angel, Chris Brown's Say Goodbye, The Fray's How to Save a Life and the top 10 debut of Fergie's Fergalicious.

Greater detail and more fun facts to amaze your friends -- if your friends are easily amazed by airplay chart statistics -- follow.

'Irreplaceable' is irrepressible

Anyway, to no one's surprise, Justin Timberlake's My Love racks up week No. 3 at the top of the national radio airplay chart, according to figures compiled by Nielsen BDS with Arbitron. Justin garnered a 5.3% audience increase, so he should be able to hold off two onrushing contenders, Akon's I Wanna Love You (which moved from No. 3 to 2 with a 12.7% audience gain) and Beyonce's torrid Irreplaceable (6-3 with a staggering 35.6% gain. It's easily the best song on her B'Day album, but for some reason I have a mental block about the title, and if it comes up in conversation, I'm always calling it Irresponsible or Indivisible or something equally Incomprehensible. However you say it, it's a home run, though.)

Akon's Smack That is No. 4, followed in the top 10 by hits by Ludacris, Bow Wow with Chris Brown, Chris Brown by himself, Hinder, The Fray and Nickelback. Much more detail follows.

This just in: Justin still No. 1 on radio

Justin Timberlake’s My Love tops the national radio airplay chart for the second week with a 3.5% increase in total audience, according to Nielsen BDS and Arbitron figures. Ludacris remains in second place with Money Maker, followed by a pair of Akon hits, I Wanna Love You and Smack That. Chris Brown’s Say Goodbye drops two slots to fifth place after losing 6% in audience, while Beyonce’s Irreplaceable, entering the top 10 at No. 6, shows the greatest gain with a 44% jump. Keep reading for the annotated top 10, more news and the daily obligatory snide comment about Kevin Federline.

No surprises here: Justin's No. 1 on the radio

Justin Timberlake's My Love easily ascended to the national radio airplay throne this week, coasting in on a 9.8% increase in its total audience, according to Nielsen BDS and Arbitron figures.  Ludacris' Money Maker nearly held its own, dropping 1.5%, but is now far behind the surging Timberlake.

Akon grabbed two slots in the top 5 with I Wanna Love You and Smack That, each with nearly identical audience totals and both within reach of No. 3 Chris Brown next week.

The rest of the top 10 contains hits by Timberlake (SexyBack), Hinder, Nickelback, and new entries by The Fray and Bow Wow. More detail and commentary follow.

Ludacris staves off Justin assault

Ludacris' Money Maker barely held off Justin Timberlake's My Love and squeaked into a third week at No. 1 on the national radio airplay chart, according to Nielsen BDS and Arbitron data. If there's such a thing as a sureshot in the turbulent world of airplay, it's that Justin will be next week's No. 1.

The rest of the top 10 is made up of hits by Chris Brown, Justin again (SexyBack), Hinder, Nickelback, Akon (Smack That), Akon again (I Wanna Love You), Danity Kane and JoJo.

A detailed look at the airplay universe follows.

Ludacris tightens grip on airplay chart

Ludacris' Money Maker kept growing to easily hold off Justin Timberlake's My Love and collect a second week atop the national radio airplay audience chart, according to Nielsen SoundScan and Arbitron figures.

Timberlake holds down the No. 2 and 3 spots for the second week, flipping the titles as SexyBack drops to 3. Next week, he should have company in the multiple top 10 hit club, as Akon, whose Smack That jumped from 18 to 10 this week, will almost certainly see his other hit, I Wanna Love You, leap into the top 10 next week after a 25-12 chart move this week.

The rest of the top 10 (Nos. 4-9) comprise hits by Chris Brown, Nickelback, Hinder, Danity Kane, Chingy and JoJo. More expansive details and commentary follow. If you have any questions about how artists not covered here are doing on the airplay chart, ask away.

It's 1 for the 'Money', 2 for the 'Sex'

Seizing the time like a carpe turning on a diem, Ludacris took over No. 1 on the national radio airplay chart with Money Maker. That, according to the figures supplied by Nielsen BDS and Arbitron with Radio & Records, displaces Justin Timberlake's SexyBack to No. 2 after four weeks at the top. But shed no tears for Justin; his My Love moves from No. 4 to No. 3 and is virtually a certainty to reach No. 2 next week.

The rest of the top 10 is made up of hits by Chingy, Chris Brown, Nickelback, Ciara and newcomers Hinder (Lips of an Angel), Danity Kane (Show Stopper) and JoJo (Too Little, Too Late).

Further details and commentary follow.

Radio: Justin owns half the top four

Sorry this week's radio airplay summary is going up a little later than usual -- lot of Streisand comments to publish. Anyway, no change at the top, according to Nielsen BDS and Arbitron -- Justin Timberlake's SexyBack records its fourth week at No. 1 ... and its second week of declining total audience (though it's down a mere 1.4%).

That improves prospects for Ludacris' Money Maker, which climbs from No. 3 to No. 2 with a 6.0% audience increase, jumping Chingy's Pullin' Me Back, which drops to No. 3. But Ludacris will not only have to beat SexyBack, he'll also have to stave off the onrushing Timberlake follow-up, My Love, which zoomed 8-4 and increased its audience 20.1%.

The rest of the top 10: hits by Chris Brown, Nickelback, Sean Paul, Pussycat Dolls, Ciara and Ne-Yo. Details and additional arcana follow.

All Justin all the time

Justin Timberlake's Sexyback widens its lead on the national radio airplay chart, as compiled by Nielsen BDS and Arbitron, earning its third week at the top. Although it slipped a bit in total audience, it's still got 20% more listeners than runner-up Pullin' Me Back, by Chingy, and by the time it's ready to surrender the No. 1 position, its followup, My Love, may be strong enough to take over.

My Love is the only new entrant in the top 10, zooming from 17 to No. 8 with the week's biggest audience gain (32.4%). The rest of the top 10, starting with No. 3: Ludacris, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, Sean Paul, Pussycat Dolls, Timberlake (My Love), Nickelback and Yung Joc.

More details on what's hot and not follow:

Justin time again

Justin Timberlake's Sexyback has way too much momentum to stumble this early in the game. In this week's airplay rankings, the singer enjoys a 6% gain in audience to nab his second week atop the national radio chart. He leads a top 10 that includes two new entries: Nickelback’s Far Away and Chris Brown’s Say Goodbye. Timberlake also has the week’s fastest-growing song, My Love, gaining 53% to No. 17. Here's the top 10:

Rank   Last week     Artist/title                Audience (millions)

1     1              Justin Timberlake, Sexyback          123.2
2     2              Chingy, Pullin' Me Back              108.1
3     3              Ne-Yo, Sexy Love                     93.3
4     6              Ludacris, Money Maker                92.5
5     4              Sean Paul, Give It Up to Me          87.6
6     5              Pussycat Dolls, Buttons              79.7
7     8              Yung Joc, I Know You See It          68.4
8    12              Nickelback, Far Away                 67.0
9    16              Chris Brown, Say Goodbye             66.5
10    7              Nelly Furtado, Promiscuous           64.1

Audience estimates compiled from electronically monitored radio airplay and ratings data from Nielsen BDS and Arbitron, with Radio & Records.

The inevitable occurs: Justin's No. 1

It was only a matter of time, and Sexyback's time is now. Justin Timberlake's lead-off single rockets from No. 4 to No. 1 on the national radio airplay audience chart with a 12.2% audience gain, according to Nielsen BDS/Arbitron/Radio & Records data.

This is a tougher achievement than hitting the top of other charts, because it's accomplished by radio airplay alone over a cross-section of pop music formats, not just top 40 or R&B. So to pull it off in 10 weeks (airplay doesn't start at the top like sales; it builds gradually) is quite impressive, and it looks as if the song will be sitting there for a while.

Chingy's Pullin' Me Back falls to No. 2, followed by hits by Ne-Yo, Sean Paul, Pussycat Dolls, Ludacris (hottest song in the top 10), Nelly Furtado, Yung Joc, E-40 and Cassie.

More vivid detail and other information are just a "Read More" click away.

Chingy rebounds, takes No. 1

Given the opportunity to take No. 1 on the national radio airplay chart, three records stepped up their pace, but it was Chingy's Pullin' Me Back that staged a remarkable recovery and triumphed. Chingy had been at No. 3 last week, according to Nielsen BDS and Arbitron figures, and had declined in total audience by 3.4% -- usually a sign that a record is over.  But it rebounded for a whopping 12.0% increase this week.

That was enough to edge Ne-Yo's Sexy Love, which also recovered from a marginal 1.7% audience increase the previous week to gain 4.1% this week and remain at No. 2. And even last week's No. 1, Sean Paul's Give It Up to Me, reversed a negative trend and picked up 1.0% in listeners -- enough to hold off the rampaging Justin Timberlake tune, Sexyback, which enjoyed a huge gain of 9.5% but had to settle for a second week at No. 4.

The (relatively anticlimactic) remainder of the top 10: Pussycat Dolls, Nelly Furtado, Cassie, E-40, Yung Joc and Young Dro. More detail and spice follows:

'Give It Up' to Sean Paul at No. 1

When Cassie's seven-week reign at the top of the national radio airplay chart ended, there was no uncertainty about it. The total audience for Me & U dropped 20%, and she fell from No. 1 to No. 5, according to figures from Nielsen BDS and Arbitron.

That of course created an opportunity, and Sean Paul's Give It Up to Me was the lucky record.  Paul moves up from No. 2 to No. 1 despite losing audience for the second straight week; it was just strong enough to hold off Ne-Yo's Sexy Love, which gained 1.7% for No. 2. Chingy's Pullin' Me Back also got a lucky bounce, moving from No. 5 to No. 3 despite a 3.4% audience loss, but it's Justin Timberlake's Sexyback, No. 4 with a 10% gain, that looms as the leading threat to take No. 1 next week.

Rest of the top 10: Cassie, Nelly Furtado, Pussycat Dolls, E-r0, Young Dro and Yung Joc. More detail, analysis and occasional flights of cynicism follow.

Cassie captures week #7; chart in turmoil

Just when you think you've got the national radio airplay chart handicapped, it goes and throws you a curveball (or four). Here's a quick look at the nation's top songs, according to Nielsen BDS and Arbitron figures.

Cassie's Me & U continued its sharp decline, but easily held on to No. 1 for the seventh week because, in a bit of a surprise, Sean Paul's Give It Up to Me slipped slightly in total audience, the usual sign that a record has peaked. Paul still moves from No. 3 to No. 2, but its chances of hitting No. 1 are now less robust.  Meanwhile, Nelly Furtado's Promiscuous experienced a big drop in audience and fell from 2 to 3, while Ne-Yo's Sexy Love managed to hop over last week's red-hot top 5 entrant, Chingy's Pullin' Me Back, so now Ne-Yo moves from 5-4 while Chingy has now gone from 8 to 4 to 5 over the last three charts.

The rest of the top 10: Pussycat Dolls, Justin Timberlake, E-40, Young Dro and, new this week, Yung Joc's I Know You See It.

More detail and trivia for chart junkies everywhere follows.

Chingy leaps into No. 1 race

It's still Cassie (week No. 6) at No. 1 on the national radio airplay chart, according to audience estimates compiled from Nielsen BDS and Arbitron data. But she's losing audience at a faster rate (down 7.6% this week compared to -5.5% last week), and next week's No. 1 could be a battle, with No. 2 (Nelly Furtado, dropping a lot more slowly from its peak), No. 3 (Sean Paul, whose growth slowed somewhat this week) and No. 4 (Chingy, who rocketed into contention with a terrific 20.7% audience gain) all in the picture.

The rest of the top 10, from 5 to 10: Ne-Yo, Pussycat Dolls, E-40, Young Dro, the top 10 debut of Justin Timberlake, and Gnarls Barkley. More details, analysis, attempts at wry, knowing observations and other fun follow.

Newcomers invade radio top 10

Some significant movement in the national radio airplay top 10 this week, as compiled by the data-gathering wizards at Nielsen BDS, with Arbitron. No change at the top, where Cassie's Me & U reigns for the fifth week despite a sizable total-audience drop. Nelly Furtado is still No. 2, but continues its gradual decline. Sean Paul stays at No. 3, but is up sharply and still looks on target to take over No. 1 in two or three weeks -- unless something sneaks up from behind and passes him. Buttons by the Pussycat Dolls and Pullin' Me Back by Chingy might just be candidates to do that.

Top 10 from 4-10: Ne-Yo, E-40, Young Dro, Pussycat Dolls (new), Chingy (new), Gnarls Barkley and Cherish (returns). More details and tantalizing extra data-based tidbits follow.

Cassie on cruise control but change is on the way

Cassie's going back up, Nelly Furtado's going down faster, and the national radio airplay chart picture is clarifying. But watch out for No. 3 Sean Paul, who gained total audience at a massive rate (17.6%) and could be headed for No. 1 faster than expected.

The rest of the top 10 features, in order, according to Nielsen BDS and Arbitron in conjunction with Radio & Records, Ne-Yo (also a hot contender), Yung Joc, Rihanna, Gnarls Barkley, the top 10 debuts of Young Dro and E-40, and Lil' Jon. Chingy and the Pussycat Dolls are knocking on the top 10's door.

More detail, analysis, and piquant extras follow.

Cassie controls chart

Cassie's Me & U holds the No. 1 spot on the national radio airplay chart for the third straight week, and looks as if it might settle there unchallenged for a few more weeks. It's down in total audience a little bit (less than 1% fewer listeners than last week, according to Nielsen BDS and Arbitron), but so is main competitor Promiscuous by Nelly Furtado, and there's no other imminent threat in sight.

The rest of the top 10: Yung Joc, Rihanna, Sean Paul (big jump, future No. 1 contender), Lil' Jon, Ne-Yo (also a big jump, also a future contender), Cherish, Field Mob and Gnarls Barkley.

More details, commentary, hot newcomers and up-and-comers and more follow.

On the air: Cassie outpaces Nelly F. again

Usually the battles for No. 1 on the national radio airplay chart are between a record that's peaked in total audience and is holding on versus a hot up-and-comer. But the situation this week and last is a race between two records that are still both on the rise. Cassie's Me & U and Nelly Furtado's Promiscuous both picked up listeners, but Cassie's 6% increase was more than enough to give her a second week at No.1. Furtado was up 4% and is still a strong No. 2

The rest of the top 10, according to Nielsen BDS and Arbitron figures, is Yung Joc, Rihanna, Field Mob, Lil' Jon, Beyonce, Cherish, Gnarls Barkley and the week's one newcomer, Sean Paul's Give It Up to Me.

Analysis, opinions, hot contenders, debuts, stiffs and other delights follow.

Cassie cruises past Nelly F. for No. 1

As predicted, there's a new No. 1 on the national airplay chart (courtesy of Nielsen SoundScan and Arbitron data), but it's not the one I expected. Cassie's Me & U beat Nelly Furtado's Promiscuous, and by a healthy margin, too. Nelly did fine, increasing her total audience by 5 1/2 % and jumping from No. 3 to No. 2, but Cassie was up 11.5% and now looks as if she may be settling in at the top for a while.

Rest of the top 10: Yung Joc, Lil' Jon, Field Mob, Rihanna, Beyonce, Cherish, Shakira and, finally, Gnarls Barkley. Commentary, hot up-and-comers, top debuts and more for you chart devotees follow.

Three-for-one battle: Yung Joc wins again

This week's national radio airplay chart battle is about as tight a three-way race as has been seen in some time. Yung Joc's It's Goin' Down is No. 1, with a total audience figure for the week of 114.8 million, up 4% from last week. Cassie's Me & U is No. 2 again, but rises 6% to 113.9 million. And Nelly Furtado's Promiscuous stays at No. 3, but jumps 11% to 112.5 million. So next week's No. 1 is anybody's game.

The rest of the top 10, in descending order, according to Nielsen BDS and Arbitron, goes Lil' Jon, Field Mob, RIhanna, Shakira, Beyonce, Chamillionaire and Cherish. Details follow.

New No. 1: Joc not a shock

After the closest battle for No. 1 in national radio airplay chart history last week, the picture clarified, with Yung Joc's It's Goin' Down establishing clear title to the top spot. His increase in total audience was strong enough to likely assure him at least a second week at No. 1.

Field Mob's So What jumps from No. 4 to No. 2, but is essentially flat in audience and may not even hold that spot next week, with Cassie's Me & U threatening at No. 4. (No. 3 is the declining Ridin' by Chamillionaire.)

Two new debuts in the top 10, according to Nielsen BDS and Arbitron: Rihanna's Unfaithful and Cherish's Do It to It. Full top 10, hottest songs and debuts follow.

No. 1 by a nose

This week was the closest race for No. 1 I can recall seeing on the national radio airplay chart in the three years we've run it. Chart ranks are determined by audience impressions, which are basically the number of times the national population of radio listeners are exposed to a song in a week. Chamillionaire's Ridin' had 106.41 million impressions, Yung Joc's It's Goin' Down had 106.37 million. That boils down to a difference of just 31,000.

The rest of the top 10: Shakira, Field Mob, Cassie, Lil' Jon, the debut of Nelly Furtado, Chris Brown, Daniel Powter and Fort Minor. Hottest up-and-comers: Beyonce's Deja Vu, Ne-Yo's Sexy Love, Gnarls Barkley's Crazy. More detailed commentary follows.

Airplay: 'Down' is up

On this week's national radio airplay chart, Chamillionaire's Ridin' increases its total audience slightly and rings up a second week at No. 1. Shakira's Hips Don't Lie has peaked, dropping 4% in total audience compared to the previous week. But Nos. 3-6 (Yung Joc's It's Goin' Down, Field Mob's So What, Lil' Jon's Snap Yo FIngers and Cassie's Me & U) are all up sharply, which should make for an interesting race for No. 1.

I think Chamillionaire's good for at least another week at the top, but after that it's open season, with Yung Joc looking to have the inside track.

Further chart rundown and fearless predictions follow.