Robin Thicke Leads Hot 100, Katy Perry Holds At No. 2
Robin Thicke tops the Billboard Hot 100 for a 12th week with "Blurred Lines" (featuring T.I. and Pharrell), fending off Katy Perry's "Roar," which holds at No. 2. Meanwhile, Lady Gaga ascends to the…
Robin Thicke tops the Billboard Hot 100 for a 12th week with “Blurred Lines” (featuring T.I. and Pharrell), fending off Katy Perry’s “Roar,” which holds at No. 2. Meanwhile, Lady Gaga ascends to the top five and Avicii, Lana Del Rey and Cedric Gervais score their first top 10s on the tally.
As always, let’s break down the numbers.
“Lines” leads Radio Songs for an eighth week, although finally registering a decline in airplay, losing 3% from its record-setting sum of the 228.9 million all-format audience impressions it logged last week, according to Nielsen BDS (dipping to 221.3 million). It also posts an eighth week atop the subscription services-based On-Demand Songs chart (1.7 million U.S. streams, down 4%, according to BDS), while holding at No. 2 on Streaming Songs (6.1 million, down 8%). On Digital Songs, “Lines” remains at No. 2 (following a 10-week command) with 251,000 downloads sold (down 14%), according to Nielsen SoundScan.
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The song claims a 12th week at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and a 15th week atop R&B Songs, while becoming just the 14th title to top the Hot 100 for at least 12 weeks. “Lines” is also practically a lock to be named the top title on Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart. This year’s final survey will be compiled next week, with the season’s final rankings to be revealed on Billboard.com next Thursday (Sept. 5).
Despite its declines in airplay, sales and streaming, “Lines” manages to keep Perry’s “Roar” out of the Hot 100 summit, with the latter song experiencing a second-week sales slide while gaining in airplay and streaming. (“Lines” and “Roar” are separated by a 13% difference in overall chart points, with “Lines” down by 8% and “Roar,” 17%. Last week, “Lines” held just a 3% lead.)
Following its opening-week sales of 557,000 last week, the sixth-largest digital total for a song in SoundScan history, “Roar” registers a not atypical backslide to a still lofty 392,000 (down 30%) and holds at No. 1 on Digital Songs. Its airplay, meanwhile, continues to build, as it rises 13-11 on Radio Songs (76 million, up 21%). On Streaming Songs, “Roar” regresses 4-5, although with a 24% increase to 4.7 million. It charges 12-4 with the top gain on On-Demand Songs (1.6 million, up 71%).
As forecast last week, “Roar” could still reach No. 1 on the Hot 100. Airplay, sales and streaming for “Lines” is eroding. As airplay and streaming for “Roar” rises (with its official video not yet released), strong sales going forward could still make it, to quote its lyrics, a champion on the Hot 100.
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The much-buzzed-about Miley Cyrus holds at No. 3 on the Hot 100 with “We Can’t Stop,” which peaked at No. 2 for three weeks. “Stop” scores a 10th week atop Streaming Songs (6.4 million, down 7%), becoming the first song to reach a domination of double-digit weeks since the chart launched earlier this year. It slips 6-7 on Digital Songs (143,000, down 3%) but lifts 18-15 on Radio Songs (55 million, up 7%).
As reported this morning, duet partners Cyrus and Thicke are two of several acts on Sunday’s (Aug. 25) MTV Video Music Awards who could score sales spikes by next week. The bulk of any gains from the broadcast will be reflected on next week’s charts after a full week’s-worth of sales have been registered, post-show. (This week’s charts reflect the sales week that ended on Sunday night, the day of the VMAs.)
After opening the VMAs with her new single, Lady Gaga is also likely to see sales gains by next week with “Applause,” which rises 6-4 in its second week on the Hot 100. The track falls 3-5 on Digital Songs (163,000, down 25%) after launching last week with 218,000. What fuels its Hot 100 rise the most, however, is the premiere of its official video on Aug. 19: “Applause” boasts the biggest increase on Streaming Songs, where it pounces 9-3 (6 million, up 106%). (77% of the streaming for “Applause” stems from VEVO on YouTube views.)
On On-Demand Songs, “Applause” vaults 36-12 (995,000, up 109%). In its second week on Radio Songs, it ascends 40-35 (37 million, up 19%). It also tops Dance/Electronic Songs for a second week.
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top five, Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” celebrates a year on the chart, dipping 4-5 in its 52nd week. How rare is it for a song to be in the top five after a year on the survey? It’s happened just once before: Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” rebounded 17-5 in its 59th week after last year’s Grammy Awards. “Radioactive” is just the 34th song in the Hot 100’s history to chart for at least a year.
On Hot Rock Songs, “Radioactive” spends a record-extending 23rd week at No. 1.
Jay Z’s “Holy Grail” (featuring Justin Timberlake) backtracks to No. 6 after tallying three weeks at its No. 5 peak so far on the Hot 100. The song climbs 11-9 on Radio Songs (71 million, up 19%), becoming Jay Z’s 16th top 10 and Timberlake’s 13th on the airplay chart. With the advance, Jay Z ties Usher on the Radio Songs top 10 leaderboard, with the pair trailing only Lil Wayne (18), Ludacris and T-Pain (17 each) for the most among men. (Mariah Carey leads all acts with 23 Radio Songs top 10s.)
“Grail” holds at No. 4 on Digital Songs (171,000, down 4%) and No. 11 on Streaming Songs (2.8 million, down 1%). It tops Rap Songs for a fifth week and takes over atop Rap Airplay.
EDM luminary Avicii notches his first Hot 100 top 10, as “Wake Me Up!” rises (and shines) 11-7. The song makes across-the-board gains, jumping 7-3 on Digital Songs (175,000, up 27%) and 37-28 on Radio Songs (42 million, up 31%). It holds at No. 8 on Streaming Songs with a 15% uptick to 3.3 million.
Capital Cities’ “Safe and Sound” reaches a new peak on the Hot 100 (10-8), with the former Alternative Songs No. 1 pushing 7-5 on Radio Songs (101 million, up 9%), 14-11 on Digital Songs (99,000, up 12%) and 27-25 on Streaming Songs (2 million, up 8%).
Like Avicii, Lana Del Rey and Cedric Gervais celebrate their first Hot 100 top 10 placements, as “Summertime Sadness” (remixed from its original slower form by the latter artist) pounces 15-9 as the chart’s top Airplay Gainer. It powers 16-14 on Radio Songs (69 million, up 26%), 9-8 on Digital Songs (132,000, up 12%) and 29-23 on Streaming Songs (1.9 million, up 29%). (Check out Billboard’s exclusive interview with “Summertime” co-writer Rick Nowels here.)
Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” (featuring Pharrell) closes out the Hot 100’s top 10 (7-10) after peaking at No. 2 for five weeks.
Visit Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 29), when all rankings, including the Hot 100 in its entirety and Digital Songs, Radio Songs, Streaming Songs and On-Demand Songs will be refreshed, as they are each Thursday.
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