US Chart Roundup: I Love My (Next) White Trash Husband Macklemore

Somehow, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have become the first duo in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to chart at #1 with their first two singles. You'd think this feat would have happened before with someone far classier, but I'm still glad that My (Next) White Trash Husband Macklemore is able to pop a box of Frangia and celebrate.

And so the pair's "Can't Hold Us" knocks Pink and Nate Ruess' "Just Give Me A Reason" off the top of the chart after the latter's three-week reign. Meanwhile, one of the year's best singles so far, Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors," slides up to #3, while Icona Pop and Charli XCX's "I Love It," Chart Rigger's top pick on our Best Singles list last year, climbs to #7.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Can't Hold Us" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray *1 week*
2. "Just Give Me A Reason" - Pink feat. Nate Ruess
3. "Mirrors" - Justin Timberlake 
4. "Stay" - Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko
5. "When I Was Your Man" - Bruno Mars 
6. "Thrift Shop" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz
7. "I Love It" - Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX
8. "Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons
9. "Cruise" - Florida Georgia Line feat. Nelly
10. "Feel This Moment" - Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera

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US Chart Roundup: Little Mix Fly With "Wings"

Bruno Mars' second Unorthodox Jukebox single, "When I Was Your Man," is now his second to top the Billboard Hot 100. It's just the type of run-of-the-mill radio fodder that whores who think they've been cheated out of love because they take cash for pussy eat up. So good for you, Bruno, for being intuitive enough to tap into that market!

Elsewhere, while Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors" drops one position to #12 (I'm over it), his third solo album The 20/20 Experience is #1 for a third week, bringing its grand total to 1.43 million sold so far.

Meanwhile, Icona Pop and Charli XCX crack the Top 20 with "I Love It" (it's up to #17), the song that topped Chart Rigger's 10 Best Pop Singles Of 2012 list in December. Olly Murs' "Troublemaker" drops from its peak position of #29 to #32, and Swede-dance-pop outfit Krewella inch up to #40 with "Alive."



On a final note, UK X Factor winners Little Mix land their first entry on the US singles chart with "Wings," which goes in at #98 (ironically the same week that fellow UK X Factor contestants One Direction tumble to #99 with "One Way Or Another").



The TMS-produced "Wings" was Little Mix's second #1 single in the UK in 2012, following "Cannonball."

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "When I Was Your Man" - Bruno Mars *1 week*
2. "Thrift Shop" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz
3. "Just Give Me A Reason" - Pink feat. Nate Ruess
4. "Stay" - Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko
5. "Suit & Tie" - Justin Timberlake feat. Jay-Z
6. "Harlem Shake" - Baauer
7. "Can't Hold Us" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray 
8. "Cruise" - Florida Georgia Line
9. "Started From The Bottom" - Drake
10. "Feel This Moment" - Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera

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US Chart Roundup: Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors" Isn't #1 Yet, But It's Getting There

On the Billboard Hot 100, "Harlem Shake" is #1 for a stupefying fifth week, "Suit & Tie" is back up to #4, the position it debuted at two months ago, and "Just Give Me A Reason" (#8) is now Pink's 14th Top 10 hit. Meanwhile, Christina Aguilera has somehow used Pitbull like a Trojan horse to wriggle her way back to the upper tier of the chart.

Still, the more interesting trash is happening a bit lower. Justin Timberlake's second single off the just-released The 20/20 Experience, "Mirrors," has leaped 52 positions to #25. Over on iTunes, "Suit & Tie" is #1 while "Mirrors" is at #5. Kids, pull your fingers out of your mom and let's get those positions reversed?

That brings us to Icona Pop and Charli XCX's "I Love It," the song that topped Chart Rigger's 10 Best Pop Singles Of 2012 list. This week it cracks the Top 40 after moving up to #35. I'll admit, I cooled off on "I Love It" awhile ago, but it is nice to hear it on the radio in between the 746th play of "Just Give Me A Reason" and the 983rd play of "I Knew You Were Trouble" each day.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Harlem Shake" - Baauer *5 weeks*
2. "Thrift Shop" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz
3. "When I Was Your Man" - Bruno Mars
4. "Suit & Tie" - Justin Timberlake feat. Jay-Z
5. "Stay" - Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko
6. "Started From The Bottom" - Drake 
7. "I Knew You Were Trouble" - Taylor Swift
8. "Just Give Me A Reason" - Pink feat. Nate Ruess
9. "Scream & Shout" - will.i.am & Britney Spears
10. "Feel This Moment" - Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera

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US Chart Roundup: Christina Aguilera Somehow Has A Hit, And Pitbull Is To Blame

Baauer's "Harlem Shake" is #1 for a fourth week, so great job there furthering the country as a force in modern culture, America.

What we really need to talk about is the fact that Christina Aguilera a.) has a Top 20 hit, and 4.) it's by featuring on Pitbull's shitty "Feel This Moment." That trash is up to #13, and every time I hear that a-ha "Take On Me" riff it interpolates on the radio, I think, great job there furthering the country as a force in modern culture, Xtina.

Plus, I love how Christina is now basically only having hits by featuring on other people's songs. She's basically the new Kelly Rowland. In fact, maybe she should feature on a Kelly Rowland single, so Kelly can actually land a hit.

Elsewhere, Icona Pop and Charli XCX's "I Love It," which topped Chart Rigger's 10 Best Pop Singles Of 2012 list, has now climbed to #54 while Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors" rebounds, following his Saturday Night Live performance of the song, and is up to #77.

And speaking of Kelly Rowland, her "Kisses Down Low" debuts down low at #96.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Harlem Shake" - Baauer *4 weeks*
2. "Thrift Shop" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz
3. "When I Was Your Man" - Bruno Mars
4. "Stay" - Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko
5. "Suit & Tie" - Justin Timberlake feat. Jay-Z
6. "I Knew You Were Trouble" - Taylor Swift
7. "Started From The Bottom" - Drake
8. "Scream & Shout" - will.i.am & Britney Spears
9. "Love Me" - Lil Wayne feat. Drake & Future
10. "Locked Out Of Heaven" - Bruno Mars

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The 10 Best Pop Singles Of 2012

Let's face it — 2012 was one dark year as far as pop was concerned. In fact, my trusty sidekick in all things chart rigging Moogaboo and I shouldn't have had as much fun and ease assembling our Worst Singles Of 2012 list, alas...

That said, there were a some bright moments, like diamonds in the sky, even if we had to go digging to find them. And dig we did; this is actually probably the most unconventional Best list since I started doing them annually here on Chart Rigger back in 2005!

Below you'll find what the two of us consider to be the 10 Best Pop Singles of 2012, along with our usual colorful write-ups on just why these songs deserve several more listens. As usual, the singles listed need only have reached their peak chart position within 2012, even if they were technically released the year prior.

10. Stooshe, "Black Heart"

D'luv says: "I'm going to go out on a limb and project that these British broads probably peaked with their '60s girl group homage 'Black Heart.' 'Still, what a great footnote."
Moogaboo says: "I love a good girl-group homage, especially one that’s confident enough to leave out the cliché sax solo and include a somewhat dark lyric about 'falling for a monster.' Stooshe may not be the new Supremes (or even TLC), but for three minutes they swing with the best of them."
Charts: UK #3

9. Swedish House Mafia, "Don't You Worry Child"

D'luv says: "Childhood innocence, the lifelong steel grip of a first heartbreak and, eventually, the loss of youth somehow are perfectly portrayed in three-and-a-half minutes here. This really was a standout year for dance-pop that packed an emotional punch."
Moogaboo says: "I feel like this blast of hands-in-the-air house music could sit alongside 'Carry On My Wayward Son' or 'Cat’s in the Cradle' on any classic rock station. And I mean that as high praise! Big-DJ Power Pop is the new classic rock!"
Charts: UK #1, AUS #1, SWE #1, US #12

8. Miguel, "Adorn"

D'luv says: "I don't know how Marvin Gaye doesn't get a writing credit on this remake of 'Sexual Healing.' Regardless, 'Adorn' plays when I watch the 24/7 Max George showercam forever streaming in my mind. So it's a no-brainer for the Best list."
Moogaboo says: "Call me naïve, but I think Miguel is genuinely artsy, and not in the 'funny sunglasses' way that most pop stars pretend to be. Atop 'Adorn’s idiosyncratic arrangement, there’s a deeply soulful (and, ironically, unadorned) voice that I can’t wait to hear more from."
Charts: US #17

7. Jessie Ware, "Wildest Moments"

D'luv says: "Quite frankly, I'm most smitten with 'Taking In Water' off Devotion, already a classic pop album upon its arrival. That said, the whole LP hits every correct mark. And if we're talking strictly singles, 'Wildest Moments' is truly one of 2012's best."
Moogaboo says: "I was mostly smitten with '110%' until this jam hit me unexpectedly in a Macy’s changing room. Nothing makes you think deeper about life, kids, than an exquisitely executed power ballad timed with the moment you’ve accepted you no longer have a 31" waist."
Charts: BEL #3, UK #46

6. Calvin Harris feat. Example, "We'll Be Coming Back"

D'luv says: "Along with 2009's 'Flashback,' this is one of Calvin's best moments. When dance music touches you on a thoughtful level, it's few and far between. This is one of those times."
Moogaboo says: "Even though the LOLDance boom (LMFAO, Ke$ha) has yielded a lot of dumb hits about vodka, vomiting and vomiting vodka all night, it’s also opened up radio to the occasional electronic gem. Along with Sia’s entry, this is a perfect of example (pun intended) of dance music that sounds great outside the club."
Charts: BEL #1, UK #2, SWE #5

5. Tensnake feat. Syron, "Mainline"
D'luv says: "This makes me feel like 1991. That was a good hair year for me."
Moogaboo says: "When I hear this, it’s like I’m shopping for vests at Dejaiz all over again."



4. Rihanna, "Diamonds"

Moogaboo says: "Is this the beginning, middle, or end of Rihanna’s imperial phase? In any case, this showstopper sounds like a mission statement and a pop star at her peak: defiant, fearless, and forever young."
D'luv says: "Well, I would have guessed she peaked with 'We Found Love.' But then along came this beautiful, emotional mid-tempo number. Though it's undeniably a knockoff of M83's 'Midnight City' — go ahead, play the intro to both back-to-back — Sia's lyrics hit you in the gut, and Rihanna now has her third modern day classic."
Charts: US #1, UK #1, CAN #1

3. David Guetta feat. Sia, "Titanium"

Dluv says: "I never tire of this song, and I don't care if Guetta is overrated — pairing up with Sia proved to be the perfect pop stabilizer he needed. 'You shoot me down, but I won't fall.' Simple and brilliant."
Moogaboo says: "I was instantly mesmerized by this slice of blockbuster techno-drama, a truly uplifting anthem that rises above the pack of trite 'empowerment' exercises glutting the radio since Katy Pussy's "Firework." Sia, all is forgiven re: 'Oh Father'."
Charts: UK #1, SWE #3, US #7

2. Bright Light Bright Light, "Waiting For The Feeling"

Dluv says: "I was really irked that Alphabeat didn't carry on with their retro '90s house pastiche following their superb 2009 album The Spell. Thankfully Rod Thomas — aka Bright Light Bright Light — is here to pick up where the Danish band left off. Again, dance-pop with depth is tricky to pull off, but here you go."
Moogaboo says: "This is a non-stop twirler in the classic sense, with verses of romantic turmoil giving lift to a chorus that practically flies you to the moon. I want Bright Light Bright Light to be the new Erasure."

1. Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX, "I Love It"

Dluv says: "We knew this was an unconventional year for pop (read: most of the mainstream releases sucked), so that made for this bratty treat coming out of left field and capturing our hearts and ears. These broads deserve to at least have one hit in the States — and this is it."
Moogaboo says: "There’s a big, bruised heart behind the gleeful destruction of "I Love It," a resigned you-done-me-wrong song masquerading its vulnerabilities behind a tough-as-fuck bassline and revving synths. It burns out almost as quickly as it starts, but not before it can carve its notch as the most exhilarating Pop Moment of the year."
Charts: SWE #2, AUS #6



ALSO SEE:
* The 10 Worst Singles Of 2012
* The Best Pop Singles Of 2011
* The Best Pop Singles Of 2010
* The Best Pop Singles Of 2009
* The Best Pop Singles Of 2008
* The Best Pop Singles Of 2007
* The Best Pop Singles Of 2006
* The Best Pop Singles Of 2005
* The Top 40 Pop Singles Of The '00s

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