UK Chart Roundup: ...Because Clearly The World Needed More Ne-Yo In It

Mediocrity triumphs again!

The UK Top 10:

1. "Let Me Love You" - Ne-Yo *new* *1 week*
2. "Hall Of Fame" - The Script feat. will.i.am *new*
3. "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" - Pink *new*
4. "Wings" - Little Mix
5. "Bom Bom" - Sam & The Womp
6. "Good Time" - Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen
7. "Harder Than You Think" - Public Enemy
8. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" - Taylor Swift
9. "How We Do (Party)" - Rita Ora
10. "Some Nights" - fun.

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US Chart Roundup: Phillip Phillips And The London Olympics And Men's Butts

Ellie Goulding and her team are pretty wise to be releasing her new album in two months (to the day) from now, since the title track from her debut Lights keeps climbing, and is now a serious contender top the Billboard Hot 100. The song has now jumped to the runner-up position behind this summer's unstoppable "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen, an inescapable radio favorite that's surpassed "Somebody That I Used To Know" and spent the most weeks (nine) at #1 this year so far.



A bit further down, recent American Idol winner Phillip Phillips sees his coronation single "Home" fly up from #84 to #9. At the end of May, the song debuted and peaked at #10, but is now back up thanks to heavy airplay during NBC's Olympics coverage.

Yeah, I've been watching the Olympics for the past two weeks, and I only heard that shit once. But that's because I DVR it and fast forward to the guys doing gymnastics and swimming, since, well, they have hot asses.



Some other interesting trash: fun.'s "Some Nights" (aka Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody") is stuck at #11 for a second week, and ditto for Calvin Harris and Ne-yo's "Let's Go" at #17 and Demi Lovato's "Give Your Heart A Break" at #18 (which I didn't realize till recently was co-written and co-produced by Josh Alexander and Billy Steinberg, the two behind, among other classics, JoJo's "Too Little Too Late").

Meanwhile, Cher Lloyd's "Want U Back" slips down one to #13, while Alex Clare's "Too Close" jumps six positions to #24. And it seems The Wanted may be destined to remain in One Direction's shadow in this country, as "Chasing The Sun" drops to #52 after peaking one rung higher last week (though it still has a bullet). Let's hope their debut US album is packed with another "Glad You Came" or two.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Call Me Maybe" - Carly Rae Jepsen *9 weeks*
2. "Lights" - Ellie Goulding
3. "Whistle" - Flo Rida
4. "Wide Awake" - Katy Perry
5. "Payphone" - Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa
6. "Somebody That I Used To Know" - Gotye feat. Kimbra
7. "Where Have You Been" - Rihanna
8. "Titanium" - David Guetta feat. Sia
9. "Home" - Phillip Phillips
10. "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" - Pink

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US Chart Roundup: J.Lo's 'Hits' Is A Flop

With eight weeks spent at #1 on the Hot 100, Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" has tied the eight-week stretch of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know." Both back-to-back chart-toppers have had the longest run so far this year in the Hot 100's peak position. And both songs make me want to tie a garden hose around my neck and hang myself from the nearest tree branch at this point, thanks to overkill.

The next crop of hits waiting in the wings appear to be the following: fun.'s "We Are Young" follow-up "Some Nights" (#11 this week); Cher Lloyd's US breakthrough hit "Want U Back" (#12); Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen's pair-up "Good Time" (#13).

Hovering just below those three are Calvin Harris and Ne-Yo's "Let's Go" at #17 and Demi Lovato's "Give Your Heart A Break" at #18. I can't see them cracking the Top 10, but who knows?

Over on the album chart, Jennifer Lopez's Dance Again... The Hits flops in at #20. That uppity hooker had better not quit her day job. Oh, oops!

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Call Me Maybe" - Carly Rae Jepsen *8 weeks*
2. "Wide Awake" - Katy Perry
3. "Payphone" - Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa
4. "Whistle" - Flo Rida
5. "Lights" - Ellie Goulding
6. "Somebody That I Used To Know" - Gotye feat. Kimbra
7. "Where Have You Been" - Rihanna
8. "Titanium" - David Guetta feat. Sia
9. "Scream" - Usher
10. "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" - Pink

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US Chart Roundup: The Return Of No Doubt & The Killers

Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" is #1 for a seventh week, and is now just seven days shy of tying the reign of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" for longest stretch at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 2012. And I officially can no longer stand the song.

However, Owl City and Carly Rae's "Good Time," which is at #23 in its fourth week on the chart, doesn't quite make me want to slam an axe into the radio yet. That jam, which debuted at #17 three weeks ago, briefly slipped out of the Top 10 on iTunes, but is now back up to #6 there thanks to the song's video premiere the other day.

Elsewhere, Calvin Harris and Ne-Yo's "Let's Go" moves up to #20, while No Doubt's "Settle Down" debuts at #34. This marks the California band's first Top 40 single (and first single in general, really) since their cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life" reached #10 in 2003. Just below No Doubt at #35, Alex Clare cracks the Top 40 with his previous UK hit "Too Close," while The Wanted manage to creak up two positions to #51 with "Chasing The Sun."

On a final note, The Killers' "Runaways" debuts at #78. It's their first first entry on the Hot 100 since 2010 holiday single "Boots" landed at #79.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Call Me Maybe" - Carly Rae Jepsen *7 weeks*
2. "Payphone" - Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa
3. "Wide Awake" - Katy Perry
4. "Lights" - Ellie Goulding
5. "Somebody That I Used To Know" - Gotye feat. Kimbra
6. "Whistle" - Flo Rida
7. "Where Have You Been" - Rihanna
8. "Titanium" - David Guetta feat. Sia
9. "Scream" - Usher
10. "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" - Pink

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US Chart Roundup: Carly Rae Jepsen Now Has Two Songs In The Top 20

Yes, Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" is still #1, now for a fourth week, on the Hot 100. The Canadian pop sorceress also manages to debut at #18 with her Owl City pair-up "Good Time," which climbed into the Top 10 on iTunes last week and has been nicely perched there ever since.

Further down the chart, Calvin Harris and Ne-Yo's "Let's Go" gets bumped up to #31 while Cher Lloyd cracks the Top 40 (at #35) with her first US hit "Want U Back". The song was her third single from her debut LP in Lloyd's home country of the UK, and peaked at #25 there earlier this year.

Elsewhere, The Wanted continue their slow rise with "Chasing The Sun," which is now up to #72. And Nero's dubstep jam "Promises", which topped the UK chart nearly a year ago, debuts at #81.

Over on the Top 200, Linkin Park's Living Things managed squeak past Maroon 5's Overexposed and snag the #1 position after selling 223,000 copies, just 3,000 more than the latter. This puts Maroon 5 at #2 on both the album and single charts.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Call Me Maybe" - Carly Rae Jepsen *4 weeks*
2. "Payphone" - Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa
3. "Somebody That I Used To Know" - Gotye feat. Kimbra
4. "Wide Awake" - Katy Perry
5. "Where Have You Been" - Rihanna
6. "Lights" - Ellie Goulding
7. "We Are Young" - fun. feat. Janelle Monae
8. "Starships" - Nicki Minaj
9. "Titanium" - David Guetta feat. Sia
10. "Scream" - Usher

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US Chart Roundup: Ellie Goulding's "Lights" Sure Took Its Sweet Time...

Seventeen years, four months and 23 days after Ellie Goulding's single "Lights" was released, the song finally makes its way into the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, as it moves up to #6 this week.

Okay, the song wasn't really released that long ago. But I vividly recall writing about the music video way back in January 2011, and Goulding first performing "Lights" live on American TV in May that year. At any rate, the song has far exceeded the success it had in Ellie's home country of the UK, where it peaked at #49 on the chart.

Elswhere, Calvin Harris snags another Top 40 single in the US as his Ne-Yo-featuring "Let's Go" climbs to #35. One Direction also pull off the same feat with "What Makes You Beautiful" follow-up "One Thing", which is at #39.

Cher Lloyd's first US chart entry "Want U Back" ascends to #51, while The Wanted continue their slow crawl upward  (to #75) with "Chasing The Sun".

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Call Me Maybe" - Carly Rae Jepsen *3 weeks*
2. "Payphone" - Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa
3. "Somebody That I Used To Know" - Gotye feat. Kimbra
4. "Wide Awake" - Katy Perry
5. "Where Have You Been" - Rihanna
6. "Lights" - Ellie Goulding
7. "We Are Young" - fun. feat. Janelle Monae
8. "Starships" - Nicki Minaj
9. "What Makes You Beautiful" - One Direction
10. "Scream" - Usher

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US Chart Roundup: Carly Rae Jepsen Closes The Deal With "Call Me Maybe"

The inevitable has happened — Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" is the new #1 song on the Hot 100, and it only took me stepping out of the country for this feat to happen. Well, not really — the 26-year-old (!) Canadian bimbette has been hovering at #2 for weeks, and it was only a matter of time before "Somebody That I Used To Know" finally ran out of steam. Meanwhile, look out Bieber: my prediction about your pop protege is coming true.

"Call Me Maybe", which has been certified three-times Platinum in the US alone, is now the eighth single to top the Hot 100 in 2012. Of those, it's the fifth to be fronted by a female solo artist.

Elsewhere, Ellie Goulding's "Lights" is up one position to #13, David Guetta and Sia's "Titanium" cracks the Top 20 and moves to #18, One Direction bound seven notches to #54 with "One Thing" and Calvin Harris and Ne-Yo's "Let's Go" climbs to #58. And as for The Wanted, whose breakout US hit "Glad You Came" drops out of the Top 10 this week, their follow-up tune "Chasing The Sun" creeps up to #91.

Over on the Top 200 album chart, Adele's 21 is #1 for a 24th non-consecutive week, and now ties the runs at the top of both the Purple Rain and Saturday Night Fever soundtracks. Only five albums have spent more weeks in the peak position. Think Adele has the chops left to beat at least a few of them? Her next hurtle is 31 weeks, which Fleetwood Mac racked up with Rumours, Harry Belafonte achieved with Calypso and the South Pacific soundtrack also spent on top.

Meanwhile, Scissor Sisters' fourth album Magic Hour, which I'm finding myself quite hooked on, has plunged from its debut spot at #35 to #160 in its second week.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Call Me Maybe" - Carly Rae Jepsen *1 week*
2. "Somebody That I Used To Know" - Gotye feat. Kimbra
3. "Payphone" - Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa
4. "We Are Young" - fun. feat. Janelle Monae
5. "What Makes You Beautiful" - One Direction
6. "Starships" - Nicki Minaj
7. "Wild Ones" - Flo Rida feat. Sia
8. "Where Have You Been" - Rihanna
9. "Wide Awake" - Katy Perry
10. "Boyfriend" - Justin Bieber

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Calvin Harris & Ne-Yo's "Let's Go" Video: They Clearly Want You To Drink Pepsi...And Dance

There's really not much more to say about this vid. Lots of Pepsi product placement in the globe-trotting clip for Calvin Harris and Ne-Yo's "Let's Go", and some dancing (toward the end). The artists in question are barely present here, visually, FYI.

I've been a fan of Calvin's from the get-go, and I dig this song enough, though it does play like a retread of Rihanna's "We Found Love" (and isn't nearly as catchy as the Harris-produced "Call My Name" by Cheryl Cole).

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US Chart Roundup: Ellie Goulding & The Rest Of The Brits

Fourteen months after her album Lights was released in the US, and over two years after it first dropped in her home country, UK electro-pop broad Ellie Goulding finally lands her first Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, with title song "Lights." The song slides up nine positions this week to #40.

A quick survey of the rest of the Brits in the upper reaches of the chart finds The Wanted back up one to #4 with "Glad You Came", and their boy band rivals One Direction down to #9 with "What Makes You Beautiful." Guess calling Christina Aguilera a bitch has its pluses?

Scottish stud Calvin Harris is at #13 with "Feel So Close," a song he just can't seem to get in the Top 10 (it previously peaked at #12), while Adele's latest single "Rumour Has It" is lodged at #16 for another week. Meanwhile, Calvin and Ne-Yo's "Let's Go" debuts at #89.



As for the the Top 10 itself, the songs remain the same but just shuffle slightly. If you're on Carly Rae Jepsen Watch, she now has a Top 5 hit.

And over on the Top 200 album chart, if you're on Madonna MDNA Death Watch, the LP has dropped out of the Top 40 in its fifth week, and is currently clinging to #45.

Whatever. I still say there are a few jams on there.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Somebody That I Used To Know" - Gotye feat. Kimbra *3 weeks*
2. "We Are Young" - fun. feat. Janelle Monae
3. "Payphone" - Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa
4. "Glad you Came" - The Wanted
5. "Call Me Maybe" - Carly Rae Jepsen
6. "Wild Ones" - Flo Rida feat. Sia
7. "Boyfriend" - Justin Bieber
8. "Starships" - Nicki Minaj
9. "What Makes You Beautiful" - One Direction
10. "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" - Kelly Clarkson

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