US Chart Roundup: Icona Pop Crack The Top 10, Daft Punk Climb With "Get Lucky"

Some of the good stuff on the Billboard Hot 100 this week consists of Pink and Nate Ruess' "Just Give Me A Reason" maintaining its stance at #1 for a third week (I had to think about it, but, yes — this is good), while Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors" moves up to a new peak of #5. Swedish duo Icona Pop and British singer Charli XCX's "I Love It," the top song on Chart Rigger's 10 Best Pop Singles Of 2012 list, finally makes the Top 10 by moving up to #9.

Elsewhere, Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" climbs to #14 after debuting at #19 last week. Good for those fuckers. The fact that they're actually having a hit in America is kind of blowing my mind. Who'd have thought they'd recover so spectacularly after 2005's abysmal Human After All?

Another US breakthrough: Emeli Sande's "Next To Me" cracks the Top 40 by sliding up to #36. (And let's all take a moment to remember that we first saw this music video back in January 2012.)

That brings us to PSY and the yo-yo-ing "Gentleman." Without enough people with bad enough taste to actual download the song, it plummets from #5 to #26 now that the initial surge in YouTube plays has tapered off.



On a finale note, Lana Del Rey's Great Gatsby soundtrack dirge "Young & Beautiful" debuts at #82. I tend to like her trash at first, and then go off it real quick — something that might be chalked up to the fact that she basically keeps making the same song over and over.

The U.S. Top 10:

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

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US Chart Roundup: PSY Is A Hag

Somehow, some way, PSY's "Gentleman" video has racked up over 240,000 views on YouTube over the past two weeks, thus enabling the robotic trash jam to jump up to #5 in its second week on the Billboard Hot 100. And to give an idea as to how much that many YouTube plays outweigh actual digital sales, consider the fact that "Gentleman" is current floundering at #60 on iTunes.

But screw that garbage — Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" has debuted at #19. Granted, it's not nearly the heights the song reached in the UK. But the feat still manages to get the French duo into the Top 40 in the US for the very first time. (Daft Punk's previous high was #61, a position both "Around The World" and "One More Time" reached.)

Pharrell Williams should be kissing the double asses of Daft Punk, too, since "Get Lucky" is the first hit he's had since his feature on Ludacris' "Money Maker" saw him go to #1 in 2006.

Everything else is whore slime.

The U.S. Top 10:

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

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UK Chart Roundup: Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" Is The Duo's First Top 10 Hit Since "One More Time"

They started out as hit-makers, took a dip in popularity with 2005's not-very-good Human After All, regained their cool sheen with 2010's Tron: Legacy soundtrack, and are now back on top. Well, almost on top.

Daft Punk's comeback single "Get Lucky" was released around the globe on Friday at 12:01 a.m., and within two days racked up 50,000 paid downloads in the UK. That's enough to see the Pharrell Williams-featuring song go in at #3 on this week's single chart.

The pair's last Top 10 hit in the UK came with 2000's "One More Time," which made it to #2 (a position it also achieved on Chart Rigger's Top 40 Singles Of The '00s list). Previous Top 10 singles in the country include "Da Funk" (#7 in 1996) and "Around The World" (#5 in 1997).

It'll be interesting to see if DP can not only land "Get Lucky" in the Top 40 in the States this week — mostly because their highest charting entries have been "Around The World" and "One More Time," both of which peaked at #61 on the Hot 100 — but have an actual hit that sticks around for bit in the chart.

Elsewhere in the UK, Calvin Harris' Ellie Goulding-featuring "I Need Your Love" climbs to #7, thus marking his seventh consecutive Top 10 hit off 18 Month. Also, PSY's "Gentleman" becomes his second Top 10 hit as it makes an appearance at #10,

The UK Top 10:

1. "Waiting All Night" - Rudimental feat. Ella Eyre *new* *1 week*
2. "#thatPower" - will.i.am feat. Justin Bieber *new*
3. "Get Lucky" - Daft Punk *new*
4. "Need U (100%)" - Duke Dumont feat. A*M*E
5. "Just Give Me A Reason" - Pink feat. Nate Ruess
6. "Hey Porsche" - Nelly
7. "I Need Your Love" - Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding
8. "Feel This Moment" - Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera
9. "Pompeii" - Bastille
10. "Gentleman" - PSY

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PSY's "Gentleman" Video Is...

Five days after it premiered, now that I've had to properly digest the masterwork that is PSY's "Gentleman" video, I kind of feel about this trash the same way I did about "Gangnam Style": it'll never be a hit.

Goes to show what I know. 117 million views later...

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US Chart Roundup: Ke$ha's Career Is Dying Young

In the week following Christmas, when iTunes gift cards were used at full force — thus propelling older singles like PSY's "Gangnam Style" back into the Top 10 and Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" back into the Top 40 (up to #27 from #43)  — several songs take a plunge.

First up is Swedish House Mafia's "Don't You Worry Child," which drops from its peak of #11 to #15. Pink's "Try" also dips from #13 to #18, while Kelly Clarkson's "Catch My Breath" falls six positions to #36 and Calvin Harris and Florence Welch's "Sweet Nothing" drops 14 spots to #40.

Meanwhile, One Direction's dull as shit "Little Things" is up to #33, making the dirge their fourth Top 40 hit in the States, following "What Makes You Beautiful" (#4), "One Thing" (#39) and "Live While We're Young" (#3).

On a final note, waaaaaay down the chart, Ke$ha's second Warrior single "C'mon" squeaks up to #97. Unfortunately, the album itself is languishing at #46 in its fourth week on the Top 200.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Locked Out Of Heaven" - Bruno Mars *4 weeks*
2. "I Knew You Were Trouble" - Taylor Swift
3. "Diamonds" - Rihanna 
4. "Ho Hey" - The Lumineers
5. "Beauty And A Beat" -Justin Bieber feat. Nicki Minaj
6. "Gangnam Style" - PSY
7. "Die Young" - Ke$ha
8. "One More Night" - Maroon 5
9. "Home" - Phillip Phillips
10. "Thrift Shop" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz

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US Chart Roundup: I'll Be Thinking About You

I'm as confounded as anyone as to how Maroon 5 are at #1 for a seventh week, with what has to be one of their blandest singles — and they've had some really dull ones. Still, there "One More Night" sits, holding off PSY's "Gangnam Style" for a sixth week. At this point, I kind of wish the Korean rapper would just get it over with already and knock Adam Levine & Co. out of the top spot, then tumble into obscurity.

Anyway, the rest of the Hot 100 is pretty flat this week, and of course the big news is Taylor Swift's fourth album Red selling 1.208 million copies in its first week — obviously enough to debut at #1 on the Top 200 album chart.  

But eff her and all this other shit. Personally, I'm pretty smitten with Calvin Harris' new album, 18 Months (just released this week). The Ayah Marah-featuring "Thinking About You" is totally my new jam.



The U.S. Top 10:

1. "One More Night" - Maroon 5 *7 weeks*
2. "Gangnam Style" - PSY
3. "Some Nights" - fun.
4. "Die Young" - Ke$ha
5. "Diamond" - Rihanna
6. "As Long As You Love Me" - Justin Bieber feat. Big Sean
7. "Locked Out Of Heaven" - Bruno Mars
8. "Too Close" - Alex Clare
9. "Let Me Love You" - Ne-Yo
10. "Don't Wake Me Up" - Chris Brown

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UK Chart Roundup: Rihanna Beats One Direction, Adele & Ellie Goulding To #1

It was a fierce race for several singles ambling for the top of the UK chart this week, but in the end it ended up being Rihanna's "Diamonds" that emerged triumphant after the tune sold 105,000 copies. The Official Charts Company reports that "Diamonds" moved a mere 420 copies more than last week's chart topper, PSY's "Gangnam Style." The classy jam — which, let's face it, borrows chords rather shamefully from M83's "Midnight City" — had a much more modest debut in the US, where it recently entered the Hot 100 at #16.

Elsewhere, One Direction's "Live While We're Young," the boy band's lead offering from upcoming LP Take Me Home, is forced to contend with a #3 debut. This now gives the lads their fourth Top 10 in the UK. Just behind them, Adele arrives at #4 with her James Bond theme song "Skyfall." Not bad, considering it didn't go on sale until Friday.

That brings us to Ellie Goulding's lead Halcyon single "Anything Could Happen" at #5. When it first premiered two months ago, I declared that the song was "fucking fantastic." And while I still maintain that "Anything" is a decent tune, it's overall charm wore off a tad, rather quickly.

At any rate, "Anything Could Happen" gives Ellie her third UK Top 10 hit, after "Starry Eyed" (#4) and her cover of Elton John's "Your Song" (#2).

The UK Top 10:

1. "Diamonds" - Rihanna *new* *1 week*
2. "Gangnam Style" - PSY 
3. "Live While We're Young" - One Direction *new*
4. "Skyfall" - Adele *new*
5. "Anything Could Happen" - Ellie Goulding *new*
6. "Hall Of Fame" - The Script feat. will.i.am 
7. "I Cry" - Flo Rida
8. "She Wolf (Falling To Pieces)" - David Guetta feat. Sia
9. "Turn Around" - Conor Maynard feat. Ne-Yo
10. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" - Taylor Swift

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US Chart Roundup: Christina Aguilera's "Your Body" Belly-Flops

PSY's "Gangnam Style" may have conquered the UK chart this week, but it's unable to unseat Maroon 5's "One More Night" on the Billboard Hot 100. And even though the South Korean stud promised to perform the song shirtless if he got to #1 here, he's doing it today anyway via some Ustream trash concert. Get ready for sexy.

Three broads crash the Top 20 this week with new songs: Taylor Swift debuts at #7 with her latest Red offering "Begin Again"; Ke$ha's "Die Young" enters at #13; and Rihanna's new single "Diamonds," from her upcoming 74th studio album, arrives at #16.

Meanwhile, you would have thought that the premiere of Christina Aguilera's "Your Body" video would have helped the single, but it's now dropped from last week's debut position of #34 to #64. Maybe she didn't wear enough rainbow-colored extensions in the slutty trailer park?

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "One More Night" - Maroon 5 *3 weeks*
2. "Gangnam Style" - PSY
3. "Some Nights" - fun.
4. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" - Taylor Swift
5. "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" - Pink
6. "As Long As You Love Me" - Justin Bieber
7. "Begin Again" - Taylor Swift *new*
8. "Whistle" - Flo Rida
9. "Too Close" - Alex Clare
10. "Good Time" - Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen

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UK Chart Roundup: All The Single Covers For PSY's "Gangnam Style" Are Fucking Creepy

PSY's "Gangnam Style" — aka this generation's "Macarena" — has inevitably topped the UK chart (it's currently #2 in the US), after already hitting #1 in countries like Australia, Canada, Finland, Norway and South Korea (duh!).

I just love how it's like the old days, when a single like this would have 4,028 different versions of the cover art.

And with every single one, PSY looks completely ridiculous and actually kind of menacing. Like, "I'm going to hop on my imaginary horse and bounce my tubby ass over to your house and give your children The Inappropriate Tickle" creepy.

This one is my favorite. It's Mermaid PSY, and, yeah — you can expect him to blow bubbles down your shorts in your nightmares while shoving the handle of the toilet scrubber up your can, starlet.

Heeeeeeeeeeeey, sexy lady!

The UK Top 10:

1. "Gangnam Style" - PSY *1 week*
2. "Hall Of Fame" - The Script feat. will.i.am 
3. "I Cry" - Flo Rida
4. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" - Taylor Swift
5. "Let Me Love You" - Ne-Yo
6. "Say Nothing" - Example
7. "Some Nights" - fun.
8. "She Wolf (Falling To Pieces)" - David Guetta feat. Sia
9. "Turn Around" - Conor Maynard feat. Ne-Yo
10. "You Bring Me Joy" - Amelia Lily

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US Chart Roundup: Christina Aguilera Returns From The Pop Hooker Graveyard

K-Pop fans hoping PSY's crossover smash "Gangnam Style" would fly to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week will be disappointed to see the song land in the runner-up position. I'm just annoyed that Maroon 5 are still at the top with their tuneless attempt at reggae, "One More Night."

A far better Max Martin/Shellback co-production is Christina Aguilera's "Your Body," which crashes into the chart at #34. This marks the curvy Voice ho's first Top 40 solo hit since "Not Myself Tonight" kicked off the disastrous Bionic campaign two years ago and peaked at #23. Of course, last year she made her way to #1 by chirping for about 14 seconds on Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger."

Next up we have Pink, whose second The Truth About Love single "Try" debuts at #56 while her current hit "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" is still soaring at #5. And speaking of the pink-wigged faux lezzer's latest album, it becomes her first to hit #1 on the Top 200 after moving 280,000 copies last week — the third-largest opening for an album in 2012 so far. 

God bless vagina.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "One More Night" - Maroon 5 *2 weeks*
2. "Gangnam Style" - PSY
3. "Some Nights" - fun.
4. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" - Taylor Swift
5. "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" - Pink
6. "Whistle" - Flo Rida
7. "As Long As You Love Me" - Justin Bieber
8. "Good Time" - Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen
9. "Too Close" - Alex Clare
10. "Lights" - Ellie Goulding

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