Hate to Say I Told You Song: Rihanna's "Only Girl" Finally Hits Number One

Going back to my second blog post ever, from September 27, I predicted that Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)" would be number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Granted, I thought it would accomplish the feat within a few weeks, but the bottom line is that I was right.

In its 11th week on the chart, "Only Girl" made history by becoming the first lead single from an artist to hit number one after the follow-up single already did so. (For those of you who don't have the obsessive memory I do, you'll remember that Rihanna's "What's My Name," featuring Drake, debuted at number one two weeks ago.)

This is Rihanna's fourth number one of 2010, another feat that makes her a record-breaker, as she is the first female to have that many number ones in a calendar year.

At number two is another successful female: P!nk. She continues climbing the chart with "Raise Your Glass," which jumps from number four to two. Can she dethrone Rihanna next week? I'm honestly not sure, especially since they both may need to watch out for yet another femal pop star: Katy Perry.

Perry's single "Firework" is currently at number 6 but has been rapidly ascending up the charts. If you had asked me a few weeks ago, I would not have guessed that this song would be this big, but it appears to be a contender for number one in the weeks to come.



The Cee-Lo hit "F--k You," or the more PC "Forget You" makes waves on both sides of the number 10 spot. At number 11 comes the debut of the Glee cast's version of "Forget You," with main vocals from guest star Gwyneth Paltrow. Their cover also propelled iTunes sales of the original version, which allowed it to break into the top 10 at number 9 for the first time.

They say you can't judge a book by the cover, but who ever would've guessed these two would sing the same song? 

While it's doubtful anyone could match the soulful vocals of Cee-Lo, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I was impressed by Gwyneth's version. Which do you like better?:
F--k You
Glee's Forget You

As for my predictions from last week, I was only half-correct about my thoughts on songs from Rihanna's new album. While "S&M" debuted at number 53, my personal favorite "Cheers" did not crack the chart.

Again, I will predict debuts of songs from the many albums that were released this week. Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, My Chemical Romance, and Ke$ha all released albums on Monday. I like all of them, particulalry  Minaj and My Chemcial Romance. But expect the most song debuts to come from Ke$ha, followed by Nicki and/or Kanye. Until then folks, enjoy the rest of the Thanksgiving weekend and maybe listen to some of these great albums!

Update (12/1/10):
When writing this blog entry I did not realize that it would be my last post. So I suppose that renders my predictions somewhat pointless. But perhaps I have instilled in you an interest in the Billboard charts. (Don't worry, you don't have to be as obsessive about checking it as I do.) So maybe check the charts for yourselves to see where all of these songs and albums end up. Or at the very least, keep enjoying music in your own way. Thanks and have a great holiday season!

Far East Movement Back Into the Top Spot

The Far East Movement's "Like a G6" returns to the top of the Hot 100 after a two week hiatus. It was perched from its number status by the back-to-back monster debuts of Ke$ha's "We R Who We R" and Rihanna featuring Drake's "What's My Name." This marks the third overall week that "Like a G6" is number one.

The two biggest movements up the chart are Rihanna's earlier single "Only Girl (In the World)" from 4-2 and P!nk's "Raise Your Glass" from 7-4.

The biggest debut of the week comes from Glee. "Teenage Dream," a cover of Katy Perry's recent number one hit, sung with lead vocals by newest cast member Darren Criss, debuts at number 8. It is the second highest debut ever for a Glee song, behind the number 4 debut of "Don't Stop Believing" from its very first episode.



The thing I'm most impressed with about the Glee debut is that it is a cover of a song that is fairly new and is still in the upper echelon of the charts (Katy Perry's version is at number 13). I guess people are either not sick of the song and/or they truly just loved the job Glee did with it.

Another huge debut comes from the Black Eyed Peas. The first single from their new album "The Beginning," "The Time (Dirty Bit)," debuts at number 12. It is the second highest debut for the group ever, behind 2009's record-breaking "I Gotta Feeling." The song samples the 1987 song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing. Their album is due Nov. 30.



While I like the Peas' new song, I don't think it's as good as some of the songs from their last album. While I definitely think it will crack the top 10, it will be interesting to see if it can hit number one, like 3 of the songs from their last album "The E.N.D." It may drop next week because of large first week sales, but will eventually rebound, probably two weeks from now, due to radio airplay.

One more prediction for next week - expect lots of debuts of songs from Rihanna's newest album "Loud." In today's digital world, when an artist releases an album the most popular songs, even if they are not singles, end up the charts due to strong digital sales. We saw this last week with Taylor Swift. I've heard most of Rihanna's album and expect "S&M" and "Cheers (Drink to That)" to be on the charts next week.

If you haven't heard the new Black Eyed Peas song yet, listen to it here: The Time

Many Glee fans have said that the show's cover of Teenage Dream is better than the original Katy Perry version. Listen to both and see if you agree: Katy Perry vs. Glee

Rihanna Scores Her 8th #1 Hit

Rihanna's next single, "What's My Name," featuring rapper Drake, debuted at number one this week. It is Rihanna's eigth #1 song and Drake's first.

Watch the video here.



Katy Perry's "Firework" made a huge jump into the top 10, scoring Perry her sixth overall top 10 and the third in a row from her album "Teenage Dream."

Watch here video here: Firework

Blondes Have More... Record Sales? #1 Debuts for Ke$ha and Taylor Swift

In a huge week of music news, Ke$ha scored a number one debut for her new song "We R Who We R." And while I usually just focus on the Hot 100, I have to discuss the Billboard 200 (for full albums rather than songs) because Taylor Swift's Speak Now is the first album in five years to sell over a million copies in one week.

Ke$ha scored a number one debut on the Hot 100.

Ke$ha's "We R Who We R," the lead single off of her upcoming EP 'Cannibal' debuted at number one on the Hot 100 because of its strong sales on iTunes; it was number one all last week. This is Ke$ha's second number one song, after last year's ubiquitous "Tik Tok." I think it's important to note that Ke$ha has gone 5 for 5 for songs making the top 10 of the Hot 100. She has a lot of detractors, but she is obviously also has a lot of fans that propelled all four singles from her "Animal" album and now "We R Who We R" to the upper echelon of the charts.

Listen to the song here: We R Who We R

Ke$ha's debut basically pushes every other song down one notch, as the rest of the top 10 is virtually the same as last week.

In the number 11 slot is a huge jump from Willow Smith with her debut single "Whip My Hair." It was number 78 last week and made its tremendous jump because it became available on iTunes. Smith is the 9-year-old daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. When I heard she was going to have a music career, I was very skeptical. I wanted to hate her because I felt she was entitled, was going to have a career handed to her, and was too young to be entering the music business. While all of this may still be true, I cannot deny the catchiness of this song. It's song that little kids will love but it has mass appeal, as evidenced by the fact that many of my friends (male and female) are obsessed with the song. If she continues to get good guidance, I think Willow Smith could have a long and prosperous career ahead of her. Watch her cool video here (which has 12 million views!): Whip My Hair video

Willow Smith, who has Youtube and dance sensation "Whip My Hair."

And now to the queen of music of the moment, Taylor Swift. She sold 1,047,000 copies of her third album "Speak Now" in its first week of release. She is the first artist to sell over a million copies in one week since Lil Wayne's 2005 album "Tha Carter III." In today's music age of declining sales, this is an extraordinary feat. Selling a million copies in the late 90s and early 200s was somewhat common, but it is nearly impossible in 2010. Swift showed just how devoted and broad her fanbase is.



Swift also made singles chart history. The Hot 100 chart features 11 appearances from Swift, all songs from Speak Now. She is the first female artist  to have that many songs appear on the Hot 100 and the first overall artist ever to have so many songs from one album chart at the same time. Swift is another artist who in recent months has seen her fair share of detractors but it is evident that she has a huge fanbase.