Saturday, March 6, 2010

Rock-It! 3-13-10, Peas Two Be, Rihanna's Rude Awakening

The Black Eyed Peas’ first two #1 hits were not interested in making a short appearance at the top. “Boom Boom Pow” spent 12 weeks at #1 and “I Gotta Feeling” racked up nine weeks at the top in 2009. So are we in for another marathon run at the top with the quartet’s third career chart topper? We’ll find out as winter changes into spring. This week, their latest, “Imma Be” holds at the top for a second week after ending another long-running chart topper’s streak, Ke$ha’s “TiK ToK”.

It’s not often that an entire record label is credited with a hit song but Lil Wayne’s creation Young Money has done it twice now. They reached #10 last year with “Every Girl” and this week they move from 3-2 with “BedRock” featuring Lloyd. Both singles have included Lil Wayne, Gudda Gudda, Drake and Jae Millz. This one also includes Young Money artists Nicki Minaj and Tyga.

One of the top country bands of 2009 was Nashville trio Lady Antebellum. The group made their first Top 10 appearance last fall when they reached #7 with “Need You Now”. This week they move back up from 5-3 with “Need You Now”. The song already reached #3 three weeks ago. Both hits reached #1 on the country chart.

San Francisco rock trio Train is up from 7-6 with “Hey, Soul Sister”. They are looking to make it their biggest hit ever. That occurred back in 2001 in their only other Top 10 appearance when they reached #5 with “Drops Of Jupiter (Tell Me)”. Their current hit is also #1 on the Adult Top 40 chart.

Watch out for 22-year old superstar Rihanna. Her 14th Top 40 hit, “Rude Boy” debuted in the Top 40 last week at #23. This week she has the biggest jumping song of the week as she rockets from 23-8. Rihanna is looking to return to #1 for the first time since 2008 when she topped the chart with “Take A Bow” and “Disturbia” and also was featured on T.I.’s #1 single “Live Your Life”.

Trey Songz had peaked at #14 twice in his career to this point. The 25-year old Virginia R&B star reached #14 in 2007 with “Can’t Help But Wait” and visited the position two years earlier when featured on Twista’s 2005 hit “Girl Tonite”. He now has topped both those song with “Say Aah” featuring Fabolous which has become his first Top 10 hit and moves from 10-9 this week.

21-year old Haitian singer-songwriter Jason DeRulo slips from 9-10 this week with “In My Head” despite a bullet. Jason’s first hit, “Whatcha Say” hit #1 last year.

Ke$ha fell a week short of a 10-week run at #1 with her debut single “TiK ToK”. But she is one the verge of a Top 10 run to #1 with a follow up. She holds at #11 for a third week with “Blah Blah Blah” featuring another top new act, 3Oh!3 who hit the Top 10 last year with “Don’t Trust Me”.

Lady GaGa is looking for her sixth Top 10 hit as she moves from 14-12 with “Telephone” featuring Beyonce. Her fifth hit, “Bad Romance”, slips from 4-5 this week.

Justin Bieber’s third Top 40 hit, “Baby” featuring Ludacris holds at #13 this week. The 16-year old star already reached #5 a month ago with the song. Ludacris who is featured on the song also moves up from 8-7 this week with “How Low” but loses a bullet.

38-year old producer and hip hop star Timbaland regains a bullet this week as he holds at #15 with “Carry Out” featuring Justin Timberlake. He’s looking for his first Top 10 hit since “The Way I Are” and “Apologize” both reached the Top 3 in 2007.

21-year old Atlanta rapper B.o.B. leaps from 21-16 this week with “Nothin’ On You” featuring Bruno Mars. The artist who also goes by Bobby Ray is following up a 38-21 move that he made in his second week ever in the Top 40.

Spending a second week at #17 this week is 25-year old Orianthi Panagaris. She simply goes by Orianthi. Originally from Australia, the singer-guitarist got her big breakthrough playing guitar for Michael Jackson on his last comeback concert attempt before his passing. Her first hit is “According To You”.

2009 American Idol champion Kris Allen cracked the Top 20 last year after he won the competition with two hits, “No Boundaries” and “Heartless”. This week his third Top 20 hit, “Live LIke We’re Dying” moves from 19-18.

Irish band The Script scores their first Top 20 U.S. hit this week as they move up from 22-19 with “Breakeven”.

Three songs make moves of five spots or more in the bottom half of the Top 40 this week: OneRepublic’s “All The Right Moves” (34-25), Timbaland’s “Say Something” featuring Drake (32-26) and Michael Buble’s “Haven’t Met You Yet” (33-28).

Three songs debut in the Top 40 this week. All are by artists who have had long careers. 40-year old rap legend Jay-Z scores his 20th Top 40 hit this week with “On To The Next One” along with Bronx rapper Swizz Beatz who scores his first headlined Top 40 hit. Jay-Z’s chart career now stretches eleven years. He first hit the Top 40 in early 1999 with “Can I Get A...” 32-year old Connecticut native John Mayer notches his eighth Top 40 hit this week with “Heartbreak Warfare” at #39. John first hit the Top 40 in 2002 with “No Such Thing”. He is still looking for his first Top 10 hit. And 31-year old Usher has his 15th Top 40 hit this week at #40 with “Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home)” featuring Plies. His career stretches back to the #2 hit “You Make Me Wanna...” in 1997. 

My iTunes pick of the week:
“Heads/tails”, Hotspur
“Strobe”, Deadmau5
“Pyramid”, Charice
“All Of Creation”, MercyMe

For more Rock-It!, visit www.songerstudio.com