Global Chart
Report
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'Drivers License' reigns a sixth week
Thursday, February 25, 2021
by Fred Chuchel, Dresden
'Drivers License'
by Olivia Rodrigo leads the Global Track Chart for a
sixth consecutive week with another 317,000 points, a 5% decline
compared to the previous week. The song tops also easily the
year-to-date chart with a total of 2,148,000 points. Canadian R&B
superstar The Weeknd still occupies no.2 and no.3 on the tally, but
the two songs swap the places: 'Save Your Tears' reaches the
runner-up position with 248,000 points (down 10%) and 'Blinding
Lights' slides at no.3 in its 64th week with 230,000 points (down
24%). Biggest winner of the week is Ariana Grande's '34+35', driven
by a new remix the song jumps from no.9 to no.4 with 230,000 points
(up 60%). Rounds out the top five is this week's highest debut,
'Calling My Phone' by American rapper Lil Tjay and American singer
6lack. The song was steadily teased by Lil Tjay on Twitter and
TikTok among other social media accounts starting in December 2020.
Intended as a Valentine's Day gift to his
fans, the artist
announced the release of the single on February 4, 2021. Now it bows
at no.5 globally with 183,000 points. 'Dance Monkey' by Tones And I
ranks a 79th week inside the Top 40, so it equals the historical
record-holder 'Shape Of You' by Ed Sheeran. Outside our
weekly Top 40 waiting among other 'My Head And My Heart' by Ava Max
at no.46, 'Love Not War (The Tampa Beat)' by
Jason DeRulo & Nuka at
no.47, and 'Girls Like Me' by the Black Eyed Peas feat. Shakira at
no.51 for their first appearance on the big list.
'Dangerous: The Double Album' by Country newcomer Morgan Wallen
returns to the hot spot of the Global Album Chart for a third time.
It's the only set this week with a six-digit sales number, exactly
103,000. That corresponds a total of 1,024,000 so far. Highest debut
of the week comes from South Korean singer and actor Kim Wooseok,
ex-member of the boy group Up10tion. His second extended player '2nd
Desire (Tasty)' arrives at the runner-up slot with 86,000 sales.
With the success of his new single smash 'Save Your Tears', The
Weeknd's latest album 'After Hours' turns back to new heights with a
jump from no.11 to no.3 and 76,000 sales, a total of nearly 3,6
million so far. And now, as every
week, additional stats from outside the current Global Album Top 10 in
alphabetic order, the first figure means last week's sales, the second
figure the total sales: '1989' by Taylor Swift 16,000 / 11,888,000,
'21' by Adele 10,000 / 30,497,000, '25' by Adele 9,000 / 22,799,000,
the 'A Star Is Born' soundtrack 17,000 / 6,459,000, 'Astroworld' by Travis Scott
18,000 /
5,712,000, 'BE' by BTS (Bangtan Boys) 25,000 / 3,615,000, 'Beerbongs & Bentleys' by Post Malone
18,000 / 7,680,000,
'Blackpink - The Album' by Blackpink 16,000 / 1,544,000, 'Blame It On Baby' by DaBaby
17,000 / 1,835,000, 'Changes' by Justin Bieber
5,000 /
1,696,000, 'Chromatica' by Lady GaGa 8,000 / 1,718,000, 'Dark Lane Demo Tapes' by Drake 10,000 /
1,485,000, 'Death Race For Love' by Juice WRLD
21,000 / 2,585,000, 'Divide' by Ed Sheeran
28,000 / 17,007,000,
'Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent' by Lewis Capaldi 33,000 /
4,128,000, 'Eternal Atake' by Lill Uzi Vert 17,000 / 2,255,000, 'Fine
Line' by Harry Styles 54,000 / 4,460,000, 'Folklore' by Taylor Swift
40,000 / 3,484,000, the 'Frozen
II' soundtrack 13,000 / 2,472,000, 'Future Nostalgia' by Dua Lipa
72,000 / 2,487,000, 'Goodbye & Good Riddance' by Juice
WRLD 31,000 / 4,300,000, the soundtrack of the Original Hollywood Cast
to 'Hamilton: An American Musical' 22,000 / 3,534,000,
'Hollywood's Bleeding' by Post Malone 36,000 / 6,051,000, 'Legends
Never Die' by Juice WRLD 45,000 / 3,103,000, 'Letter To
You' by Bruce Springsteen 10,000 / 884,000, 'Love Goes' by Sam Smith
15,000 / 547,000, 'Lover' by Taylor Swift
22,000 /
4,296,000, 'Map Of The Soul: 7' by
BTS (Bangtan Boys) 17,000 / 6,638,000, 'Music To Be Murdered By' by
Eminem 25,000 / 2,342,000, 'My Turn' by Lil Baby 28,000 / 2,786,000, 'No.6 Collaborations' by Ed Sheeran
10,000
/ 4,122,000, 'Over It' Summer Walker 15,000 / 1,860,000, 'Plastic
Hearts' by Miley Cyrus 26,000 / 650,000, 'Please
Excuse Me For Being Antisocial' by Roddy Ricch 14,000 / 2,631,000,
'Positions' by Ariana Grande 51,000 / 1,517,000, 'Power Up' by AC/DC
22,000 / 1,313,000,
'Question Mark' by XXXTentacion 22,000 / 5,333,000,
'Scorpion' by
Drake 15,000 / 7,224,000,
'Stoney' by Post Malone 13,000 /
6,232,000, 'Thank U, Next' by Ariana Grande 15,000 / 4,279,000, 'The
Greatest Showman' soundtrack 18,000 / 8,530,000, 'The Voice' by Lil
Durk 43,000 / 435,000, 'When We All Fall
Asleep, Where Do We Go?' by Billie Eilish 36,000 / 7,904,000, 'Wonder'
by Shawn Mendes 17,000 / 521.000, and 'X' by Ed Sheeran
11,000 / 12,623,000.
GLOBAL NO.1 - 60 YEARS AGO
... "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" was originally recorded several times in 1927,
first by Charles Hart, with successful versions by Vaughn De Leath, Henry Burr,
and the duet of Jerry Macy and John Ryan. In 1950 the Blue Barron Orchestra
version reached the Top 20 in the United States. In April 1960, after Presley's
two-year service in the U.S.Army, he recorded the song at the suggestion of
manager Colonel Tom Parker; "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" was Parker's wife, Marie
Mott's, favorite song. Its release was delayed by RCA executives, who thought
the song did not fit Presley's new (and publicized) style. Finally "Are You
Lonesome Tonight?" jumps at no.1 in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada,
Australia, Belgium, and Spain. Unforgettable is Presley's live-version of that
song, called the "Laughing Version", from the midnight show at the International
Hotel in Las Vegas on August 26, 1969.
USA
Billboard Report
(excerpt)
Morgan Wallen hits sixth week at No.1
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
by Keith Caulfield & Gary Trust, Los Angeles
Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album snares a 6th total week,
all in a row, at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated Feb. 27),
capturing the most weeks atop the list for a
male artist’s album since
Drake’s Views logged 13 nonconsecutive weeks in the lead in 2016 (May
21-Oct. 8, 2016-dated charts).
Dangerous earned 93,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week
ending Feb. 18 (down 38%), according to MRC Data.
Dangerous bowed atop the list five weeks ago, on the chart dated Jan.
23. Only three albums have spent at least six weeks at No. 1 in the last
five years: Dangerous, Taylor Swift’s Folklore (eight nonconsecutive
weeks, 2020) and Drake’s Views (13).
Of Dangerous’ 93,000 equivalent album units earned in the tracking week
ending Feb. 18, SEA units comprise 81,000 (down 24%, equaling 112.11
million on-demand streams of the album’s songs), album sales comprise
10,000 (down 74%) and TEA units comprise 2,000 (down 64%).
At No. 2 on the Billboard 200, The Weeknd’s After Hours surges 37-2 with
42,000 equivalent album units earned (up 183%). It’s the first of two
albums in the top 10 by
The Weeknd, as his best-of package The
Highlights dips 2-8 in its second week with 31,000 units (down 65%).
The two albums share a pair of songs, “Blinding Lights” and “Save Your
Tears.” On the latest chart, the TEA and SEA units for both songs
contribute to After Hours, as a song’s activity is assigned to the
artist’s album with the most sales in a week. (After Hours sold 6,000
copies in the latest tracking week, while The Highlights sold 4,000.) A
week ago, the TEA and SEA for both songs was directed to The Highlights
(which in that frame outsold After Hours 10,000 to 6,000). In turn, with
the songs’ activity reverting back to After Hours, the album vaults from
37-2.
Lil Durk’s The Voice climbs 5-3 on the Billboard 200 with 40,000
equivalent album units earned (down 20%), while
Pop Smoke’s former No. 1 Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon rises 6-4
with 38,000 units (down 8%) and
Pooh Shiesty’s Shiesty Season falls 4-5 in its second week with 37,000
units (down 40%).
Taylor Swift’s former No. 1 Evermore bumps back into the top 10 with an
11-6 rise (33,000 equivalent album units earned; up 16%). Of that sum,
12,000 are in album sales -- up 70%. The album had a robust sales bump
thanks to the release of the cassette edition of the album, as well as
buzz and promotion generated by Swift’s Feb. 10 announcement that she
would be re-recording her chart-topping 2008 Fearless album. Dua Lipa’s
Future Nostalgia surges back into the top 10 for the first time in 10
months, as the album jumps 21-7 with 32,000 equivalent album units
earned (up 58%). Its big gain is owed to the album’s deluxe reissue on
Feb. 12 with six additional songs, including its new radio hit “We’re
Good.” The cut debuted at No. 31 on the most recently published Pop
Airplay chart (dated Feb. 20).
Future Nostalgia debuted and peaked at No. 4 on the April 11, 2020-dated
chart, and has now spent a total of four weeks in the top 10.
Rounding out the rest of the top 10 on the latest Billboard 200:
The Weeknd’s The Highlights at No. 8,
Ariana Grande’s Positions (7-9 with 30,000 equivalent album units
earned; down 7%) and
Juice WRLD’s Legends Never Die (8-10 with 28,000 units; down 5%).
Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" rolls to a sixth week at No. 1 on the
Billboard Hot 100, encompassing its entire run on the chart so far after
it debuted atop the chart five weeks ago.
"License" was released Jan. 8 on Geffen / Interscope Records and debuted
atop the Jan. 23-dated Hot 100, marking Rodrigo's first No. 1. The song
from the singer-songwriter and actress, who broke through with roles on
Disney Channel's Bizaardvark and Disney+'s High School Musical: The
Musical: The Series, totaled 22.4 million U.S. streams (down 19%) and
10,000 downloads sold (down 42%) in the week ending Feb. 18, according
to MRC Data. It also drew 59.1 million radio airplay audience
impressions (up 11%) in the week ending Feb. 21.
The track holds at No. 2 after four weeks atop the all-genre Streaming
Songs chart, reaches the Radio Songs top five, pushing 7-5, and retreats
4-8 after three weeks atop Digital Song Sales.
Ariana Grande's "34+35" surges 6-2 on the Hot 100 after first reaching
the rank four weeks earlier, when it was sparked by the Jan. 15 release
of its remix featuring Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion. Now, the song
returns to its high following the Feb. 12 premiere of its official video
starring all three artists, and the release that day of the deluxe
edition of parent album Positions.
"34+35" ascends with 60.2 million in airplay audience (up 2%), 18.1
million streams (up 35%) and 16,000 sold (up 863%), the latter two
metrics good for the song's dual wins for top Streaming and Sales Gainer
on the Hot 100.
Lil Tjay's "Calling My Phone," featuring 6LACK, bounds onto the Hot 100
at No. 3, after buzz for the song built via previews on TikTok. Released
in full Feb. 12, it opens with 34 million streams, 1.4 million in radio
reach and 3,000 sold.
The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" dips 3-4 on the Hot 100. The song spent
four weeks at No. 1 last April-May (eventually finishing as the Hot
100's top hit of all of 2020) and logs its 63rd total week on the chart.
It adds a record-extending and landmark 50th week in the top 10 and
record-furthering 41st week in the top five. The track also claims a
record-padding 47th frame atop the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs chart.
Cardi B's "Up" drops to No. 5 a week after it debuted at No. 2 on the
Hot 100, and
The Weeknd's "Save Your Tears" falls to No. 6 from its No. 4 high.
24kGoldn's "Mood," featuring Iann Dior, descends 5-7 on the Hot 100,
after eight nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in October through
mid-January. It leads the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and
Hot Alternative Songs charts for a 25th week each.
Chris Brown and Young Thug's "Go Crazy" backtracks 7-8 on the Hot 100,
after hitting No. 5, as it adds a sixth week atop Radio Songs (79.1
million in audience, down 1%).
Rounding out the Hot 100's top 10, Dua Lipa's "Levitating," featuring
DaBaby, slips 8-9, after reaching No. 5, and
Ariana Grande's "Positions" falls 9-10, after spending its first week on
the chart at No. 1 in November.
Record Of The Month
A New Zealand whaler song from the 19th century becomes a big chart success at
the moment. Some time ago the video of Nathan Evans, a 26 year-old (former)
postman from Scotland, with his version of the Shanty 'Soon May The Wellerman
Come' triggered a gigantic hype on the internet platform TikTok. The song
consists of almost endless call-and-response intervals... short stanzas as a
call and the recurring chorus in response. The obvious connection between the
isolation of young people as whalers in the 19th century and during the Covid19
pandemic certainly contributed to the great success.
United Kingdom
Music Week
(excerpt)
Rapper Tyron 'Slowthai' Frampton shoots at number one
Monday, February 22, 2021
by Alan Jones, London
For the 26th week running, the No.1
album changes hands as last week's champions Foo Fighters are eclipsed
by yet another new release. The 25th different album to top the charts
in the last six months is Tyron, the second full-length release from
British rapper Tyron "Slowthai" Frampton. Two years on from his
notoriety-forging
Mercury
Prize nomination and a No.9 peak for his debut album Nothing Great About
Britain (which has 52,681 lifetime sales to its name) the 26-year-old
from Northampton has far and away the most-purchased album of the week.
10,840 of Tyron's total chart sale of 16,940 came via physical copies,
the kind of proportions we expect to see from rock rather than rap
albums.
Three of the album's cuts make the singles chart in tandem with its
release. In order they are Cancelled (featuring Skepta) at No.39 (8,676
sales), Terms (No.71, 5,482 sales) and Mazza (No.72, 5,440 sales).
Shedding over 80% of its first week sales Medicine At Midnight still
moves 8,338 copies second time out to hold second place for The Foo
Fighters. It means they finish narrowly ahead of the second-most in
demand release of the week, Who Am I from Pale Waves whose 8,195 sales
take it to No.3. The second album from the Manchester group, it beats
the chart run of 2018 debut
My Mind Makes Noises which topped out at
No.8.
The deluxe Moonlight Edition of Dua Lipa's much lauded Future Nostalgia
album adds b-sides, collaborations and some token new recordings to its
tracklisting and the resultant renewed interest means the near year-old
release more than doubles its consumption week on week. A sale of 6,730
propels Future Nostalgia to No.4 and takes its lifetime sales to a
pleasingly symmetrical 296,296. Dua's self-titled debut still leads the
way in sales with a total of 707,015 to its name. The Top 5 is rounded
out by The Weeknd's The Highlights which drifts to No.5 (6,347 sales).
It is a new era in several ways for Taylor Momsen and The Pretty
Reckless, their fourth album Death By Rock And Roll not only their first
for a new American label but their first new material since longtime
producer and collaborator Kato Khandwala passed away in 2018. No.6 with
5,119 is enough to match the chart peak of their 2010 debut Light Me Up
as their biggest hit album to date. That album remains their biggest
seller, accumulating 110,972 sales since release.
Album sales overall remain reassuringly steady, this week's total of
1,794,554 representing a 0.6% week on week rise. Physical sales however
dip 9.63% to 304,273 and are down to just 16.96% of the market, their
lowest share for six weeks. Vulnerable to a challenge for the
first time since release, Drivers License by Olivia Rodrigo had a
genuine fight on its hands this week to enjoy a sixth week at No.1.
It does so by the narrowest margin so far, its chart sales falling to
52,305 (a mere 2,155 of these from paid downloads), just 1,688 ahead of
its closest challenger. All eyes next week will be on whether the track
can become the first in over a year to enjoy seven straight weeks at the
top of the charts. For the first time that is by no means a certainty.
Leading the race for most of the week was newcomer Calling My Phone by
Lil Tjay and 6lack, but the heartfelt Drake-inspired hit settles into
second place, its 50,617 sales the highest accumulated by any No.2
single far this year. It is the biggest hit of the six to date for US
star Lil Tjay, best known on these shores for his turn on Mood Swings by
the late Pop Smoke which peaked at No.5 last summer. His companion on
the single, 28-year-old Ricardo Valentine Jnr, has been waiting
patiently in the wings for some time. His only previous British chart
outing was a cameo role on the Khalid track OTW, a No.60 entry back in
May 2018.
A sales increase to 39,648 still cannot stop Wellerman from Nathan Evans
sliding a place to No.3. Don't Play from Anne-Marie / KSI / Digital Farm
Animals is locked in place at No.4 even as the release of a new acoustic
remix boosts its consumption to 32,224. Kid Laroi's Without You is also
up in sales to 31,147 but down a chart place to No.5. There are also new
peaks inside the Top 10 for Tiesto with The Business up to No.6 (29,208
sales) and Goosebumps by HVME (No.9, 22,391) while Friday by Riton x
Nightcrawlers arrives in the Top 10 for the first time at No.10 (22,360
sales).
A sudden surge in streaming (romantic tracks for Valentine’s night
perhaps) sends singles sales soaring 4.23% week on week to their highest
level since Christmas, totalling 21,916,096. Paid sales rise 2.31% to
stand at 444,536.