Robin Thicke No. 1 for 11th Week, Katy Perry No. 2 on Hot 100
Billboardbiz
August 21, 2013
By Gary Trust
In an extremely close race, Robin Thicke tops the Billboard Hot 100 for an 11th week with “Blurred Lines” (featuring T.I. and Pharrell). The song narrowly holds off Katy Perry’s “Roar,” which blasts 85-2 following its first full week of sales. Lady Gaga’s “Applause” adds to the top 10’s shakeup, debuting at No. 6, also after its first week of sales.
Despite “Roar” arriving as the top-selling song in the U.S., Thicke’s lead in streaming and airplay is just enough for “Lines” to fend off Perry’s challenge.
“Lines” leads Hot 100 Airplay for a seventh week, gaining by 1% to a record-extending 228.9 million all-format audience impressions, according to Nielsen BDS. It posts a seventh week atop the subscription services-based On-Demand Songs chart (1.8 million U.S. streams, down 13%, according to BDS), while holding at No. 2 on Streaming Songs (6.6 million, down 13%). On Hot Digital Songs, “Lines” dips 1-2 after 10 frames on top with 291,000 downloads sold (down 16%), according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The song also logs an 11th week at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and a 14th week atop R&B Songs, while becoming just the 18th title to dominate the Hot 100 for at least 11 weeks.
Despite its declines in sales and streaming, “Lines” manages to maintain its spot atop the Hot 100 over “Roar,” which makes the chart’s greatest positional jump since Drake’s “Make Me Proud” (featuring Nicki Minaj) flew 97-9 the week of Nov. 5, 2011; it’s the largest leap for a song by a lead female since Carrie Underwood’s “Cowboy Casanova” galloped 96-11 the week of Oct. 10, 2009.
“Lines” and “Roar,” in fact, are separated by just a 3.3% difference in overall chart points (with “Lines” down by 9% and “Roar” up by 1,262%).
“Roar” does just that, skyrocketing 85-2 in its second week on the Hot 100. Last week, the song dented the chart via its No. 29 start on Hot 100 Airplay (40 million) due solely to its first four days of airplay. The song vaults with top Airplay Gainer honors, lifting 29-13 on Hot 100 Airplay (63 million, up 56%). Still, it’s the track’s first week of sales that largely powers its Hot 100 move, as “Roar” debuts atop Hot Digital Songs with 557,000. As previously reported, the bow marks the sixth-largest sales week for a digital song, Perry’s best sum and the biggest total for Capitol Records.
“Roar” also charges onto Streaming Songs at No. 4 (3.8 million) and No. 12 on On-Demand Songs (910,000). On the former chart, the track marks the highest debut by a solo female dating to the list’s launch the week of Jan. 26.
With its flight, “Roar” becomes Perry’s 12th Hot 100 top 10 and first since her last entry, “Wide Awake,” reached No. 2 a year ago. Of her 13 radio-promoted singles as a lead act dating to her seven-week No. 1 breakout smash “I Kissed a Girl” in 2008, she’s missed the top tier only with “Thinking of You” (No. 29, 2009). Among her haul are seven No. 1s, including five from her last album, Teenage Dream, which joined Michael Jackson’s Bad (1987-88) as the only sets ever to yield five Hot 100 No. 1s. “Roar” previews Perry’s follow-up album Prism, due Oct. 22.
Does Perry’s runner-up start on the Hot 100 mean that “Roar” won’t reach No. 1? Not necessarily. Airplay for “Lines,” while still gaining, appears to be cresting, while its sales and streaming continue to decline. As airplay for “Roar” rises, along with expected streaming gains, sustained strong sales could still push it to the Hot 100’s apex. For instance, “California Gurls” (featuring Snoop Dogg), the lead single from Teenage Dream, also entered the Hot 100 at No. 2 (May 29, 2010). It dipped to No. 3 and then rebounded to No. 2 before spending six weeks at No. 1. Similar to how “Roar” trails an established smash in “Lines,” “Gurls” waited out Usher’s “OMG” (featuring will.i.am), which topped the Hot 100 in each of the first three chart weeks for “Gurls” before the latter took over at the top.
As Perry powers to No. 2 on the Hot 100, Miley Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop” drops 2-3 after three nonconsecutive weeks at its No. 2 peak. Still, “Stop” scores a ninth week atop Streaming Songs (6.9 million, down 11%). It slides 3-6 on Hot Digital Songs (148,000, down 6%) but advances 22-18 on Hot 100 Airplay (51 million, up 8%).
Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” descends 3-4 on the Hot 100, while leading Hot Rock Songs for a record-padding 22nd week. It holds at its No. 2 highpoint on Hot 100 Airplay for a second week (119 million, down 1%).
Jay Z’s “Holy Grail” (featuring Justin Timberlake) tallies a third week at its No. 5 peak so far on the Hot 100. The collaboration bounds 14-11 on Hot 100 Airplay (71 million, up 19%) and backtracks 2-4 on Hot Digital Songs, although with a 7% gain to 178,000, and 8-11 on Streaming Songs, also with an increase (of 1% to 2.8 million). It tops Rap Songs for a fourth week.
Joining Perry with a Hot 100 top 10 entrance this week is Lady Gaga, whose “Applause” debuts at No. 6. Following its radio and retail release on Aug. 19, the track begins on Hot Digital Songs at No. 3 (218,000), Streaming Songs at No. 9 (2.9 million) and Hot 100 Airplay at No. 40 (31 million, up 97%; it registered 16 million in last week’s airplay tracking period after less than two days of availability.) Having premiered the official video for “Applause” on Monday (Aug. 19), the song is likely to make significant streaming gains to be reflected next week.
The sums propel Gaga to her first No. 1 on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart (which premiered in January), where it darts 16-1.
Like Perry, Gaga nabs her 12th Hot 100 top 10 with “Applause” (which marks her third-highest debut, following the No. 1-bowing “Born This Way” and the No. 3-starting “The Edge of Glory” in 2011). She’d last appeared in the top bracket almost two years ago with the No. 6-peaking “You and I,” one of four top 10s from “Born This Way,” her last proper studio set. “Applause” ushers in “ARTPOP,” due Nov. 11.
Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” (featuring Pharrell) dives 4-7 on the Hot 100 after peaking at No. 2 for five weeks. With the coronation of “Applause,” “Lucky” cedes the Dance/Electronic Songs summit after a record 13-week reign.
Rounding the Hot 100’s top 10 are Bruno Mars’ “Treasure” (7-8); Anna Kendrick’s “Cups (Pitch Perfect’s When I’m Gone)” (6-9); and Capital Cities’ “Safe and Sound” (9-10).
Visit Billboardbiz tomorrow (Aug. 22), when all rankings, including the Hot 100, Hot Digital Songs, Hot 100 Airplay, Streaming Songs and On-Demand Songs will be refreshed, as they are each Thursday.