11/29/09 Hot AC Chart: Carrie moves up, “Fireflies” light up the top 5

Kelly Clarkson holds on to the top spot for a second week with “Already Gone”. Although Colbie Caillat returns to #2, she does not pose a threat to Kelly for the top spot. Most likely the next contender is Owl City. In only its 8th week on the chart, “Fireflies” moves up to #5. There are still several hundred spins between Kelly and Owl City, so Kelly should still have at least a couple of more weeks at #1. Remember, the holiday season will likely slow the chart down, so she could get even more weeks on top.

Two songs enter the top 10 this week. First up is Bon Jovi’s “We Weren’t Born to Follow”. It’s the group’s 4th top 10 hit on the Hot AC chart. Their first top 10 was back in 1994 when “Always” reached #2. (Bon Jovi’s 2nd top 10 didn’t come until 12 years later in 2006). The group has placed 13 hits on the chart. Nickelback also move into the top 10 this week with “Never Gonna Be Alone”. It’s Nickelback’s 10th top 10 hit out of a total of 12 charted singles.

The biggest mover on the chart this week is by Carrie Underwood. “Cowboy Casanova” jumps 6 notches to #31 in her 2nd week on the chart. This ties the peak of her last song to make Hot AC, “Last Name”.

The week’s only debut is the 13th hit for John Mayer, “Heartbreak Warfare”.

Idol Watch: Daughtry’s “No Surprise” falls out of the top 10 this week, while “Life After You” moves up to #22. Kris Allen holds at #19 this week.

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11/22/09 Hot AC Chart: Kelly scores another #1, Daughtry jumps up the chart

After 11 weeks on top, Kings of Leon relinquish the #1 spot to Kelly Clarkson. “Already Gone” is Kelly’s 2nd #1 on the Hot AC chart.  Her last song to reach #1 was “Behind These Hazel Eyes” back in 2005. That song spent 5 weeks on top of the chart.  Whether Kelly gets to spend that long on top depends on how much the chart slows down for the Holiday season and whether “Fireflies” can keep up its momentum. About 1000 spins separate the two songs (#1 and #7 this week), and “Fireflies” gained over 400 spins this week alone. It will be fun to watch. Kelly has had 4 #1s on the pop chart. To see her career on that chart, please visit

http://www2.uta.edu/hunt/charts/kclarkson.htm

Otherwise the top 10 songs have little movement, and no songs enter or exit the top 10. Moving into the top 20 this week are Kris Allen at #19 and Green River Ordinance at #20. An artist gets a new high peak on HAC this week: Michael Buble moves up to #23 with “Haven’t Met You Yet”. His previous high mark on the chart was at #24 with “Home”.

The biggest mover on this week’s chart is “Life After You” by Daughtry. In its second week on the chart, the song jumps 8 notches to #26.  Other decent moves this week on the chart include “Whatcha Say” (38-34) and “Two Is Better than One” (40-35).  Debuting on the chart this week are Carrie Underwood with “Cowboy Casanova” at #37 and Britney Spears’ “3″ at #39.  It’s Carrie’s 4th hit and Britney’s 9th.

Happy Thanksgiving to all the readers out there!

All chart data  © Mediabase Research.

11/15/09 Hot AC Chart: Kelly Clarkson just misses #1, Daughtry debuts

Kings of Leon eek out 1 more week at the top of the chart this week, giving them 11 weeks on top with “Use Somebody”. Coming on strong though at #2 is Kelly Clarkson with “Already Gone”. Kelly just missed the #1 spot and ended up 10 spins behind the Kings. Look for Kelly to begin her reign at the top next week.

Uncle Kracker moves up to #5 with “Smile”. It’s the first time Uncle Kracker has hit the top 5 since 2003, when “Drift Away” peaked at #2 (and spent 10 weeks at that position). Daughtry falls out of the top 5 for the first time since the first week of July (“No Surprise” eases down to #8) Moving into the top 10 in only its 6th week on the chart is “Fireflies” by Owl City.

Lifehouse move into the top 20 at #19 with “Halfway Gone”. Reaching the top 30 are Beyonce’s “Sweet Dreams” and Jay Sean’s “Down”. Debuting on the chart this week is the latest by Daughtry (#34) and Boys Like Girls (#40).

Idol Watch: Kris Allen moves up to #21, and Jordin Sparks spends her last week on the chart at #36.

All chart data  © Mediabase Research.

11/8/09 Hot AC Chart: Kings of Leon reach double digits on top, Several big moves up this week

“Use Somebody” holds at the top of the chart for a tenth week this week. It’s still in 2nd place for longest run at the top of the chart this year, trailing the Fray. Thanks in part to a change in the station panel, Colbie Caillat gets a surge and moves up to #2 with “Fallin’ for You”. However, she still is an underdog to reach the top spot. Although Kelly Clarkson holds at #4 with “Already Gone”, her bullet is almost 3 times the size of Colbie’s. If her bullet can stay the same, Kelly could reach #1 before December.

No songs move into the top 10 this week, and one song moves into the top 20, “Paparazzi” by Lady GaGa. The biggest mover of the week will be in the top 20 soon, “Halfway Gone” by Lifehouse. The song sees a spin increase of over 600 and leaps 8 notches to to #21 in its 2nd week on the chart. Relatively small differences in spins along with the panel change allow other songs to make big moves up the chart this week: “Haven’t Met You Yet” moves 34-27, “Sex on Fire” moves 35-28, and “Sweet Dreams” moves 37-31.

Less than 300 spins separate #40 from #30, and a little over 500 spins separate #30 from #21. Thus the potential for big moves still exists for any song that can get a strong bullet.

Moving in the opposite direction from the  big movers is the Howie Day’s “Be There”. The song falls 6 spots to #33.

Debuting this week are the latest songs from Parachute, Black Eyed Peas, Eric Hutchinson, and Jason Derulo.

Idol Watch: Daughtry holds at #5, Kris Allen moves up 3 to #23, and Jordin falls 3 to #34.

All chart data ©  Mediabase Research.

11/01/09 Hot AC Chart: Lifehouse returns, Rob earns another top 10

Kings of Leon hold once again at the top of the chart, for a total of 9 weeks on top.  The next contender is Kelly Clarkson, who moves up to #4 with “Already Gone”. She is still several hundred spins behind the Kings. With the chart probably starting to slow down soon as we approach the holiday season, Kings may still have a few weeks to go on top.

Rob Thomas moves up to #10 with “Someday”. This is Rob’s 8th consecutive top 10 on Hot AC as a solo artist, starting with his appearance with Santana on “Smooth”. If you count Matchbox Twenty hits, “Someday” is Rob’s 20th top 10 on the Hot AC chart. That’s quite a feat, especially since most acts don’t even have 20 charted hits.

For those readers who’ve been following Bon Jovi, they inch up one more to #12 this week.

The biggest mover on the chart is a song that’s been around for 6 weeks now. “You & Me” by the Dave Matthews band jumps 9 notches to #30 this week.  In the previous 5 weeks, the song had risen no higher than #38.  Other songs making decent moves this week include Kris Allen’s “Live Like We’re Dying” (moving from 32 to 26) and OneRepublic’s “All the Right Moves” (moving from #29 to #24).

Lifehouse return to the chart this week after several months away. They have the highest debut of the week at #29 with “Halfway Gone”. It’s the group’s 10th top 40 hit on Hot AC. They first appeared in 2001 with “Hanging by a Moment”.  Michael Bublé comes back to the chart after a couple of years away with his third hit, “Haven’t Met You Yet”. The song is already top 10 on the AC chart. Rounding out this week’s debuts is Michelle Branch, who comes in with her first hit by herself  since 2004 with “Sooner or Later”.  It’s her 6th hit all by herself, and 9th hit overall counting hits with Santana and the Wreckers.

Idol Watch: Daughtry slips to #5, and Jordin Sparks falls to #31.

All chart data © Mediabase Research.

10/25/09 Hot AC Chart: Latest American Idol Debuts, Creed return

At the top of the chart this week, Kings of Leon hold for an 8th week. They’ll soon move into 2nd place for longest running #1 song of 2009. The next contender, “Already Gone” by Kelly Clarkson, moves up to #6 this week, and is still over 1000 spins away from the top.

Uncle Kracker earns a 4th top 10 with “Smile”, which moves up to #10 this week. It’s his first top 10 in 6 years.  Bon Jovi climb closer to another top 10 as “We Weren’t Born to Follow” moves up 2 to #13.  Green River Ordinance moves up 5 to #23 with “Come On”, while Owl City rises 6 to make the top 20 at #20 with “Fireflies”. However that is not the week’s biggest mover. Lady GaGa leaps 9 notches to #22 with “Paparazzi”.

The week’s highest debut belongs to this past season’s winner of “American Idol”, Kris Allen. He lands on the chart at #32 with “Live Like We’re Dying”. Other interesting news occurs with this week’s debuts as Creed return to the chart with their latest hit, “Rain”. The song enters at #37, and it’s Creed’s first hit in 6 years. “Don’t Stop Dancing” debuted in November 2002, peaked at #24, and spent 11 weeks on the chart.  The week’s 3rd debut is by Beyonce, whose “Sweet Dreams” anchors the chart at #40. It’s her 7th Hot AC hit.

Idol Watch: Daughtry slips 1 to #4, and Jordin Sparks falls to #24.

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10/18/09 Hot AC Chart: Kings at the top and bottom of the chart, Owls take flight

Kings of Leon hold at the top of the chart for a 7th week. They are now tied with Nickelback for the 3rd longest run at #1 this year. Only The Fray at 12 weeks with “You Found Me” and Shinedown at 8 weeks with “Second Chance” have had longer runs.  With still several hundred spins between the Kings and Taylor Swift at #2, look for “Use Somebody” to move into at least 2nd place in a few weeks.

Kings of Leon also enter at the bottom of the chart this week with “Sex on Fire”. While “Sex” was released before “Use Somebody”, it did not reach the top 40. Thus it becomes the Kings second top 40 HAC hit.

Most of the top 10 remain in place this week, with the top 7 songs holding their positions. Daughtry’s “No Surprise” spends its 15th week in the top 5 this week, holding at #3.

Green Day move back into the top 10 at #10 with “21 Guns”. Entering the top 20 are “Never Gonna Be Alone” by Nickelback at #19 and “Maybe” by Ingrid Michaelson at #20.

There are 8 songs by solo men this week.

The week’s biggest mover is “Fireflies” by Owl City. The song flies up 11 notches to #26 in its 2nd week on the chart. Last week’s biggest mover, “Who Says” by John Mayer, rises 5 more to #22.

The only new song on the chart this week is the aforementioned “Sex on Fire”. Re-entering the top 40 at #39 is “Love Drunk” by Boys Like Girls.

Idol watch: Daughtry holds at #3. Kelly Clarkson’s “Already Gone” climbs 1 to #8. “Battlefield” by Jordin Sparks has the biggest spin loss this week, and the song falls 1 to #21.

All chart data © Mediabase Research.

10/11/09 Hot AC Chart: Taylor gets closer to #1, Kelly goes top 10, and Lady debuts

Kings of Leon hold at the top of the chart for a sixth week with “Use Somebody”.  Coming up strong behind the Kings is Taylor Swifit with “You Belong with Me”. He moves up to #2. While she still has a few hundred spins to go, there’s really no one else in striking distance if Kings falter. (Colbie Caillat moves up to #4 and could eventually pose a threat if her increases continue).

Kelly Clarkson scores her 7th top 10 on the Hot AC chart with “Already Gone”. The song moves 12-9 in its 10th week on the chart.  Kelly has had 12 hits total. What songs did not make the top 10? “A Moment Like This”, “Miss Independent”, “The Trouble with Love Is”, “Never Again”, and “I Do Not Hook Up”.

Bon Jovi reach the top 15 at #15 with “We Weren’t Born to Follow”. Moving into the top 20 is Miley Cyrus with “Party in the USA”, at #19.

Entering the top 30 are The Script’s “Breakeven” and the Green River Ordinance’s “Come on”. Also entering the top 30, and the week’s biggest mover, is “Who Says” by John Mayer. The song jumps 10 to #27.

Idol Watch: Daughtry slips to #3, Jordin Sparks falls to #20, and David Cook is removed from the chart to recurrent status this week.

Lady GaGa has the highest debut at #36 with “Paparazzi”. Also debuting this week are Owl City and Jay Sean.

All chart data © Mediabase Research.

10/04/09 Hot AC Chart: John Mayer returns, Rob Thomas enters top 20

“Use Somebody” holds at the top of the chart for a 5th week. They still have a several hundred spin lead ahead of the next contender, “You Belong with Me” at #3.  Look for Taylor Swift to move into the runner up position soon.

Green Day earn their 5th top 10 on the chart with “21 Guns” at #10 this week.  Looking top 10 bound is Kelly Clarkson, as “Already Gone” jumps 4 notches to #12.  “Already” has now charted higher than her last entry, “I Do Not Hook Up”, which stalled at #14.

In only his third week on the chart, Rob Thomas moves into the top 20 at #18 with “Someday”. Only 1 of the songs Rob has charted did not make the top 20, “Downfall” by Matchbox Twenty. “Downfall” stopped at #28 in 2004. “Someday” also has the biggest spin increase of the week.

The week’s highest debut at #37 is John Mayer’s “Who Says”. It’s John’s 12th hit on Hot AC, and his first in a year. The other debut belongs to OneRepublic, who come in at #39 with “All the Right Moves”.

This week’s biggest mover belongs to Nickelback. “Never Gonna Be Alone” jumps 6 to #24 in its 2nd week on the chart.

Idol Watch: Daughtry holds at #2, David Cook slips to #15 and could be removed to recurrent next week, and Jordin Sparks rebounds to #17.

All chart data © Mediabase Research.

9/27/09 Hot AC Chart: Veterans rack up the hits, Rob Thomas jumps up

Kings of Leon hold at the top of the chart for a fourth week with “Use Somebody”. There’s still a decent gap between them and the next contender, “You Belong with Me” by Taylor Swift at #3. Also moving toward #1 are the Black Eyed Peas with “I Gotta Feeling”, which inches up to #4. “Gotta” is being played on about 80% of the stations monitored for the HAC chart.

Slow & Steady: In their 20th week on the chart, the Fray inch up to #8 with “Never Say Never”.

Moving into the top 10 this week is Michael Franti & Spearhead with “Say Hey (I Love You)”, which moves up to #10. For the Bon Jovi fans, “We Weren’t Born to Follow” climbs 1 to #17.

The biggest mover of the week goes to Rob Thomas. His “Someday” vaults 10 to #21 in its 2nd week on the chart. The song sees an increase of nearly 500 spins, by far the biggest spin increase of the week.

Three veteran acts debut this week, adding to their impressive totals. Nickelback have the highest debut of the week at #30 with “Never Gonna Be Alone”, their 12th hit. The Dave Matthews Band enters at #39 with “You & Me”. It’s Dave’s 16th hit on the chart, and the group’s 14th hit. (Dave had 2 solo hits in ‘03).  Mariah Carey returns with a remake of a Foreigner hit, “I Want to Know What Love Is”, at #36. It’s Mariah’s 14th hit.

Idol watch: Daughtry holds at #2, David Cook falls out of the top 10 to #13, Kelly Clarkson holds steady at #16 (with a good increase in spins), and Jordin Sparks slips 1 to #18.

All chart data © Mediabase Research.