8/30/09 Hot AC Chart: Bon Jovi leap up, David Cook’s new peak, Solo Women debut

At the top of the chart this week, Daughtry holds for a third week with “No Surprise”.  Right on Daughtry’s heels though are Kings of Leon with “Use Somebody”.  Kings of Leon have a bigger bullet than Daughtry, so they have a chance at #1 in the not too distant future if they continue to gain spins at the same rate.  Interesting note…Former American Idol contestant Brooke White covers “Use Somebody” on her latest cd.

In his 21st week on the chart, David Cook reaches a new peak for “Come Back to Me”. The song rises 1 to #6.

After 3 weeks with no new entries in the top 10, the Black Eyed Peas move up to #10 with “I Gotta Feeling”. This is the Peas’ first top 10 on the Hot AC chart.

The biggest mover on the chart this week is by Bon Jovi. After debuting at #39 last week with “We Weren’t Born to Follow”, the group leap 13 notches to #26. They also have the biggest spin increase of any song on the chart this week.

There are 3 debuts this week, and all 3 are by solo women: “Maybe” by Ingrid Michaelson is the highest debut of the week at #37. It’s Ingrid’s second hit on the Hot AC chart. Coming in at #39 is Shakira with “She Wolf/Loba”, her 4th hit. Anchoring the chart at #40 is “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus, her 3rd hit. Madonna, who debuted last week at #37, inches up to #35.

Idols Update: Jordin Sparks’ ” Battlefield” rises 2 to #18. “Already Gone” by Kelly Clarkson climbs to #21. There is a relatively large gap between #21 and #20, so it may take a while for her to break into the top 20.  ["New Divide" by Linkin Park spent some time at #21, but never made it to #20. This week they fall to #23].

All chart data © Mediabase Research.

8/23/09 Hot AC Chart: 1980s acts return to the chart

Daughtry holds at the top of the chart for a second week. The current next contender for #1 is Kings of Leon at #4 with “Use Somebody”. Katy Perry’s “Waking Up in Vegas” moves up to #5 this week, but it’s spin increase is small and currently does not look like a threat to the #1 spot.

For a third week in a row, no songs enter or exit the top 10. Also this week, no songs enter or exit the top 20. The biggest spin increase is less than 300 spins and the biggest spin loss is less than 300 spins. The chart is going through a relatively slow period.

Big acts from the 1980s return to the Hot AC chart this week. Madonna returns at #37 with “Celebration”. It’s Madonna’s 20th hit on the Hot AC chart, the most for any solo woman. She’s also in second place overall, trailing only Rob Thomas’s 21 hits (solo & MB20). Madonna first hit the pop chart in late 1983 with “Holiday”. Another big 80’s act, Bon Jovi, enter the entire Hot AC chart at #39 with “We Weren’t Born to Follow”. It’s the group’s 13th Hot AC hit. Bon Jovi first hit the pop chart in the spring of 1984 with “Runaway”.

The week’s only other debut is the return of Train, who have the highest debut at #36 with “Hey Soul Sister”. Not much action otherwise on the chart. The biggest mover is “I Wanna” by the All-American Rejects, which climbs 5 to #32.

Idol Watch: David Cook holds at #7 again this week in his 20th week on the chart with “Come Back to Me”. Jordin Sparks holds at #20 again this week with “Battlefield”. Kelly Clarkson climbs to #22 with “Already Gone” and slips to #24 with “I Do Not Hook Up”.

All chart data © Mediabase Research.

8/16/09 Hot AC Chart: Daughtry scores another #1, Kelly jumps, and Fighting returns

Daughtry’s “No Surprise” moves into the top spot of the chart this week. “Surprise” is the group’s 4th #1 out of 6 charted hits. This is the third #1 in as many weeks on the chart. If Pink or Rob Thomas do not return to #1, this will be the first time in over 11 years that we’ve had 2 back-to-back 1 week #1 hits. The last time this happened was back in January 1998, when Lisa Loeb’s “I Do” was followed by Smash Mouth’s “Walkin’ on the Sun”.

Kings of Leon inch up to #4 with a healthy spin increase. They could eventually be a contender for #1, depending on how strong Daughtry remains at the top.

No songs enter or exit the top 10 this week. The Fray are stalled at #11 for a 4th week with “Never Say Never”, while the Black Eyed Peas hold at #12 with “I Gotta Feeling”. The Peas are looking for their first top 10 on Hot AC, and this song looks to do it. Although it didn’t move up, the song saw a spin increase of over 200 spins.

The biggest mover on the chart this week is by Kelly Clarkson. Her “Already Gone” leaps 8 notches to #25. Meanwhile, her previous release “I Do Not Hook Up” holds at #23.

The highest debut of the week belongs to Five for Fighting, who enter at #31 with “Chances”. Five for Fighting was last on the chart in 2007.  The other debut this week belongs to the All-American Rejects, with “I Wanna”.

Idols update: David Cook returns to his peak of #7 with “Come Back to Me”, while Jordin Sparks holds at #20 with “Battlefield”.

All chart data © Mediabase Research.

8/9/09 HAC Chart: Pink goes #1, Kelly debuts

The struggle for #1 yields a new song at the top of the chart this week as “Please Don’t Leave Me” rises into the top spot. This is Pink’s 2nd #1 song in a row and her 2nd #1 overall out of 12 hits. Rob Thomas is pushed to #2 after only 1 week at the top.

Moving up to #3 is Daughtry’s “No Surprise”. This means that 5 out of 6 of the group’s hits have reached the top 3. The other hit, “Over You”, reached #4.  Kings of Leon get their first top 5 hit with “Use Somebody” at #5 this week.

No songs move into the top 10 this week, but 2 songs move into the top 20: “Say Hey” moves up 4 to #17, and “Battlefield” moves up 3 to #20. All 4 of Jordin Sparks’ hits have now reached the top 20, but none have reached the top 10.

The highest  debut of the week goes to Kelly Clarkson, whose “Already Gone” enters at #33. This is Kelly’s 12th hit on the Hot AC chart. This puts her in a tie  with Pink for 7th place for most hits by a solo woman. Who is #1? Madonna, with 19 hits.

The pop chart continues to send songs to HAC this week: songs by Pitbull and Keri Hilson are the other 2 songs to debut.

Idol update: Well, most of the info on the Idols is above. The only other Idol not mentioned is David Cook, who holds at #8 this week.

All chart data © Mediabase Research.

8/2/09 Hot AC Chart: Rob Thomas scores another #1 hit

Rob Thomas wins the race for the next #1 on the Hot AC chart this week as “Her Diamonds” climbs 1 to the top spot. This is Rob’s third #1 outside of Matchbox Twenty. His others are “Smooth” (Santana f/ Rob) and “Lonely No More”.

Not far behind Rob is Pink. “Please Don’t Leave Me” climbs 1 to #2 this week, with a relatively small spin difference between her and Rob. Look for a tight race in the next couple of weeks.

“No Surprise” rises to #4. All of Daughtry’s hits have peaked at #4 or higher.  Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me” enters the top 10 at #10, giving her 3 top 10s in a row on the Hot AC chart. With Taylor’s entry into the top 10, 4 of the top 10 songs are by solo women.

The Black Eyed Peas have the biggest spin increase on the chart this week and move up 3 to #15 with “I Gotta Feeling”. Entering the top 20 at #20 are chart veterans Collective Soul, with “Staring Down”.

Idol Watch: As mentioned above, Daughtry moves up to #4. David Cook slips to #8, and Kelly Clarkson falls to #18. Kelly’s next single “Already Gone” is moving toward the top 40.

Debuting on this week’s chart are: Cobra Starship, Blue October, and Jack’s Mannequin.

All chart data © Mediabase Research.

7/26/09 Hot AC Chart: Tight race for #1, Black Eyed Peas crack the top 20, Uncle Kracker returns

Shinedown hold at the top of the chart for an eighth week, but their reign looks to be at an end. Rob Thomas holds at #2, while Pink moves up to #3. Less than 70 spins separate #1 from #3, so #1 could belong to either Rob or Pink depending on who gains the most during the week. “Please Don’t Leave Me” is Pink’s 4th consecutive top 3 hit on Hot AC.

Nearly 6 years after first appearing on the Hot AC chart, the Black Eyed Peas get their first top 20 hit. “I Gotta Feeling” jumps 6 notches to #18. Meanwhile, their previous hit “Boom Boom Pow” inches up 2 to a new peak of #24.

Other acts entering the top 20 this week include Safetysuit and Coldplay. Collective Soul gets closer to another top 20 this week as “Staring Down” rises 5 to #22.

Idols update: Daughtry holds at #5 for a second week, while David Cook stays put at #7 for a third week. Kelly Clarkson loses steam and falls back to #15.

Thanks to the purge of songs to recurrent lately, no song on this week’s chart is older than 20 weeks.

Uncle Kracker returns to the chart after 5 years away. He has the highest debut at #32 with “Smile”. Other acts debuting on the chart this week include U2 and Sean Kingston. Matt Wertz re-enters the top 40.

Mediabase’s “last week” positions are wrong for several songs this week.

All chart data © Mediabase Research.

7/19/09 Hot AC Chart: 90% songs move upwards, Black Eyed Peas get their biggest hit

At the top of the chart this week, Shinedown’s “Second Chance” holds for a 7th week. However, its reign maybe shorter than previously expected. “Her Diamonds” by Rob Thomas picks up some steam this week and moves up to #2. The spin difference between Rob and Pink down at #4 is not that great, so look for a good contest coming up in the next few weeks.

Except for Rob Thomas and Nickelback changing places, the top 8 remain the same. The only new song to enter the top 10 is “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon at #9. Interesting, that song is sung by former American Idol contestant Brooke White’s latest cd.

Thanks to 3 songs being removed to recurrent, only 4 songs fall down the chart. That means 90% of the songs move up or remain the same as last week. Four songs move up 6 notches to tie for the week’s biggest move, including songs by Colbie Caillat, Green Day, Jordin Sparks, and the Black Eyed Peas. The Peas’ latest, “I Gotta Feeling”, jumps to #24. That song becomes the group’s biggest hit to date on the Hot AC chart. “Feeling” is currently at #1 on the Hot 100. The group’s previous release, “Boom Boom Pow”, rebounds to its peak of #26 on the HAC chart.

Idol Watch: “No Surprise” by Daughtry holds at #5. Be sure check out his rendition of Lady GaGa’s “Poker Face” on youtube (see below). “Come Back to Me” by David Cook holds at #7, while “I Do Not Hook Up” holds unbulleted at #14.

Debuts this week are songs by Michael Franti & Spearhead, Howie Day, and the Ting Tings. Jesse James re-enters the survey.

Here is the video of Daughtry’s cover of “Poker Face”:

7/12/09 Hot AC Chart: Daughtry’s top 5 feat, Black Eyed Peas rising fast

At the top of the chart this week, Shinedown hold for a 6th week with “Second Chance”. While they will remain there for a while, they need to watch out for Pink. While she holds at #4 again this week, she has the biggest spin increase of any song in the top 40, over 300 spins.

Daughtry rise to #5 with “No Surprise”, which is their 6th top 5 hit in a row. This means that their first 6 hits have all made top 5. Only 2 other groups have done this: The Goo Goo Dolls, and 3 Doors Down. If you count Rob Thomas’ solo career separate from MB20, then he too is in this group. (Remember though that Chris Daughtry charted as a solo artist before his group, and that song did not break into the top 30).

The biggest mover on the chart this week is by the Black Eyed Peas. “I Gotta Feeling” jumps 6 to #30 in its 2nd week on the chart. The Peas’ biggest hits on the chart peaked at #26, including the recent “Boom Boom Pow”. If  “Feeling” continues its current pace, it looks to become their biggest song to date.

No songs debut on the chart, including no re-entries. While this is due to a mistake on Mediabase’s part, it still counts in my book. The last time no songs entered the chart was back in April, 2006.

Idol Update: Kelly Clarkson’s “I Do Not Hook Up” inches up to  a new peak of #14, while her previous hit is at #15. David Cook’s “Come Back to Me” climbs 2 to #7.

All chart data ©  Mediabase Research.

7/5/09 Hot AC Chart: Pink scores another top 5, Jordin Sparks debuts

At the top of the chart this week, Shinedown hold for a 5th week with “Second Chance”. The next bulleted song below them is still over 500 spins away, so Shinedown’s reign will continue for a while.

Moving up 3 to #4 is Pink with “Please Don’t Leave Me”. It’s Pink’s 5th top 5 in a row on Hot AC. She has a bullet of over 200 spins, but she is still well behind Shinedown. If her bullet remains this strong, she will be the next #1 on the chart.

No songs enter or exit the top 10 this week. Contenders for top 1o are few. Really the only song that should move into the top 10 in the next couple of weeks is Katy Perry’s “Waking Up in Vegas”, which moves up to #12 this week.

Debuting this week are the Black Eyed Peas and Jordin Sparks. The Peas enter with “I Gotta Feeling”, which is the new #1 on the Hot 100. Jordin Sparks enters with “Battlefield”, her 4th Hot AC hit.

Of course Jordin is an American Idol alumnus, so let’s do the usual round-up of Idol alumni on the chart:

Daughtry’s “No Surprise” moves up to #6. David Cook’s “Come Back to Me” holds at #9. Kelly Clarkson’s latest “I Do Not Hook Up” returns to its peak position of #15, while “My Life Would Suck without You” slips to #13. “Life” will be removed from the chart when it falls below #15.

All chart data © Mediabase Research.

Thanks to Casey Kasem for Counting Them Down!

This weekend is the final weekend for Casey Kasem counting down the hits (well at least for new countdowns). American Top 20 and American Top 10 are now finished. Casey and his shows have been around ever since I can remember. While I haven’t been able to listen live each week for a long time now, I still catch shows by other means as often as I can.

While recent countdown shows concentrate more on entertainment gossip (I mean you Ryan Seacrest), Casey’s shows always centered on the music and the stories behind the songs. That will be sorely missed.

I also want to say thanks to the staff of Casey’s shows, especially those behind AT20. Over the past couple of years, I have been in occasional contact with them, and have provided some chart information at times. While the chart facts were not always used, they were appreciated by the staff, and I thank them for letting me communicate with them.

Good luck to Casey and his staff, whatever they do in the future!