Saturday, August 25, 2012

An all-Taylor Swift edition of Weekly Chart Notes, in honor of her first Hot 100 topper.


In her new single, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," Taylor Swift mocks her ex for mocking her by listening to "some indie record that's much cooler than mine." (Or, is it "Mine," her No. 3 Billboard Hot 100 hit from 2010?) 

With "Never" rocketing 72-1 to become her first Hot 100 leader, Swift's coolness doesn't seem to be in question.

As previously reported, the song arrives with 623,000 downloads sold, the best weekly sum for a woman in Nielsen SoundScan history. "Never," also the first Hot 100 No. 1 for the Big Machine Records label, previews Swift's fourth studio album, "Red," due Oct. 22.

"#1 on Billboard's Hot 100!!?! This has been the most amazing week. (Jumping up and down)," Swift beamed via Twitter upon learning of her achievement. 

In honor of her landmark week, let's run through an all-Taylor Swift edition of Weekly Chart Notes, as the song's coronation rewrites multiple chapters of Hot 100 history. 


46 = 1: Upon her vault to the Hot 100 summit for the first time, Swift relinquishes the mantle as the female artist with the most charted titles without a No. 1. "Never" marks her 46th Hot 100 entry. She'd previously charted as high as No. 2 with "You Belong With Me" (2009) and "Today Was a Fairytale" (2010). 

With Swift a Hot 100 penthouse resident at last, sorry, Nicki Minaj: with 41 Hot 100 hits and no No. 1s (so far, at least), you now own the distinction among women for most Hot 100 visits without reigning. (Your "Pound the Alarm," however, continues to makes a play for the summit, charging 29-22 in its fourth week.) 

Among all artists, the act with the most Hot 100 visits has yet to top the tally: the "Glee" cast has made 203 appearances, rising as high as No. 4 with "Don't Stop Believin' " in 2009. James Brown (91), Jackie Wilson (53) and Brook Benton (48) follow with the most Hot 100 entries but no No. 1s. 


WAIT OFF HER SHOULDERS: Having required 46 appearances to crown the Hot 100, Swift tallied the most charted titles of any act that's notched at least one No. 1 before finally reaching the pinnacle. 

She passes Dionne Warwick, who visited the Hot 100 39 times before leading at last on her 40th try with "Then Came You," with the Spinners, in 1974. (My girlfriend, Michelle, on Warwick: "Given her psychic skills, hopefully she didn't worry if she'd ever hit No. 1.") 

Among other artists who took their time tallying their first Hot 100 No. 1s, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles needed 37 tries until "Tears of a Clown" reached No. 1 in 1970; Johnny Mathis needed 31 attempts until "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late," with Deniece Williams, in 1978); and, Marvin Gaye ("I Heard It Through the Grapevine," 1968) and Bob Seger ("Shakedown," 1987) each required 30. 

Swift's wait for a Hot 100 No. 1 is largely a byproduct of the digital era, as she's been charting on the Hot 100 for only slightly more than six years (see the next item for exactly how long). Warwick, by comparison, waited close to 12 years before finally leading the list and Mathis and Seger each took almost 20 years from their first appearances until their first No. 1s. 

What changed? The digital era has swelled major artists' chances of denting the Hot 100 more often, as such star acts as Swift routinely debut multiple entries upon the release of highly-anticipated albums, fueled by first-week a la carte download sales. All 14 songs on the standard edition of Swift's third studio album, "Speak Now," in fact, graced the Hot 100, with 10 debuting the week that the set bowed atop the Billboard 200 (Nov. 13, 2010).(Read on for more about Swift's lucky number, 13.) 

While "Never" is Swift's 46th Hot 100 hit, it's just her 22nd single promoted to country and/or pop radio; the other 24 charted based on digital sales alone.  

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