(Billboard) – Lorde leaps to No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her breakthrough hit “Royals,” which claims the summit from Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” after the latter song led for two weeks.
Meanwhile, Ylvis’ novelty song “The Fox” enters the top 10 and Drake boasts a whopping 12 tracks on the chart from his new Billboard 200-leading album “Nothing Was the Same.”
“Royals” crowns the Hot 100 (3-1) with top Airplay Gainer honours for the first time. It pushes 6-4 on Radio Songs with a 22% lift to 128 million in all-format audience, according to Nielsen BDS. “Royals” remains atop Digital Songs for a second week (294,000 downloads sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan) and gains by 12% on Streaming Songs (to 6.1 million US streams, according to BDS) despite dipping 4-5. The track tops the Hot Rock Songs chart for a fifth week.
Notably, Lorde makes news for topping the Hot 100 at her age: she doesn’t turn 17 until next month. Still, she’s not the youngest solo artist, or even youngest woman, to lead the list. Stevie Wonder holds the overall record among solo acts: he was just 13 years and three months old when “Fingertips – Pt 2” touched the summit the week of August 10, 1963. Among women, Little Peggy March was just 15 years, one month and three weeks old when “I Will Follow Him” hit No 1 (April 27, 1963).
Lorde is the youngest solo artist to perch atop the Hot 100 since Tiffany, who was 16 years and four months old when “Could’ve Been” took over at No 1 the week of February 6, 1988. (Coincidentally, today is Tiffany’s birthday!) And, a sobering stat for readers of a certain age: Lorde is the most-recently born artist to top the Hot 100, having been born on Nov 16, 1996. That’s two acts in a row, then, born in the ‘90s to hold the Hot 100’s top spot; Cyrus was born Nov 23, 1992.
Lorde is the first woman to take a debut Hot 100 hit to No 1 since Carly Rae Jepsen led for nine weeks with last year’s top song of the summer, “Call Me Maybe.”
The ascent of “Royals” has been stunning. It set the mark for the longest reign in the 25-year history of the Alternative Songs chart (seven weeks) by a lead female, besting Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know” (five weeks, 1995). It’s since crossed to multiple formats, this week ranking at No 1 for a seventh week on the adult alternative Triple A chart, No 4 on Adult Pop Songs, No 5 on Pop Songs, No 10 on Rhythmic and No 24 (where it debuts) on Adult Contemporary.
Lorde leapfrogs Katy Perry’s former two-week Hot 100 No 1 “Roar” (2-2). The latter song spends a second week atop Radio Songs, surging by 5% to 168 million. It holds at No 2 on Digital Songs (239,000) and slips 2-4 on Streaming Songs (6.3 million, down 14%).
“Roar,” meanwhile, makes history on two airplay tallies: It holds atop Pop Songs and Adult Pop Songs with the highest weekly plays totals (15,804 and 5,222, respectively) in each chart’s archives. On the former ranking, its passes (by just three spins) the sum logged by Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” (featuring TI and Pharrell) (15,801; Aug 24). On the latter list, it eclipses the mark established by Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” (5,109; June 25, 2011).
Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” drops 1-3 on the Hot 100, although it tallies a third week at No 1 on Streaming Songs (11.8 million, down 18%). It’s a non-mover at No 3 on Digital Songs with a 37% slide to 221,000. Airplay, meanwhile, is building rapidly for the track, as it zooms 31-17 on Radio Songs with 52 million in audience impressions (up 35%).
As Drake scores his third No 1 album on the Billboard 200, “Hold On, We’re Going Home” (featuring Majid Jordan), from ‘Nothing Was the Same’, jumps 7-4 on the Hot 100 with the top Streaming Gainer award. It’s his first top five hit as a lead artist since “Find Your Love” reached No 5 in July 2010. “Hold” hikes 4-1 on the subscription services-based On-Demand Songs chart (3.3 million, up 65%) and 12-6 on Streaming Songs (5.7 million, up 86%). It bullets at No 5 on Radio Songs with a 13% advance to 120 million and rises 3-1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
With “Hold” climbing, “Wu-Tang Forever” at No 62 and 10 songs debuting, led by “All Me” (featuring 2 Chainz and Big Sean) at No 20, Drake claims 12 positions on the Hot 100, tying the mark for the most simultaneously charted titles among soloists: Lil Wayne first posted 12 the week of Sept 17, 2011. In the Hot 100’s 55-year history, only the Beatles have charted more titles at once: 14, April 11, 1964. (Taylor Swift holds the record among women: 11, Nov 13, 2010).
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top five, Avicii’s “Wake Me Up!” regresses 4-5. It rises 7-6 on Radio Songs (117 million, up 16%) and 5-4 on Digital Songs (182,000, down 4%), while falling 5-7 on Streaming Songs (4.6 million, down 6%). It crowns Dance/Electronic Songs for a fourth week.
Jay Z’s “Holy Grail” (featuring Justin Timberlake) holds at No 6 on the Hot 100, followed by Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” (5-7).
Ylvis’ novelty single “The Fox” scampers into the Hot 100’s top 10 (13-8) with top Digital Gainer accolades. The song from the Norwegian duo jumps 22-15 on Digital Songs (73,000, up 21%) and 3-2 on Streaming Songs (9.5 million, up 34%).
Two songs close out the Hot 100’s top tier with backward moves despite gains in airplay. Lady Gaga’s “Applause” descends 8-9 but increases by 10% to 80 million in listenership, bulleting again at No 9 on Radio Songs. Lana Del Rey & Cedric Gervais’ “Summertime Sadness” falls 9-10 but holds at No 8 on Radio Songs with a 2% gain to 96 million.
