LLt L A LOOK BEHIND THIS WEEK'S CHART ACTION

by Silvio Pietroluongo, Minal Patel, Wade Jesse Counter. Minded.. HIGH FIVE: For the first time since the fourth places to No. 6, despite a 2,000 -unit gain over KEYING IN: "Fallin' " by Alicia Keys holds at peaked as high as No. 14 in spring 1983 on quarter, each of the top five albums on The Bill- prior -week sales (191,000). They also overshad- No. 1 on The Billboard Hot 100 and R&B/Hip- what was then Top Rock Tracks with "Beat It," board 200 exceeds 200,000 units, thanks to ow a healthy launch by youthful popster Aaron Hop Singles & Tracks chart for a second which featured Eddie Van Halen on guitar. three sizzling new R &B/hip-hop titles. Carter (No. 7, 132,500). The Backstreet sibling's week, as its audience continues to build at Jackson's later stops on that chart included Since there was never any doubt that Now first album opened No. 16 last year with 69,000 both R &B and top 40 radio. The total audi- 7would repeat at No. 1, the chart's true drama units and only exceeded this new set's sum dur- ence for "Fallin' " jumps 12 million, good for centered on who would emerge with the Hot ing Christmas week, when it rang 168,000 scans. 115 million listeners overall. That total is the Shot Debut. At No. 3 with 225,000 units - Speaking of Christmas, this is the first time highest audience number by a debut female right behind 'N Sync at No. 2 -the Isley since that week -when six titles did so-that artist since we expanded the Hot 100 radio earn that distinction, which might each of the top five albums surpass 200,000 panel to include stations in all formats in have surprised some in the industry before the units. Thus, for the third straight time, overall December 1998. album volume exceeds those of the compara- "Fallin' " is one of three songs to exceed 100 THE ISLEY ;, ble 2000 week, although sales to date still trail million listeners this issue, joining Jennifer aLIEN aNT 42R MR. BIGOS last year's album pace by 9.3 million units (see Lopez's "I'm Real," which has 110 million, SMOOTH CRIMINAL Market Watch, page 7). and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" by Eve Featuring Gwen Stefani, with 101 million. "Real" and IT'S 'NOW' OR NEVER: At the risk of irking Vir- "Mind" rank No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, on gin U.S. co- president Ray Cooper, who has been both the Hot 100 and Hot 100 Airplay charts. a big champion of the Now series, I still won- It has been more than five months since we der if the hits compilations negatively affect the last had three songs eclipse the 100 million sales of artists' individual albums. The good mark in the same week. "Angel" by Shaggy news is that, having sold slightly more than a Featuring Rayvon led the field in the April 10 "Thriller," the Paul McCartney duet "Say Say million copies in two weeks, Now 7 is getting issue, followed by Lenny Kravitz's "Again" and Say," and, as a member of the Jacksons, "State young consumers into the habit of buying al- "Love Don't Cost a Thing," another track by of Shock," which featured Mick Jagger. Jack- bums. The chart-topper brings in 394,500 units the ever-present Lopez. son's highly anticipated new single, "Rock My this time, down 36.5% from its first week. "Fallin' " will face a challenge next issue on World," will arrive at radio in September. The bad news: In each of the two weeks that the Hot 100 and R &B /Hip -Hop Singles & Now 7 has charted, all but four of the 19 albums Tracks from the hard -charging "I'm Real" (up LONG STRETCH OF LONESOME: As Blake Shel- veteran act's Eternal rustled strong first -day represented on it sold fewer units than they did 13 million listeners), as well as Janet Jack- ton claims a third straight week atop Hot sales Aug. 7. This marks the Isleys' first appear- in the preceding issue. To be fair, only four were son's "Someone to Call My Lover," which will Country Singles & Tracks, newcomer Cyndi ance in the top 10 since 1980 and their high- on an upswing the week before it arrived, but get a boost from the release of a retail single. Thomson rises 8 -5, marking the first time in est standing on the big chart since 1975 (see two of those four have spiraled down since. For Jackson to overtake both "Fallin' " and more than eight years that a pair of debut sin- Chart Beat, page 6). Mandy Moore, up 22% in the Aug. 11 issue, saw "Real" on the Hot 100, "Lover" would have to gles danced together inside that chart's top five. Ronald and Ernie Isley owe the big start, in a 20% drop last week and a 9.3% slide this week scan about 60,000 units. Her prior single, "All It hasn't happened since Larry Stewart's solo part, to a page from the playbook of Santana. (No. 122), while Backstreet Boys (No. 156) went for You," moved more than 100,000 pieces in debut, "Alright Already," joined Toby Keith's The band reignited its career by recruiting guest from a 0.3% gain to declines of 17% and 12% its first week out, but that was before the "Should've Been a Cowboy" in that part of the performances from a host of contemporary stars in the same period. release of her album of the same name. On chart in the May 29, 1993, issue. In the 11 years for 1999's Supernatural, without compromis- R &B /Hip -Hop Singles & Tracks, Jackson sinceBillboard adopted technology -based radio ing its heritage sound. UPPING THE ANTE: A little more than two years would need to scan about 20,000 units at R &B charts, Hot Country Singles & Tracks has only Priming Eternal's fast start is "Contagious," after The Billboard 200 saw its first single -CD core stores to have a chance at No. 1. seen such top five debut pairings on nine week- which features R. Kelly with Chanté Moore (No. title list the $18.98 price point, last issue's chart ly charts. Seven of those instances happened 3 on R &B/Hip -Hop Airplay). The song reprises saw the Rush Hour 2 soundtrack inaugurate FARM FUN: Alien Ant Farm moves into the prior to 1993, involving debut singles by Trisha Ronald's Mr. Biggs character, who appeared on $19.98 as a premium tag. It feels like we No. 1 slot on Modern Rock Tracks with Yearwood, Tracy Lawrence, Hal Ketchum, Kelly's 1996 hit "Down Low (Nobody Has to reached this level in a hurry. "Smooth Criminal," the quartet's remake of Mark Chesnutt, Sammy Kershaw, Brooks & Know)." The album also features turns by Jill The chart only saw its first single -CD with Michael Jackson's top 10 Hot 100 hit from Dunn, and Joe Diffie. Scott, Avant, and Raphael Saadiq. a list -or equivalent -price of $18.98 in the 1989. "Criminal" gains 244 detections, the Close behind is Usher, who sets a new April 3, 1999, issue, on the Sony Music Sound - third -largest gain on the chart, to climb 4 -1 OFFSETTING: Juvenile of the Cash Money Mil- career mark with 8701. At No. 4, his bow trax compilation, The All Time Greatest Movie and dethrone Sum 41's "Fat Lip" after a one - lionaires moves 29 -21 on R &B/Hip -Hop Sin- equals the highest ranking earned by 1997's Songs. By last fall, when this columnist last week stay. On the Hot 100, "Criminal" debuts gles & Tracks with "Set It Off," the New Or- My Way, but this first -week tally, 211,000 analyzed The Billboard 200's price points, at No. 78 on the strength of its strong play at leans rapper's highest rank on that chart since units, is his biggest sales week ever. Of three more than half of the list's 200 titles -102- rock radio and its increasing presence at top his guest appearance on B.G.'s `Kling Bling," prior albums, Usher only exceeded the 200,000 still bore $17.98 tags, with 48 at $18.98 (Bill- 40 stations. Besides being a stalwart on MTV's which peaked at No. 13 in the Nov. 27, 1999, mark once, when My Way notched 200,500 board, Sept. 23, 2000). Total Request Live, the video for the track, issue. Juvenile had his biggest hit thus far as units during Christmas week of '97. Labels tend to dip their toes into the next - which humorously pays tribute to the gloved a lead artist in September 1999, when "Back The solo debut by Jadakiss, at No. 5 with highest price point with soundtracks, then fol- one, has also been featured regularly during That Thang Up" made it to No. 5. 204,000 units, also exhibits career growth, ex- low soon after with A-list acts. Six albums be- MTV's World Wrestling Federation program "Off' debuts on R&B/Hip -Hop Singles Sales ceeding the best week seen by either of his sides Rush Hour2 have marks of $19.98 on the Tough Enough. "Criminal" will also appear on at No. 42, with the release of the 12 -inch maxi albums with the Lox. That rap trio's second, We current Billboard 200, but each of those are the soundtrack to the program , which will be selling almost 1,000 copies. Consequently, it Are the Streets, also started at No. 5 last year, multi-disc sets. Eighty-eight titles are at $17.98 released Sept. 18 by DreamWorks Records. also enters the Hot Rap Singles chart at No. but with a lighter total of 153,000. or less, the best bargain being Punk 0 Rama, Interestingly, Jackson is no stranger to the 18. "Off' also sees gains at radio, moving 25- The top five's newcomers displace a still -grow- Vo1.6, Epitaph's multi -act sampler, with 23 Billboard rock charts, having appeared as an 18 on R &B /Hip -Hop Airplay with an addi- ing Alicia Keys. She gets pushed back three tracks at a $4.98 list. artist four times during the early '80s. He tional 2 million listeners.

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