Chart Beat - Sales Chart Articles - Airplay Chart Column

THE PARIS LETTER

Hello there, Fred--

Happy belated New Year to you.

I have had numerous questions for you over the last few years (during which time I have been a feverishly faithful fanatic), but have only written infrequently. Your selfless sharing of musical knowledge as well as your egalitarian approach have been invaluable to me and many, many others. Merci beaucoup!

This time, my question pertains to my favorite artist of all-time but not to a particular chart feat. The woman in question is Mylene Farmer, the grande dame of contemporary French pop. I am intensely curious as to what you think of her music (for which she must share credit with her long-time collaborator, Laurent Boutonnat). I have no doubt you have heard substantial quantities of her musically sublime and lyrically sophisticated songs, but, alas, have never seen her mentioned in your writings, nor pop up on any of your year-end favorites lists.

Would you be willing to share some thoughts on her, or mention a few of your favorite songs? Her career trajectory is similar to that of one Madonna, evolving from massive mainstream success in the 80s to a somewhat rarefied pleasure, appealing more readily to a gay audience and a smaller yet rabid coterie of cultured and cultivated connoisseurs. She did have two French No. 1s in 2008 alone, so she is, it seems, still happily meeting with a certain amount of mainstream success.

Anyway, given the copious quantities of submissions you surely sift through each week for inclusion in your column, I am hoping against hope that you might choose to feature this Mylene missive.

Thank you again, Fred, from a fervent Farmer fan.

Neil Tassoni
Minneapolis, Minn.
neilbartz@msn.com

Dear Neil,

It may be because I have only mentioned the French pop charts a couple of times during my tenure as Chart Beat columnist, but even though Mylene Farmer hasn’t been name-checked in this space, I'm still a big fan. I do love French pop music and am a fan of quite a few female singers from France. That list includes relatively newer artists such as Natasha St-Pier, Nadyia, Jenifer, Alizee and Lorie, as well as veteran vocalists such as Farmer.

I discovered Farmer in the early 90s and have been collecting her albums since, though I have to admit I don’t have her latest release. I remedied that as I wrote this reply, ordering her "Point de Suture" album.

The best way to tell you what my favorite Farmer songs are, is to reveal which tracks are on my iPod:

"Sans Contrefacon"
"Desenchantee"
"Je T’aime Melancholie"
"L'Ame-Stram-Gram"
"Dessine-Moi Un Mouton"
"Je Te Rends Ton Amour"
"Souviens-Toi De Jour"
"Que Mon Coeur Lache"
"C'est Une Belle Journee"

And my favorite Mylene Farmer song? It's the seventh title on the above list of nine chansons.


VIVA LA TOP 20

Fred,

No sooner did I send you an e-mail this morning asking about your top songs of 2008, then you published your list in Chart Beat today. Thank you. I am writing because we must have a certain connection. Your favorite song of the year is the same as my favorite. I wrote you earlier this year (and you published my letter) regarding the apparent (at that time) lack of airplay and thus chart success of “Viva La Vida.

Obviously, as the year progressed, we were both vindicated as Coldplay’s song became one of the most popular songs of the year and is now nominated for a Grammy for best record and best song.

What I want to share with you is the fact that as I have gotten older (I am 60) and more disenchanted with the state of American top 40 music, I have taken your suggestion and looked to world music and other genres. You introduced me to the Eurovision Song Contest, which really broadened my musical horizons. Three years ago I started producing a CD of my 20 favorite songs of the year, along with liner notes about each song, perhaps something significant about the artist, where I first heard it, why I like it, etc. In 2006, I gave wrapped copies of this CD to my four kids (today age 18 through 29) as Christmas presents. They loved it. In fact, for the last two years they have looked forward with great anticipation to my annual CD. Moreover, many of their friends have asked for copies. A couple of my kids would go on trips with their friends and play my CD and someone would read the liner notes before each song as if they were a disc jockey introducing the top 20 of the year. This “tradition” that I started has become a tremendous bonding experience for myself and my kids – especially because it involves music which has been so important in my life. And I thank you, Fred, for giving me the idea to expand my musical horizons at a time when I was beginning to lose interest in music.

Because both of us ranked "Viva La Vida" as our favorite song of the year, I thought I would share with you my top 20 list because we must have some of the same musical interests (though that was the only song we had in common).

1. “Viva La Vida,” Coldplay
2. “Dream Catch Me,” Newton Faulkner
3. “When You Believe,” Deon Jackson
4. “This Is The Life ,” Amy McDonald
5. “Best Days,” Graham Colton
6. “You Are Everything,” Matthew West
7. “Bruises,” Chairlift
8. “Make You Crazy,” Brett Dennen featuring Femi Kuti
9. “Human,” Killers
10. “Shattered (Turn the Car Around),” O.A.R.
11. “Calling You,” Blue October
12. “Like the Sun,” RyanDan
13. “Apologize,” Timbaland featuring OneRepublic
14. “Carry You Home,” James Blunt
15. “Girls in Their Summer Clothes,” Bruce Springsteen
16. “Rule the World,” Take That
17. “Teardrops on My Guitar,” Taylor Swift
18. “Just for Tonight,” One Night Only
19. “In My Arms,” Plumb
20. “Everything You Want,” T.I.

I look forward to listening to the rest of your top 20, since I have only heard about five of them.

Yours in music.
John Schwob

Dear John,

I love the story of your sharing your favorite songs with your children. Great music appeals to all generations, not just a narrow demographic, and you’ve proven that. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed this journey of exploration, discovering music from all parts of the globe, and I’m happy to have played a small part.

I know some of the songs in your top 20, but not all of them, so now it’s my turn to do some web searching and discover new music. Thanks for that.


A NEW GLASS CEILING

Hi Fred!
 
Reading your columns is a vital part of my Thursday and Friday afternoons, and I was thrilled to see your inclusion of Luis Fonsi's tremendous accomplishment in this week's Chart Beat. It's fantastic that he scored the biggest hit of his career after 10 years in the industry with "No Me Doy Por Vencido," a song that he also co-wrote.
 
Fans who follow the Hot Latin Songs chart may have also noticed that no female artist rose to the summit in 2008. In fact, the last time a female artist led the Hot Latin Songs chart was the week of Sept. 22, 2007 when Gloria Estefan notched a third and final week at No. 1 with "No Llores." The following week, Juanes began the first of his 20 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 with "Me Enamora."
 
It is also worth noting that with 20 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1, Juanes' "Me Enamora" and Flex's "Te Quiero" are in a three-way tie with Son By Four's "A Puro Dolor" for the second longest runs at No. 1. With 17 weeks at No. 1, "No Me Doy Por Vencido," which ended Flex's lengthy run at the top on Sept. 13, 2008, is enjoying the third longest run so far.
 
And because the highest charting single by a female artist on this week's chart is Gloria Trevi's "Cinco Minutos," which falls 5-10 in its 23rd week, it'll be interesting to see how much longer it will take for a female artist to finally take the top spot on the chart from the fellas!
 
Thanks! And all the best to you in the new year!
 
Martin Wilkins
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Dear Martin,

Thanks for your insights into the Hot Latin Songs chart. Now everyone will be watching to see how soon a female artist will break this current male monopoly on pole position. I’ll report on that event in Chart Beat but please feel free to add your thoughts in a letter to Chart Beat Chat when the time comes.


GAGA INTERNATIONAL

Fred:
 
The whole world is going GaGa! Well, maybe not all of it, but a significant portion of the English-speaking world.
 
American singer Lady GaGa is currently atop the Hot 100 with "Just Dance" and by week's end will also be topping the U.K. singles chart with the same track. It's rare for any single, much less a debut single, to top both charts simultaneously.
 
Up here in Canada, "Just Dance" topped the charts last summer, and her new single, "Poker Face," is currently atop Billboard's Canadian Hot 100 chart. "Poker Face" is also the biggest hit on the charts Down Under, as it is currently No. 1 on both the Australian and New Zealand charts.
 
It's very unusual for a song by an American artist to break in Canada before achieving success at home. Any idea why "Just Dance" took so long to break in America?
 
Patrick Kelly
Brampton, Ontario
Canada

Dear Patrick,

Some songs are immediate hits and others take time to grow. Sometimes it’s a case of a song earning airplay gradually and spreading across the country. Sometimes it’s a case of a new artist taking time to break through. Lady GaGa and her team have been building a case for “Just Dance” to be a hit, and their patience and work has paid off.


INTRODUCTION OF THE SALES CHART

Hello Fred,

You mentioned last week that the singles sales chart was introduced in 1991. Wasn't there a singles sales chart prior to that? I was under the impression that 1991 was the year that SoundScan was introduced into the chart, not the year it was created.

Alberto Juarez
Los Angeles, Calif.

Dear Alberto,

The 1991 date was mentioned by a reader in last week’s Chart Beat Chat. I usually correct facts that are cited in e-mails if they are wrong and failed to note that the sales chart was introduced in 1984. Sales data from Nielsen SoundScan and airplay information from Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems were first used to compile the Hot 100 dated Nov. 30, 1991.


THE BRITISH WERE COMING! THE BRITISH WERE COMING!

Dear Fred,

It was 45 years ago that the Beatles first charted in the United States. Prior to 1964, it was very rare for any British artist to chart on the Hot 100. In the issue dated Jan. 18, 1964, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" debuted at No. 45.

The following week, the song blasted to No. 3, then spent seven weeks at No. 1.  Soon after, the charts were flooded with British artists, and thus the British invasion became an important part of chart history.

Based on your top 5000 list from your book "Billboard's Hottest Hot 100 Hits,"  I've compiled the top 40 songs from the British Invasion. The period covers the issues dated Jan. 25, 1964 through April 16, 1966.  There was at least one British act in the top 10 every week during that period. For the issue dated April 23, 1966, the entire top 10 was all American (the first all American top 10 since the Oct. 26, 1963 issue).

So here's the list I've compiled:

1. "I Want to Hold Your Hand," the Beatles (1964)
2. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," the Rolling Stones (1965)
3. "She Loves You," the Beatles (1964)
4. "Can't Buy Me Love," the Beatles (1964)
5. "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter," Herman's Hermits (1965)
6. "Yesterday," the Beatles (1965)
7.  "Downtown," Petula Clark (1965)
8. "We Can Work It Out," the Beatles (1966)
9. "I Feel Fine," the Beatles (1964)
10. "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," Manfred Mann (1964)
11. "Help!," the Beatles (1965)
12. "A Hard Day's Night," the Beatles (1964)
13. "The House of the Rising Sun," the Animals (1964)
14. "Twist and Shout," the Beatles (1964)
15. "Get Off of My Cloud," the Rolling Stones (1965)
16. "Love Me Do," the Beatles (1964)
17. "I'm Henry VIII, I Am," Herman's Hermits (1965)
18. "I'm Telling You Now," Freddie and the Dreamers (1965)
19. "A World Without Love," Peter and Gordon (1964)
20. "Ticket to Ride," the Beatles (1965)
21. "19th Nervous Breakdown," the Rolling Stones (1966)
22. "My Love," Petula Clark (1966)
23. "Game of Love," Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders (1965)
24. "Eight Days a Week," the Beatles (1965)
25. "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat," Herman's Hermits (1965)
26. "She's Not There," the Zombies (1964)
27. "Over and Over," the Dave Clark Five (1965)
28. "Love Potion Number Nine," the Searchers (1965)
29. "Please Please Me," the Beatles (1964)
30. "Do You Want to Know a Secret," the Beatles (1964)
31. "What's New Pussycat," Tom Jones (1965)
32. "I Know a Place," Petula Clark (1965)
33. "Bits and Pieces," the Dave Clark Five (1964)
34. "Nowhere Man," the Beatles (1966)
35. "Because," the Dave Clark Five (1964)
36. "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying," Gerry and the Pacemakers (1964)
37. "Little Children," Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas (1964)
38. "Listen People," Herman's Hermits (1966)
39. "Glad All Over," the Dave Clark Five (1964)
40. "Wishin' and Hopin'," Dusty Springfield (1964)

Richard K. Rogers
Astoria, N.Y.
haretonic@yahoo.com

Dear Richard,

Thanks for taking the time to fashion this list. I lived through the first British invasion and will never forget how quickly everything changed, with many American artists failing to reach the top 10 as they were crowded out by these British acts, the majority of which were self-contained groups that wrote their own songs.