...But that's also back when artists born in the USA could also top the charts.
I'm not sure if anyone has followed the pop charts since last summer (and for the most part, I really haven't bothered, either), but here is a startling statistic:
No American-born artist has had a #1 song on Billboard's Hot 100 chart since.....July of last year. that's seven months, if you're counting. In fact the last song to hit number one by a Yankee was "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, which spent the last of its twelve weeks at #1 back in July, 2015. The song, which reached my SNS top 20 that summer, featured lead artist Khalifa, (who I anointed one of my favorite hip hop artists of today) hails from North Dakota, while piano prodigy Puth is a Jersey boy, from Rumson, noted primarily by another Jersey artists, the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen.
That song was a cool contrast between Wiz's rappings and Puth's soft, easy-going Sam Smith/Ed Sheeran-like vocals. Little did we know that the foreigners would take over the top spot from that point on. So, as a public service, here are all the songs which have occupied the pole position on the most respected chart in the industry (sorry, it's not the SNS 100!)
It all started on July 25, when OMI's "Cheerleader" hit the top spot, and stayed there for six weeks. The song, which became Billboard's "song of the summer", featured the Jamaican-born artist, which also had a sizable run on my list--21 weeks--in spite of peaking only at #42 on my list. The Weeknd, who tore up the charts in the second half of last year, and who surprised me with his performance at last week's Grammy awards, then assumed the top spot with a three week run beginning on August 22, with "Can't Feel My Face".
The Weeknd hails from north of the border in Canada, and he was succeeded by another from the Great White North, Justin Beiber, who grabbed his first number one song, when "What Do You Mean?", which debuted there and stayed a single week at the top, on September 19. But The Weeknd knocked him out, in turn, when "The Hills" had a six-week run beginning October 3. That marked ten weeks in a row from our friends north of the border. Unfortunately, I didn't add any of the three songs, and usually I take a chance on a pop song that reaches the top. But as I said, both surprised me with their Grammy performances. But, where have you gone, Anne Murray, The Guess Who, and Bryan Adams?
Well, it's now November 10, and there comes Adele, who broke her silence with "Hello" which debuted on top and stayed there for ten weeks. I added the song (of course) and it tied an SNS record by hitting the top in three weeks, and lead my chart for half its Billboard run. Adele, of course, is from England, which means that the top spot now didn't even belong in our hemisphere now!
Well, that brings us into 2016, and the Beebs returns with two more number ones: "Sorry" (three weeks), followed by two more for "Love Yourself". Well, at least we're back in the Western Hemisphere now. Both Bieber songs, in spite of me being tempted, were not added to the blog list. The crown then went back across the Atlantic when One Direction member Zayn, debuted at the top with "Pillowtalk". And this week, another non-American number one song, as Rihanna, featuring Drake, "Work" keeps the streak alive. Rihanna is from Barbados; Drake is another from Canada. As I am a Rihanna fan, I added this song, which resides at the bottom #100 position; thus making it the first Billboard chart-topper since "Hello" that I would add.
It is not unusual for international pop stars to invade the top of the charts here. The 1960's, especially comes to mind, featured many stars from around the world to make it big, if only for one song or so). Many European artists as well as those from Africa, South America and Asia had major hits in that decade. But as far as the number of songs and the elapsed weeks on the chart go, what's happening now, is the record and standard for foreign acts, and unlike many of those five decades back, are more in a mainstream pop vein for the current times.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE STUFF I'M LISTING TO?: But enough with the pop charts. I am not a pop fan per se; only one song of the current Billboard top ten is also in my top 10, and that would be DNCE's "Cake By the Ocean", which several of my friends are loving right now; the song jumps from #16 to #7 on my chart. It's a pop song, true, but to be honest, it's the way pop songs were always supposed to sound like. The band is fronted by former Jonas Brothers member Joe Jonas, and both he and drummer Jack Lawless both hail from New Jersey, Jonas from Wyckoff, Lawless from the shore town of Ocean Grove. They join Haddon Heights' Smash Palace as artists hailing from the Garden State that are in my top 20 currently. Another Jersey band, Brick + Mortar, from Toms River, dropped out of the top 20 a couple weeks ago, with "Train".
All-in-all, thirteen of my top 20 songs are by American artists, the highest being Elle King at #2. That means that the other seven are foreigners, all from English-speaking countries. Coldplay, which retains my top spot for the fourth week, are, of course, from England, as are Foals (#3), Adele (#4) and Florence + the Machine (#6), thus taking four of the top 6 (Kentucky's Cage the Elephant, at #5 is the only other Yankee outfit in that top group).
Although Beiber, and The Weeknd are nowhere to be found (and Drake at the bottom of the list), two Canadian acts, Half Moon Run and City and Colour represent the country to our north. Finally, the one act from the other side of the world, Tame Impala from Australia; that band gets its second top 20 SNS song from their latest, Currents.
THE NEW STUFF: I added eight new songs this week. Aside from "Work" by Rihanna and Drake, they include the Top Debut, The Parlor's "The Surgeon's Knife", which is a nice, bouncy song, not unlike Avid Dancer's "I Feel It". The Parlor are a duo from New York City. Another Jersey band, The Lumineers are back with "Ophelia", which is an original, not the classic song by The Band. Unlike fellow indie-folkers Mumford & Sons, the band continues their more folky sound as opposed to the harder stance taken by M&S.
TAKE ME TO THE PILOT: I also (finally) add "Stressed Out" by Twenty-One Pilots, the duo from Columbus, Ohio. The song already has been #1 on the Alternative chart, and even more impressive, peaked #2 on Billboard's Hot 100, the first rock crossover band to peak that high since Hozier's "Take Me To Church" last year. So now the question begs, given that success, why haven't I added the song earlier? I was at the crest of the wave that the Hozier song became big. Well, the omission was by accident. The first single from the duo's Blurryface set "Tear In My Head", reached #1 last summer on my list (and #2 alternative)....it was an okay song, in my opinion, but to be honest, I thought the high chart positions attained on the Hot 100 were the prior song. It was only when I considered re-adding that, when I realized, it's a separate song. Yes, occasionally they fall through the cracks. Although I'm sure everyone as heard the song now (except for me). Of course, upon listen, you can understand its pop appeal: It has a hip-hop beat to start, but is eclectic enough to perform on rock circles. From there it hits a more pop-rock stance, with the lyrics half rapped, half sung. I do like it better than "Tear In My Head", and will try and advance it up my chart quickly. Nice effort.
Other adds this week include Santigold's ""Can't Get Enough of Myself"; the female singer (real name Santi White) from Philadelphia previous hit SNS back in 2012 with "Disparate Young" which reached #29 that year, and Naughty Boy's "La La La". That song, which features Sam Smith, was released back in 2013, but while viewing a video of a boy and his dogs on Facebook, noticed that this song was accompanying the video, hence worth taking a look.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
February 21,
2016
| This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
| 1 | 1 | NUMBER ONE:
"Adventure of A
Lifetime"
Album: A Head Full of Dreams
(4 weeks at #1)
|
12 |
| 2 | 2 | Elle King - Under the Influence | 7 |
| 3 | 4 | Foals - Give It All | 5 |
| 4 | 3 | Adele - When We Were Young | 7 |
| 5 | 6 | Cage the Elephant - Mess Around | 16 |
| 6 | 11 | Florence + the Machine - Delilah | 4 |
| 7 | 16 | DNCE - Cake By the Ocean | 6 |
| 8 | 7 | Mutemath - Monument | 13 |
| 9 | 5 | Iration - 867 | 13 |
| 10 | 10 | City and Colour - Lover Come Back | 11 |
| 11 | 8 | Smash Palace - Haddontown | 16 |
| 12 | 13 | Lake Street Dive - Call Off Your Dog | 9 |
| 13 | 9 | The Dreamers - Wolves (You Got Me) | 15 |
| 14 | 15 | Martin Courtney - Northern Highway | 15 |
| 15 | 14 | Phoebe Ryan - Ignition/Do You | 13 |
| 16 | 27 | TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
"Space Song"
Album: Thank Your Lucky Stars
|
6 |
| 17 | 29 | Half Moon Run - Turn Your Love | 13 |
| 18 | 18 | Chris Stapleton - Traveller | 13 |
| 19 | 25 | Wild Belle - Giving Up On You | 7 |
| 20 | 47 | MOVER OF THE WEEK:
"The Less I
Know the Better"
Album: Currents
|
3 |
|
|
Songs
with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week.
● Songs
with 25 or more plays on my iPod.
▲ Songs with 50 or more plays on my iPod. 