This week鈥檚 Billboard Hot 100 singles chart offers more of the same 鈥� Shaboozey鈥檚 鈥淎 Bar Song (Tipsy)鈥� holds at No. 1 for a whopping 12th nonconsecutive week 鈥� but there鈥檚 major volatility atop the albums chart. Last week鈥檚 No. 1 album disappears from the Billboard 200 entirely, making room for rapper Future, whose new Mixtape Pluto debuts atop the chart, making it his third new album to top the Billboard 200 this year.
TOP ALBUMS
On last week鈥檚 Billboard 200 albums chart, Travis Scott鈥檚 2014 mixtape Days Before Rodeo raced from No. 106 to No. 1 on the strength of its long-awaited vinyl release. , without the benefit of that vinyl surge, it plunges again 鈥� dropping from No. 1 out of the Billboard 200 altogether 鈥� while another rapper, Future, takes his place at No. 1.
Mixtape Pluto is Future鈥檚 third album of 2024, following We Don鈥檛 Trust You and We Still Don鈥檛 Trust You. Those two collaborations with Metro Boomin each debuted at No. 1 just three weeks apart back in April; the former record鈥檚 song 鈥淟ike That鈥� actually kicked off this year鈥檚 ramped-up beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Naturally, three chart-topping records in six months puts Future in select company: Only two acts have duplicated that feat in the last 60 years, namely The Beatles (in 1965-66) and鈥� the cast of Glee, which pulled it off in the span of just two months back in 2010.
While we鈥檙e talking milestones, Mixtape Pluto is Future鈥檚 11th No. 1 album, which ties him for fifth place all-time with Eminem, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand and the rapper formerly known as Kanye West. (Drake has 13 No. 1s, Taylor Swift and Jay-Z each have 14 and the aforementioned Beatles hold the record with 19.)
This week, Future鈥檚 success comes at the expense of pop star Chappell Roan, who鈥檇 made a serious bid for No. 1 in conjunction with the one-year anniversary of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess鈥� release. The album received four new variant editions on vinyl 鈥� and one on cassette 鈥� in a push to goose its sales. The bid worked up to a point, as she sold roughly 50,000 vinyl copies, but it was only enough to lift her from No. 3 to her prior chart peak of No. 2, a position she held for two weeks in August, behind Taylor Swift and then Post Malone.
Rounding out the top five are Sabrina Carpenter鈥檚 Short n鈥� Sweet (swapping spots with Midwest Princess to land at No. 3), Post Malone鈥檚 F-1 Trillion (holding at No. 4) and Morgan Wallen鈥檚 One Thing at a Time (holding at No. 5). There are two chart debuts in the bottom half of the top 10 鈥� Katy Perry鈥檚 143 at No. 6 and Lil Tecca鈥檚 Plan A at No. 9 鈥� while three old reliables round out the list: Taylor Swift鈥檚 The Tortured Poets Department (from No. 6 to No. 7), Billie Eilish鈥檚 Hit Me Hard and Soft (holding at No. 8) and Noah Kahan鈥檚 Stick Season (from No. 9 to No. 10).
TOP SONGS
There鈥檝e been lots of recent weeks with little movement on the Hot 100 singles chart, but this is getting ridiculous: appears perfectly identical to last week鈥檚 top 10 at first glance, except when you notice that two of Sabrina Carpenter鈥檚 three hit singles (鈥淧lease Please Please鈥� and 鈥淭aste鈥�) swap places at No. 8 and No. 9, respectively. That鈥檚 it!
Sure, there are minor, iterative milestones to discuss. Shaboozey鈥檚 鈥淎 Bar Song (Tipsy),鈥� which holds at No. 1 for a 12th nonconsecutive week, is now tied for third-most weeks at No. 1 for any song this decade. Morgan Wallen鈥檚 鈥淟ast Night鈥� was No. 1 for 16 weeks just last year, while Harry Styles鈥� 鈥淎s It Was鈥� topped the chart for 15 weeks in 2022. As for the song whose run of weeks atop the chart this decade ties 鈥淎 Bar Song (Tipsy),鈥� here鈥檚 a hint: It may well hit No. 1 again, starting later this year. (Okay, here鈥檚 another hint: It鈥檚 Mariah Carey鈥檚 鈥淎ll I Want for Christmas Is You.鈥� That song has actually been No. 1 for 14 weeks in all, but only 12 of them took place during this decade.)
Carpenter has hit a fresh milestone of her own: She鈥檚 now the only solo woman ever to land three songs in the top 10 simultaneously for five consecutive weeks. (Cardi B once did it four weeks in a row.) In addition to 鈥淧lease Please Please鈥� and 鈥淭aste,鈥� 鈥淓spresso鈥� holds at No. 3.
The rest of the top 10 is the same as it ever was 鈥� and, near as I can tell, ever shall be: Post Malone鈥檚 鈥淚 Had Some Help,鈥� featuring Morgan Wallen, is No. 2; Chappell Roan鈥檚 鈥淕ood Luck, Babe!鈥� holds at No. 4; and Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga鈥檚 鈥淒ie With a Smile鈥� sits at No. 5 yet again. Speaking of 鈥測et again,鈥� Billie Eilish鈥檚 鈥淏irds of a Feather鈥� (No. 6), Teddy Swims鈥� 鈥淟ose Control鈥� (No. 7) and Kendrick Lamar鈥檚 鈥淣ot Like Us鈥� (No. 10) are also sedentary this week.
Also, though none of its songs hit the top 10, Future鈥檚 Mixtape Pluto makes its presence felt across this week鈥檚 Hot 100: Every one of its 17 songs has crashed the chart, ranging from No. 21 to No. 85.
WORTH NOTING
To illustrate just how stagnant the Billboard Hot 100 has gotten near the top, here鈥檚 :
1. Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen, 鈥淚 Had Some Help鈥�
2. Kendrick Lamar, 鈥淣ot Like Us鈥�
3. Tommy Richman, 鈥淢illion Dollar Baby鈥�
4. Shaboozey, 鈥淎 Bar Song (Tipsy)鈥�
5. Billie Eilish, 鈥淟unch鈥�
6. Sabrina Carpenter, 鈥淓spresso鈥�
7. Teddy Swims, 鈥淟ose Control鈥�
8. Benson Boone, 鈥淏eautiful Things鈥�
9. Hozier, 鈥淭oo Sweet鈥�
10. Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone, 鈥淔ortnight鈥�
Here we are, 19 weeks later, and eight of those 10 songs are still in the top 13. 鈥淏eautiful Things,鈥� 鈥淢illion Dollar Baby鈥� and 鈥淭oo Sweet鈥� have been hovering between 11 and 13 for weeks. And, while 鈥淟unch鈥� and 鈥淔ortnight鈥� have slid considerably farther, the albums that spawned them remain in the top 10; those tracks have merely been overshadowed by subsequent singles (鈥淏irds of a Feather鈥� and 鈥淚 Can Do It With a Broken Heart,鈥� respectively).
Consider this: Since that June 1 chart, only eight songs have entered the top 10 for the first time. Zach Bryan鈥檚 鈥淧ink Skies鈥� had a brief top-10 run in June, peaking at No. 6. Eminem鈥檚 鈥淗oudini鈥� bounced on and off the chart starting in June, peaking at No. 2. Morgan Wallen鈥檚 鈥淟ies Lies Lies鈥� had a one-week cameo in the top 10 in July, peaking at No. 7. The remaining five tracks 鈥� 鈥淏irds of a Feather,鈥� 鈥淧lease Please Please,鈥� 鈥淒ie With a Smile,鈥� 鈥淭aste鈥� and 鈥淕ood Luck, Babe!鈥� 鈥� are still there. That鈥� is not a lot of chart movement in four months.
For those who seek something fresh and innovative 鈥� something never-before-heard 鈥� at the top of the pop charts, take solace: If last year鈥檚 charts are any indication, we鈥檙e just eight short weeks from of Brenda Lee鈥檚 鈥淩ockin鈥� Around the Christmas Tree.鈥�
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