Katy Perry”s “Part of Me” takes her where “The One That Got Away” could not: to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
Not only does “Part of Me” hit No. 1, the song debuts in the top spot, making it the 20th song in the 53-year history of the Billboard Hot 100 to start its chart life at the top. The last song to do so was Lady Gaga”s “Born This Way” almost exactly a year ago. Both songs received their coming out at the Grammy Awards.
“Part of Me” kicks off “The Complete Confection,” the deluxe edition of “Teenage Dream,” which comes out March 27. “Part” does fine at radio, coming in at No. 36 on Billboard”s Radio Songs, but it”s as a download that the song skyrockets. The tune sold 411,000 copies in its first week, the most of any Perry track. It is the singer’s 7th No. 1.
Even more incredibly, according to Billboard, “Part of Me” is the first song in Capitol Records” history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Yes, the methodology has obviously changed since the days of the Beatles and the Beach Boys, but now Perry gets to claim another piece of history that eluded the Fab Four and Brian Wilson.
On the rest of the Hot 100″s top 10, Adele also sees a major Grammy surge (check out what “21” did on the Billboard 200 this week). All three of “21”s” former No. 1 tunes surge: “Set Fire To The Rain” holds at No 2, but increases in sales; while “Rolling In The Deep” soars 17-5 and “Someone Like You” climbs 11-7. Adele, along with every other record she now holds, becomes the first female to have three songs in the Top 10 concurrently.
Whitney Houston”s “I Will Always Love You” also continues its sad, upward trajectory following the singer”s death on Feb. 11, moving 7-3.
Kelly Clarkson”s “Stronger,” which spent two weeks at No. 1 falls to No. 4.
In the bottom half of the top 10, fun.”s “We Are Young” featuring Janelle Monae falls 3-6, and Rihanna”s “We Found Love” featuring Calvin Harris slips 6-8.
Perry isn”t the only one with an extraordinary debut: Nicki Minaj”s “Starships” rockets onto the chart at No 9, while Chris Brown”s “Turn Up The Music” comes on at No. 10. Check out the remix with Rihanna here.