Fun.”s “We Are Young” featuring Janelle Monae soars to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 this week, making it the first rock band in a decade to score a No. 1 with its debut charting song.
As chart followers know, rock has been scarce in the top 10 at all for any rock-leaning act in the last several years as Top 40 has been rhythmic leaning for more than five years (and it”s a blurry line between if fun. is pop or rock, but we digress). The last rock band to take its debut chart single to the top was Nickelback in 2001 with “How You Remind Me.” It is also the first No. 1 by a rock band on the Billboard Hot 100 since Coldplay”s “Viva La Vida” in June 2008, according to Billboard.
“We Are Young” got as much help from TV as it did at radio: the song is featured in a much-played Chevrolet Sonic ad that played during the Super Bowl and “Glee”s” cast covered the song as well.
This means that Kelly Clarkson”s “Stronger” drops 1-2, which pushes Adele”s “Set Fire To The Rain” from 2-3. British boy band The Wanted”s “Glad You Came” rises 4-5, switching places with Katy Perry”s “Part of Me.”
In the bottom half of the Top 10, Nicki Minaj”s “Starships” lifts 10-6, while Minaj”s contribution with David Guetta, “Turn Me On,” stays at No. 8. Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa”s “Young, Wild & Free” featuring Bruno Mars frees itself up two spaces to No. 7. Gotye”s “Somebody That I Used To Know” featuring Kimbra climbs 16-9, while Rihanna”s “We Found Love” featuring Calvin Harris most likely spends its last week in the Top 10 as it falls 6-10.
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