Chart Beat Thursday: Ke$ha, Janet, Reba

ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK: A new decade brings a new No. 1 to the Billboard Hot 100, as rookie Ke$ha rises 2-1 with “TiK Tok.”

The 22-year-old, born Kesha Rose Sebert, is the first solo female to ascend to the summit with a maiden chart entry since Lady Gaga, who led with “Just Dance,” the first new No. 1 of 2009.

(Ke$ha is not credited on Flo Rida‘s 2009 No. 1 “Right Round,” although she sang on the song’s chorus).

How many other women have conquered the Hot 100 on their first tries, as a lead artist, since 2000? Here is the list, which includes three “American Idol” champions and two artists who first rose to fame in superstar groups:

2010, Ke$ha, “TiK ToK”
2009, Lady Gaga, “Just Dance”
2008, Katy Perry, “I Kissed a Girl”
2008, Leona Lewis, “Bleeding Love”
2006, Fergie, “London Bridge”
2005, Carrie Underwood, “Inside Your Heaven”
2004, Ciara, “Goodies”
2004, Fantasia, “I Believe”
2003, Beyonce, “Crazy in Love”
2002, Kelly Clarkson, “A Moment Like This”
2002, Ashanti, “Foolish”
2001, Alicia Keys, “Fallin’ ”

Related

Kesha's 'Rainbow' Leaks Ahead of Official Release

08/09/2017

DESIGN OF A DECADE, PT. 1: As this week’s charts are dated Jan. 2, 2010, “TiK ToK” earns the honor of first Hot 100 No. 1 of the new decade.

Here is a look at the first Hot 100 leader to ascend to No. 1 in each decade, dating to 1960. (The chart launched Aug. 4, 1958, led by Ricky Nelson‘s “Poor Little Fool.”)

1960s: “El Paso,” Marty Robbins
1970s: “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” B.J. Thomas
1980s: “Please Don’t Go,” K.C. and the Sunshine Band
1990s: “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You,” Michael Bolton
2000s: “What a Girl Wants,” Christina Aguilera
2010s: “TiK ToK,” Ke$ha

DESIGN OF A DECADE, PT. 2: Janet Jackson zips 3-1 on Dance/Club Play Songs with “Make Me,” upping her total to 19 career toppers on the tally, the second-best sum in the chart’s history.

Madonna leads with 40 Dance/Club Play Songs No. 1s, and Mariah Carey places third with 15.

Having first led with a remix of “When I Think of You” on the Sept. 20, 1986, survey, Jackson, thus, expands her No. 1 chart span to a fourth decade.

“Make Me” appears on Jackson’s retrospective, “Number Ones.” Of the set’s 34 songs, 31 have now reached No. 1 on either the Billboard Hot 100, R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Dance/Club Play Songs or Adult Contemporary.

Even the three songs that did not command a Billboard chart have connections to No. 1. “Because of Love” and “Got ‘Til It’s Gone” were singles from the Billboard 200-topping albums “janet.” and “The Velvet Rope,” respectively, and “Runaway” appeared on the No. 1 Top Music Video Sales set “Design of a Decade 1986 / 1996.”

REBA RULES: Reba McEntire returns to the Country Songs summit after five years and five months, as “Consider Me Gone” rises 2-1. She had last reigned with “Somebody” in August 2004.

The song is McEntire’s 23rd No. 1 on the chart, a remarkable run that began with “Can’t Even Get the Blues” on the survey dated Jan. 8, 1983. Among women, McEntire trails only Dolly Parton for most No. 1s (25).

Like Janet Jackson on Dance/Club Play Songs, McEntire has now reached No. 1 on Country Songs in four decades. In the chart’s 66-year history, Parton (’70s-’00s) is the only other female artist to earn leaders over such a wide span.

McEntire’s coronation additionally represents the first Country Songs No. 1 by a lead female artist not named Carrie Underwood or Taylor Swift since Sara Evans led with “A Real Fine Place to Start” in the fall of 2005. Since Underwood notched her first No. 1, “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” in January 2006, there have been 13 chart champions by lead solo females. Eight belong to Underwood, four to Swift, and, now, one to McEntire.

SET OF KEYS: As Susan Boyle maintains her lock on the Billboard 200 penthouse for a fourth week with “I Dreamed a Dream,” the artist at No. 2 misses a chance, at least this week, to launch her career with five consecutive No. 1s. Alicia Keys bows in the runner-up spot with “The Element of Freedom.” Her previous four entries, beginning with “Songs in A Minor” in 2001,” all reached the apex.

Keys’ new release does vault 53-1 (after bowing last week due to street-date violations) on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, marking her fifth consecutive No. 1. No artist had begun on such a tear since DMX plated six straight leaders on the chart from 1998 through 2006.

Although her five career-opening No. 1s make for an impressive feat, it’s not a chart record. In fact, it’s only halfway there. From 1965 through 1969, the Temptations topped R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with their first 10 chart entries.

On the Hot 100, Keys cedes the summit to Ke$ha’s “TiK ToK,” as “Empire State of Mind,” by Jay-Z with Keys, slips to No. 2. Keys debuts, however, at No. 55 with “Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down.” The bow of the lattermost song, a solo acoustic rendition featuring different verses, marks the first chart appearance of a sequel to a Hot 100 No. 1 since Usher followed “Love in This Club” with “Love in This Club Part II” (No. 18) in 2008.

DIAMOND SHINES: Neil Diamond continues scaling Adult Contemporary with “Cherry Cherry Christmas,” which jumps 8-4. The placement marks his highest rank since “Turn Around” held down the No. 5 spot, after peaking at No. 4, on the chart dated Oct. 20, 1984.

The dawning of a new decade also grants Diamond a top 20 Adult Contemporary entry in a sixth decade. He is the only artist to earn the honor, dating to the chart’s July 1961 inception.

“Cherry Cherry Christmas” is Diamond’s 30th Adult Contemporary top five title. Only Elton John, with 33, has more.

CHART BEAT BITS: The same titles occupy the Hot 100’s top 10 for a third consecutive week. That’s the longest stretch of status quo since the weeks of Jan. 10, 17 and 24, 2004. On Jan. 31, 2004, three memorable songs finally broke through to the top tier: “Yeah!” by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, “Someday” by Nickelback and “It’s My Life” by No Doubt …

Pearl Jam collects its 18th top 10 on Alternative Songs, as “Just Breathe” bounds 16-10. In the chart’s 21-year existence, only U2 (23), Red Hot Chili Peppers (21) and Green Day (19) have made more top 10 visits …

Charting on the Adult R&B airplay chart (viewable at billboard.biz) since 1994, Usher didn’t lead the list until December 2008, when “Here I Stand” began a seven-week reign. This week, he claims his second No. 1, as “Papers” flies 3-1. The track spent two weeks atop R&B/Hip-Hop Songs …

Shakira returns to the top 10 (16-9) on Latin Songs with the aptly titled “Did It Again (Lo Hecho Esta Hecho).” The single from “She Wolf” is her 15th top 10 on the tally. Among women, Shakira ties Ednita Nazario and now trails only Gloria Estefan (22) and Ana Gabriel (20) for most top 10s in the chart’s history …

Chart Beat will return with a new posting, Chart Highlights, Monday (Dec. 28). Until then, please enjoy our recap of 2009 and the 2000s, including a time-travel take on what a music fan in 1999 would make of the past decade. From everyone at Billboard, happy holidays!