1. fun. f/ Janelle Monae “We Are Young”
2. Kelly Clarkson, “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
3. Adele, “Set Fire To The Rain”
4. The Wanter, “Glad You Came”
5. Katy Perry, “Part Of Me”
6. Nicki Minaj, “Starships”
7. Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa f/ Bruno Mars, “Young, Wild & Free”
8. David Guetta f/ Nicki Minaj, “Turn Me On”
9. Gotye f/ Kimbra, “Somebody That I Used To Know”
10. Rihanna f/ Calvin Harris, “We Found Love”
Fun.-tastic! ‘We Are Young’ Tops Hot 100
Fun. becomes the first rock band in more than a decade to send a debut Billboard Hot 100 hit to No. 1, as “We Are Young,” featuring Janelle Monae, ascends 3-1.
The song spends a third week atop the Digital Songs chart with 302,000 downloads sold (up 19%), according to Nielsen SoundScan. The track claims the Hot 100’s top Airplay Gainer award, as it bounds 61-41 in its second week on Radio Songs (30 million, up 60%, according to Nielsen BDS). “Young” rises 3-2 on the Alternative Songs radio airplay chart and roars in as the top debut on Pop Songs (No. 24) and Adult Pop Songs (No. 33).
With its coronation, fun. becomes the first multi-member rock band to conquer the Hot 100 with its first entry on the chart since Nickelback arrived with its four-week No. 1 “How You Remind Me” in December 2001/January 2002. The song went on to become Billboard’s top title of 2002. (Electronic/alternative act Owl City ruled the Hot 100 with debut single “Fireflies” in 2009, but the name served as an alias for its only member, Adam Young).
Until this week, no rock group had led at all since Coldplay topped the June 28, 2008, Hot 100 with “Viva La Vida.”
The ascension of “Young” also grants the 16-year-old Fueled By Ramen imprint its first Hot 100 No. 1. (The song is being promoted to radio by the Roadrunner Promotion label). Fueled By Ramen had previously risen as high as No. 2 with Fall Out Boy’s “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” in 2007.
Since Chevrolet’s Sonic ad featuring “Young” aired during the Super Bowl on Feb. 5, “Young” has exploded at radio and retail. In the four full sales weeks following its massive TV exposure, the song has sold 1.1 million downloads, or 77% of its total (1.5 million) dating to its September digital release.
Adding to the song’s profile, the “Glee” cast’s cover of “Young” has sold 360,000 downloads since the Fox TV troupe performed the song on the series’ Dec. 6 episode.
“Young” pushes Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” down 1-2 after three non-consecutive weeks at the Hot 100’s summit. “Stronger” slips 2-3 on Digital Songs (197,000, down 18%), although it pushes 3-2 on Radio Songs (116 million, up 7%). The song becomes Clarkson’s fourth No. 1 on Adult Pop Songs (2-1).
Adele’s former two-week No. 1 “Set Fire to the Rain” drops 2-3 on the Hot 100, while the Wanted’s “Glad You Came” rises 5-4. “Glad” climbs courtesy of a 3-2 advance on Digital Songs (206,000, up 10%) and a 22-17 jump on Radio Songs (55 million, up 23%). The boy band’s debut single lifts 10-9 on Pop Songs.
After Katy Perry’s “Part of Me” launched at No. 1 on the Hot 100 two weeks ago, the lead single from her “Teenage Dream” deluxe edition, “The Complete Confection” (due March 27), slides 4-5. On Digital Songs, “Part” descends 4-7 (142,000, down 55%). Airplay continues to build, however, as “Part” powers 19-14 on Radio Songs (58 million, up 16%).
Nicki Minaj’s “Starships” rockets 10-6 in its third week on the Hot 100 (after debuting at No. 9 two weeks ago). The track flies 7-4 on Digital Songs (161,000, up 4%) and 49-38 on Radio Songs (33 million, up 28%).
Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa’s “Young, Wild & Free,” featuring Bruno Mars, rises 9-7 on the Hot 100, leapfrogging David Guetta’s “Turn Me On,” featuring Minaj (8-8).
Fun. isn’t the only alternative act enjoying Hot 100 success on its first try, as Gotye (aka, Wally De Backer) soars 16-9 with “Somebody That I Used to Know,” featuring Kimbra. The song, which has topped 15 surveys on Billboard’s international charts menu, pushes 8-5 on Digital Songs (148,000, up 11%) and 56-50 on Radio Songs (26 million, up 15%). “Somebody” leads Alternative Songs for a third week.
Rihanna’s former 10-week No. 1 “We Found Love,” featuring Calvin Harris, rounds out the Hot 100’s top 10, falling 6-10. Harris’s first solo Hot 100 hit, “Feel So Close,” meanwhile, jumps into the chart’s top 40 (46-34).
