Pearl Jam Returns to No. 1 on Adult Alternative Airplay Chart With ‘Wreckage’
Written by djfrosty on August 2, 2024
Pearl Jam notches its first No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart in over 10 years as “Wreckage” rises to the top of the Aug. 10-dated survey.
“Wreckage,” Pearl Jam’s third leader on the list, follows “Sirens,” which ruled for three weeks in November-December 2013. The band first led with “Just Breathe” for 13 weeks in 2010.
The group’s 10-year, eight-month break between No. 1s is the longest on Adult Alternative Airplay since John Mayer went 11 years and eight months between the reigns of “Who Says” in 2009 and “Last Train Home” in 2021.
In between “Sirens” and “Wreckage,” Pearl Jam charted four Adult Alternative Airplay entries, paced by the No. 2-peaking “Dance of the Clairvoyants” in 2020.
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“Wreckage” is the second single from Dark Matter, Pearl Jam’s 12th studio album. The title track hit No. 19 in March.
Concurrently, “Wreckage” ranks at No. 6, after reaching No. 2 in June, on Rock & Alternative Airplay, with 3.4 million audience impressions in the week ending Aug. 1, according to Luminate. It ruled Mainstream Rock Airplay for one week in July, having become the band’s fifth No. 1, and rose to No. 3 on Alternative Airplay.
By leading both Adult Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock Airplay, “Wreckage” becomes the first song to hit No. 1 on the lists, which span the sonic extremes of rock radio, since The Black Keys’ “Lo/Hi” in 2019.
On the most recently published multimetric Hot Hard Rock Songs chart (dated Aug. 3, reflecting data July 19-25), “Wreckage” placed at No. 6, following a week at No. 1 in May. In addition to its radio airplay, it drew 265,000 official U.S. streams.
Dark Matter debuted at No. 1 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart dated May 4 and has earned 107,000 equivalent album units to date.
All charts dated Aug. 10 will update on Billboard.com on Tuesday, Aug. 6.