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She wasn’t the queen of Christmas this year, though Mariah Carey does reign over Australia’s final chart of 2023 with “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (via Columbia/Sony).
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Carey’s holiday classic lifts 2-1 to close out the festive season Down Under, leading an all-Christmas top 5 on the ARIA Chart, published Friday, Dec. 29.
Last week, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” was pipped for the Christmas No. 1 by Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” (Atlantic/Warner). By completing its chart climb, the hit from 1994 boasts a sixth successive year reaching No. 1.
The top five on the latest tally is rounded out by Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (up 5-2 via Warner/Universal), Wham’s “Last Christmas” (up 4-3 via Sony), Michael Bublé’s “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” (up 10-4 via Reprise/Warner) and Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” (up 7-5 via Universal), respectively.
Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” dips 1-7, ending a six-week stint at the summit. It’s one of just two non-Christmas titles in the current ARIA Top 20, the other being Tate McRae’s “Greedy” (RCA/Sony), down 3-15.
A handful of new tracks impact the survey, all of them Christmas-themed. Among them is Cher’s “DJ Play a Christmas Song” (at No. 45 via Warner Music), which has already established chart records for the pop icon in the U.S. and U.K. Its parent LP Christmas, Cher’s 27th studio album, is the top new release of the week, opening at No. 40 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Meanwhile, Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via Universal) holds at No. 1 for the ninth consecutive week, extending its lead as the longest running No. 1 LP of the year in Australia.
Swift owns every title in the top 5 on the ARIA Chart, with the exception of Bublé’s double-diamond certified Christmas (Reprise/Warner), up 4-2. Count them up, Swift has seven of the top 10 albums.
Mary J. Blige closes out 2023 with a new No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart as “Still Believe in Love,” featuring Vado, crowns the list dated Dec. 30. The calendar year’s final champ advances from the runner-up spot and was the most-played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the week ending Dec. 21, according to Luminate.
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“Still Believe in Love” takes the chart’s top spot despite remaining essentially even in plays compared with the prior week. Last week’s leader, Usher, Summer Walker and 21 Savage’s “Good Good,” slips to No. 3 after falling 5% in plays during the tracking week. (Between the pair, Muni Long’s “Made for Me” climbs 3-2 with a 5% play gain.)
Thanks to “Still Believe in Love,” the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul nabs her eighth career champ on Adult R&B Airplay. Further, she breaks out of a tie with H.E.R. to solely have the third-most No. 1s among women artists in the chart’s 30-year history. Alicia Keys leads the scoreboard, with 14, while Toni Braxton ranks second with 11.
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As “Still Believe in Love” joins the collection, here’s a review of Mary J. Blige’s eight Adult R&B Airplay No. 1s:
Song Title, Artist (if other than Mary J. Blige), Weeks at No. 1, Date Reached No. 1“Not Gon’ Cry,” four, March 2, 1996“Be Without You,” 14, Feb. 4, 2006“Take Me As I Am,” one, Jan. 27, 2007“IfULeave,” Musiq Soulchild featuring Mary J. Blige, eight, Jan. 10, 2009“Thick of It,” 16, Nov. 12, 2016“U + Me (Love Lesson),” three, May 6, 2017“Good Morning Gorgeous,” four, Feb. 26, 2022“Still Believe in Love,” featuring Vado, one (to date), Dec. 30, 2023
For featured act Vado, the New York-based rapper lands his first Adult R&B Airplay No. 1 with his first appearance on the chart. Prior to his collaboration with Blige, the rapper had scored a pair of entries on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart with Cam’ron – “Speaking in Tungs” and “Hey Muma”. Plus, he’d also make chart waves with two albums, the solo effort Slime Flu, which reached No. 22 on Top Rap Albums in 2010, and the Cam’ron collaborative set Gunz N’ Butta, which peaked at No. 7 on the same chart in 2011.
Elsewhere, “Still Believe in Love” repeats at its No. 14 best on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks songs by combined audience totals from adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations. Despite the static rank, the song added 2% in weekly audience to reach 6.6 million in the latest tracking week.
Taylor Swift is the queen of Christmas in Australia as 1989 (Taylor’s Version) retains the chart title for an eighth consecutive week.
With that feat, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via Universal) is the longest running No. 1 album of 2023, outpointing Swift’s own Midnights, which led for seven non-consecutive weeks between January and July, ARIA reports.
Swift completed unprecedented sweeps on the ARIA Albums Chart during the year, and doubled up on both main tallies. The U.S. pop star’s sales and streaming action should reach fever pitch in February 2024 when Swift’s The Eras Tour visits Australia for seven sold-out stadium shows, produced by Frontier Touring.
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Meanwhile, Australian alternative rock favorites Violent Soho return to the ARIA Chart at No. 2 with Hungry Ghost (I Oh You/Universal), their third album. The LP roars up the survey thanks to a 10th anniversary reissue, which eclipses its previous peak of No. 6, during a run when Hungry Ghost logged more than a year in the top 50. Violent Soho, which announced an indefinite hiatus in 2022, has reigned over the ARIA Albums Chart twice: with 2016’s Waco and 2020’s Everything Is A-OK.
Completing Australia’s albums chart podium is Swift’s Midnights, up 4-3; while Michael Bublé’s double-diamond certified Christmas (Reprise/Warner) shines on the national tally, up 8-4. Christmas first hit No. 1 in 2011 and logged 15 weeks at the summit, across six stints, ARIA reports.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” (Atlantic/Warner) completes a sixth-straight week at No. 1, handing the Louisville rapper honors as the first new artist in six years to reign over Australia’s chart during the week of Christmas.
With Harlow’s hit getting all the love, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (Columbia/Sony) is denied a sixth consecutive Christmas No. 1; it’s up 3-2 on the ARIA Chart, published Friday, Dec. 22, ahead of Tate McRae’s “Greedy” (down 2-3 via RCA/Sony), Wham’s “Last Christmas” (up 5-4 via Sony) and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” (up 9-5 via Warner/Universal), respectively.
Cher enters the U.K. history books — twice — as “DJ Play a Christmas Song” (via Warner Records) blasts to No. 20 on the national singles tally.
The pop legend’s holiday number vaults 41-20 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published Dec. 22, meaning Cher becomes the first solo artist to land top 40 hits with new material in seven consecutive decades, and she becomes the oldest female to snag a top tier hit.
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At 77 years, 7 months old, Cher is the oldest solo female performer to secure a top 40 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, beating the previous mark set by Shirley Bassey, who was 70 years and 4 months old when “The Living Tree” peaked at No. 37 in 2007.
No other solo artist has achieved a top 40 U.K. hit across seven consecutive decades, the Official Charts Company reports. Cher got the ball rolling with her debut solo single “All I Really Want To Do” from 1965, and has cracked the top 40 every decade since.
“Cher cements her position as a living legend this week, notching up two incredible landmarks,” comments Martin Talbot, CEO of the Official Charts, “becoming the oldest living female to secure a Top 40 single and the only female solo artist to claim an Official Top 40 single in seven consecutive decades.”
The late Captain Sir Tom Moore holds the record for the oldest artist to score a U.K. No. 1 single, doing so at age 99 years and 11 months old when his charity-fundraising collaboration with Michael Ball, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” summited in 2020.
“DJ Play a Christmas Song“ is Cher’s highest-charting single in the U.K. in over two decades, since “The Music’s No Good Without You” reached No. 8 in 2001. It’s the lead single from her 27th studio LP Christmas, which vaults 15-5 on the latest albums tally, for a new peak position and 11th career top 10 effort.
“DJ Play a Christmas Song” has been a record-setter on both sides of the Atlantic. When the single jingled to the top of the Dec. 2-dated Dance/Electronic Song Sales survey, she became the first solo artist to earn a new No. 1 on a Billboard songs chart; the only other act to have at least one new No. 1 on a Billboard songs chart in each of the seven decades from the 1960s through the 2020s is the Rolling Stones.
Hackney Diamonds are forever, it would seem, as the Rolling Stones return to No. 1 in the U.K.
The Stones’ latest album bumps 6-1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published Friday, Dec. 22, for its second non-consecutive week at the top.
Featuring collaborations with Lady Gaga, Elton John Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney, and contributions from former bass player Bill Wyman and the group’s late drummer Charlie Watts, Hackney Diamonds (via Polydor) is the Stones’ first album of original material in 18 years– since A Bigger Bang, which peaked to No. 2 in 2005.
Following its release in October, the LP went straight to No. 1 for the rock legends’ 14th U.K. No. 1, by outselling the rest of the top 5 combined.
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“It’s a wonderful way to round off 2023,” the Stones say in a statement published by the Official Charts Company. “Thank you to everyone for listening to Hackney Diamonds. Have a very happy Christmas and New Year.”
The Christmas gift for the Stones also doubles-up as a late birthday present for guitarist Keith Richards, who turned 80 on Dec. 18.
Meanwhile, Michael Bublé’s Christmas (Reprise) holds No. 2 on the new chart, while Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via EMI) improves 4-3.
Cher brings some Christmas cheer to the latest tally with her Christmas (Warner Records) collection, which lifts 15-5 for a new peak position. Christmas features “DJ Play A Christmas Song,” which lifts 41-20 on the latest U.K. singles chart, an effort that sees the iconic entertainer become the first solo artist to achieve a top 40 hit with new material on the Official U.K. Singles Chart across seven consecutive decades, the Official Charts Company reports.
At 77 year and 7 months, Cher is also the oldest solo female performer to snag a top 40 U.K. single, besting previous record holder Shirley Bassey, who was 70 years, 4 months old when “The Living Tree” reached No. 37 in 2007.
The Whamageddon didn’t transpire in the U.K., as “Last Christmas” (Epic) finally claims the coveted Christmas No. 1 spot.
Wham’s holiday classic from 1984 holds at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published Dec. 22, for its first Christmas-time stint at the summit.
According to the Official Charts Company, “Last Christmas” clocked up 13.3 million plays during the seven-day chart cycle – making it the most-streamed Christmas No. 1.
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It’s not the first time “Last Christmas” has reigned over the national tally; it first did so at the start of 2021, breaking a 36-year hoodoo, and returned to the top later in 2022.
Following its initial release, “Last Christmas” was famously beaten to the Christmas No. 1 by Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” on which Wham’s co-founders George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley contributed.
With its latest feat, a full 39 years in the making, “Last Christmas” sets a new mark for the longest journey to the U.K. Christmas No. 1, the Official Charts Company reports.
Across its lifetime, the pop number has raked-in 5.34 million chart units, including 1.93 million sales and nearly 413 million streams, the OCC reports. It’s now the U.K.’s third biggest song of all time, behind Elton John’s “Something About the Way You Look Tonight” / “Candle in the Wind 1997” and “Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” respectively.
With Wham taking the glory, Britain’s Eurovision 2022 entrant Sam Ryder misses out, as his Amazon Music Original “You’re Christmas To Me” (EastWest/Rhino) lifts 10-2, while Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (Columbia) completes the podium.
Predictably, Christmas tunes dominate the latest survey. Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s former leader “Merry Christmas” (Atlantic/EMI) improves 6-5; The Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York” (Rhino) featuring the late Kirsty MacColl dips 5-6; while holiday favorites from Brenda Lee, Michael Buble, Shakin’ Stevens, Andy Williams, Kelly Clarkson, Dean Martin, Chris Rea and more impact the top 40.
Finally, Cher cracks the top 20 — and cracks a new record — with “DJ Play A Christmas Song” (Warner Records). The legendary entertainer’s Xmas effort lifts 41-20, for her 34th U.K. top 40 single. At 77 year and 7 months, Cher is the oldest solo female performer to snag a top 40 U.K. single, the OCC reports.
The huge week for Nicki Minaj and her Pink Friday 2 album includes a milestone achievement on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart, where she captures her 50th top 10 on the genre list, tying for the third-most among all acts. The superstar hits the mark thanks to three new tracks from Pink Friday 2, which debuts at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and Top Rap Albums charts.
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Minaj concurrently nabs her 48th, 49th and 50th top 10 visits on the multimetric Hot Rap Songs chart, which blends streaming, radio airplay and sales into its rankings with the debuts of “Everybody,” featuring Lil Uzi Vert (No. 3), “FTCU” (No. 5) and “Barbie Dangerous” (No. 10). With the trio’s showing in the top tier, Minaj ties Kanye West for the third-most top 10s on Hot Rap Songs, which launched in 1989. A pair of familiar names are the only acts with more than 50 appearances in the upper region – Minaj’s frequent collaborators, Drake (133) and Lil Wayne (54).
As Minaj moves to take a share of the bronze, here’s an updated recap of the acts with the most top 10 hits on Hot Rap Songs:
133, Drake54, Lil Wayne50, Nicki Minaj50, Kanye West44, Lil Baby42, Jay-Z40, Future
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In addition to the three top 10 hits, Minaj lands nine more Pink Friday 2 debuts on the 25-position Hot Rap Songs chart:
No. 11, “Let Me Calm Down,” featuring J. Cole No. 12, “Beep Beep” No. 16, “Big Difference”No. 17, “Fallin 4 U” No. 18, “RNB,” featuring Lil Wayne & Tate Kobang No. 20, “Pink Friday Girls” No. 23, “Cowgirl,” featuring Lourdiz No. 24, “Pink Birthday” No. 25, “Bahm Bahm”
Plus, previous single “Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” which topped Hot Rap Songs for one week in March, returns at No. 22 following streaming and sales activity from the parent album’s release.
As mentioned above, Pink Friday 2 opens at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Top Rap Albums charts with 228,000 equivalent album units earned in the tracking week of Dec. 8 – 14, according to Luminate. The launch, notably, became Minaj’s third champ on the Billboard 200 – a new record among female rappers.
In the year since SZA’s SOS set sail on Dec. 9, 2022, the album has swelled into a blockbuster success that has dominated the R&B game. With a string of hit singles that preceded the release, exploded alongside it, or kept the momentum alive months after the drop date, SOS pushed SZA’s career into the stratosphere, while gliding from milestone to milestone on Billboard’s charts.
Before the first inklings of a title, release date or single, SZA’s second studio album was already among the industry’s most-anticipated albums. The singer-songwriter’s full-length debut, 2017’s Ctrl, proved a phenomenon, debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and, as of December 2023, remaining on the chart every week since its arrival. Ctrl singles “Love Galore,” featuring Travis Scott, and “The Weekend” scored SZA a pair of top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, while collaborations “All the Stars,” with Kendrick Lamar, and a supporting turn on Maroon 5’s “What Lovers Do” not only added to SZA’s success in the Ctrl era, but also produced top 10 Hot 100 results.
As anticipation mounted, SZA’s sophomore era began with a cycle of hope and disappointment for fans, as a series of single releases warmed up the speculation machine each time. “Hit Different,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, landed in September 2020, followed by “Good Days” in December 2020 and “I Hate U” in December 2021, but each came and went without any further announcements regarding S2.
And suddenly, the five-year wait had an expiration date. In a November 2022 Billboard cover story, SZA revealed the second album’s title, SOS, and promised its release the following month. If there was any doubt that the gap cooled the fervor for SOS, its initial success answered with authority. SOS debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and broke the record for the biggest streaming week for an R&B album, while its new singles expanded the hitmaking legacy of its predecessors, with “Kill Bill,” in particular, reaching historic heights.
That explosion, however, was just the beginning of a historic year for SOS, both in terms of all-time records on Billboard’s storied R&B/hip-hop charts and personal milestones for SZA’s career. As we hit the one-year anniversary of SOS, here’s a rundown of what the juggernaut album has achieved in its time.
SOS Debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200
Image Credit: Courtesy of RCA Records
Busta Rhymes bounds back onto Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart as his new effort, Blockbusta, debuts at No. 10 on the list dated Dec. 9. The set, released on The Conglomerate/Epic Records, becomes the rapper’s 10th top 10 album and extends his perfect streak among his original studio albums.
Blockbusta, which dropped on Nov. 24, earned just under 23,000 equivalent album units in the tracking week of Nov. 24 – 30, according to Luminate. Traditional album sales contribute 14,000 of the first-week total, with streaming activity in second place, at a little below 8,000 units – equaling 11.1 million official on-demand audio and video streams of the album’s tracks. The remaining 1,000 units come from track-equivalent album units (One unit equals the following levels of consumption: one album sale, 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams for a song on the album.)
As Blockbusta launches, it secures Busta Rhymes’ 10th top 10 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Of his 14 charted titles, the only set to miss the top tier was, perhaps ironically, the compilation The Best of Busta Rhymes, which charted for one week at No. 97 in 2001. With the list updating this week, here’s a full review of Busta Rhymes’ top 10 projects on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums:
Album Title, Peak Position, Peak DateThe Coming, No. 1 (one week), April 13, 1996When Disaster Strikes, No. 1 (one week), Oct. 4, 1997E.L.E.: Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front, No. 2, Jan. 2, 1999Anarchy, No. 1 (one week), July 8, 2000Genesis, No. 2, Dec. 15, 2001It Ain’t Safe No More…, No. 10, May 3, 2003The Big Bang, No. 1 (one week), July 1, 2006Back on My B.S., No. 2, June 6, 2009ELE 2: The Wrath of God, No. 4, Nov. 14, 2020Blockbusta, No. 10 (to date), Dec. 9, 2023
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The new album has already spun off two singles that have charted on some Billboard radio charts. “Beach Ball,” with BIA, reached No. 29 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in September, while “Luxury Life,” featuring Coi Leray, did one better, peaking at No. 28 on the same radio ranking last month.
Elsewhere, Blockbusta debuts at No. 6 on the Top Rap Albums chart and at No. 42 on the all-genre Billboard 200. Part of the latter’s fortunes are due to timing, with 10 Christmas or holiday-themed albums parked above it as the chart’s annual rush of holiday titles picks up steam as the season approaches.
Jack Harlow is loving life at the summit of the U.K. singles chart as “Lovin On Me” (via Atlantic) enters its third week at No. 1.
The Louisville rapper’s latest hit snares its biggest seven-day volume yet with 55,000 combined units, the Official Charts Company reports.
Meanwhile, Noah Kahan enjoys a new career high with “Stick Season” (Republic Records), up 4-2, while Casso, Raye and D-Block Europe’s “Prada” (Ministry of Sound) completes the podium, down 2-3.
Christmas isn’t yet here, but you wouldn’t know it by studying the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published Friday, Dec. 1.
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All told, 16 festive tracks place in the top 40 this week, the OCC reports, including two top 10s. Wham’s enduring ‘80s classic “Last Christmas” (Epic) leads the charge, up 14-5, ahead of Mariah Carey’s All “I Want For Christmas Is You” (Columbia), up 16-6.
Following the death Thursday (Nov. 30) of the Pogues singer Shane MacGowan, aged 65, “Fairytale of New York” (Rhino) featuring Kirsty MacColl reenters the top 40 at No. 18. Now, with LadBaby official out of the race for the coveted U.K. Christmas No. 1, chart anoraks will keep a close eye on the ascent of the Pogues’ masterpiece.
Martin Talbot, CEO of the Official Charts, tips the song as a “genuine contender” for the Christmas crown.
“As usual, it was already heading back into the Official Singles Chart Top 40 this week and, while it is currently too early to give an indication of the scale of the streaming surge, we would very much expect it to rise back into the Top 20 over the coming days, perhaps even higher,” comments Martin Talbot, Chief Executive Officer, Official Charts. “It is a genuine contender for this year’s Christmas No. 1 – a chart position which this classic has never previously reached. What a fitting tribute to Shane that would be.”
“Fairytale of New York” has a U.K. chart best of No. 2, missing out when it was beaten to the Christmas No. 1 in 1987 by Pet Shop Boys’ “Always on My Mind.”
Further down the tally is Brenda Lee’s “Rockin Around The Christmas Tree” (No. 14 via MCA), Michael Bublé’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” (No. 16 via Reprise), Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s former chart-topper Merry Christmas (No. 17 via Atlantic/EMI) and other seasonal favorites.