Chart Beat
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The U.K. has had a week of Madness, as Theatre of the Absurd Presents C’est La Vie (via BMG) debuts at No. 1.
Theatre of the Absurd is the pop-ska band’s lucky thirteenth studio album. The leader at the midweek stage of the chart cycle, Theatre of the Absurd is the north London act’s 11th top 10, third leader, and first-ever U.K. No. 1 studio album.
Suggs and Co. previously reigned over the chart with career retrospectives Complete Madness (from 1982) and Divine Madness (1992).
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Theatre of the Absurd manages to go one better than Madness’ 1979 debut album, One Step Beyond, which peaked at No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, as did their sophomore set from 1980, Absolutely.
With Madness sweeping the nation, Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via EMI) is deposed after a three-week stint at No. 1. Swift’s fourth re-recording project dips 1-2 on the national tally.
Meanwhile, Drake’s chart-topping For All the Dogs (OVO/Republic Records) rockets 21-3 following the release of its deluxe Scary Hours Edition.
Dolly Parton proves herself a rockstar once more with her latest LP, Rockstar, starting at No. 5 (Big Machine), for her fifth U.K. top 10 album. Inspired by her induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, Rockstar is a collection of rock cover versions, with assists from Miley Cyrus, Sting, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and others.
Further down the list, violinist and showman André Rieu’s Jewels of Romance (Decca) with Johann Strauss Orchestra bows at No. 12 on the Official Chart, published Friday Nov. 24, for the Dutchman’s 20th U.K. top 40.
As the festive season nears, Michael Bublé’s Christmas is heating up again, rising 32-16. Also, U.S. alternative rock act the National snag a sixth U.K. 40 album — and second this year — with Laugh Track (4AD), new at No. 24. It’s the followup to First Two Pages of Frankenstein, which peaked at No. 4 in May.
Drake’s For All the Dogs jumps back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (dated Dec. 2), for a second week atop the list, rising 4-1 with 145,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 23 (up 102%), according to Luminate. Nearly all of its units were driven by streaming activity. The album’s return to the top is fueled largely by its deluxe reissue on Nov. 17 with six new songs, dubbed For All the Dogs Scary Hours Edition. All versions of the album are combined for tracking and charting purposes.
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For All the Dogs debuted atop the chart dated Oct. 21.
Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Dolly Parton achieves her highest-charting album ever — and third top 10 — as Rockstar opens at No. 3, while ENHYPEN logs its third top 10 with the No. 4 arrival of Orange Blood.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Dec. 2, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Nov. 28). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of For All the Dogs’ 145,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Nov. 23, SEA units comprise 141,500 (up 99%, equaling 190.23 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 29 tracks, inclusive of its six added songs), album sales comprise 2,000 (up 884%) and TEA units comprise 1,500 (up 456%).
Taylor Swift’s chart-topping 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is a non-mover at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, earning 138,000 equivalent album units (down 14%).
Parton’s Rockstar makes a splashy debut at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, scoring the legend her highest-charting album ever and her third top 10. She previously visited the region with Blue Smoke (No. 6 in 2014) and Trio (her collaborative set with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris; No. 6 in 1987).
Rockstar launches with 128,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Nov. 23. Of that sum, album sales comprise 118,500, SEA units comprise 8,000 and TEA units comprise 1,500. The arrival marks Parton’s biggest week, by units earned, since the chart began measuring by units in December 2014. Further, with 118,500 copies sold, Parton achieves her biggest sales week for an album in the modern era, since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991. She more than doubles her previous biggest week, notched in 1993 when Slow Dancing With the Moon sold 50,500 copies in its second week on the chart (rising 54-19 on the March 20, 1993-dated list).
The star-studded Rockstar was promoted as Parton’s first rock album (she’s primarily released country music in her nearly 60-year career), and its recording was sparked by Parton’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. The 30-song set has a mix of original songs and covers, and boasts a cavalcade of guest stars — 40 in all. Among them are Pat Benatar, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Elton John, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, Chris Stapleton, Ringo Starr, Sting and Steven Tyler.
Rockstar’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across a variety of editions and formats, in addition to some non-traditional music retailers including Cracker Barrel, Dollar General and HSN. The album’s CD edition was available in four editions — a standard version and three variants, each with alternative cover art: for HSN, with three bonus tracks; a Dallas Cowboys version, and a Tennessee Volunteers edition with a bonus track. The latter two were tied to a pair of high-profile live TV performances from Parton: during the Georgia Bulldogs vs. Tennessee Volunteers football game on Nov. 19, and during halftime of the Washington Commanders vs. Dallas Cowboys football game on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23).
Rockstar was pressed on more than 10 vinyl variants, including exclusive editions (all in different colors, some with different cover art) for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, independent record stores, Parton’s webstore, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame store, Target and Walmart. Parton’s webstore also carried a deluxe digital download version of the album with three exclusive bonus tracks. Rockstar was also offered in multiple deluxe boxed sets, sold through Parton’s webstore, containing either a vinyl or CD version of the album with a branded T-shirt of various designs.
ENHYPEN nabs its third top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 as Orange Blood bows at No. 4 with 90,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 87,000, SEA units comprise 3,000 (equaling 4.68 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The Korean pop ensemble previously hit the top 10 with Dark Blood (No. 4, in June) and Manifesto: Day 1 (No. 6, 2022). Nearly all of Orange Blood’s first-week activity was generated by CD sales (86,000), enhanced by the album’s availability across a dozen collectible CD packages (including exclusive versions sold by Barnes & Noble, Target and Walmart; all with branded merchandise inside, some with randomized elements).
The top 10 of the Billboard 200 is rounded out by six former No. 1s, as Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time is steady at No. 5 (68,000 equivalent album units earned; down less than 1%); Swift’s Midnights rises 7-6 (56,000; up 9%); Stray Kids’ ROCK-STAR falls 1-7 in its second week (51,000; down 77%); Swift’s Lover bolts 14-8 (nearly 51,000; up 16%); Swift’s Folklore climbs 18-9 (45,000; up 22%); and SZA’s SOS bumps 12-10 (44,000; up less than 1%). (Many albums on the chart, including Swift’s Midnights, Lover and Folklore, see sizable sales gains owed to holiday shopping promotions and early Black Friday campaigns that kicked in during the tracking week.)
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
Singer-songwriter Dylan Scott earns his third chart-topper on Billboard’s Country Airplay tally (dated Dec. 2) as “Can’t Have Mine” (Curb) hops from No. 4 to No. 1. In the Nov. 17-23 tracking week, the single gained by 16% to 32.5 million audience impressions, according to Luminate. Scott co-wrote the song with Matt Alderman, Josh Melton […]
Taylor Swift makes it a full month at No. 1 in Australia with 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via Universal), now the longest reigning of her four re-recorded albums.
Swift’s latest hit LP holds off Stray Kids’ Rock-Star (Ing/Universal), unchanged at No. 2, while homegrown rapper Chillinit bags the highest score of the week with his mixtape 420DNA (Virgin Music Australia/ Universal), new at No. 3. The Sydney artist (real name: Blake Turnell) adds to his collection of top 10 appearances on the ARIA Albums Chart, which includes The Octagon (No. 2 peak in 2020), Full Circle (No. 3 also in 2020) and Family Ties (No. 5 in 2021).
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Drake’s For All The Dogs (Republic/Universal) vaults 21-4 on the latest ARIA Chart, published Friday, Nov. 24, following the release of the Scary Hours edition, which gathers six additional tracks. The original release of For All The Dogs collected a single week at No. 1 in Australia last month, for his fifth leader.
Following two sold-out shows at Perth’s Optus Stadium, Coldplay enjoys a chart spike for Live In Buenos Aires (Parlophone/Warner), soaring 43-7, for a new peak. Released in 2018, the live album had a previous best of No. 18. Coldplay will return to Australia in 2024 for five shows across Australia and New Zealand, with dates confirmed at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium (Oct. 30 and 31), Sydney’s Accord Stadium (Nov. 6 and 7) and Auckland’s Eden Park (Nov.13), for their first tour here since 2016. Live Nation Australia is producing the swing Down Under, with PinkPantheress and Emmanuel Kelly in support.
Dolly Parton played a part in the 2023 ARIA Awards celebrations on Nov. 15, where the country icon virtually presented the best country album award to Fanny Lumsden. Parton has her own party on the ARIA Chart this week, as Rockstar (Big Machine/Universal) debuts at No. 16. The collaboration-stacked set becomes her 15th top 50 album in Australia, ARIA reports, a feat that stretches back to 1979 when Great Balls Of Fire peaked at No. 48. Parton has two top 10s, with a best of No. 7 for 2014’s Blue Smoke.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Jack Harlow retains top spot for a second week with “Lovin On Me” (Atlantic/Warner), equaling the two-week stint at No. 1 for “First Class,” from 2022. “Lovin On Me” leads an unchanged top 3, ahead of Tate McRae’s “Greedy” (RCA/Sony) and Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” (RCA/Sony), respectively.
Tate McRae, the Canadian singer and songwriter, enjoys a third ARIA Chart hit with “Exes.” It’s new at No. 15, for the highest debut on the latest frame.
Further down the tally, Olivia Rodrigo lands another top 40 with “Can’t Catch Me Now” (Geffen/Universal), new at No. 29. “Can’t Catch Me Now” appears in the latest film in The Hunger Games franchise.
And finally, Ocean Alley’s 2018 single “Confidence” (The Orchard) returns to the top 40 after one-time Triple J Hottest 100 winner went viral on TikTok. “Confidence,” which won the national triple j countdown in January 2019, reenters at No. 40. The chilled-out tune has been used more than 51,000 times on TikTok, and got a bump when Ocean Alley jumped in on the trend themselves, posting a video that’s chalked up more than 7.6 million views. It’s one of six Australian-made cuts in the ARIA top 50.
The new Broadway cast recording of Merrily We Roll Along debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Cast Albums chart (dated Nov. 25). The show stars Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez – all of whom have been a part of at least one top 10-charting Cast Album previously. (Groff, notably, performs on both the Nos. 1 and 2 titles on the latest Cast Albums chart – as Merrily We Roll Along bumps Hamilton: An American Musical from the top slot down to No. 2.)
Billboard’s Top Cast Albums chart ranks the top-selling musical cast recordings of the week in the U.S., based on traditional album sales, as tracked by Luminate. The new Cast Albums chart dated Nov. 25 reflects the sales week ending Nov. 16.
Merrily We Roll Along has music and lyrics written by Stephen Sondheim, with a book by George Furth, based on the play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1981 for a brief run, and the 2023 production is its first revival on Broadway. It’s slated to run through March 24, 2024.
The new iteration began off-Broadway in 2022 at the New York Theatre Workshop, with the same leading cast, and played through Jan. 22, 2023. It then began previews on Broadway at the Hudson Theatre on Sept. 19, and officially opened on Oct. 10.
Groff has now been a part of three No. 1s on Billboard’s Cast Albums chart: Merrily We Roll Along, and the original Broadway cast recordings of Hamilton: An American Musical (2015) and Spring Awakening (released in 2006, peaked at No. 1 in 2007). He’s also been a part of the top 10-charting albums A New Brain (2015 New York cast recording; No. 3 in 2016), Little Shop of Horrors (the new cast recording; No. 7, 2021). Groff won a Grammy Award for best musical theater album for Hamilton, and garnered a second nomination for the same category for Little Shop of Horrors.
Radcliffe starred in the 2011 Broadway revival of How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, which saw its cast recording reach No. 2 that same year. He also scored a Grammy nomination for best musical theater album for the project.
As for Mendez, she’s appeared on five top 10-charting sets on Cast Albums: Grease (the new 2007 Broadway cast recording, No. 4), Everyday Rapture (original Broadway cast recording; No. 8, 2010), Dogfight (original cast recording; No. 2, 2013), Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel (2018 Broadway cast recording; No. 2, 2013), Godspell (the new 2012 Broadway cast recording; No. 1) and now Merrily We Roll Along. Mendez also scored a Grammy nom for best musical theater album, for Carousel.
Guadalajara native Jasiel Nuñez celebrates his first No. 1 on any Billboard chart thanks to “Bipolar,” with Peso Pluma and Junior H, as the song crowns the Regional Mexican Airplay chart dated Nov. 25.
The song’s radio uptick across regional Mexican stations pushes it from No. 11 to No. 1 with 6.7 million audience impressions in the U.S., up 61%, earned during the Nov. 10-16 tracking week, according to Luminate. Among the strongest weekly supporters, stations WOJO (Chicago), KLNO (Dallas) and KLTN (Houston) take the lead.
“Bipolar” previously took Nuñez to his first top 10, among three chart performances, on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs, when it debuted at No. 7 last September.
For Junior H, “Bipolar” also makes for a fruitful team-up, as it becomes his first No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay.
Pluma, meanwhile, picks up his second No. 1 on the Mexican radio tally, after the four-week champ “Ella Baila Sola,” with Eslabon Armado, which closes 2023 as the No. 1 song on the year-end Hot Latin Songs chart.
Further, Nuñez joins seven other acts who have scored their first No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay in 2023. Here are the new winners:
Artist, Title, Collaborator, Peak DateGrupo Frontera, “Que Vuelvas,” with Carin Leon, Jan. 28Fuerza Regida, “Bebe Dame,” with Grupo Frontera, March 18Grupo Marca Registrada, “Di Que Sí,” with Grupo Frontera, April 29Cazzu, “Tú y Tú,” with Los Angeles Azules & Santa Fe Klan, May 20Santa Fe Klan, “Tú y Tú,” with Los Angeles Azules & Cazzu, May 20Yahritza y Su Esencia’s “Frágil,” with Grupo Frontera, Aug. 12Maná, “Amor Clandestino,” with Edén Muñoz, Nov. 11Jasiel Núñez, “Bipolar,” Peso Pluma & Junior H, Nov. 25
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The Beatles’ compilation albums 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 (also known as the Red and Blue Albums, owed to the distinctive cover art), re-enter Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Nov. 25) at Nos. 6 and 5, respectively, following their expanded reissue on Nov. 10.
The titles sold 22,000 and 24,000 in the week ending Nov. 16 in the U.S., according to Luminate. Each told sold less than 500 copies in the previous week. For both titles, it is their largest sales week since the week ending Dec. 24, 1994, when they sold 37,000 and 40,000, respectively.
Upon their original release in 1973, the 1962-1966 album contained 26 songs, while 1967-1970 held 28 tunes. (On the Billboard 200 chart, 1967-1970 reached No. 1, while 1962-1966 peaked at No. 3.) For the 2023 reissue, 21 songs were added to the two albums — 12 songs on 1962-1966 and nine on 1967-1970. The latter’s additional cuts include the recently released new single “Now and Then,” which debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 – marking the Fab Four’s 35th top 10-charting hit.
The two albums were available to purchase as a digital download, a double-CD or three-vinyl LP set. They were also combined into a singular boxed set – 1962-1970 – that contained all of the material, and available only as a four-CD or six-vinyl LP box. (The box debuts at No. 24 on Top Album Sales with 7,000 sold.)
The trio of releases dot a number of other Billboard album charts, let’s take a look:
1962-1966:Billboard 200 – No. 20 (Re-entry)Top Rock & Alternative Albums – No. 6 (Debut)Top Rock Albums – No. 4 (Debut)Catalog Albums – No. 3 (Re-entry)Vinyl Albums – No. 17 (Debut)Tastemaker Albums – No. 5 (Debut)
1967-1970:Billboard 200 – No. 15 (Re-entry)Top Rock & Alternative Albums – No. 3 (Debut)Top Rock Albums – No. 3 (Debut)Catalog Albums – No. 2 (Re-entry)Vinyl Albums – No. 11 (Debut)Tastemaker Albums – No. 4 (Debut)
1962-1970:Vinyl Albums – No. 13 (Debut)Tastemaker Albums – No. 15 (Debut)Top Current Album Sales – No. 17 (Debut)
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Catalog Albums rank the week’s most popular rock and alternative, rock, and catalog (older) albums across all genres, by equivalent album units. Vinyl Album tallies the week’s top-selling vinyl releases. Tastemaker Albums measures the top-selling titles at independent and small chain record stores. Top Current Album Sales ranks the week’s top-selling new/current albums (non-catalog/older titles).
Elsewhere in the top 10 of the new Top Album Sales chart, Stray Kids’ ROCK-STAR debuts at No. 1 with 213,000 copies sold, Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is a non-mover at No. 2 with 69,000 sold (down 43%), while Chris Stapleton’s Higher launches at No. 3 with 57,000.
After debuting at No. 1 a week ago, Jung Kook’s Golden falls to No. 4 with 34,000 sold (down 79%). Aespa’s Drama: The 4th Mini Album starts at No. 7 with 18,000 sold. Lana Del Rey’s Lust for Life re-enters at No. 8 with 14,000 sold (up from less than 500 sold the week previous) following a new color vinyl pressing. Rounding out the top 10 is the debut of AJR’s The Maybe Man at No. 9 with 13,000 and Jimmy Buffett’s Equal Strain On all Parts, falling 3-10 in its second week with nearly 13,000 sold (down 75%).
In the week ending Nov. 16, there were 2.302 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 11% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.93 million (up 16.9%) and digital albums comprised 372,000 (down 11.9%).
There were 956,000 CD albums sold in the week ending Nov. 16 (up 20.2% week-over-week) and 964,000 vinyl albums sold (up 14.1%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 30.998 million (up 2.3% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 40.395 million (up 18.1%).
Overall year-to-date album sales total 88.134 million (up 6.3% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 71.877 million (up 10.6%) and digital album sales total 16.257 million (down 9.5%).
Usually, when one says a label dominates an album chart, that means it has most of the top ten — seven, for example, or maybe sometimes eight. This week in Germany, however, UMG has all 10. This seems to be the first time this has happened in Germany, although it is hard to say this […]
Jack Harlow has his third No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart thanks to “Lovin on Me,” which debuts atop the ranking dated Nov. 25. In the tracking week of Nov. 10-16, “Lovin on Me” earned 22.2 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate. That’s in its first week of release, though prior to its […]
Mitski continues to reign over the charts with her track “My Love Mine All Mine,” while Jack Harlow breaks into the chart’s top five with his song “Lovin on Me.” Rania Aniftos:Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine” ranks atop the TikTok Billboard Top 50 yet again, while Jack Harlow’s viral hit “Lovin on Me” makes […]