Chart Beat
Page: 214
Taylor Swift is the queen of vinyl, as the superstar is by far the top-selling artist in 2023 in the U.S. when it comes to vinyl albums sold. So far this year, through Nov. 2, her catalog of albums have sold 2.484 million copies on vinyl in 2023, according to data tracking firm Luminate. That equates to 6.43% of total vinyl album sales (38.585 million) — or, nearly one out of every 15 vinyl albums sold.
A healthy chunk of Swift’s vinyl sales this year come from her latest release, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), which debuted with 693,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 2, following its Oct. 27 release. That sum also broke the record for the single largest sales week for an album on vinyl since Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991. It surpassed the high-water mark previously set by Swift herself, with the debut week of Midnights in 2022, with 575,000 copies sold.
Swift’s impressive vinyl sales figures are bolstered by her catalog generally being made available in multiple collectible variants, including five different versions of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) – each in a different color vinyl with a different cover. (It’s not uncommon for artists to release multiple versions of an album on vinyl — Swift is not alone in this practice.)
2023’s second-biggest-selling artist when it comes to vinyl albums is Lana Del Rey, with 501,000 sold across her assorted albums.
In 2022 and 2021, Swift was the year’s top-selling vinyl albums artist in the U.S. In 2022, she sold 1.69 million (of the market’s total 43.46 million) and in 2021 she sold 1.093 million (of the market’s total of 41.717 million). In total, from January 2021 through Nov. 2, 2023, there were 123.762 million vinyl albums sold. Of that sum, Swift sold 5.273 million vinyl albums – equaling 4.26% of the vinyl market.
So far in 2023, Swift has five of the top 10 biggest-selling albums on vinyl, with four of those among the top five. Her latest release, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), is the year’s biggest on vinyl, with, as noted above, 693,000 sold in its first week. At Nos. 2, 3 and 5, respectively, are Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (406,000), Midnights (367,000) and Folklore (201,000). Lover is Swift’s fifth title among the year’s top 10-sellers, at No. 9 with 151,000 sold.
Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. This week: Taylor Swift’s latest Hot 100 No. 1 eyes new radio gains, Fuerza Regida & Marshmello’s “Harley Quinn” looks like a streaming standout, Mariah Carey’s “Christmas” gets a post-Halloween boost, and much more.
Taylor Swift’s Radio Reign is Far From “Over”
[embedded content]
The release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version), the fourth entry in Taylor Swift’s six-album re-recording endeavor, not only resulted in the biggest sales week of the superstar’s career as the album blasted in at the top of the Billboard 200, but in another No. 1 on the Hot 100 as well. “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version),” one of five “From the Vault” songs from the 1989 sessions revisited for Taylor’s Version, debuted atop this week’s chart, giving Swift her 11th career Hot 100 No. 1 – while also knocking her 10th No. 1, the resurgent “Cruel Summer,” out of the top spot for the time being.
Part of the reason why “Cruel Summer,” from the 2019 album Lover, sustained its viral moment in 2023 – and reached No. 1 after months in the top 10 of the Hot 100 – is due to its performance at radio. The song has spent 10 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart, and currently comes in at No. 2 on its 21st week on the tally. Meanwhile, “Is It Over Now?” – which debuted at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, and No. 7 on Digital Song Sales – also starts at No. 38 on Pop Airplay, and scored 4.7 million in all-format audience impressions between Oct. 27 and Nov. 2, according to Luminate.
The long-term chart success of “Is It Over Now?” could depend upon the song’s performance at radio. Although the new “From the Vault” hit is still earning just a fraction of the daily plays of “Cruel Summer” across both U.S. terrestrial and satellite radio – from Nov. 3-6, “Is It Over Now?” averaged a little under 1,000 daily spins, while “Cruel Summer” averaged 5,027 daily spins over the same period, according to Luminate – as reported earlier this week, “Is It Over Now?” is actively being promoted as a single to radio. Perhaps as summer finally gives way to colder weather, the ecstatic “Cruel Summer” will start to give way to the more pensive “Is It Over Now?” as Swift’s dominant radio hit of the moment. – Jason Lipshutz
Fuerza Regida & Marshmello Score Super-Sized Streaming Gains With “Harley Quinn”
[embedded content]
Although we won’t see Lady Gaga’s take on Harley Quinn for another few months, the iconic DC Comics character is the namesake of one of the fastest-growing Latin songs in the U.S. “Harley Quinn,” a new collaboration between Billboard chart-topping regional Mexican band Fuerza Regida and Grammy-nominated DJ Marshmello, has garnered ample traction across streaming services since its Oct. 20 release on the band’s Pa las Baby’s Y Belikeada album.
According to Luminate, “Harley Quinn” logged over 2.34 million on-demand U.S. streams during the period of Oct. 20-26. The following week (Oct. 27-Nov. 2), the EDM-meets-regional Mexican track earned 5.75 million streams, a whopping 145.3% increase. Although the song is just two weeks old, it has already emerged as a creator favorite on TikTok, with its official sound currently boasting over 458,000 posts on the app. There has yet to be a discernible trend soundtracked by the song; fans appear to simply be enjoying the music, particularly the beginning of the second verse where Jesús Ortíz Paz sings, “Fancy, ella es una fresa / Mueve su cadera, todos la desean.”
“Harley Quinn” also appears on Marshmello’s new Sugar Papi album, which was released in full last week. It is the first collaboration between the two acts, and it arrives several months after they performed alongside Peso Pluma at the 2023 EDC Mexico music festival on Feb. 25. With an official music video still on the horizon, “Harley Quinn” has barely scratched the surface of its true power. – Kyle Denis
Jay Hound Finds Surprise Streaming Hit in New “Ukraine” Single
[embedded content]
No, Jay Hound doesn’t say anything overtly political in support of Ukraine on his new single – unless you count “Flock sum, might fly to Ukraine” – but “Ukraine” just might be the biggest Ukraine-minded song of the current moment. The rising drill New York drill rapper’s new track is pulling impressive numbers at streaming, particularly – and unsurprisingly – in his hometown. The brooding drill snares and Jay’s husky tone and languid flow differentiate “Ukraine” from the more pop-minded drill that has found crossover success this year.
According to Luminate, “Ukraine” collected just over 90,000 on-demand U.S. streams during the period of Oct. 20-26. That number exploded by 621% for a total of 657,000 streams the following week (Oct. 27-Nov. 2). Buoyed by a pre-release TikTok trend in which users built various scenarios and concepts out of Jay’s “Bro, hold on, let me talk” intro, the most popular “Ukraine” sound currently boasts over 13,300 posts on the app. On YouTube, the track’s official music video has clocked over 657,000 views. While much of the success of “Ukraine” is still relatively local to New York, the potency of the numbers could very well give way to even greater crossover commercial success. – K.D.
Darius Rucker Helps Dax “Man” Up With New Country Hit
[embedded content]
“It’s amazing to see music for the PEOPLE, spread BY THE PEOPLE resonate like this,” Dax, the Nigerian-Canadian artist who toes several genre lines, wrote on social media earlier this week, following the viral explosion of the remix to his song “To Be a Man.” Dax originally issued a solo version of the piano-led country-rap track, which focuses on the complexities and expectations of the modern man, back in April. However, a remix with Darius Rucker released on Oct. 27 has given “To Be a Man” a much wider audience, with the lyrics resonating with country listeners as well as with social accounts like ‘Motivation is the Fuel.’
The remix release helped “To Be a Man” earn 3.79 million U.S. on-demand streams during the week of Oct. 27-Nov. 2 – a 350% increase from the previous week, according to Luminate. Those streams helped “To Be a Man” debut at No. 32 on this week’s Hot Country Songs chart, and we’ll see how high it can climb in the coming weeks as its messages spreads further. – J.L.
Season’s Gainings: Mariah Carey’s “Christmas” Starts Right After Halloween
[embedded content]
If you keep an eye on daily streaming charts as the calendar flips from October to November, no doubt you’ll notice the Halloween-affiliated classics sliding away, and the first wave of Christmas tunes creeping back into our lives. Sure enough, Mariah Carey’s annual chart-topper “All I Want for Christmas Is You” – which is once again a regular presence on those aforementioned streaming charts, and debuts at No. 11 on this week’s TikTok Billboard Top 50 – also scored gangbuster streams on the first day of November, too. After “Christmas” earned 546,000 U.S. on-demand streams on Oct. 31, that number more than tripled the following day, to 1.75 million streams on Nov. 1, according to Luminate. Something tells us that, with two weeks to go before Thanksgiving and an even bigger explosion of holiday music coming soon, “Christmas” is just getting started. – J.L.
The Living Tombstone’s “Five Nights at Freddy’s” rides the release of the new film of the same name to a debut on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart dated Nov. 11, bowing at No. 4. In the Oct. 27-Nov. 2 tracking week, the song earned 4.2 million official U.S. streams, a 439% surge from 770,000 the […]
Bad Bunny collects his 27th top 10 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as “Un Preview” surges 14-2 on the Nov. 11-dated ranking. The song matches its previous No. 2 high across the charts. “Un Preview” shoots to No. 2 on the overall Latin Airplay chart with 9.55 million audience impressions earned in the U.S. in […]
Lil Mabu and Chrisean Rock’s “Mr. Take Ya B-tch” leads the TikTok Billboard Top 50 for a second straight week, while holiday music infuses the Nov. 11-dated survey, both for Halloween and Christmas.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity Oct. 30-Nov. 5. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.
“Mr. Take Ya B-tch” reigns for a second frame, coming in its third week on the chart. It debuted at No. 33 on the Oct. 28 tally and has risen in popularity since, not just on TikTok but also on on-demand music streaming services; the track bows at No. 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to 7.8 million official U.S. streams Oct. 27-Nov. 2, a boost of 9%, according to Luminate.
The remainder of the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s top five consists of songs either at or near the chart’s summit in recent weeks – or in the case of Playboi Carti’s “Sky,” a return at No. 2 thanks to its usual beginning-of-the-month spike due to its “Wake up/ It’s the first of the month” lyric and subsequent TikTok uploads.
But largely, the most recent list is all about the holidays. Crystal Knives and Lex Allen’s rendition of “Spooky, Scary Skeletons” paces the Halloween-themed group at No. 6, blasting up from No. 17. It’s followed by other spooky entries in Mark Mothersbaugh’s “Halloweentown Theme” (the theme music to the Disney Channel original movie Halloweentown) at No. 2 and The Party Cats’ cover of The Nightmare Before Christmas’ “This Is Halloween” at No. 31. An additional tangentially related appearance is at No. 17 via The Newton Brothers’ “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” the theme to the new horror film of the same name that premiered Oct. 27 in theaters and on Peacock.
Usages of the songs on TikTok are mostly what you’d expect: uploads showing off costumes, trick-or-treating and generally getting into the Halloween spirit.
Halloween isn’t the only holiday represented, though. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” debuts at No. 11, while Wham!’s “Last Christmas” also makes its first appearance at No. 42.
The arrival of both songs heralds the start of the holiday season in the U.S. for many – including Carey herself – following the end of October. In fact, some of the top-performing videos for “All I Want for Christmas Is You” so far this year feature users looking back on Carey’s “It’s Time” videos past and present that ring in Christmastime.
One more big mover to call out this week: Ice Spice’s “Deli,” which re-enters at No. 7. The track appeared at No. 6 on the inaugural TikTok Billboard Top 50 (Sept. 16), but after five weeks on the chart, had since fallen off. The reason for its return? A viral remix of the tune mashing it up with Diddy’s “It’s All About the Benjamins.”
See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here, including debuts from Drake, Fuerza Regida and Marshmello, Taylor Swift and more. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.
Topping the Billboard 200 albums chart or the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart marks a milestone achievement for any artist.
Topping both tallies reflects that an act can boast mass appeal with a full collection of music along with the ability to translate that reach to hit singles.
Who has the most combined No. 1s on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100?
With the most No. 1s on each ranking (through charts dated Nov. 11, 2023), The Beatles, thus, claim the most leaders on the lists combined: 39, via 20 No. 1s on the Hot 100 and 19 on the Billboard 200. The Fab Four first topped the charts in February 1964, thanks to “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and parent album Meet the Beatles, respectively. Their run of Billboard 200 No. 1s stretches through their retrospective 1 in 2000-01.
Drake leads all soloists and ranks second overall with 26 combined Billboard 200 and Hot 100 No. 1s, an equal 13 on each chart. He added his latest leaders with For All the Dogs and the set’s “First Person Shooter” (featuring J. Cole) in October.
Pacing women artists, Mariah Carey has posted 25 No. 1s on the charts. She has 19 leaders, the most among soloists, on the Hot 100, and six on the Billboard 200.
Taylor Swift follows with 24 No. 1s: 13 on the Billboard 200 – her total swelled on the Nov. 11 chart with the launch of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) – and 11 on the Hot 100, likewise a new total thanks to the coronation of the album’s “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault].” Swift is the only woman, and has joined The Beatles and Drake among all acts, with double-digit No. 1s on both rankings.
Rounding out the top five, Madonna has earned 21 No. 1s on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 combined, with 12 on the latter and nine on the former.
(Notably, Paul McCartney accounts for a whopping 56 combined Billboard 200 and Hot 100 No. 1s, with The Beatles’ 39 augmented by 17 more by McCartney solo, including his output with Wings.)
Below, browse the list of the superstars with the most combined No. 1s on the Billboard 200, which began with the survey dated March 24, 1956, and the Hot 100, which premiered with the edition dated Aug. 4, 1958.
39 – The Beatles
Image Credit: Mark and Colleen Hayward/Redferns
Luck Ra’s “La Morocha,” featuring BM, logs a seventh week atop the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart as the song leads the Nov. 11-dated list. With a new week in charge, “La Morocha” ties with Emilia, Big One and Callejero Fino’s “En La Intimidad” and LIT killah, Maria Becerra, FMK, Rusherking, Duki, Emilia, Tiago PZK […]
Grateful Dead meets Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra in the Billboard record books, as the band ties the latter two legends for the most career top 40-charting albums on the Billboard 200 in the 67-year history of the survey.
The band achieves its 58th top 40 album with its latest live archival release, Dave’s Picks, Volume 48: Pauley Pavilion, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 11/20/71, as the set debuts at No. 33 on the Billboard 200 dated Nov. 11. The three-CD album captures a previously unreleased show recorded at the university’s Pauley Pavilion on Nov. 20, 1971. The collection also includes bonus live material recorded at an Oct. 24, 1970, concert at the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis.
Dave’s Picks is Grateful Dead’s continuing live archival release series, named for the group’s archivist, David Lemieux, that has been going strong since its first release in 2012. Releases in the series are issued exclusively on CD and in limited quantities. Notably, 40 of Grateful Dead’s 58 top 40-charting albums are from the Dave’s Picks series.
Here’s a recap of the acts with the most top 40-charting albums on the Billboard 200 since the list began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in March of 1956:
58, Grateful Dead58, Elvis Presley58, Frank Sinatra54, Barbra Streisand51, Bob Dylan48, The Rolling Stones
Dave’s Picks, Volume 48 debuts on the Billboard 200 with 19,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 2, according to data tracking firm Luminate. All of that sum was driven by traditional album sales.
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. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Taylor Swift now boasts eight No. 1s on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart thanks to “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault],” which debuts atop the Nov. 11-dated ranking.
In the tracking week of Oct. 27-Nov. 2 (the song’s first week of release), “Is It Over Now?” earned 32 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate.
With eight rulers, Swift further distances herself from Justin Bieber, who has the third-most No. 1s in the chart’s 10-year history, and nears Drake, who leads all acts with 20.
Most No. 1s, Streaming Songs20, Drake8, Taylor Swift6, Justin Bieber5, Travis Scott4, Ariana Grande4, Cardi B4, Lil Baby4, Miley Cyrus
Notably, the last four weeks have featured songs by either Drake or Swift at No. 1, each time a new leader (and with Drake and Swift replacing themselves at No. 1 on two occasions). The streak began when Drake’s “First Person Shooter,” featuring J. Cole, debuted atop the Oct. 21 tally, followed by a rise to No. 1 by Drake’s “IDGAF,” featuring Yeat, Oct. 28. Swift’s “Cruel Summer” then spent its first week at No. 1 Nov. 4, with “Is It Over Now?” the latest ruler.
Swift first reigned on Streaming Songs with “Shake It Off,” a two-week leader in November 2014. “Is It Over Now?” becomes her second re-record to lead, following “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” in November 2021.
The entire Streaming Songs list’s top nine is made up of songs from Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version), with “Is It Over Now?” followed by “Now That We Don’t Talk (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” at No. 2 with 28.2 million streams. With nine new top 10s, Swift pads her standing as the act with the second-most top 10s in chart history, with 48. Drake leads with 96.
Most Top 10s, Streaming Songs96, Drake48, Taylor Swift34, Lil Baby30, The Weeknd28, 21 Savage28, Travis Scott25, Future24, J. Cole24, Kanye West
Swift first hit the top 10 with “I Knew You Were Trouble.,” which peaked at No. 7 in March 2013.
The top non-Swift song on Streaming Songs is Zach Bryan’s “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves, at No. 10 with 21.3 million streams, down 8%.
As previously reported, “Is It Over Now?” reigns on the multi-metric Billboard Hot 100, while 1989 (Taylor’s Version) crowns the Billboard 200.
Canadian icon Joni Mitchell turned 80 on Tuesday (Nov. 7). Six decades into her career, the nine-time Grammy winner is still making waves with her music, following a surprise return to live performance last year. In summer 2023, she played her first headlining show in two decades at the Seattle Gorge.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Since the beginning, the singer from Saskatchewan has always carved her own path. Mitchell got her start in Calgary coffeehouses and then Toronto’s Yorkville scene, where she frequented the same spots as other titans of Canadian music like Neil Young and Gordon Lightfoot. Mitchell moved to the U.S. in the mid-60s, eventually bringing her dense lyricism, crystalline voice, and signature guitar tunings to her debut release, 1968’s Song to a Seagull.
Mitchell’s career is often thought of in terms of artistry and influence. Where other musicians with lengthy careers might re-tread the same territory, Mitchell has always displayed a deep curiosity and commitment to her craft, evolving through the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s into a jazz fusion artist. Meanwhile, she has influenced decades of artists across genres — her website cites 1641 known versions of “Both Sides Now” alone. While artists like Judy Collins and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young have had success performing her songs, Mitchell is perhaps less thought of as a hitmaker. But she has often charted throughout her career — as recently as 2022, when she made an emotional and unexpected comeback. Here’s the story of Mitchell’s Hot 100 history in 10 tracks.
July, 1970: “Big Yellow Taxi” cracks the charts
[embedded content]
Though Judy Collins had already taken “Both Sides Now” to the top 10, Joni Mitchell didn’t hit the Hot 100 as a performer until 1970, when “Big Yellow Taxi” peaked at No. 67. The conservationist classic and eminently quotable single first appeared on Ladies of the Canyon, but it would go on to peak even higher in 1975, at No. 24, following the release of a live version. Three covers of the song have also appeared on the Hot 100, most recently 2003’s Counting Crows rendition.
September, 1971: “Carey” spends one week on the Hot 100
[embedded content]
“Carey” might have peaked at 93 in the U.S., but in Canada it went to No. 27, and the album that launched it, Blue, reached No. 15 on the Billboard 200, all of which set Mitchell up for further charting in the ’70s. Since then, Blue has built up a reputation as one of Mitchell’s best-loved records and one of the best albums of all time.
February, 1973: “You Turn Me On, I’m A Radio” hits the top 25
[embedded content]
With its playful radio metaphor, this single from 1972’s For The Roses was primed for airplay. The infinitely singable “You Turn Me On” peaked at No. 25 in the U.S. and No. 10 in Canada, spending sixteen weeks on the charts between late ‘72 and early ‘73.
December, 1973: “Raised on Robbery” announces Court and Spark
[embedded content]
The first single off of Court and Spark would not be its highest charting hit, but “Raised on Robbery” peaked at No. 65 and introduced the jazz-inflections of Mitchell’s most successful album to date. Court and Spark went on to reach No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
June, 1974: “Help Me” becomes Mitchell’s first top 10 hit
[embedded content]
This smooth ode to the dangers of falling in love, with its saxophone trills and warbling harmonies, is Mitchell’s only top 10 hit, peaking at No. 7 in June 1973. The song’s balance of soft-rock and jazz propelled it to become Mitchell’s biggest commercial success, while also signaling her experimentations to come.
September, 1974: “Free Man In Paris” is Court and Spark’s second top 30 hit
[embedded content]
In “Free Man In Paris,” Mitchell sings from the perspective of a music industry man who would love to wander in French cafes but is instead married to the hit-making business in L.A. Perhaps ironically, “Free Man” was a modest hit itself, peaking at No. 23.
February, 1976: “In France They Kiss on Main Street” hisses onto the Hot 100
[embedded content]
Following “Big Yellow Taxi” and its 1975 peak on the Hot 100, “In France They Kiss on Main Street” comes from 1976’s The Hissing of Summer Lawns. The energetic love story peaked at No. 66 and features backing vocals from James Taylor along with David Crosby and Graham Nash, who took Mitchell’s “Woodstock” to No. 11 with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the U.S. and No. 3 in Canada.
November, 1982: “You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care)” is Mitchell’s first non-original hit
[embedded content]
In the late ‘70s, Mitchell veered further towards jazz and experimental compositions, leaving behind chart-friendly song structures and producing one of her most revered albums, Hejira. On Wild Things Run Fast, her eleventh studio album, she hit No. 47 with her cover of the Elvis Presley track “You’re So Square” — her only non-original on the Hot 100.
January, 1986: “Good Friends” marks Mitchell’s last Hot 100 entry
[embedded content]
The opening track on 1985’s Dog Eat Dog, “Good Friends” is an entirely different Joni Mitchell. Working with producer Thomas Dolby, Joni goes full ’80s on this track, complete with synths and drum machines. Dog Eat Dog is considered one of Mitchell’s weaker releases, but the artist famous for her adventurousness can’t be faulted for trying things out.
September, 1997: Janet Jackson brings Joni Mitchell back to the radio with “Got Til It’s Gone”
The Janet Jackson track off of her 1997 album The Velvet Rope samples Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi,” pitching up Mitchell’s voice and turning it into the hook for an R&B jam. Mitchell received a feature credit on the song, which peaked at No. 36 on the radio songs chart and finds Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip repeatedly telling listeners: “Joni Mitchell never lies.” On her 80th birthday, Q-Tip’s line rings true: Mitchell’s chart history is a reminder of her massive impact as a performer, songwriter and artist whose hits continue to reverberate at Newport Folk, the Seattle Gorge and beyond.
August, 2022: Joni Mitchell returns to the charts after surprise Newport performance
Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile and an all-star band brought the icon back to the stage at the Newport Folk Festival in 2022. After struggling through health issues, Mitchell’s return was as unexpected as it was moving. Mitchell and her collaborators stunned everyone, both those in the audience and watching later on YouTube. Her noticeably deeper voice and poignant delivery made it hard to watch with a dry eye, and the performance went viral. “Both Sides Now” didn’t chart when it was released in 1970, but it did in 2022. The song hit No. 4 on the Rock Digital Song Sales chart, No. 20 on the Digital Song Sales chart and No. 1 on the LyricFind U.S. and LyricFind Global charts.
This article originally appeared on Billboard Canada.