Chart Beat
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Rod Wave has a huge week on Billboard’s charts. On top of scoring his third career No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 (dated Sept. 30) with his new set Nostalgia, all 18 songs from the album land on the Billboard Hot 100, including eight in the top 40. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts […]
Kylie Minogue won’t be beaten in the race to No. 1 in the U.K.
Australia’s “princess of pop” races to the lead on the midweek chart with Tension (via BMG), her 16th studio album, which is currently outselling the rest of the top 20 combined, the Official Charts Company reports.
When the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, Sept. 29, Kylie should have her ninth U.K. No. 1, across a career spanning 35 years.
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Along the way, Kylie has set several chart records.
Tension is the followup to 2020’s Disco, which debuted at No. 1, making Minogue the first female artist to score a leader on the U.K. albums chart in five consecutive decades, doing so in the 1980s, ‘90s, ‘00s, 2010s and ‘20s.
The first track from her latest album, “Padam Padam,” recently peaked at No. 8 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, completing a run of top 10 hits that spans five decades –1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and ‘20s.
The only other female solo artists to land top 10 hits in five consecutive decades are Cher, Diana Ross and Lulu, who each achieved the feat in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
Meanwhile, Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore LP Guts (Geffen) will drop to No. 2 following two weeks at the U.K. summit, while Doja Cat’s fourth and latest studio album Scarlet (Ministry of Sound) is set to arrive at No. 3.
Rounding out the top five on the chart blast are Headie One and K-Trap’s new collaborative mixtape Strength To Strength (One Thousand8), at No. 4; and Scottish alternative rock veterans Teenage Fanclub with Nothing Lasts Forever (Pema), new at No. 5. If Teenage Fanclub’s new record holds its spot, it’ll give the band their highest-charting album in 26 years, since 1997’s Songs from Northern Britain reached No. 3. Nothing Lasts Forever should become Teenage Fanclub’s 10th U.K. top 40 album.
Finally, North London experimental artist Baker (real name: Abubakar Baker Shariff-Farr) is cooking up a first-ever top 10 with Halo (Black Butter), predicted to bow at No. 8. Baker’s previous best was No. 31 for 2022’s Nobody’s Home.
Doja Cat is still top cat on the U.K. singles chart, but she’s facing stiff competition.
The U.S. singer, rapper and producer’s hit “Paint the Town Red” (via Ministry of Sound) leads the midweek chart, and is on track for a fourth consecutive week at No. 1.
Victory is not guaranteed.
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Based on sales and streaming data published by the Official Charts Company, Kenya Grace’s “Stranger” (FFRR) is close behind, lifting 3-2, ahead of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” (Geffen), down 2-3.
Born in South Africa, based in Britain, Grace’s breakthrough drum ‘n’ bass leaning number is her first through a major label. And she’s posing a real challenge to the leadership, blasting 20-2 in less than a month.
Further down the chart blast, another track from Doja Cat’s fourth and latest album, Scarlet, is set to enter the top 40; “Agora Hills” is forecast to arrive at No. 35.
English singer and songwriter Tom Odell could have the week’s highest new entry with “Black Friday” (Urok). It’s new at No. 17 on the Official Chart Update, for what should be his fourth U.K. top 40 (Odell has a U.K. No. 1 album to his name, with his 2013 debut Long Way Down).
U.S. pop-punk heroes Blink-182 are back, and they’re heading for a highest-charting single in two decades. The title track from the trio’s forthcoming ninth studio album is set to start at No. 21 on the chart, based on midweek data. ONE MORE TIME (via Columbia) is due out on Oct. 20 via Columbia Records, and sees the classic lineup reunite with singer/guitarist Tom DeLonge for the first time since 2011.
“One More Time” should be the trio’s 12th U.K. top 40 single, and best performer since “I Miss You” hit No. 8 back in 2004.
Also, new singles from Nines (“Daily Duppy” featuring GRM Daily at No. 25 via Zino) and a hip-hop team-up of Headie One, K-Trap and Clavish (“Triple Threat” at No. 31 via One Thousand8) are eyeing top frame berths.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published late Friday, Sept. 29.
Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” adds a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and ascends to its first frame atop the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. survey (dated Sept. 30). Notably, the song is the first rap hit to lead the latter list over the ranking’s four-year history.
Elsewhere, Drake’s “Slime You Out,” featuring SZA, debuts at No. 3 on the Global 200 and SZA’s “Snooze” soars 42-6 following the arrival of its remix with Justin Bieber. Plus, three songs are new to the Global Excl. U.S. top 10: Kenya Grace’s “Strangers” (21-4); Tate McRae’s “Greedy” (a debut at No. 9); and cassö, RAYE and D-Block Europe’s “Prada” (16-10).
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.
Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
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Third Coat of ‘Paint’ Atop Global 200
Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” logs a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, having become her first leader on the list, with 89.8 million streams (up 1%) and 12,000 sold (up 5%) worldwide Sept. 15-21.
Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, keeps at No. 2 on the Global 200, after spending its first seven weeks on the chart at No. 1 beginning in July.
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Released Sept. 15 at 12 p.m. ET, Drake’s “Slime You Out,” featuring SZA, starts at No. 3 on the Global 200 with 52.1 million streams and 2,000 sold worldwide in its first week. Drake earns his record-extending 30th top 10 on the chart.
Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” falls 3-4 on the Global 200, after it debuted atop the chart and led for two weeks in July, and Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” rises 6-5, after reaching No. 3.
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SZA’s “Snooze” bounds 42-6 on the Global 200, surpassing its prior No. 25 peak. Following the Sept. 15 release of its remix featuring Justin Bieber, it boasts gains of 60% to 41.7 million streams and 99% to 3,000 sold worldwide. Thanks to “Slime You Out” and “Snooze,” SZA ups her count to five top 10s on the survey. (All versions of “Snooze” roll up into one chart listing; Bieber is not listed on the song on the Global 200, as the remix did not account for the majority of the single’s overall consumption during the tracking week.)
‘Red’ Reign on Global Excl. U.S.
Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” rises 2-1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, marking her first leader on the ranking, with 64.8 million streams (up 3%) and 4,000 sold (up 8%) outside the U.S. Sept. 15-21. Notably, the song is the first rap hit (as defined by songs that have hit Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart) to top Global Excl. U.S. over the ranking’s four-year history.
Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, drops to No. 2 after spending its first nine weeks on the Global Excl. U.S. chart at No. 1, and Myke Towers’ “LaLa” rebounds 4-3, after it dominated for a week in July.
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Kenya Grace’s “Strangers” vaults 21-4 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 28.9 million streams (up 50%) and 1,000 sold (up 42%). TikTok has been a big factor in the growing profile of the South African-born, British-raised singer-songwriter’s breakthrough song, as a portion of its audio has been used in over 500,000 clips on the platform; she also has over half a million TikTok followers. Two weeks earlier, Grace became a first-timer on Billboard’s charts.
Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” climbs 6-5 on Global Excl. U.S., after hitting No. 4.
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Tate McRae’s “Greedy” launches at No. 9 on Global Excl. U.S., with 22.1 million streams and 1,000 sold outside the U.S. in its first week. The singer-songwriter from Calgary, Alberta, Canada (she drives a Zamboni in the song’s official video), achieves her first top 10 on the chart, surpassing her prior No. 15 best with her first entry, “You Broke Me First.,” in 2020. Notably, she appears in the video for Olivia Rodrigo’s “Bad Idea Right?” (which hit No. 9 on the ranking a week earlier).
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Plus, cassö, RAYE and D-Block Europe’s “Prada” jumps 16-10 on Global Excl. U.S., with 20.8 million streams (up 5%) and 2,000 sold (up 7%) outside the U.S. RAYE, from England, adds her second top 10 on the chart, after “Escapism,” featuring 070 Shake, hit No. 6 in January. U.S.-born cassö and Britain’s D-Block Europe each reach the top 10 with their first title on the tally.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Sept. 30, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Sept. 26). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
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.
The numbers are in! Can Olivia Rodrigo hold her top spot at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100? Plus, one of the biggest artists makes a huge comeback on our charts. Watch the full video above! Dua is still dancing at No. 10. Gunna also stays at No. 9. “Last Night” slips again to […]
Drake’s “Slime You Out,” featuring SZA, soars in at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.
The collaboration, from Drake’s album For All the Dogs, expected Oct. 6, is Drake’s 12th Hot 100 leader, tying him for the fifth-most in the list’s history, and SZA’s second.
SZA also surges to a new No. 3 Hot 100 high with her own single “Snooze,” boosted by a new remix with Justin Bieber.
Plus, Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” at No. 4 on the Hot 100, hits No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart for the first time, after a lengthy wait parked in the runner-up spot.
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated Sept. 30, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Sept. 26). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
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Here’s a look at the coronation of “Slime You Out,” the 1,156th single to top the Hot 100 over the chart’s 65-year history, and the 71st to debut at No. 1.
Streams, sales & airplay: Released Sept. 15 at 12 p.m. ET on OVO Sound/Republic Records, “Slime You Out” drew 32.6 million streams and 5.2 million radio airplay audience impressions and sold 2,000 downloads in the tracking week ending Sept. 21, according to Luminate.
The single also debuts at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart and No. 29 on Digital Song Sales.
Drake’s 12th Hot 100 No. 1: Drake achieves his 12th Hot 100 No. 1. He ties for the fifth-most leaders among all acts – and moves to within one of Michael Jackson’s mark for the most among solo males.
Most Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s:
20, The Beatles
19, Mariah Carey
14, Rihanna
13, Michael Jackson
12, Drake
12, Madonna
12, The Supremes
11, Whitney Houston
10, Janet Jackson
10, Stevie Wonder
Meanwhile, here’s a recap of Drake’s 12 Hot 100 No. 1s:
“Slime You Out,” Drake feat. SZA (one week to-date, Sept. 30, 2023)
“Jimmy Cooks,” Drake feat. 21 Savage (one week, July 2, 2022)
“Wait for U,” Future feat. Drake & Tems (one week, May 14, 2022)
“Way 2 Sexy,” Drake feat. Future and Young Thug (one week, Sept. 18, 2021)
“What’s Next,” Drake (one week, March 20, 2021)
“Toosie Slide,” Drake (one week, April 18, 2020)
“In My Feelings,” Drake (10 weeks, beginning July 21, 2018)
“Nice for What,” Drake (eight weeks, beginning April 21, 2018)
“God’s Plan,” Drake (11 weeks, beginning Feb. 3, 2018)
“One Dance,” Drake feat. WizKid & Kyla (10 weeks, beginning May 21, 2016)
“Work,” Rihanna feat. Drake (nine weeks, beginning March 5, 2016)
“What’s My Name?,” Rihanna feat. Drake (one week at No. 1, beginning Nov. 20, 2010)
SZA’s second No. 1: SZA earns her second Hot 100 No. 1. She first reigned for a week in April with “Kill Bill.” She claims her first No. 1 debut, after “Kill Bill” reached the summit in its 19th week on the chart, and after a wait of seven nonconsecutive weeks at No. 2.
Drake’s record eighth No. 1 debut: “Slime You Out” is Drake’s record-extending eighth song to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100. He previously started at the top with “Jimmy Cooks,” “Wait for U,” “Way 2 Sexy,” “What’s Next,” “Toosie Slide,” “Nice for What” and “God’s Plan.”
Drake’s records in top 5, 10, 40 & overall: “Slime You Out” extends multiple other Drake records on the Hot 100. Here’s an updated look at his leading ranks among acts with the most hits in the following tiers.
Top 5: Now with 37 top five Hot 100 hits, Drake moves further ahead of runners-up The Beatles (29). Madonna follows with 28.
Top 10: Now with 70 top 10 Hot 100 hits, Drake surges further past Taylor Swift, in second place with 42. Madonna is next with 38.
Top 40: Now with 178 top 40 Hot 100 hits, Drake likewise lifts further ahead Swift, second with 119. Lil Wayne follows with 88, while Elvis Presley ranks fourth with 81 (with his career having predated the chart’s inception by two years).
Overall: Now with 299 total Hot 100 hits, Drake extends his record for the most over Swift, who places second with 212. The Glee Cast is third with 207.
Drake ties BTS for most No. 1s in the ‘20s: Drake ups his count to six Hot 100 No. 1s in the 2020s – tying BTS for the most so far this decade. Ariana Grande and Swift follow with four each in that span.
Drake earned six Hot 100 No. 1s in the ‘10s, the fourth-best sum, after Rihanna (nine), Katy Perry (eight) and Bruno Mars (seven).
Here’s a recap of the artists with the most Hot 100 leaders in each decade starting with the 1960s, dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958 inception:
‘20s, to date: BTS, Drake, six each
‘10s: Rihanna, nine
‘00s: Usher, seven
‘90s: Mariah Carey, 14
‘80s: Michael Jackson, nine
‘70s: Bee Gees, nine
‘60s: The Beatles, 18
(Frankie Avalon and The Fleetwoods tied for the most Hot 100 No. 1s, two each, in 1958-59.)
‘Slime’ also No. 1 on Streaming Songs, R&B/hip-hop charts: As “Slime You Out” concurrently crowns the Streaming Songs chart, Drake adds his record-extending 18th No. 1. Bieber and Swift rank next with six each. SZA notches her second No. 1, after “Kill Bill” reigned for four weeks.
“Slime You Out” likewise launches atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs charts, which use the same multi-metric methodology as the Hot 100. Drake claims his record-padding 29th Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs No. 1, further distancing himself from legends Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder, each with 20. SZA achieves her third Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs No. 1, after “Kill Bill” ruled for a record 21 weeks beginning last December and “I Hate U” led for a week in 2021.
On Hot R&B Songs, which began in 2012, Drake posts his eighth No. 1, and SZA, her fifth.
Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” holds at No. 2 on the Hot 100, two weeks after it became her second No. 1. The song drew 44.9 million in radio reach (up 19%), 26.7 million streams (down 2%) and sold 8,000 (up 4%) – as it becomes her second leader (5-1) on Digital Song Sales and her ninth top 10 (13-9) on the Radio Songs chart. It also tops the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs chart for a fifth week.
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SZA’s “Snooze” reawakens with an 8-3 leap on the Hot 100, surpassing its prior No. 7 best. Following the Sept. 15 release of its remix featuring Bieber, it’s up 50% to 21.4 million streams and 86% to 3,000 sold; already an established airplay hit, it rises to a new No. 3 high, from No. 5, on Radio Songs (70.1 million, up 4%). SZA now has four career top five Hot 100 hits, among nine top 10s, as “Snooze” and “Slime You Out” join “Kill Bill” and “Kiss Me More,” featuring Doja Cat (No. 3, 2021).
(All versions of “Snooze” roll up into one chart listing; Bieber is not listed on the song on the Hot 100, as the remix did not account for the majority of the single’s overall consumption during the tracking week.)
Notably, the Hot 100’s top three, of “Slime You Out,” “Paint the Town Red” and “Snooze,” mirrors that of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart – for the first time in over two years. The lists last lined up in the region on the charts dated Sept. 18, 2021, when Drake’s LP Certified Lover Boy premiered atop the Billboard 200 and its tracks “Way 2 Sexy,” featuring Future and Young Thug, “Girls Want Girls,” featuring Lil Baby, and “Fair Trade,” featuring Travis Scott, debuted at Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, on the Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Country and pop have dominated the Hot 100’s top 10 in 2023, while “Paint the Town Red” became the chart’s first rap No. 1 in over a year.
(Helping spark the feat, two RCA Records artists rank in the Hot 100’s top three this week, with SZA at Nos. 1 and 3 and Doja Cat at No. 2.)
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Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s No. 6-peaking 1988 Hot 100 classic “Fast Car” holds at No. 4 after eight weeks at its No. 2 high. Still, it tops Radio Songs for a fourth week (76.6 million, down 2%) and ascends to No. 1 on the multi-metric Hot Country Songs chart, after 19 weeks at No. 2. Combs claims his sixth Hot Country Songs No. 1 with the remake, which previously topped Country Airplay for five weeks and Adult Pop Airplay for two frames and has reached the top 10 on the Pop Airplay and Adult Contemporary charts.
Zach Bryan’s “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves, drops 3-5 on the Hot 100, three weeks after it debuted at No. 1. It leads the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Rock Songs charts for a fourth week each.
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Swift’s “Cruel Summer” descends 5-6, after reaching No. 3; Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” falls to No. 7 following its second nonconsecutive week at No. 1; Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” slips 6-8, following 16 weeks at No. 1, the most ever for a non-collaboration; Gunna’s “Fukumean” holds at No. 9, after hitting No. 4; and Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” repeats at No. 10, after reaching No. 6.
Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Sept. 30), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Sept. 26).
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.
Forever No. 1 is a Billboard series that pays special tribute to the recently deceased artists who achieved the highest honor our charts have to offer — a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single — by taking an extended look back at the chart-topping songs that made them part of this exclusive club. Here, we honor the late Terry Kirkman by looking at the No. 1 hit he penned for ‘60s pop group The Association: the sweetly melodramatic ballad “Cherish.”
The Association’s “Cherish” was one of the prettiest pop songs of the 1960s, a choral pop classic that has long been a wedding reception staple. It made you swoon from the opening notes. But the song isn’t as simple as it first appears. Listen closely and you’ll learn that it’s a tale of an unrequited romantic obsession in which the protagonist finally blurts out “you are driving me out of my mind.”
“Cherish” is, in some ways, the 1960s equivalent of The Police’s “Every Breath You Take,” where some people hear a song of undying devotion and others hear a song about an unhealthy, stalker-like obsession. Songs can be more complex than they seem on the surface.
The Association was formed in Los Angeles in 1965, evolving out of a 13-piece folk/rock group, The Men, that was briefly the house band at the famed Troubadour club. The Association quickly veered toward polished, mainstream pop – its music is often called “sunshine pop.”
“Cherish” was written by the group’s Terry Kirkman, who died on Saturday (Sept. 23) at age 83. Kirkman also sang lead on the smash, which was the group’s follow-up to its breakthrough hit, “Along Comes Mary,” which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1966. Russ Giguere sang harmony vocals on “Cherish.” Session musicians were called in to play on the instrumental track. They included Mike Deasy on guitar, Jerry Scheff on bass and Jim Troxel on drums. Curt Boettcher produced the single, which was released on Valiant Records.
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The song demonstrated Kirkland’s love of intricate wordplay. Consider the opening lines of the first two verses: “Cherish is the word that I use to describe” and “Perish is the word that more than applies.”
Both the first and second verses have lines that are repeated three times with slight variations. In the first verse: “You don’t know how many times I’ve wished that I had told you/ You don’t know how many times I’ve wished that I could hold you/ You don’t know how many times I’ve wished that I could mold you…” In the second: “That I am not gonna be the one to share your dreams/That I am not gonna be the one to share your schemes/That I am not gonna be the one to share what seems…”
“Cherish” has two bridge sections, the second leading to a modulation in which the key rises a step. The lyrics in the bridge sections are melodramatic, as the protagonist comes to realize that his love is unlikely to be ever be returned. Many pop songs in this era had a similar life-or-death quality. Among them: The Righteous Brothers’ “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration,” Vikki Carr’s “It Must Be Him” and Little Anthony & the Imperials’ “Goin’ Out of My Head” and “Hurt So Bad.”
The song ends with the phrase “cherish is the word,” over a sustained vibrato electric guitar chord. The album version ran 3:27, but the single was trimmed for time because program directors of the era were skittish about playing a song that went much past the three-minute mark. (One of the repetitions of “And I do cherish you” near the end was removed.) The label copy on the single listed its running time as 3:00, but that was just an attempt to fool the PDs: The single actually ran 3:12.
Writing about the song in his Number Ones column in Stereogum in 2018, Tom Breihan knocked the song, hard, calling it “the moment that [The Association] dissolved into absolute fluff.
“There are things about “Cherish” that should be good — things that look nice on paper,” Breihan observed. “The Association were singing in lush, Beach Boys-esque harmonies, and they were doing it over intricately layered guitars and banjos and horns. But ‘Cherish’ is a bloodless affair, a sickly-sweet melody backing up a somewhat creepy lyric about fixating too hard on a girl. The narrator of ‘Cherish’ … [is] talking about her from afar, and he knows that he’ll never get a shot from her. So there’s some bitterness in the way he talks about her: ‘I want you / Just like a thousand other guys / Who’d say they loved you / [With] all the rest of their lies.’ Easy there, bud.”
Breihan makes some good points. The protagonist is fixating too hard on this girl. And his feelings are complicated, with some bitterness seeping in. But people have been known to fixate and obsess and have unhealthy, unrequited feelings for the wrong people at the wrong time. While the song may on the surface appear to be a simple love song, it turns out it’s more than that. It’s about a surprisingly messy, complicated, f—ked up situation. That just might be to its credit.
Billboard
“Cherish” was the second-highest new entry the Billboard Hot 100 in the week dated Aug. 27, 1966. It opened at No. 66, one rung behind The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” It sprinted to No. 1 in its fifth week on the Hot 100 (in the issue dated Sept. 24), dislodging The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love.” It held the top spot for three weeks, before it was dislodged by another all-time Motown classic, Four Tops’ “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” (Four Tops covered “Cherish” on their hit 1967 album Four Tops Reach Out.)
“Cherish” appeared on two albums by The Association that made the top five on the Billboard 200 – And Then…Along Comes The Association (No. 5 in November 1966) and Greatest Hits (No. 4 in February 1969).
In early 1967, the track received three Grammy nominations – best performance by a vocal group, best contemporary (R&R) recording and best contemporary (R&R) group performance – vocal or instrumental. (R&R stood for rock and roll, which “Cherish” most decidedly wasn’t, though it had a contemporary pop sound, which was close enough for the Recording Academy at that time.) It didn’t win any of the awards, which went to (respectively), the Anita Kerr Singers’ “A Man and a Woman,” New Vaudeville Band’s “Winchester Cathedral” and The Mamas & the Papas’ “Monday, Monday.” The latter two titles were also No. 1 hits on the Hot 100.
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The Association returned to the No. 1 spot in July 1967 with the breezy “Windy” (which was written by Ruthann Friedman, who was just 22 when her one and only hit was released). “Windy” truly was “sunshine pop.” The group just missed landing a third No. 1 in October 1967 when “Never My Love” peaked at No. 2 for two weeks. (Now, that one would be perfect for wedding receptions.)
Kirkland went on to write three more Hot 100 hits for The Association – “Everything That Touches You” (which became the group’s fifth and final top 10 hit in 1968), “Requiem for the Masses” and “Six Man Band.” Kirkland departed the group in 1972 and returned when the band reunited in 1979, before leaving again in 1984.
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David Cassidy covered “Cherish” in 1971 as his first solo single apart from The Partridge Family. His version, produced by Wes Farrell, reached No. 9 on the Hot 100. Other artists to have covered the song include Dizzy Gillespie, The Lettermen, Nina Simone, Ed Ames, Petula Clark, Carla Thomas and Kenny Rogers & The First Edition.
The song has been revived in recent decades on the soundtrack to Fried Green Tomatoes (where it was performed in new jack swing style by Jodeci); Glee (where it was paired with a Madonna song with the same title); Barry Manilow’s The Greatest Songs of the Sixties (where it was performed in a medley with “Windy”); Rita Wilson’s AM/FM, a collection of some of her favorite songs, mostly from the 1960s and ’70s; and Pat Metheny’s What’s It All About, the 2011 Grammy winner for best new age album.
The Association’s smash has been featured on the TV shows The Wonder Years, The Nanny, The Simpsons, Crossing Jordan and Six Feet Under and in the films The Sweetest Thing and He’s Just Not That Into You. It also titled the 2002 dark comedy Cherish, starring Robin Tunney as a young pop obsessive with a stalker.
The potency of “Cherish” as a title had already been confirmed in the 1980s, when two different songs with the that title reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 – one by Kool & the Gang and the other by Madonna. Madonna even gave a little nod to The Association’s prior hit with the line, “Cherish is the word I use to remind me of your love.”
“Cherish” may not be the best song to play at a wedding reception – though many have tried – but it remains a pretty and impactful record, with gorgeous harmonies and a cleverly constructed lyric about a situation that, alas, just about everyone goes through at some point in their life.
Myke Towers’ latest hit was born “in one of those magical moments that when I hear a rhythm I like, I can’t switch it off until I get something out of it,” recalls the Puerto Rican artist. Since chasing down that rhythm, Towers’ “LALA” has become an unlikely hit, with its arresting reggaetón thump and […]
Doja Cat is unmoved from the U.K. singles chart crest, where “Paint the Town Red” (via Ministry of Sound) enters a third week at No. 1.
Lifted from the U.S. singer, rapper and producer’s fourth studio album Scarlet, which dropped last Friday, Sept. 22, “Paint the Town Red” was the U.K.’s most-streamed song during the latest cycle, with 6.2 million plays, the Official Charts Company reports.
The leader at the midweek stage, “Paint the Town Red” holds off Olivia Rodrigo’s former leader “Vampire” (Geffen), which is unchanged at No. 2.
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Meanwhile, South Africa-born, U.K.-raised singer, songwriter and producer Kenya Grace is rising fast with “Strangers,” up 12-3 in its third week on the tally, published late Friday. “Strangers” is Grace’s major label debut, via Warner Music sublabel FFRR, and first single to impact the Official U.K. Singles Chart.
Tate McRae has the highest debut this week with her viral number “Greedy” (Ministry of Sound). It’s new at No. 8, for the Canadian artist’s third U.K. top 10 single. Previously, McRae landed at No. 3 with 2020’s “You Broke Me First” and at No. 8 with 2022 Tiësto collaboration “10:35”.
Also completing a top 10 start is Drake and SZA’s collab “Slime You Out” (OVO/Republic/RCA), new at No. 10. Taken from Drake’s forthcoming eight studio album For All the Dogs, “Slime You Out” is Drake’s 41st U.K. top 10 single, and SZA’s fourth. It’s one of two SZA songs in the top 40; “Snooze” (RCA/Top Dawg) leaps 48-18, a new peak, following the release of a new acoustic cut with Justin Bieber.
Johannesburg, South Africa-born Afrobeats artist Tyla makes a splash on the U.K. top 40 for the first time with “Water” (Epic/Fax), rising 55-24.
Finally, drum ‘n’ bass veterans Chase & Status bag a new top 40 entry with “Liquor & Cigarettes” (EMI), a team-up with English producer Hedex and rapper ArrDee. It’s new at No. 31 for Hedex’s first-ever top 40 placing, ArrDee’s ninth, and Chase & Status’s 11th.
Busted blast to a first-ever U.K. No. 1 with Greatest Hits 2.0 (via Juno Music).
The British pop-punk trio, comprising James Bourne, Charlie Simpson and Matt Willis, debuts at No. 1 with their career retrospective, released more than two decades after their self-titled debut.
Greatest Hits 2.0 goes one better than the lads’ previous best. Indeed, Busted has hit No. 2 on three separate occasions (2002’s Busted, 2003’s A Present for Everyone and 2019’s Half Way There) but, until now, never visited the chart penthouse.
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The new collection is the best seller on vinyl and downloads with physical sales accounting for 78% of its total, the Official Charts Company reports.
The leader at the midweek stage, Greatest Hits 2.0 includes a “Guest Features Edition,” with cuts reworked by the likes of Jonas Brothers, All Time Low, Simple Plan, Dashboard Confessional, Hanson and You Me At Six.
With Busted bowing at No. 1, Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album Guts (Geffen) is relegated to second place. Guts dips 1-2 in its second-week, but remains the U.K. most-streamed LP during the latest cycle, the OCC reports. It’s one of two Rodrigo albums in the top 5; the U.S. pop phenomenon chart-topping debut from 2021, Sour, lifts 8-5.
The Weeknd’s The Highlights (Republic Records/XO) improves 4-3 in its 137th week on the chart.
Also new to the top tier is Mitski’s The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We (Dead Oceans), new at No. 4. That’s a career best chart position for the U.S. artist, beating the No. 6 peak for her 2022 effort Laurel Hell.
Meanwhile, veteran Northern Irish rock act Ash collects a highest charting title in almost 20 years with Race the Night (Fierce Panda), new at No. 14. It’s the indie band’s ninth top 40 appearance on the Official U.K. Albums Chart and best since 2004’s Meltdown hit No. 5.
Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor earns a second solo top 20 album with CMF2 (BMG), new at No. 17. It’s the followup to 2020 CMFT, which peaked at No. 11. As a member of Slipknot, Taylor has three U.K. No. 1 albums: 2001’s Iowa, 2019’s We Are Not Your Kind and 2022’s The End So Far.
Also on the latest tally, published Friday, Sept. 22, new releases from Thirty Seconds to Mars (It’s the End of the World But It’s a Beautiful Day at No. 20 via Concord), the Pretenders (Relentless at No. 25 via Parlophone); Madison Beer (Silence Between Songs at No. 28 via RCA) and Sleepy Hallow (Boy Meets World at No. 32 via Columbia) debut in the top 40.