Chart Beat
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Billboard Japan unveiled its 2022 year-end charts on Dec. 9. Breakout singer Ado topped the Artist 100 ranking, compiled from the results of the Japan Hot 100 and Hot Albums lists.
The enigmatic songstress burst into the J-pop music scene with her smash hit “Usseewa” two years ago, and this year she dominated the Japan charts as Uta from the blockbuster animated movie One Piece Film: Red. The young singer, born in 2002, says she “took on new challenges” this past year and looks back on some of her major accomplishments including her headlining show at her dream venue — the Saitama Super Arena — and her smash OPFR collab in this latest interview with Billboard Japan.
You’re the No. 1 artist on Billboard Japan’s year-end Artist 100 ranking, which combines the Japan Hot 100 and the Hot Albums charts for this year. Could you share your honest impression about this result?
I’m really happy that so many people are listening to my music. After singing the songs for One Piece Film: Red, I checked the charts quite a bit, and when it looked like, Ado, Ado, Ado all the way down from the top, it really took me by surprise.
What kind of year was 2022 for you?
I performed a headlining concert at Saitama Super Arena in August, which was the biggest dream of my life so I was really happy about that. It was my second headlining show after the first one in April at Zepp DiverCity, so I was surprised that I reached my goal so unbelievably quickly.
The scope of your activities has been expanding at a dizzying pace. When was the first time you noticed your music’s reach?
When “Usseewa” charted on the Billboard Japan charts, I couldn’t help but think, “Whoa, awesome!” Of course, rankings aren’t everything, but “Usseewa” was the first song of mine that ever charted and I was blown away when it reached the top.
Any other moments in your daily life when you feel you have some hits?
When I suddenly hear the chorus of “Usseewa” being used on a variety show, or “New Genesis” on a YouTube video that has nothing to do with the song… When I see people mentioning my songs or me in a genre that’s completely different from my own, it really hits home that my music is reaching a pretty wide audience.
“New Genesis,” the theme of the animated movie One Piece Film: Red, hit No. 1 on Billboard Japan’s Hot 100 for a total of six weeks. It’s become your biggest hit so far.
I sang 7 songs (on the soundtrack album) and each was completely different from the other in taste, including a ballad, which I’d never sung before, and a song with full-blown rap. Before I recorded these songs, I was worried about whether I’d be able to sing them properly or if everyone would enjoy them, but the fact that so many people listened to them gave me a lot of confidence.
If you were to compile a personal song chart for 2022, which song would be No. 1?
Wow, there are too many to choose from! But one that I listened to a lot for a while was “Future Eve ft. Hatsune Miku” written by Sasakure.UK for this year’s [Hatsune Miku event] Magical Mirai.
Billboard Japan launched a new chart in December, the Niconico Vocaloid Songs Top 20, which ranks the popularity of vocaloid songs on the Japanese video-sharing platform Niconico, courtesy of Dwango. How do you usually come across new vocaloid music?
My main go-to is still Niconico. After the Vocaloid Collection (Voca-colle) event began, I’ve been using it a lot. Niconico lets you to add various tags to videos and when you jump to the links of the tags, you can find lots of songs in a similar genre. I came across a hip-hop vocaloid track before that was tagged “Mik-hop” and was like, “Wow, I never knew this kind of thing existed.”
Hatsune Miku meets hip-hop?
Right. There’s also “Alternative Mik,” a combination of alt-rock and Hatsune Miku. I personally like the tag “Osharena Miku-uta (stylish Miku songs).” Also, the rankings on Niconico are easy to see and Voca-colle even has a rookie list, so it’s useful in finding new artists.
You began your singing career by uploading covers of vocaloid songs online. How did you first get into vocaloid music?
When I was in first grade or thereabouts, I visited my cousin who told me “I’ve been listening to some interesting stuff lately,” and showed me “Daughter of Evil” and “Servant of Evil” by mothy (Aku no P) on the computer. They were derivative videos characteristic of the vocaloid genre. After I came across this world that I’d never known about, I asked my dad to teach me how to use the computer and began searching for similar stuff online on my own.
Any vocaloid producers that you’ve been into lately?
I go through Iyowa phases periodically. I’m currently going through one now and have been listening to his works like I’m possessed. Many of his songs have a kind of dissonance in a good way, like melodies that make you feel a little uneasy. On the other hand, each number has a story that’s a little sad and human. They make you want to listen to them over and over…They feel like those dreams you see when you have a fever.
You recently announced a partnership with Geffen Records in the U.S. Was working outside of Japan one of the goals you’d originally envisioned?
No. Around the time I first got into music, the idea of working overseas was so huge in scale that I felt intimidated by it and never thought I could pull it off. But I did think that it’d be so cool if I could. I receive comments from people living in other countries and I think it’s really awesome that they’re listening to my songs despite the language barrier.
When I received this offer, I thought it was my turn to approach those fans. I also hope I can help promote J-pop music through my activities. Even if we don’t understand each other’s languages, I’m sure we share the same feelings and emotions as human beings, so I hope I can convey those aspects. I’m committed to my music so I hope to touch people through my songs.
Do you have any specific goals for your activities outside of Japan?
Concerts definitely. I’d love to perform at festivals and events overseas, too. My first domestic tour will began in December, and I’m looking forward to doing more shows going forward.
Lastly, please tell us about your aspirations for next year and beyond.
I don’t think too many people have seen me perform live yet, so I’d like more people to get to know “Ado in concert.” I took on new challenges in 2022. I finally invited Hatsune Miku into my home and started singing with her. I also hope to be able to do other things like producing.
Aimer’s “Zankyosanka” rules Billboard Japan’s 2022 year-end Japan Hot 100, the comprehensive song chart that includes CD sales, streaming, and video views. The J-pop singer’s smash hit, featured as the opener for the entertainment district story arc of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, topped the mid-year chart and continued to be loved by listeners during the second half of 2022, becoming a hit number that symbolizes this past year in Japan.
The 32-year-old songstress celebrated the 10th anniversary of her debut in September 2021, marking the milestone with her domestic arena tour entitled Cycle de 10 ans that ended in October this year. Aimer is wrapping up her anniversary celebrations with the release of a new mini-album called Deep down Dec. 14 and spoke to Billboard Japan over email about her progress over the past year, as well as the turning points and dreams that have come true in the decade since her debut.
“Zankyosanka” hit No. 1 on Billboard Japan’s mid-year Japan Hot 100 and has since remained a long-running favorite for many music listeners. Congratulations on the song topping the 2022 year-end chart.
The song was written by the team I’ve been working with since my debut, and I’m so happy and touched that so many more people than we imagined in the beginning have listened to it. I’m very honored.
What kind of year was 2022 for you?
It was an exciting year, like I’ve been riding various roller coasters repeatedly without getting bored.
If you were to compile a personal song chart for 2022, which song would be No. 1?
I’ve been giving my full attention to my own music, so sometimes there are moments when I distance myself from listening to music, but Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” gave me a lot of energy, so that’s my choice.
Your 10th anniversary concert in October was great. How do you look back on it now?
Thank you so much. It was a live show that we carefully created so we could trace our past ten years and depict the next ten together. I recalled so many memories of each song as I sang them during the concert, which was something I’d never experienced before. I was able to express my gratitude in the form of a live performance to each and every person who discovered me, and was overcome with deep emotion to see people accepting my appreciation.
Could you share a moment from the past decade that you consider to be a turning point?
I think that making my fourth album daydream was a turning point. I was celebrating the fifth anniversary of my debut at the time, and to be able to create music with artists that I respected was a rewarding opportunity. It was very inspiring for me as a musician, and was an occasion that turned my focus outward.
Tell us about your dreams that have come true since your debut. Also, what kind of future do you envision for next year and beyond?
I feel that my biggest dream of continuing to sing has been fulfilled for the past decade in a very gratifying way. I’d like to continue to express and pursue various kinds of music more voraciously in the next ten years, and would like to stand on many stages that I’ve never been to before together with everyone who supports me.
Could you tell us about your new mini album Deep down, which comes out on December 14?
Since I was able to meet many new people through “Zankyosanka,” something I had in mind for one of the themes for the album was “to kick off the next ten years, I want to make music from a perspective I’ve never encountered before.” A number of songs were created during the tour, and “Ivy Ivy Ivy” was written while thinking of all the people I was able to meet at each stop.
The title track “Deep down” is the ending theme for the animated series Chainsaw Man. What was your initial reaction when they offered it to you? Also, what was your impression of Chainsaw Man and what aspects of it did you want to incorporate into the music?
The episode I was offered to write the ending theme for was where “the story suddenly plunges into deep muddy waters,” and I was very honored that they thought I was the right person for the role. I wanted to create a song that symbolized the dark side of Chainsaw Man, which permeates the episode I wrote for, and would trace the deepest parts of the heart with both hands and go even deeper.
Which song do you feel like you were able to break new ground with on Deep down?
All of the songs were written from a slightly new perspective, but I particularly like the title track “Deep down” because I feel like I was able to reach out to the bottom of darkness more than any of my previous songs.
Do you have a message for your audience?
If you discovered me through “Zankyosanka,” it’d make me really happy if you could also get to know the music that I’ve been expressing for the past decade, including my new mini album Deep down.
Phoenix links its third consecutive, and total, No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart, as “Tonight” climbs to the top of the Dec. 10-dated survey.
The song features Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, who leads in his first solo appearance on the list. Vampire Weekend as tallied two Adult Alternative Airplay No. 1s, both in 2019.
“Tonight” follows the two-week rules each for Phoenix’s “Alpha Zulu” in August and “Identical” in late 2020. The band first hit the top 10 with “1901” in 2010. It has also scored a top 10 with “J-Boy” in 2017.
Phoenix is the first act to earn three straight Adult Alternative Airplay No. 1s since Cage the Elephant, which snagged three in a row in 2019-20: “Ready to Let Go,” “Social Cues” and “Black Madonna.”
Concurrently, “Tonight” lifts 15-12 on Alternative Airplay, where it’s the band’s highest rank since “Trying to Be Cool” peaked at No. 10 in 2013. The band boasts a top 10 there via “1901” in 2010 and an additional top five with “Lisztomania” later that year.
On the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, “Tonight” jumps 19-13 with 2.4 million audience impressions, up 38%, according to Luminate. The band last ranked that high in 2010, when “Lisztomania” hit No. 5 (its all-time best, “1901,” peaked at No. 3).
“Tonight” is the third single from Phoenix’s seventh album, Alpha Zulu, following “Identical” and the title track. The set was released in November and has earned 20,000 equivalent album units to date.
As 2022 draws to a close, Billboard has, as always, ranked the top music of the year, with scores of year-end charts recapping albums, songs, artists, labels, touring and more.
On the year-end Hot 100 Songs chart, Glass Animals reign with “Heat Waves,” their single released in 2020 that endured for a record 91-week run on the weekly Billboard Hot 100, including five frames at No. 1.
Following “Heat Waves” on the year-end Hot 100 Songs rundown are Harry Styles’ “As It Was” (No. 2), The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” (No. 3), Adele’s “Easy on Me” (No. 4), Ed Sheeran’s “Shivers” (No. 5), Jack Harlow’s “First Class” (No. 6), Latto’s “Big Energy” (No. 7), Justin Bieber’s “Ghost” (No. 8), Kodak Black’s “Super Gremlin” (No. 9), and Elton John and Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” (No. 10).
What were some of the most notable sonic characteristics that made those songs bigger than all others in 2022? Here’s a look at 10 key findings about the top 10 titles on the year-end Hot 100 Songs chart.
Pop the Champagne
Pop reigns supreme as the top genre among the Hot 100’s year-end top 10, accounting for 60% of songs for the second straight year. Hip-hop and dance/club, which were no-shows in 2021, round out the genre pool with 30% and 10% of songs, respectively, the latter represented by “Cold Heart.” In their place last year were R&B/soul hits “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat featuring SZA, “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic and “Peaches” by Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon, and Olivia Rodrigo’s punk-rock influenced “Good 4 U.”
Retro Revival
Retro continued to be current in 2022, with 40% of the year-end Hot 100 top 10 possessing a throwback vibe. The share follows a 50% take in 2021, when the 1970s accounted for 30% and the ’80s, 20%. This year, it was all about the ’80s, with notable representatives in “As It Was” and “Stay.” Last year was, as noted above, that ’70s show, with hits including “Kiss Me More,” and the most authentically retro 2021 year-end top 10, “Leave the Door Open.”
Boys Club
Male vocalists dominated again in 2022, accounting for more than half the year-end Hot 100 top 10. Only 20% were female, via Adele’s “Easy on Me” and Latto’s “Big Energy.” In 2021, male vocalists accounted for 50% of the year-end top 10, with 30% by women.
Less Is More
A hefty 80% of songs in the 2022 Hot 100 Songs top 10 are by a solo performing artist, the exceptions being “Stay” and “Cold Heart.” The onslaught surges past the sum in 2021, when also a majority, 60%, featured multiple performers.
All You Need Is Love
Love ruled in 2022, with 80% of songs in the year-end Hot 100 top 10 featuring a love/relationship lyrical theme, slightly below its 90% haul in 2021. Introspection – shut out in 2021 – followed distantly at 30%, shaping the narrative of inward-looking hits such as “Heat Waves,” “As It Was” and “Easy on Me.” Rounding out the lyrical theme list are lifestyle and hooking up, each at 20%, and boasting, present in the self-explanatory “First Class.”
Don’t You Forget About Me
Along with the ever-popular chorus, 2022’s year-end Hot 100 top 10 includes some additional clever song title placements to ensure that the listener can always name that tune. Among them are the intro, where the title is present in 30% of songs (compared to zero last year), and the outro, where it’s the case with 60% of songs, up from 20%. An example of both is “Heat Waves,” in which the unique, highly effected, low-pitched and processed title hook is in both the intro and outro, bookending the song on a catchy and familiar note.
Hurry It Up
2022’s year-end Hot 100 top 10s sped along at an average tempo of 119 BPM, with 70% landing over 100 BPM. This is notably faster than 2021, when the average was 100 BPM, with only 40% over the 100 BPM mark. This year’s pack was led by the super-speedy “As It Was” and “Stay,” which clock in at 174 BPM and 170 BPM, respectively.
Tighten It Up
In line with the mainstream’s gravitation toward shorter song lengths, half the titles in the year-end Hot 100 Songs top 10 land under the three-minute mark. Shortest of all is “Stay,” at just 2:15. In addition to generally faster tempos, another way that today’s hitmakers are keeping their songs on the shorter end of the spectrum is through the omission of the once-popular pre-chorus. This year, only 30% of year-end top 10s feature a pre-chorus, compared to 60% in 2021.
Ease ’Em In
Seemingly contrary to the point directly above, intros actually got longer in 2022 compared to 2021 among year-end top 10s on the Hot 100. In fact, they were six seconds longer on average, with the intro in only one song, “First Class,” under 10 seconds, compared to 60% of songs in 2021. That doesn’t mean, however, that these longer-length intros were any less effective. A perfect case is “Heat Waves,” with its super-lengthy 41-second intro. It achieves a multitude of effects without ever losing the listener’s interest, including varying its processing, establishing key vocal and instrumental hooks, setting the song’s tone and vibe and establishing the backing music of the subsequent chorus to seamlessly transport the listener between sections.
Don’t Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!
While not an incredibly popular quality due to listener engagement concerns over the past decade, 40% of the songs in the year-end Hot 100 top 10 hit the listener with the chorus before the first verse, up from 20% in 2021, thanks to “Heat Waves,” “Stay,” “First Class” and “Big Energy.” Building anticipation for a song’s chorus helps ensure that listeners stay long enough for a play to count as a stream and be monetized. Otherwise, in our attention-challenged society, fans might get their fill and tune out quickly because they already enjoyed the best part.
David and Yael Penn are the co-founders of Hit Songs Deconstructed. In April, Hit Songs Deconstructed and fellow song analysis platform MyPart partnered to launch ChartCipher, a new platform analyzing hit songs, as defined by Billboard‘s charts.
Paul Kelly scores an early Christmas gift, as the veteran Australian singer, songwriter and wordsmith bags the chart crown with his holiday collection.
Kelly’s “2022 Edition” of Christmas Train (GAWD/EMI) stops at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, published Dec. 9. That’s one better than Christmas Train’s No. 2 debut and peak position following its original release in 2021, an effort that made it the highest-charting Christmas album of the year in Australia.
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Christmas Train collects a batch of classics, and features a new recording of Ron Sexsmith’s “Maybe This Christmas” — recorded with Kelly’s live band at Soundpark Studios in Melbourne — and, of course, Kelly’s own holiday standard, “How to Make Gravy,” a tale of a prisoner reflecting on the friends and family he’ll miss while he’s locked up for Christmas.
Guest vocalists on the LP include Marlon Williams, Waleed Aly, Lior, Emma Donovan, Kasey Chambers, Kate Miller-Heidke, Vika & Linda Bull, and more.
With another Aussie Christmas set blazing to No. 1 last week, Jimmy Barnes’ Blue Christmas (down 4-1 this cycle), ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd is calling the result “amazing” and “one more thing to celebrate as we enter the festive season. Congratulations to Paul for his success, it’s fantastic to see such an accomplished and important national storyteller continue to reach new heights.”
Kelly had to wait for his first No. 1. It finally came in 2017 with Life Is Fine, his 23rd studio album. Its followup, 2018’s Nature, also scaled the summit.
A smattering of Christmas gifts are placed on the ARIA Charts, including Michael Bublé’s Christmas (Reprise/Warner), up 36-8 on the albums survey, and the Bocellis’ A Family Christmas (Decca/Universal), which holds at No. 9.
Leaping in at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart, just behind Taylor Swift’s Midnights (Universal), is Australian Frog Calls: Songs of Disappearance (via MGM), an album that features calls from 43 of Australia’s most threatened frogs.
The set is a collaborative project of Australia Museum FrogID project, the Bowerbird Collective, Listening Earth and Mervyn Street of Mangkaja Arts, and aims to raise awareness for Australia’s declining frog population. Currently, one in six Australian native frog species are threatened.
The amphibian benefit recording is from the same well as Australian Bird Calls: Songs of Disappearance, an album of bird songs that reached No. 2 on the national chart in 2021.
Also new to the ARIA Albums Chart is Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains (Republic/Universal), new at No. 5, while BTS star RM’s starts at No. 26 with his solo debut Indigo (Interscope/Universal), and Magic Dirt singer Adalita bows at No. 29 with Inland (Liberation/Universal).
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Sam Smith & Kim Petras’ “Unholy” (Capitol/Universal) unseats “Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” (Universal) after six weeks, while Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (Columbia/Sony) races 11-3.
Metro Boomin’ has the top debut on the singles survey with his Heroes & Villains release, “Creepin’” featuring the Weeknd and 21 Savage. It’s new at No. 8.
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ archival release Live at the Fillmore, 1997 debuts in the top 10 across a range of Billboard charts (all dated Dec. 10), including Top Album Sales, Top Current Album Sales, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Tastemaker Albums. It also launches in the top 40 of the all-genre Billboard 200, arriving at No. 35 — Petty’s 21st top 40 album.
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Also in the top 10 on Top Album Sales: Taylor Swift’s Midnights holds at No. 1 for a sixth consecutive week as it surpasses 1.5 million in U.S. sales while the Cure’s Wish re-enters at No. 4 after its 30th anniversary reissue. Plus, Matteo, Andrea and Virginia Bocelli’s A Family Christmas hits the top 10 for the first time as it jumps 38-5 following the trio’s appearance on CBS’ Sunday Morning (Nov. 27) and NBC’s Christmas at Rockefeller Center special (Nov. 30).
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 Current Album Sales lists the week’s best-selling current (not catalog, or older albums) albums by traditional album sales. Independent Albums reflects the week’s most popular albums, by units, released by independent record labels. Vinyl Albums tallies the top-selling vinyl albums of the week. Tastemaker Albums ranks the week’s best-selling albums at independent and small chain record stores.
Live at the Fillmore, 1997 – which commemorates Petty’s 20-show run at the historic theater in 1997 – sold 16,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 1, according to Luminate. Live at the Fillmore was available in multiple configurations (with either 33 tracks on a standard edition or 58 tracks on an expanded version) that ranged in price from a basic $20 digital download album to a $550 uber deluxe collector’s boxed set with six vinyl LPs. All versions of the album are tracked together for sales and charting purposes.
Of Live at the Fillmore’s 16,000 sold, physical sales comprise 14,000 (with 9,000 on CD and 5,000 on vinyl) and digital album download sales comprise 2,000. The set features live takes of such songs as “American Girl,” “Free Fallin’” and “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.”
At No. 1 on Top Album Sales, Swift’s Midnights holds atop the list for a sixth straight week (60,000 sold; up 5%). It’s the first album to sell at least 50,000 copies in each of its first six weeks of release in nearly a year, since Adele’s 30 also sold 50,000-plus in its first six frames (Dec. 4, 2021-Jan. 8, 2022-dated charts).
Midnights’ total U.S. sales now stand at 1.525 million – more than twice the sales of year’s second-largest selling album, Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (678,000).
Michael Jackson’s Thriller is a non-mover on Top Album Sales with 18,000 sold (down 35%).
The Cure’s Wish re-enters Top Album Sales at No. 4 with 15,000 sold (up from a negligible sum the previous week) following its 30th anniversary reissue. The set, originally released in 1992, debuted and peaked at No. 2 on Top Album Sales and the Billboard 200. It’s the highest-charting effort for the act on the latter list.
Matteo, Andrea and Virginia Bocelli’s A Family Christmas vaults from No. 38 to No. 5 on Top Album Sales — its first week in the top 10 — with its best sales week yet, 14,000 (up 169%). The gain comes after the trio appeared on CBS’ Sunday Morning (Nov. 27) and NBC’s Christmas at Rockefeller Center special (Nov. 30). (The album’s title is truth in advertising: Matteo and Virginia are Andrea’s children, ages 24 and 10.)
Styles’ Harry’s House rises 9-6 on Top Album Sales with nearly 14,000 (up 28%), Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack climbs 11-7 with 13,000 (up 35%), Swift’s Folklore bumps 13-8 with 13,000 (up 57%) and another Swift set, Red (Taylor’s Version) rises 17-9 with 11,000 (up 33%). Most albums in the top 10 also benefit from Black Friday sale pricing and promotion at major retailers, as the tracking week reflected on the latest chart covers the Nov. 25 – Dec. 1 time frame (with Nov. 25 Black Friday).
Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours rounds out the top 10 of Top Album Sales, vaulting 21-10 with 10,000 sold (up 31%) following the death of the band’s Christine McVie on Nov. 30.
In the week ending Dec. 1, there were 2.708 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 17.3% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 2.361 million (up 22.4%) and digital albums comprised 348,000 (down 8.8%).
There were 862,000 CD albums sold in the week ending Dec. 1 (up 18.1% week-over-week) and 1.485 vinyl albums sold (up 25%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 31.892 million (down 10.3% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 36.871 million (up 3.4%).
Overall year-to-date album sales total 87.949 million (down 8.1% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 69.265 million (down 3.3%) and digital album sales total 18.683 million (down 22.5%).
Lizzo lights up the Hot R&B Songs chart with a holiday release, “Someday at Christmas,” that debuts at No. 9 on the list dated Dec. 10. The song is a cover of a track first recorded and released by Stevie Wonder in 1966. Lizzo’s version was released exclusively through Amazon Music and Amazon’s digital music store.
“Someday at Christmas” traces its arrival on Hot R&B Songs, which measures streaming, radio airplay and sales in its rankings, almost entirely to 5.8 million official U.S. streams earned in the week ending Dec. 1, according to Luminate. Lizzo’s cover, originally released Nov. 11, has picked up steam thanks to Amazon Music’s growing promotion of holiday music on playlists. For the other two metrics, the song had negligible download sales and its airplay registered 312,000 in audience listenership.
The holiday release gives Lizzo her fourth top 10 on the Hot R&B Songs chart. She earned her first visit to the upper tier with “Juice,” which peaked at No. 5 in 2019, and followed with the 10-week No. 1 “Good as Hell” in 2019-20 and the 13-week champ “About Damn Time” this May – September.
Elsewhere, “Someday at Christmas” opens at No. 28 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and at No. 96 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, and makes its first appearances on Billboard’s slate of holiday charts, with a No. 46 arrival on the Holiday Streaming Songs list and a No. 54 entrance on the Holiday 100. The track also generates a bit of radio airplay, starting at No. 27 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
The new rendition may also have fueled a slight bump in interest for Wonder’s original. The legend’s 1966 recording pulled 3.7 million official U.S. streams in the tracking week, up 55%, and sold 1,000 downloads in the same period. The song, though, was only Wonder’s third most popular holiday track this week, and again, features a newer artist covering his classic material. John Legend’s reworked take on Wonder’s “What Christmas Means to Me,” which features Wonder and was released in 2018, earned 5.07 million official U.S. streams, while Wonder’s 1967 original generated 5.01 million clicks.
Manuel Turizo rebounds to No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart (dated Dec. 3) after ranking at No. 2 for one week. The song adds a 12th week atop the tally, tying with Maluma and The Weeknd’s “Hawai” and Pedro Capo and Farruko’s “Calma (Alicia remix)” for the fourth-most among all titles since the chart launched in 2018.
Rosalía’s “Despechá” returns to its No. 2 high for a 23rd week. Meanwhile, as “La Bachata” tops this week’s ranking, it sends Bizarrap and Duki’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 50” to No. 4 after one week in command. Bizarrap also rises to No. 3 through another of his music sessions: “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” with Quevedo. Plus, La Joaqui, Gusty DJ Salsatkbron’s “Dos Besitos” holds steady at No. 5.
Elsewhere, Quevedo’s “Punto G” scores the Greatest Gainer honors of the week as it climbs 47 rankings, 78-31. Plus, the Hot Shot debut goes to Karol G & Ovy On The Drums’s “Cairo” at No. 57
Further, four other titles debut this week, starting with Paulo Londra and Lit Killah’s “Necio” at No. 59, Nathy Peluso’s “Estás Buenísimo” opens at No. 73, Nicki Nicole’s “Frio” bows at No. 80, while La Joaqui and Omar Varela’s “Mañosa” arrives at No. 92.
Daft Punk debuts on Billboard‘s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart (dated Dec. 10) with Homework: Remixes at No. 17. The limited edition two-LP Record Store Day release earned 2,000 equivalent album units, with nearly all from physical sales, Nov. 25 (its release day) through Dec. 1, according to Luminate.
The set supports the 25th anniversary of the original Homework album, which spent 18 weeks on the Billboard 200 in 1997-98 (peaking at No. 150); it predated the June 2001 inception of the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
Homework: Remixes contains original remixes of Homework hits “Around the World,” by Masters at Work and Todd Terry; “Burnin’,” by DJ Sneak and Ian Pooley; and “Revolution 909,” by Roger Sanchez and Junior Sanchez, among others.
Homework: Remixes is Daft Punk’s 11th charted title on Top Dance/Electronic Albums. The act’s six No. 1s are tied with The Chainsmokers’ total for the second-most of all acts – and the most among duos or groups. Only Lady Gaga and Louie DeVito have more (seven each).
Daft Punk also improves on the latest list with Random Access Memories (9-7, up 15%) and Discovery (23-16, up 3%). Random, the act’s longest-running title with 369 chart weeks and counting, reaped 21 weeks at No. 1 in 2013-14. Discovery, released just prior to the chart’s start in 2001, hit No. 4 that year and made it to No. 1 at last, following the announcement of the act’s dissolution, in 2021.
‘All’ in Top 10
Shifting to the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, Alok, Sigala and Ellie Goulding lift into the top 10 with “All by Myself” (15-10). Alok’s third top 10, Sigala’s sixth and Goulding’s 10th, the song is scoring core-dance airplay on Music Choice’s Dance/EDM channel, iHeartRadio’s Evolution and Channel Q, among others. (The Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart measures radio airplay on a select group of full-time dance stations, along with plays during mix shows on around 70 top 40-formatted reporters.)
On the multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, “Myself,” which samples Depeche Mode’s 1990 smash “Enjoy the Silence,” motors to a new peak (33-26). The track earned earning 629,000 U.S. streams, up 38%, in the wake of the Nov. 25 release of its club mix.
More ‘Good’ News
Speaking of Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, David Guetta and Bebe Rexha reign for an 11th week with “I’m Good (Blue).” The total ties Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” for the second-most weeks at No. 1 in 2022; Elton John and Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” spent 22 of its total 36 frames at No. 1 this year, after first reigning in October 2021.
“Good,” which earns top Airplay Gainer honors with 62.9 million all-format radio airplay audience impressions (up 8%), also matches Guetta and Rexha’s longest commands on the chart, as his “Hey Mama,” featuring Rexha, Nicki Minaj and Afrojack, dominated for 11 weeks in 2015.
“Good” leads the Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs and Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales charts for a 12th week each, with 10.1 million streams and sold 5,000 downloads sold in the tracking week.
Jazmine Sullivan achieves her second No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart as “Hurt Me So Good” tops the list dated Dec. 10. The new champ advances from the runner-up slot after a 13% jump in weekly plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the week ending Dec. 4, according to Luminate.
The new champ strengthens Sullivan’s status as a leading act at the adult R&B format. Though the singer-songwriter posted four top 10 hits on the format from 2008 through 2015, she only claimed her first No. 1 last year, with “Pick Up Your Feelings,” which ruled the list for two weeks. Despite the relatively brief reign, the track proved a longstanding hit with audiences – it logged 44 weeks in the top 10 and finished 2021 as the No. 2 song on the year-end Adult R&B Airplay recap. In addition to unlocking the keys to the Adult R&B Airplay summit for Sullivan, the single and its parent EP, Heaux Tales, won the performer her first Grammy award in February.
“Hurt” appears on the extended version of the EP, entitled Heaux Tales: Mo’ Tales: The Deluxe, which was released in February.
Like its chart-topping predecessor, “Hurt” has established a long-term relationship with listeners. “Hurt” hits No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay in its 28th week on the list, becoming one of nine tracks to require at least that much time to complete a chart-topping run on the radio ranking in the 10 years. Here’s the crew it joins:
Most Weeks to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay in the Last 10 Years41, “I Want You Around,” Snoh Aalegra, Reached No. 1 on March 14, 202032, “Permission,” Ro James, Sept. 10, 201631, “For the Rest of My Life,” Robin Thicke, Jan. 11, 201429, “Keep You in Mind,” Guordan Banks, June 11, 201629, “She…,” Stokley, April 25, 202028, “Call My Name,” Avery*Sunshine, Dec. 27, 201428, “U Say,” The Bonfyre featuring 6lack, Feb. 8, 202028, “So Done,” Alicia Keys featuring Khalid, March 13, 202128, “Hurt Me So Good,” Jazmine Sullivan, Dec. 10, 2022
Elsewhere, “Hurt” ascends 18-13 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks songs through audience listenership on both adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations. There, the single adds 13% more audience in the week to reach 7.6 million in the week ending Dec. 4.
Radio gains, in turn, help the song’s standing on the Hot R&B Songs chart, which combines radio airplay with streaming and sales for its calculations. On that list, “Hurt” pushes 23-19 in its second chart week.