Ask Billboard is updated every Friday. As always, submit your questions about Billboard charts, sales and airplay, as well as general music musings, to askbb@billboard.com. Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the U.S.


PLENTY IN TWENTY

Hi Gary,

Celine Dion first entered the Billboard Hot 100 Dec. 8, 1990, with "Where Does My Heart Beat Now."

As she celebrates the 20th anniversary of her first Hot 100 hit, could you please provide a summary of her achievements on Billboard charts and list the sales of her top-selling albums?

Thanks,
 
Chris Gorecki
Warsaw, Poland


Hi Chris,

Two decades have, in fact, passed since Dion first graced the Hot 100. "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" entered at No. 80 20 years ago this week. The ballad peaked at No. 4 on the March 2, 1991, chart.

Dion had actually first charted on the Adult Contemporary survey the week of Oct. 27, 1990, when her debut U.S. single bowed at No. 41. Since that time, Dion has dominated the AC chart.

Her 39 AC hits since her arrival are the most among all artists, as are her 21 top 10s and 11 No. 1s.

On the Hot 100, Dion has collected 21 entries, 10 of which reached the top 10. Four of her entries rose to No. 1:

"The Power of Love"
1994, four weeks at No. 1

"Because You Loved Me"
1996, six weeks

"My Heart Will Go On"
1998, two weeks

"I'm Your Angel" (R. Kelly & Celine Dion)
1996, six weeks

Dion has tallied 11 top 10s on the Billboard 200, beginning with "The Colour of My Love" (No. 4) in 1994. Four of her albums have reached No. 1: "Falling Into You" (1996, three weeks), "Let's Talk About Love" (1998, one week), "All the Way...A Decade of Song" (1999, three weeks) and "A New Day Has Come" (2002, one week).

Dion's total U.S. album sales stand at 51.1 million, the fifth-best sum since SoundScan launched in 1991. She trails only Garth Brooks (68.5 million), the Beatles (61.7), Mariah Carey (52.9) and Metallica (52.6).

Here is a look at Dion's 10 best-selling sets, per SoundScan:

10,785,000, "Falling Into You"
9,465,000, "Let's Talk About Love"
7,934,000, "All the Way...A Decade of Song"
5,151,000, "These Are Special Times"
4,502,000, "The Colour of My Love"
3,307,000, "A New Day Has Come"
2,373,000, "Celine Dion"
1,792,000, "One Heart"
1,227,000, "Unison"
1,065,000, "Taking Chances"

The thrill of any chart achievements, however, pale in comparison to Dion's deeper joy this holiday season, the first that she, husband Rene Angelil and nine-year-old son Rene-Charles will celebrate with six-week-old fraternal twins Nelson and Eddy.

"The love and what I feel inside - I don't know how to put it into words," says Dion.

"It's bigger than life itself."



LATEST GREATEST HITS

Hey Gary,

First off I want to thank you for answering all these questions every week!

Here's mine: With P!nk having topped the Hot 100 last week with "Raise Your Glass," from her "Greatest Hits... So Far!!!" retrospective, have many other artists scored No. 1s from best-of albums?

Thanks so much!

Eric Milligan


Hi Eric,

Thanks. "Raise Your Glass" is the first Hot 100 No. 1 from a greatest hits set since Britney Spears sent "3" from "The Singles Collection" to the top the week of Oct. 24, 2009.

Only two other songs in the past 20 years prior to "3" were released alongside best-of albums:

"You Are Not Alone," Michael Jackson
Sept 2, 1995, from "HIStory: Past, Present and Future Book 1"

"Justify My Love," Madonna
Jan. 5, 1991, from "The Immaculate Collection"

Adding a new song to a greatest hits set is a strategic move, offering added incentive for consumers to purchase a collection of songs of which they may already own a majority; especially in the digital era, when the validity of albums continues to be debated, as shoppers can pick and choose the individual cuts they want like never before.