AND THE BRITNEY SONG IS ON: (To paraphrase Yoji "Pop" Asano, whose take on Miley Cyrus' "Party in the U.S.A." proved one of the many highlights of last night's "American Idol" 10th season premiere).

Britney Spears expands the elite group of chart-topping debuts in the Billboard Hot 100's 52-year history to 18, as "Hold It Against Me," the lead single from her forthcoming seventh studio album, rockets in at No. 1.

Hold It Against Me by Rate New Music

With Spears having previously launched at the summit with "3," she joins Mariah Carey as the only artists to begin at the Hot 100's apex with more than one song. Carey made such grand entrances with "Fantasy" and "One Sweet Day" in 1995 and "Honey" in 1997.

Britney Spears' 'Hold It Against Me' Soars Onto Pop Songs Chart

Here is an updated recap of the 18 titles to arrive in the chart's coveted top spot:

Debut Date, Title, Artist
Sept. 2, 1995, "You Are Not Alone," Michael Jackson
Sept. 30, 1995, "Fantasy," Mariah Carey
Nov. 25, 1995, "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)," Whitney Houston
Dec. 2, 1995, "One Sweet Day," Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men
June 14, 1997, "I'll Be Missing You," Puff Daddy & Faith Evans feat. 112
Sept. 13, 1997, "Honey," Mariah Carey
Oct. 11, 1997, "Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight," Elton John
Feb. 28, 1998, "My Heart Will Go On," Celine Dion
Sept. 5, 1998, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," Aerosmith
Nov. 14, 1998, "Doo Wop (That Thing)," Lauryn Hill
June 28, 2003, "This Is the Night," Clay Aiken
July 10, 2004, "Believe," Fantasia
July 2, 2005, "Inside Your Heaven," Carrie Underwood
July 1, 2006, "Do I Make You Proud," Taylor Hicks
Oct. 24, 2009, "3," Britney Spears
May 22, 2010, "Not Afraid," Eminem
Nov. 13, 2010, "We R Who We R," Ke$ha
Jan. 29, 2011, "Hold It Against Me," Britney Spears

Chart Beat: Britney Spears' Lead Singles, Track-By-Track

Fueled by a No. 1 start for "Hold It Against Me" on Digital Songs, Spears has now charged onto the sales survey at No. 1 with the first singles from each of her last four albums, following "Gimme More" (from "Blackout," 2007), "Womanizer," ("Circus," 2008) and "3" ("The Singles Collection").


'HOLD' UP: Upon its Hot 100 coronation, "Hold It Against Me" becomes the sixth No. 1 with the word "hold" in its title.

The song follows the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (1964), Simply Red's "Holding Back the Years" (1986), Richard Marx's "Hold On to the Nights" (1988), Wilson Phillips' "Hold On" and Puff Daddy's "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down," featuring Mase (1997).


WE'RE NO. 1!: Two of the producers of "Hold It Against Me" are familiar names. Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald and Martin Karl "Max Martin" Sandberg score their ninth and eighth Hot 100 No. 1s as producers, respectively.

The song's other producer, Mathieu Jomphe, is a newcomer to the Hot 100 summit, although his professional name has appeared atop the chart since its inception.

Jomphe's studio moniker? Billboard.

While Billboard enjoys his first Billboard No. 1, the Montreal native's resume includes production credits on tracks by Ke$sha and Robyn.

Martin, meanwhile, co-produced the Hot 100's second highest debut this week, Avril Lavigne's "What the Hell," which soars in at No. 13, as well as the chart's Greatest Gainer/Digital and Airplay, P!nk's "F**in' Perfect" (57-30).