Billboard requires a JavaScript enabled browser to get the full experience

'Glee' Cast Breaks Beatles' Hot 100 Record

by Gary Trust, N.Y.  |   October 06, 2010 12:50 EDT
Images
Launch Slideshow
Miranda Penn Turin/FOX
Getty Images

Artists in this Article

The Beatles
James Brown
Aretha Franklin
Journey
Elvis Presley
Ray Charles
Britney Spears
Glee

With six debuts on the Billboard Hot 100 dated Oct. 16, to be released Thursday (Oct. 7), the cast of Fox's "Glee" will pass the Beatles for most appearances among non-solo acts in the chart's 52-year history.

 

The "Glee" cast will up their sum to 75 Hot 100 chart entries, surpassing the Beatles' 71 charted titles. The series' actor/singers bow with five covers of Britney Spears songs, as well as Paramore's "The Only Exception," as performed on last week's (Sept. 28) episode.

 

The cast's update of Spears' "Toxic" will arrive as the Hot 100's highest debut (No. 16), having sold 109,000 downloads in its first week of availability, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The song will also bow on the Digital Songs survey at No. 9. Collectively, the six tracks sold 406,000 downloads.

 

'Glee,' Britney Spears Make a Sexy Pairing

 

The Beatles tallied their 71 Hot 100 titles between 1964 and 1996. With Fox and Columbia Records having released multiple songs to digital retailers following each episode of "Glee," the series' cast will have passed the Fab Four's chart output in one year, four months and two weeks.

 

'Glee': The Billboard Cover Story

 

Photos: 'Glee' On Set & Behind-the-Scenes

 


The "Glee" cast will claim the third-most appearances among all acts since the Hot 100 launched in August 1958 as the premier survey gauging songs' U.S. popularity. Only Elvis Presley (108 charted titles) and James Brown (91) rank ahead of the ensemble. The troupe will additionally pass the sums of Ray Charles (74) and Aretha Franklin (73).


The Beatles' songbook has aided the "Glee" cast's Hot 100 haul, with the latter act having peaked at No. 49 in May with a cover of the Beatles' 1967 No. 1, "Hello Goodbye." Another Beatles' remake will likely debut on the Hot 100 next week: the cast's cover of "I Want to Hold Your Hand," which premiered on last night's (Oct. 5) episode.

 

'Glee' Cast Covers the Beatles 'I Want to Hold Your Hand'


The "Glee" cast has sold 11.5 million downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Its remake of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," from the series' pilot episode, is its best-seller (992,000 downloads). The song has tallied the highest Hot 100 peak (No. 4) and spent the most weeks (seven) of any "Glee" cast charted title.

 

(Largely due to the availability of new releases accompanying each new episode, only 14 of the "Glee" cast's recordings through last week have spent more than one week on the Hot 100. Through the Oct. 16 ranking, the cast's titles have totaled 105 cumulative chart weeks. The Beatles' Hot 100 catalog amounts to a combined 617 chart weeks. The Beatles additionally boast 34 Hot 100 top 10s, compared to the "Glee" performers' one).

 

The "Glee" cast has sold 2.8 million albums, with three sets having topped the Billboard 200 album chart: "Glee: the Music, the Power of Madonna (EP)," "Glee: the Music, Volume 3: Showstoppers" and "Glee: the Music, Journey to Regionals."

 

Here is a recap of the acts with the most appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 through the chart dated Oct. 16:

 

108, Elvis Presley

91, James Brown

75, "Glee" Cast

74, Ray Charles

73, Aretha Franklin

71, the Beatles

67, Elton John

64, Lil Wayne

63, Stevie Wonder

61, Jay-Z

 

 

 

« Previous Article Next Article »

Up for Discussion

Connect with

More Features

All features

All of Billboard.com's Great Lists

Billboard chart app

Billboard archives

Thanks For Joining Billboard

Log in to create your profile, speak your mind and connect with listeners like you.

Why Join ?

Don't just hear it. Live it. Go deeper than a casual listen: Voice your feelings, build a profile around your favorite music, connect with people who share your passions and discover new ones. Sign up for free.

Complete Your Registration at Billboard.com!

Haven't Joined Yet ?

For the full Billboard experience, you need to be a member. Sign up. It's free.

Join Billboard

Forgot your password?

Enter the e-mail address you used to sign up and we will email you the password .

Email Sent !

Your password has been sent to the email address you provided. Please sign in below :

Log In

Forget your password ?

Action Successful

We'd love to hear your feedback on the new Billboard.com!

Whether it's a feature request or a bug

We want to hear from you. Please use this form to anonymously give us your input.