‘ALARM’ CLOCKS IN: It’s a great way to celebrate a 25th birthday — debut at No. 1 on the album chart and No. 12 on the singles chart, with the latter being the highest debuting single of your career. I don’t think we have to do any further shopping for Beyonce, who celebrated her natal day on Sept. 4.
“B’day” (Columbia) is Beyonce’s second No. 1 album, following “Dangerously in Love,” which spent one week on top in July 2003. Add in the two chart-topping CDs by Destiny’s Child (“Survivor” in May 2001 and “#1s” in November 2005) and Beyonce has a career total of four No. 1 albums.
On The Billboard Hot 100, “Ring the Alarm” is the ninth non-Destiny’s Child single for Beyonce. Add in the 14 chart entries for Destiny’s Child and this is Beyonce’s 23rd song to appear on the survey.
What makes “Ring the Alarm” superior to all of its predecessors is its high debut. The single enters the Hot 100 at No. 12, the 15th song to bow in the top 30 this year. “Alarm” is tied with Katharine McPhee’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as the second-highest debuts of the calendar year. The only single to have a higher first week position is Taylor Hicks’ “Do I Make You Proud,” which entered at No. 1.
Before “Alarm,” Beyonce’s highest debuting song was her most recent single, “Deja Vu,” which opened at No. 44. Prior to “Deja Vu,” her best first week position was the No. 56 debut of “’03 Bonnie and Clyde” in October 2002. If you count singles by Destiny’s Child, Beyonce’s highest debut before “Alarm” was the No. 30 entry of “Lose My Breath” in September 2004.
On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where “Deja Vu” spent time in pole position, “Ring the Alarm” moves 25-14. It debuted four weeks ago at No. 61.
WHAT SHE’S DONE FOR US LATELY: Janet Jackson scores her 15th chart-topper on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as “Call On Me” (Virgin) rises 7-1. It’s the first No. 1 on this chart for Jackson in over five years, since “All for You” reigned for two weeks in April 2001. That’s the longest gap between No. 1s for Janet in her career. Her longest break until this week was the three years and nine months between “Any Time, Any Place”/”And On and On” in 1994 and “I Get Lonely” in 1998.
“Call on Me” is the fourth No. 1 for Nelly. Three of those four hits have been collaborations. Here is a summary of Janet Jackson’s chart-toppers, followed by a list of Nelly’s No. 1s.
JANET JACKSON:
“What Have You Done for Me Lately,” two weeks (1986)
“Nasty,” two weeks (1986)
“Control,” one week (1987)
“Let’s Wait Awhile,” one week (1987)
“The Pleasure Principle,” one week (1987)
“Miss You Much,” two weeks (1989)
“Rhythm Nation,” one week (1990)
“Escapade,” one week (1990)
“The Best Things in Life Are Free,” one week (1992) [Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson with BBD and Ralph Tresvant]
“That’s the Way Love Goes,” four weeks (1993)
“Any Time, Any Place” / “And On and On,” 10 weeks (1994)
“I Get Lonely,” two weeks (1998)
“What’s It Gonna Be?!” one week (1999) [Busta Rhymes featuring Janet]
“All for You,” two weeks (2001)
“Call on Me,” one week to date (2006) [Janet & Nelly]
NELLY:
“Where the Party At,” three weeks (2001) [Jagged Edge with Nelly]
“Hot in Herre,” six weeks (2002)
“Dilemma,” nine weeks (2002) [Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland]
“Call on Me,” one week to date (2006) [Janet & Nelly]
MAIDEN THE U.S.A.: If you go back to the dawn of heavy metal, you’ll find Iron Maiden on the charts in their native United Kingdom as well as the Billboard charts in America. After a quarter-century of charted albums in the United States, the band finally lands in the top 10 for the first time, as “A Matter of Life and Death” crashes onto The Billboard 200 at No. 9.
It’s the first Iron Maiden album to chart since “Dance of Death” waltzed to No. 18 exactly three years ago this week. Formerly, Iron Maiden’s highest-charting set in America was “Somewhere in Time,” which peaked at No. 11 in November 1986.
IF IT’S ‘TELL,’ IT’S SWELL: The record for the most No. 1 hits on the Modern Rock Tracks tally was already held by Red Hot Chili Peppers. The group extends its lead by earning its 10th chart-topper, “Tell Me Baby” (Warner Bros.). It is the second time in the band’s 17-year chart history that it has scored two consecutive No. 1 hits. “Tell Me Baby” is the follow-up to “Dani California,” which ruled for 14 weeks earlier this year. In 2000, the Peppers had back-to-back No. 1 hits with “Otherside” and “Californication.”
With “Tell Me Baby” spending its first week in the penthouse, the group has spent a total of 73 weeks on top of the Modern Rock survey. The longest-lasting No. 1 by the Peppers is “Scar Tissue,” which reigned for 16 weeks in 1999.
SOMETHING ‘NEW’: Steve Holy attained his first No. 1 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart in 2002 with “Good Morning Beautiful,” which remained in the top spot for five weeks.
After a wait of just over four and a half years, Holy has achieved pole position for the second time, with “Brand New Girlfriend” (Curb). But it wasn’t just the wait of four years and seven months that must have tried Holy’s patience: “Brand New Girlfriend” took 36 weeks to make the journey to No. 1. That’s the longest wait for a No. 1 song since 1990, when the chart was first compiled using airplay information from Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems.
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