RING IN THE NEW: Mario has a lot of reasons to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. Not only does he have his first No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100, but he has tied the record for the earliest-arriving chart-topping title in the history of the chart. By moving into pole position on the chart dated Jan. 1, Mario is assured that others may also tie the record but no one will ever arrive earlier.
Mario’s “Let Me Love You” (3rd Street/J) assumes the lead in its 11th chart week, dropping “Drop It Like It’s Hot” (Doggystyle/Geffen) by Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell to No. 2. It’s been 39 years since a song has advanced to No. 1 on a chart dated Jan. 1. The only other title to do so in the history of the Hot 100 was Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sounds of Silence” in 1966. Since the Hot 100 was initiated in 1958, a total of 11 songs have marched into the lead position in the first week of a calendar year. They are:
Jan. 1, 1966: “The Sounds of Silence,” Simon and Garfunkel
Jan. 1, 2005: “Let Me Love You,” Mario
Jan. 3, 1970: “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” B.J. Thomas
Jan. 3, 1976: “Saturday Night,” Bay City Rollers
Jan. 4, 1960: “El Paso,” Marty Robbins
Jan. 4, 1964: “There! I’ve Said It Again,” Bobby Vinton
Jan. 4, 1975: “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” Elton John
Jan. 5, 1980: “Please Don’t Go,” KC & the Sunshine Band
Jan. 5, 1991: “Justify My Love,” Madonna
Jan. 6, 1973: “You’re So Vain,” Carly Simon
Jan. 6, 1979: “Too Much Heaven,” Bee Gees
No song has ever moved to No. 1 on a chart dated Jan. 2 or 7.
“Let Me Love You” is the third No. 1 for Clive Davis’ J Records. The first two were Alicia Keys’ “Fallin'” in August 2001 and Fantasia’s “I Believe” in July 2004. That makes 18-year-old Mario the first male singer to have a No. 1 hit on J.
In addition, “Let Me Love You” moves to No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks, where it is also Mario’s first chart-topper. His previous best was the No. 4 peak of “Just a Friend 2002” in August 2002.
‘DREAMS’ CAN COME TRUE: While Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” continues at No. 1 on Modern Rock Tracks for a fourth week, the track also climbs to the top of the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. “Boulevard” is Green Day’s seventh chart-topper on the Modern tally, but its very first on the Mainstream list.
Until this week, the band’s highest-charting Mainstream title was “When I Come Around,” which peaked at No. 2 in March 1995. In second place was the predecessor to “Boulevard,” “American Idiot,” which went to No. 5 in October 2004.
‘BE’ IN: Eight months after it debuted on the Adult Top 40 chart, Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want To Be” (J) finally breaks into the top 10 on the Hot 100. “Be” achieved top 10 status on the Adult Top 40 list in August 2004, when it moved up two spots to its peak position of No. 9.
“I Don’t Want To Be” debuted on the Hot 100 the week of Oct. 23, 2004, its penultimate frame on Adult Top 40. This week, “Be” moves up two notches to land at No. 10 on the Hot 100.
‘SOLDIER’ ADVANCES: A 7-4 move on the Hot 100 plants “Solider” (Columbia) by Destiny’s Child featuring T.I. and Lil Wayne in the top five of the Hot 100. Of the group’s 12 songs to chart, nine have achieved top five status, and 10 have reached the top 10.
Destiny’s Child has had four No. 1 hits (“Bills, Bills, Bills,” “Say My Name,” “Independent Women Part I” and “Bootylicious), one No. 2 hit (“Survivor”) and three No. 3 hits (“No, No, No,” “Jumpin’, Jumpin” and “Lose My Breath”).” If “Soldier” goes no further, it will be the trio’s first song to peak at No. 4.
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