BREAKING AWAY: As big a hit as “Breakaway” was for Kelly Clarkson, the follow-up has proven to be an even bigger smash. In its 15th chart week, “Since U Been Gone” (RCA) moves up to No. 5 on the Hot 100. That tops the No. 6 peak of “Breakaway,” the song Clarkson sang for the soundtrack to “The Princess Diaries 2.” “Since U Been Gone” is Clarkson’s highest-charting single since she made her chart debut with “A Moment Like This,” which peaked at No. 1.
NO TAKING BACK ‘SUNDAY’: When Kenny Rogers went to No. 1 on Hot Country Singles & Tracks the week of May 13, 2000 with “Buy Me a Rose” (Dreamcatcher), it was the last independently-distributed single to reach No. 1, until this week. Craig Morgan’s “That’s What I Love About Sunday,” which rises 2-1, appears on the independent Broken Bow label.
OH! CAROL: Carole King and Neil Sedaka, friends since they grew up in Brooklyn, seem set to have back-to-back No. 1 singles in the United Kingdom. This week, McFly’s version of King’s “You’ve Got a Friend,” is half of a double-sided No. 1 on the British singles chart. The most likely replacement is Tony Christie’s remake of his own 1971 hit “Is This the Way to Amarillo,” written by Sedaka. Both singles are released to benefit Comic Relief.
AND THERE’S MORE: The “Chart Beat” column in this week’s print edition (issue date March 26) of Billboard covers the return of Stevie Wonder to Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks; Green Day becoming the first act to have two top five hits at once on the Modern Rock Tracks list; Celine Dion having the most AC entries of this decade as well as the last; Kelly Clarkson’s adjacent hits on the Adult Top 40 chart; the return of Garbage to the Hot 100; and 50 Cent placing four songs in the top 10 of the R&B tally.
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