Miley Cyrus continues to gain ground and has been #1 on the last 4 charts (since Sept. 15) with “Midnight Sky”. She is still quite far ahead of #2 in points, a spread of 3300 points. Starting in December 2018 her collaboration with Mark Ronson “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart” spent 3 months at #1 on the BR250 so she is a similar zone with this one.
There is no question that on the BR250 Dua Lipa is the artist of 2020. While The Weeknd’s “Blinding Light” is by far the #1 song of 2020, at this point almost 9,000 points ahead of “Don’t Start Now” (the point spread would be closer if her numbers from Nov. 2019 were included). With one month to go and “Levitating” moving up to #2 it’s looking like Dua Lipa will place 5 song in the top 20 of the year (The Weeknd only 2). All 5 of her radio single releases have reached the top 2.
The UK rock duo Royal Blood now have their biggest song on the BR250, moving 8-3, even before it reaches the top 10 at Rock and Alternative. Stalwart rockers AC/DC move into the top 25 with the #2 Rock song “Shot In The Dark”, a song that does nothing to change their sound. Not that that would have been expected. At #24 it joins heritage rockers Smashing Pumpkins (“Cyr” at #21) and Deftones (“Ohms #23, down from 19) in the top 25.
As “Say Something” falls to #20 Kylie Minogue gets to the top 5 for the second time this year with “Magic”. The next preview from her upcoming 15th album “Disco” (out Nov. 6), “I Love It”, should move into the BR250 on the next chart, already on 5 charts. Three more dance leaning songs enter the top 25 this week, the return of New Order moves 35-19, Lady Gaga’s “911” is up 29-22 and another Kygo re-working of a past hit, Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff”, jumps 36-25.
The highest move into the top 100 belongs to Romy’s “Lifetime” (144-34). I knew the voice when I heard it but I couldn’t place it. Of course, she is Romy Madley Croft from the Alt band The XX. I’ve never been a fan of their lo-fi approach, but this song has some life to it and could get her into my top 100. Another band under that Dream Pop umbrella is this week’s highest debut in the BR250 at #87. London Grammar’s atmospheric string-laden song and title track from their upcoming third album “Californian Soil” gives the band 2 songs on the list this week. “Baby It’s You” moves up 2 to #12.
Learn more about an era of music and the connections behind the songs. Interwoven with personal anecdotes, commentary and artist history. A unique way to tap into music nostalgia and discovery.
See my October 7, 2000 chart here
The playlists on the left features the songs discussed in this section, the one on the right features all the songs on the chart for this week as well.
My Personal Chart Blog, October 7, 2000
Part 3, Country Comes To Town and Out (Not Without Controversy), the Ladies and Gents of Country-Pop Crossover, Earl Says Goodbye, and an Urban Assault Begins
BILLY RAY CYRUS/You Won’t Be Lonely Now (3)
After the crazy success of “Achy Breaky Heart”, his debut single, Cyrus has had an up and down history on the charts. That song was also a Pop hit, reaching #4 on the Hot 100 and was 1992’s best-selling single In Australia. His debut album “Some Gave All” became the best-selling debut album by a male artist in history. Over the last 3 decades, he has reached the Country top 10 with only 7 of his 53 single releases. Yet last year he surfaced again on Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” which holds the record for most weeks atop the Hot 100 (19 weeks). There was racial controversy over that song as it entered the Country chart but then was removed (deemed not Country enough) until the remix, with Cyrus added, was released.
“You Won’t Be Lonely Now” is by far my favorite song from Cyrus, almost a surprise that it spent 3 weeks on top of my chart in the fall of 2000. A passionate love song, it should not be a surprise that I gravitated to this song as it was co-written by John Bettis, a frequent writer of Carpenters songs (“Yesterday Once More”, “Only Yesterday”) and a host of other Pop and Country artists (I mentioned him in one of the 1970 blog posts earlier this year). His co-writer was Brett James, a Country artist responsible for Carrie Underwood’s song “Jesus Take The Wheel” that won Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards in 2007. He also co-wrote at least 2 #1 songs on my chart, “With Me” by Lonestar from 2001, one of only a handful of Country songs my husband John likes, and the Backstreet Boys 2007 song “Helpless When She Smiles”. Troy Verges was a frequent co-writer with Brett James (including on both of these songs) and he has more recently co-written a number of songs with my current favorite female singer, Caitlyn Smith. She’s enjoyed 6 multiple-week #1’s on my personal chart since 2018 including that year’s #2 of the year on my chart “Contact High”. Her current single with Country chart darlings Old Dominion, “I Can’t”, is starting to move up my chart and getting some Country radio play as well.
Lonestar’s 1999 song “Amazed” is one of two Country songs to hit #1 on the Hot 100 in the 2000s (the other Carrie Underwood’s “Inside Your Heaven”). It also was #1 on the Country chart for 8 weeks and 7 weeks on my personal chart in 2 separate runs (4 weeks in ’99 and 3 in 2000 when the Pop remix came out). When John and I got married in 2004 (the year gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts) our friend Chris sang “Amazed” at our wedding. The band had just fallen off my chart on Sept. 30 with “What About Now”, another Country #1. Producer Dann Huff, whom I have also mentioned in blog posts before, connects Lonestar to ‘Lonely’. He was part of the late ‘80s early ‘90s rock band Giant who scored 3 top 10 songs on my chart including “I’m A Believer”. He also produced the title track from Cyrus’ album “Southern Rain” that reached #8 on my chart following ‘Lonely’. Another song I charted from that album, “Without You”, Cyrus co-wrote with one of my favorite ‘90s artists, Jude Cole (discussed on the 1990 blog posts). Billy Ray Cyrus was part of a rock band himself in 2010 called Brother Clyde. It started out as a collaboration between Cyrus, John Waite (“Missing You”) and 2 Country artists: Jeffrey Steele and Phil Vassar. By the time the album came out those 3 were gone (even though they originally invited Cyrus into the band) and were replaced by former members of Hole and Snot. It was a one-album endeavor. The song “Lie To Me” had a bit of a grunge feel.
Jeffrey Steele (who co-wrote the #1 songs “What Hurts The Most” by Rascal Flatts and Steve Holy’s “Brand New Girlfriend”, a #8 on my personal chart) was the lead singer of the ‘90s group Boy Howdy. That California band had 2 top 5 Country singles, “She’d Give Anything” (a song I do remember) and “They Don’t Make Them Like That Anymore” in ’93 and ’94. Since my charts from 91-97 are basically lost I’m sure ‘Anything’ charted but I don’t know how well. I’ll be re-creating those charts as we progress through these blog entries. Steele also wrote a song from the “Southern Rain” album, “All I’m Thinking About Is You”.