Chart Watch

  • Photo by Frank Hoensch/Getty ImagesRobin Gibb died in a London hospital today after a battle with colon and liver cancer. He was 62. Robin's series of health crises began in August 2010 when he underwent emergency surgery to treat a blocked intestine. The same hereditary condition led to Robin's twin brother Maurice Gibb's death in January 2003 at age 53.

    Gibb's family released a statement today, saying: "The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery. The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time."

    [Related: 2012 Billboard Music Awards Photo Gallery]

    Gibb's death puts a spotlight on Bee Gees, one of the most successful groups in pop music history. The brother trio, which also included oldest brother Barry Gibb and Robin's twin Maurice, amassed nine #1 hits on Billboard's Hot 100, a total matched by only two other groups or duos. The Beatles lead with 20. The Supremes had 12.

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  • I'm sure that Jimmy Iovine tried to be fair and even-handed in selecting songs for the top three contestants on American Idol, but his choice for Joshua Ledet, the Mary J. Blige hit "No More Drama," put Ledet at a disadvantage. It's not that "No More Drama" isn't a great song. It's that it's not as well-known to a broad TV audience as the songs that Iovine chose for the other two contestants.

    "I'll Be There," which Iovine selected for Jessica Sanchez, has been a #1 hit twice, for the Jackson 5 in 1970 and Mariah Carey in 1992. "We've Got Tonite," which he chose for Phillip Phillips, has been a top 15 hit twice, for Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band in 1979 (#13) and for Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton in 1983 (#6). (That duet recording was also a #1 country hit.) By contrast, "No More Drama" has been a hit just once, for Blige in 2002. (It reached #15.) "No More Drama" is a signature song for Blige, but these other songs, by virtue of the covers they've received, are contemporary standards. If there was a modern-day "Great American Songbook," they'd be in it.

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  • Donna Summer was universally hailed as "the Queen of Disco," but the title didn't really do her justice. Summer had a big, powerful voice that would have served her well in any era. Such Summer hits as "Heaven Knows" and "On The Radio" were really just great pop records with a dance beat. But because of her strong association with disco, when the disco bubble burst in the early 1980s, Summer's career also suffered.

    But while she was hot, she was on fire. Summer had eight consecutive top 10 hits, from "Last Dance" in July 1978 to "On The Radio" in February 1980. All eight were certified gold by the Recording Industry Assn. of America. "Last Dance," which Summer sang in the 1978 movie Thank God It's Friday, won an Oscar as Best Song.

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  • Train's "Drive By" inches up from #11 to #10 in its 18th week on the Hot 100. It's the slowest-rising top 10 hit since Lupe Fiasco's "The Show Must Go On" cracked the top 10 in its 21st week in May 2011. This is Train's third top 10 hit. All three songs have taken their sweet time to get there. "Drops Of Jupiter (Tell Me)" took 14 weeks to crack the top 10 in June 2001. "Hey, Soul Sister" took 16 weeks to break through in January 2010. "Drops Of Jupiter" wound up peaking at #5. "Hey, Soul Sister" reached #3. Both songs won Grammys. "Drops Of Jupiter" was voted Best Rock Song of 2001. "Hey, Soul Sister" won for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for 2010.

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  • Adele's 21 this week becomes the 24th studio album to sell 9 million copies since 1991, when Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales for Billboard. Studio follow-ups to the first 23 have achieved varying degrees of success. On the high end, Backstreet Boys' 1999 album Millennium has sold 120% as many copies as its predecessor, Backstreet Boys. On the low end, Usher's 2008 album Here I Stand has sold just 13% as many copies as its predecessor, Confessions.

    I took a look at the studio follow-ups to the 23 studio albums that have sold 9 million or more copies since 1991. I focused on how well they sold relative to the sales of their predecessors. I then assigned each a letter grade.

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  • Adele's 21 tops the 9 million mark in U.S. sales this week. It's the first album to hit the 9 million plateau since Usher's Confessions hit the mark the week ending July 24, 2005. Remarkably, 21 reached the 9 million plateau faster than Confessions did, even though overall sales were much more brisk in 2004-2005. 21 has been out for 64 weeks. Confessions took 70 weeks to reach the magic number.

    21 is the 29th album to sell 9 million copies since 1991, when Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales for Billboard. It's the 24th regular studio album to reach this level. Studio follow-ups to the first 23 have achieved varying degrees of success.

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  • It's too early to know if Jermaine Paul, the newly-crowned winner of Season 2 of The Voice, is going to become a recording star, but the show has done wonders for the careers of all four of its judges, especially Adam Levine. "Payphone" by Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa holds at #3 for the third week in its third week on the Hot 100. Even "Moves Like Jagger," Maroon 5's 2011 smash with Christina Aguilera, didn't hold up this well in its early outings. The song debuted at #8, but then dropped to #23 in its second week and #62 in its third. (That was its low point; it reached #1 in its 10thweek and stayed there for four weeks.)

    "Payphone" tops the 1 million mark in sales this week. It's Maroon 5's fastest climb to "gold" status. 2007's "Makes Me Wonder" took seven weeks to sell 1 million copies. "Jagger" took nine.

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  • Carrie Underwood this week becomes the first American Idol alumnus to land three #1 albums on The Billboard 200. Kelly Clarkson and Chris Daughtry's band Daughtry have each had two. Underwood scores with her fourth album, Blown Away, which follows 2007's Carnival Ride and 2009's Play On.

    Clarkson was the first Idol alum to land a #1 album and also the first to land two. But she missed out on the chance to become the first to log three when her current album, Stronger, debuted and peaked at #2 in October. (Chris Daughtry likewise missed out on the chance to become first Idol alum to land three #1 albums when his band's Break The Spell debuted and peaked at #8 in November.)

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  • "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye featuring Kimbra this week becomes the first song in digital history to top 400K in weekly sales three times. The song sold 414K copies this week, down from 463K last week and 542K two weeks ago. It surpasses three songs that sold 400K copies twice: Flo Rida's "Right Round," Bruno Mars' "Grenade" and Lady Gaga's "Born This Way."

    "Somebody…," which tops the Hot 100 for the third straight week, is the least overtly commercial of these four hits. It's a quirky alternative song, while the other three are mainstream hip-hop or pop. Also, Flo Rida, Mars and Gaga had all topped the Hot 100 with previous hits. By contrast, this is the breakthrough hit for both Gotye, a 31-year old musician who was born in Belgium, and Kimbra, a 22 year old singer from New Zealand.

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  • Jack White's first solo album, Blunderbuss, debuts at #1 this week in both the U.S. and the U.K.  This marks the fourth time that the first solo album by a prominent member of a group or duo has reached #1 in both countries. Blunderbuss follows George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, George Michael's Faith and Beyonce's Dangerously In Love. All three of those artists had had "transatlantic #1" albums with their famous groups (the Beatles, Wham! and Destiny's Child, respectively) prior to their solo debuts. White nearly did too, but the White Stripes' 2007 album Icky Thump, which hit #1 in the U.K., peaked at #2 in the U.S.

    Blunderbuss is White's eighth top 10 album on The Billboard 200, following three albums with the White Stripes, two with the Raconteurs and two with the Dead Weather. The White Stripes first cracked the chart in March 2002 with White Blood Cells. The Stripes' last three albums won Grammys as Best Alternative Music Album (which puts the band in a tie with Radiohead for the most wins in the category's 22-year history). White has amassed nine Grammy Awards in all.

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News for You

  • Mom: RI theater threw out disabled girl over noise

    NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) — A woman says she and her 5-year-old developmentally disabled daughter were thrown out of a theater during a "Beauty and the Beast" performance because the girl was making giggling and humming noises she makes when she's happy.

  • Deen says she used slur but doesn't tolerate hate

    SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Celebrity cook Paula Deen said while being questioned in a discrimination lawsuit that she has used racial slurs in the past but insisted she and her family do not tolerate prejudice.

  • Palace sheds some light on Kate's baby plans

    LONDON (AP) — With Prince William and the former Kate Middleton expecting their first child in mid-July — and much of the world interested in the birth of a future monarch — the royals' office has released some of the couple's plans, although many details are still being kept private. Kate has made several public appearances recently but is expected to keep a low profile in the final weeks of her pregnancy. Here is the latest news about the infant who will, upon entering the world, be third in line for the British throne.

  • Cher credits luck for her lengthy career

    UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. (AP) — Cher is no stranger to tabloid fodder.

  • 'The Voice' Winner: Who Did the Experts Choose?

    By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - NBC's "The Voice" will crown another winner on Tuesday night's finale. Season 4's three finalists - Daniellle Bradbury, Michelle Shamuel and The Swon Brothers - battled it out for the title on Monday's performance finale episode. Before the performances, coaches Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Shakira and Usher performed The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends." The Top 16 then got together for the second group performance of the night on Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros' "Home. ...

  • Bieber behind wheel as car hits man in Hollywood

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Video shows Justin Bieber running into a photographer with his white Ferrari in Hollywood, but police say there was no crime and the injuries aren't life-threatening.

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