Week Ending July 22, 2012. Songs: Call Me, Already!

Carly Rae Jepsen's

"Call Me Maybe" tops the Hot 100 for the seventh straight week. That's the longest run by a female solo artist since Adele's "Rolling In The Deep" had seven weeks on top from May to July 2011. It's the longest run at #1 by a Canadian artist since Snow's reggae-shaded "Informer" had seven weeks on top in 1993.

Since 1955, just two other songs by Canadian artists have logged seven or more weeks at #1. Percy Faith's shimmering instrumental "The Theme From 'A Summer Place'" topped the chart for nine weeks in 1960. Bryan Adams' rock-shaded ballad "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" had seven weeks on top in 1991. Both of these songs originated in movies. A Summer Place was a Troy Donahue/Sandra Dee flick. "Everything I Do" was from the Kevin Costner movie Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.

"Call Me Maybe" holds on to the top spot even though it is no longer #1 on any of the component charts on which the Hot 100 is based. The song dips from #1 to #2 on On-Demand Songs, from #2 to #3 on Hot 100 Airplay and from #2 to #4 on Hot Digital Songs. (The song falls below 200K in weekly sales for the first time since the week ending April 1.) So why is it still #1? Its total point tally still exceeds any other song's.

The last five songs to spend seven or more weeks at #1 were all by (or at least featured) an act who was born outside the U.S. "Call Me Maybe" was preceded by "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye (born in Belgium) featuring Kimbra (from New Zealand); "We Found Love" by Rihanna (from Barbados) featuring Calvin Harris (from Scotland); "Rolling In The Deep" by Adele (from England) and "Love The Way You Lie" by Eminem (an American!) featuring Rihanna (from Barbados).

"Call Me Maybe" is the third #1 song in succession to log six or more weeks on top. It follows "We Are Young" by fun. featuring Janelle Monae, which had six weeks on top, and "Somebody That I Used To Know," which had eight. This marks the first time that three consecutive #1 hits have each had six or more weeks on top since 2002.

"Payphone" by Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa logs its sixth week at #2. Katy Perry's "Wide Awake" spends its second week at #3. These two songs are expected to wage a fierce contest with "Call Me Maybe" for #1 next week. I think I'll put my money on Perry, which could mean a seventh week at #2 for Maroon 5. Stay tuned.

Ellie Goulding's "Lights" jumps from #5 to #4 in its 31st week. It's remarkable for a song to still be climbing this deep into its chart run. It's also unusual for a song by an English artist to do much better in the U.S. than it did in the U.K. ("Lights" peaked at #49 on the Official U.K. Chart.) Goulding has reached the top 10 with two songs in her homeland: "Starry Eyed" and a cover of Elton John's "Your Song."

Flo Rida's

"Whistle" jumps from #7 to #6 in its 10th week. The song hits #1 on Hot Digital Songs this week. Both of Flo Rida's previous #1 digital hits, "Low" (featuring T-Pain) and "Right Round," also topped the Hot 100. This bodes well for "Whistle," which tops the 1 million mark in digital sales this week.

I have a little more good news for Flo Rida. "Wild Ones" (featuring Sia) advances to #8 on the year-to-date digital chart.

Here's the low-down on this week's top 10 songs.

The Top Five: Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" holds at #1 for the seventh week in its 22nd week on the chart. This is its 17th week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #4 (164K)…"Payphone" by Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa holds at #2 for the sixth (non-consecutive) week in its 14th week on the chart. It has been in the top three the entire time. Digital sales rank: #7 (131K)…Katy Perry's "Wide Awake" holds at #3 for the second week in its ninth week on the chart. This is its seventh week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #3 (170K)…. Ellie Goulding's "Lights" jumps from #5 to #4 (a new peak) in its 31st week on the chart. This is its fifth week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #5 (134K)…"Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye featuring Kimbra dips from #4 to #5 in its 29th week on the chart. This is its 21st week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #11 (102K).

The Second Five: Flo Rida's "Whistle" jumps from #7 to #6 (a new peak) in its 10th week. This is its second week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #1 (211K)…Rihanna's "Where Have You Been" dips from #6 to #7 in its 14th week on the chart. This is its eighth week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #18 (73K)... "Titanium" by David Guetta featuring Sia holds at #8 for the second week in its 15th week on the chart. This is its fourth week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #9 (116K)… Usher's "Scream" jumps from #10 to #9 (a new peak) in its 13th week on the chart. This is its fifth week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #19 (71K)…P!nk's "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" dips from #9 to #10 in its third week. This is its second week in the top 10. Digital sales rank: #6 (134K).

Jason Aldean's

"Take A Little Ride" debuts at #12. It's Aldean's third top 20 hit, following "Big Green Tractor" (#18 in 2009) and "Dirt Road Anthem" (#7 in 2011). Aldean is the first male country artist to land three top 20 hits on the Hot 100 since Tim McGraw, who amassed six top 20 hits from 1994 to 2007. McGraw is a two-time winner of the Country Music Assn. Award for Male Vocalist of the Year. Aldean has yet to win in that category, but it's probably just a matter of time.

This is by far Aldean's highest debut on the Hot 100. It surpasses the #54 debut for "My Kinda Party" in September 2010.

"Take A Little Ride," which is from Aldean's upcoming album, due this fall, sold 189K copies this week and ranked #2 on Hot Digital Songs. That sales tally sets a new record for a song by a male country artist in its first week. It tops Scotty McCreery's "I Love You This Big," which sold 171K in its first week in May 2011. Only one song by a male country artist has sold more than 200K in any one week. Toby Keith's "Red Solo Cup" sold 207K in its 10th week, which occurred in the first full week following Christmas (when sales traditionally swell).

"Mercy" by Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T, 2 Chainz jumps from #15 to #13 in its 16th week. The song also holds at #1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for the fourth week…Coincidentally, a different song with the same title enters the Hot 100 this week. Dave Matthews Band's "Mercy" debuts at #95. The song is from the band's eighth studio album Away From The World, which is due Sept. 11. There had already been two Hot 100 hits titled "Mercy" (by Ohio Express in 1969 and Duffy in 2008).

fun. has two songs in this week's top 15. "We Are Young" (featuring Janelle Monae) holds at #11 in its 31st week. "Some Nights" jumps from #17 to #14 in its 22nd week. Digital sales rank: #8 (119K)...Cher Lloyd's "Want U Back" dips from #16 to #17 in its sixth week. But it's not done yet: The song keeps its bullet and it remains in the top 10 on Hot Digital Songs. Digital sales rank: #10 (110K)...Calvin Harris lands his third top 20 hit in a row as "Let's Go" (featuring Ne-Yo) jumps from #22 to #20 in its 11th week. It follows Rihanna's "We Found Love," on which he was featured, and "Feel So Close"…"We Run The Night" by Havana Brown featuring Pitbull jumps from #35 to #27 in its 17th week...Dierks Bentley's "5-1-5-0" jumps from #36 to #33 in its 11th week. The song jumps to #1 on Hot Country Songs. It's Bentley's 10th #1 country hit.

No Doubt's

"Settle Down" debuts at #34. The song is from the group's sixth studio album, Push And Shove, which is due Sept. 25. This marks No Doubt's first Hot 100 appearance since its remake of Talk Talk's "It's My Life" wound up a 28-week run in 2004. That song was from a greatest hits album. Push And Shove will be the band's first studio album since Rock Steady in December 2001. No Doubt has had four top 10 hits on the Hot 100 or Hot 100 Airplay charts: "Don't Speak," "Hey Baby" (featuring Bounty Killer), "Underneath It All (featuring Lady Saw) and the aforementioned "It's My Life." If "Settle Down" also reaches the top 10, the band will equal lead singer Gwen Stefani's tally of five top 10 solo hits.

Alex Clare's

"Too Close" jumps from #45 to #35 in its 17th week…Hunter Hayes' "Wanted" jumps from #46 to #38 in its 13th week.

"As Long As You Love Me" by Justin Bieber featuring Big Sean jumps from #66 to #53 in its fifth week. The song has already climbed as high as #21. Next week, the song should get in front of Bieber's smash "Boyfriend," which drops from #27 to #42 in its 17th week….The Lumineers' "Ho Hey" jumps from #64 to #57 in its seventh week.

"Amen" by Meek Mill featuring Drake jumps from #77 to #64 in its fifth week. Sherman Hemsley, who died this week, starred in an NBC sitcom by that name which aired from 1986 to 1991. The series' first season overlapped with the last season of "The A-Team," which also aired on NBC. Why would I bring that up? There's also a song called "The A Team" on this week's chart. Ed Sheeran's song by that title drops from #95 to #98 in its second week.

Frank Ocean's "Thinkin Bout You" jumps from #85 to #72 in its second week…matchbox twenty's "She's So Mean" jumps from #79 to #74 in its fourth week.

T.I.'s

"Go Get It" debuts at #77. The song is from T.I.'s eighth studio album Trouble Man, which is due Sept. 4. "Go Get It" debuts right behind Trey Songz's "2 Reasons," on which T.I. is featured. That song jumps from #81 to #76 in its third week.

The Killers' "Runaways" debuts at #78. The song is from the band's fourth studio album Battle Born, due Sept. 18…Carrie Underwood's "Blown Away" re-enters the chart at #89. It previously reached #66. It's the title song from Underwood's recent #1 album…Train's "50 Ways To Say Goodbye" jumps from #98 to #92 in its second week.

Sean Kingston's

2009 hit "Fire Burning" tops the 3 million mark in digital sales this week. It's Kingston's best-seller to date. His 2007 smash "Beautiful Girls" has sold 2,346,000 copies. 2007's "Take You There" has sold 1,900,000.

"Take Care" by Drake featuring Rihanna tops the 2 million mark in digital sales this week. It's the second pairing by these two stars to reach this level. "What's My Name?," on which the order of billing was reversed, has sold 2,863,000 copies.

Florence + the Machine's "Spectrum" tops the Official U.K. Chart for the second straight week. It's the act's first #1 in that country. The act's highest-charting hit in the U.S. is "Dog Days Are Over," which reached #21 on the Hot 100 in October 2010.