Britney Spears' 'Circus' vaults to No. 1

Britney Spears' "Circus" takes the singer back to the top of the national sales chart after selling 505,000 copies during its first week of release. Billboard notes that it makes her the first act with four albums to sell 500,000 or more copies out of the gate.

She had been tied at three with Jay-Z, Garth Brooks, 2Pac and 50 Cent. It is her fifth No. 1 album.

Her biggest first-week figure came in 2000, at the height of the teen pop craze, when “Oops! I Did It Again” rang up 1.3 million sales in a single week.

“Circus” was one of only two new albums to land inside this week's Top 10. Akon's "Freedom" entered at No. 7 after selling 111,000 copies. And Guns N' Roses years-in-the-making "Chinese Democracy" tumbled from No. 3 to No. 18 in its second week on the chart after a 78% sales drop, the largest dip for any Top 50 album last week.

Other new chart entries include Scarface’s “Emeritus,” which enters at No. 24 on sales of 42,000, and Neil Young’s “Sugar Mountain — Live at Canterbury House 1968,” starting out at No. 40 with 26,000 copies.

Update: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that "Circus" was the only new album to debut inside the Top 20 this week.

-- Randy Lewis

Related: Album review: Britney Spears' 'Circus'

Related: Britney Spears' comeback: A snap judgment

Related: Britney Spears: Life in pictures

(Photo courtesy AP)

Comments

[Ashley Bannister]

YAY Britney!!!

[Former Fan]

Boring. Move aside Britney. Time for new fresher acts.

[Me]

Nope, Britney's album wasn't the only one to debut in the top 20. Akon's "Freedom" was No. 7.

[Matt]

"Nope, Britney's album wasn't the only one to debut in the top 20. Akon's "Freedom" was No. 7."

Well, wouldn't there be 19 other acts to debut in the top 20??? :)

[Fsm]

"Well, wouldn't there be 19 other acts to debut in the top 20??? :)"

No, some of them have been there for some time already. This is talking about the ones that debuted this week.

[Jodie]

"Well, wouldn't there be 19 other acts to debut in the top 20??? :)"

:-) Not necessarily. The other 19 may have debuted at 50, or 63, or 34, but not in the top 20.

I

[steve]

Funny... Billboard's website only has one of her singles at #12. She sucks. Go away, Britney.

[Dreambig]

You go, Britney! Forget the critics. Nothing succeeds like success... gee how original was that. Anyway we're all pulling for you. Keep up the good work.

[Peroque]

You have got to be kidding!! After seeing this woman with her bald head, crazy eyes, looking like a Manson follower, you expect children and young teenagers to go after her music (if that's what you call it) again!! NO WAY!! I will shield my children from anything to do with Britney!!!!!!!!

[emma]

GOO Britney!!!! And what the hell is wrong with all you haters? Britney is officially back with a #1 single, #1 album, a hot new body and you guys are telling her to GO AWAY? Britney has been the most googled person for the last decade, she is the new queen of pop and SHE IS HERE TO STAY. SHE AIN'T GOING NO WHERE.

Haters are just scared that Britney is back, they are threatened. Its time to eat your words now haters, cuz BRITNEY IS BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER.

[irene brewer]

i don't consider myself a britney lover nor hater. although i am aware of the gigantic lovefest and ongoing pity party that every media source in creation has thrown for her. if other artists who have displayed true talent got half the hype britney has who knows what their sells would be. oh well, "what's talent got to do with it?!"

[Tim]

I'm not a hater or a fan. I just find in strange that someone that does not sing (lip-synchs), does not writer their own music (but has others write it), does not really dance anymore (because of her 2 knee injuries, 1999 and 2004), and does not have any real talent, why does she get all this hype? If Britney was a real artist and was great at it, and she could write her own songs, and they were great, then OK. Or if she could really sing or really play an instrument, then I could see people really admiring her. But she does nothing really except pretend to be an "artist". She does nothing that anyone else could not do themselves. Lip-synching and walking around a stage pretending to sing songs someone else wrote is not an artist or someone with any real talent. She just fakes it all and plays make believe. People do that all the time in karaoke bars, kids do it all the time in front of their parents. But come on, to buy this electronic music that has been enhanced with Pro Tools and voice correcting software and have everyone else do all the work, well that is not an artist. It’s not someone with any real talent. It's strange that she gets all this hype for someone that does not create anything or do anything herself. It really must be pity sales. A lot of people felt sorry for her so they are trying to push her up by doing the only thing they can, and that is to buy the CD. At the beginning of her career, no one really knew she did not create any of the music or that she did not sing. Even I thought she sang for real and probably wrote all her own music. But as the world found out she did not do any of it, her sales started to drop hard. But now a lot of people that have major problems like Britney does, are supporting her since to them it's like supporting themselves. They are far to associated with Britney and her problems. It’s most likely that this #1 spot will only last a week or so since the pity sales will be over soon. Then we will see the real stales figures after that.

[Heath Ledger]

I am no Britney fan but I believe she deserves a second chance. Everyone deserves a second chance. Britney may not have a lot of talent but it doesn't really matter, does it? She has sold millions and millions of albums and has a very wide fan base. She has this power right now to inspire people to think that even if she made a big mistake in her life, she is making a choice to stand up, clean up her act and still succeed. For that, I will consider myself a fan.

[AYJ]

The haters will always hate, always have, always will. The point is Britney is back whether people like it or not. I don't understand why parents keep dissing Britney when their children listen to her music. First of all, Britney is not a teeny booper anymore. Why don't you guys stick to Hannah Montana. Britney is 27!!!!

[Maryam]

for your information, singing is not screaming, what Christina Aguilera does and everyone thinks she sings great, but it is a way of showing emotions. By this means I think Britney sings perfectly well, and her songs deserve to be heard many many times, since they never get boring. Also for your information, there is a reason why she has millions of fans, who cannot get enough of her! There is something special about her. It is in the way she performs and sings and dances, it is just so artistic that can't be explained in words! You need to be an Artist to sence that! That's why many many people know the value of her presence in music industry and a few idiots don't!

[jay]

GUYS! I MEAN.. YOU GUYS SAYS BRITNEY CAN'T SING.. SHE CANT DANCE.. I MEAN GET OVER IT!

AFTER ALL THAT SHE DOESN'T SING GOOD. PEOPLE STILL BUY HER ALBUM.

SO MEANING SHE'S JUST SMART LOL!

STOP HATING.. YOU'RE NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING FAMOUS.. YOU'RE PROLLY MAKING AND STUCK WITH THE MINIMUM WAGE! LOL

get OVER IT PEOPLE! ENOUGH WITH THE LIP SYNC. ITS SO OLD SCHOOL! LOL

FACE THE REALITY!!! BRITNEY SOLD OVER 500,000!

ONE MORE THING, SHE DIDNT TELL YOU TO BUY HER ALBUM.. SO GET OFF!! LOL

[david howard]

It doesnt matter what anyone says...people seem to forget that Miss Britney spears is a iconic brand!everything she touches turns to gold.shes more then a singer,i mean come on people,where are the backstreet boys,spice girls,nsync....shes been makeing hits for the last decade...shes done alot for the american music...then again envi is so bitter,especially when someone has done and has achieved so much...what ever....you should all get a life...rock on brit.spai loves yaaaaaaaaaax x x x