Advertisement

On the charts: Godsmack, Eminem resurrect the early 2000s

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Prognosticators who predicted a 2002/2003 pop music revival were in the right this week. With Eminem and Godsmack claiming ownership of the album and singles tallies maintained by Billboard, this week’s pop charts looked like a nod to the early 2000s.

Godsmack’s “Oracle” sold 117,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, topping Billboard’s album chart. This gives the Ozzfest-grads their third No. 1 album on the U.S. chart, reports the trade publication, adding that the act’s previous two efforts started with more than 200,000 copies sold. Nevertheless, it’s the act’s first album of new material since 2006, and the only album this week to top the six-figure mark.

Advertisement

Meanwhile, Eminem’s latest single, “Not Afraid,” will claim ownership of Billboard’s singles chart, which will be released Thursday. “Not Afraid” will shoot to the top of the chart based largely on the strength of its digital sales. The cut boasts 380,000 first-week downloads, the largest download sales week this year, according to Billboard.

“Not Afraid” is taken from the rapper’s upcoming summer release, “Recovery.” His 2009 effort, “Relapse,” is still on the chart, nestled at No. 72 this week. To date, the effort has sold more than 1.9 million units. In the 52 years Billboard has maintained the singles tally, “Not Afraid” is just the 16th song to debut at No. 1, writes the magazine’s chart czar, Silvio Pietroluongo.

But does it mean “Not Afraid” will be a song for the ages? The last cut to debut straight at No. 1 was Britney Spears‘ “3” in 2009. Before that, one will find the now-forgotten Taylor Hicks, whose “Do I Make You Proud” was a 2006 hit, and Carrie Underwood‘s “Inside Your Heaven,” which landed atop the chart in 2005.

Last week’s chart topper, B.o.B.’s “B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray,” fell out of the top 10. The album suffered a 57% sales drop, and sold 36,000 copies this week. In two weeks, the album has totaled about 120,000 sales. The large second week drop was not unexpected. MGMT’s “Congratulations,” for instance, suffered a 70% dip in its second week.

The top 10 of the U.S. pop chart welcomes five new releases in addition to the Godsmack effort. Christian rockers MercyMe enter at No. 3 with “The Generous Mr. Lovewell” (88,000 copies), the James Taylor and Carol King collection “Live at the Troubadour” debuts at No. 4 (78,000 copies), the Deftones‘ “Diamond Eyes” lands at No. 6 (62,000 copies), the Dixie Chicks-associated debut from the Court Yard Hounds lands at No. 7 (61,000 copies) and Toni Braxton‘s “Pulse” enters at No. 9 (54,000 copies).

In a heavy release week, there were plenty of notable entries outside the top 10. Indie vets the New Pornographers entered at No. 18 with “Together,” which sold 25,000 copies in its debut week. The act’s last, 2007’s “Challengers,” landed on the tally at No. 34 in its debut week. Further down, the Hold Steady entered at No. 26 with “Heaven Is Whenever,” a title that sold about 23,000 copies.

-- Todd Martens


Clicking on Green Links will take you to a third-party e-commerce site. These sites are not operated by the Los Angeles Times. The Times Editorial staff is not involved in any way with Green Links or with these third-party sites.


Advertisement