P!nk Debuts Atop The Billboard 200 With 'The Truth About Love'

Deserved kudos to singer/songwriter P!nk, whose sixth studio album The Truth About Love, debuts this week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. In all, she launched atop the album chart in seven countries: Australia, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, Canada and Switzerland.

Surprisingly, it's her first-ever No 1 launch at No. 1 in the U.S. Truth is the third-highest selling debut of 2012, behind Justin Bieber and Madonna.  The album also tops the American Digital Albums chart, and topped iTunes Album in 20 nations. 

Lead single “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" is No. 1 at Top 40 and Hot AC radio and on Hot 100 Airplay. It's No. 5 on the Hot 100—her 12th top 10 hit.

Meanwhile, Maroon 5 rises 2-1 on the Hot 100 with "One More Night," a notch higher than previous (and much better) single "Payphone" was able to achieve. Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Getting Back Together" dips 1-2. fun. ably avoids dreaded one-hit wonder status as its "Some Nights" is No. 3. *

Leona Lewis: The Sad Decay Of A Promising Pop Career

Leona Lewis scored my No. 1 song of 2008, "Run," featuring Snow Patrol. That same year, while at Billboard, I deemed her Spirit my No. 3 album of the year, writing: "A global debut that stands alongside Whitney, Mariah, Celine. Vocal perfection, pistol-packing songs, ace production." She was named my Best New Artist, with all promise of becoming the next Delta Goodrem as a fine songwriter with a superstar voice capable of proffering indelible pop melodies.

Lewis had a gracious handful of hits on my Taylor Top 40, including her global debut "Bleeding Love" and follow-up "Better In Time," along with (my) massive "Footprints In the Sand," "Happy," "I Got You," "I Will Be" and "I See You (Theme from Avatar)." More recently, she grazed my playlist with "Collide" and "Broken."

But then came a bunch of subsequent releases that just didn't fit her persona: like EP "Hurt," which was little more than a throwaway, with R&B production that undermined her soaring pop vocals and ability to be so much more than Beyonce. Worse yet was recent EP "It's All For You," which attempted to frame Lewis as... what?... Beyonce sans hooks? Lead single "Trouble," featuring rapper (and comedian?!) Childish Gambino, was such a mess that I deleted it from my iTunes playlist after one listen. God-awful.

Coming in October 2012 is Leona's third full-length studio album Glassheart. The good news: She's reunited with Ryan Tedder, producer of previous "Bleeding Love" and "Happy." But then there's the potentially game-killing side: She also worked with Naughty Boy, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and Dallas Austin on the project, which leads one to believe Lewis is still attempting to conjure hits by parading as an R&B act. (I won't even comment on the cover at left... but one word comes to mind: lionfish.)

If she has indeed given into the grave error of recording an R&B-centric project, I dare say that will likely seal Lewis' fate as a has-been, sadly with so much untapped potential. And I have to wonder: Have she and her label team been listening to top 40 radio at all this year? Pop music with sing-along melodies is where it's at, baby. I can't tell you how sad I am to potentially shovel dirt on the grave of Leona Lewis' career. I had such high hopes. But R&B/hip-hop... for a momentously talented pop artist... in 2012? Why in the world would she insist on slumming? *

'Call Me' Over: Carly Rae Jespen Ends No. 1 Run At Nine Weeks

It had to end sometime. After nine weeks at No. 1 on the Singles Chart, Carly Rae Jepsen falls to No. 3 with the effervescent, still-not-burned-to-a-crisp "Call Me Maybe." Replacing her at No. 1, up from 3, is Flo Rida's ubiquitous "Whistle," a song that would be better with just the whistle hook and none of his talk-singing.

Jepsen's "Maybe" ends the year's longest Hot 100 reign, holding at No. 2 on On-Demand Songs, No. 3 on Digital Songs and No. 5 on Radio Songs. Her follow-up single "Good Time" (with Owl City), meanwhile, rebounds from No. 14 to its No. 13 Billboard Hot 100 peak to-date. Both cuts are scheduled to appear on the Canadian pop singer's upcoming U.S. album "Kiss," due Sept. 18.

And lodged at No. 2 is Ellie Goulding with her summer smash "Lights," which rises to No. 1 on Radio Songs.

According to Billboard, Taylor Swift enters the Hot 100 at No. 72 with "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," the cleverly titled first single from her fourth studio album "Red," due Oct. 22. The song was released to retail and radio only late Monday (Aug. 13), with its first two days of airplay accounting for a No. 25 start on Radio Songs, the highest debut rank for a song by a female country act in the airplay tally's history. *

The Week In Music: Pop Reigns Supreme At CHR Radio

Pop music continues its magnanimous reign on the Singles chart this week, as Carly Rae Jepsen dials in a seventh week at No. 1 with her now-ubiquitous “Call Me Maybe.” That's the longest run by a female solo act since Adele logged as many weeks on top with "Rolling In The Deep" from May to July 2011.

Jepsen’s “Maybe,” in its 17th week inside the top 10, is the third chart-topping single to log six weeks or more at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, following "We Are Young" by fun. f/Janelle Monae, with six weeks; and "Somebody That I Used To Know," with eight. That hasn’t happened since 2002.

The reign of melodic music at the top is hardly a coincidence. A new study by Alan Burns & Associates surveyed 2,000 core female listeners of CHR and adult top 40, and found that pop and pop-rhythmic music are their favorite sounds—by more than a two to one margin over hip-hop (111 and 108 to 40). That’s a momentous change from just two years ago, when the three genres were practically on par (108, 98, 95).

Pop’s rally at CHR—and hip-hop’s decline—is reflected in the entire top 5 of this week’s Hot 100. Following Jepsen is Maroon 5's "Payphone," f/Wiz Khalifa, at No. 2 on the Hot 100 for a sixth frame, also topping Radio Songs for a fourth week. At No. 3 is Katy Perry’s dance-pop “Wide Awake,” which earns top Airplay Gainer props, moving 5-4 on Radio Songs. The song is pushing hard to become Perry’s eighth No. 1 single, next week.

Brit singer Ellie Goulding's dance-pop "Lights" climbs 5-4 in its 31st week on the chart, ascending 4-1 on On-Demand Songs, and a No. 6 ranking on Radio Songs. And at No. 5, down 1, is former chart-topper Gotye f/Kimbra with "Somebody That I Used to Know.”

Flo Rida's "Whistle" rises 7-6 on the Hot 100, fueled by sales as the top-selling Digital Song—surpassing more than 1 million downloads this week. Rounding out the top 10: Rihanna's "Where Have You Been" edges 6-7; David Guetta's "Titanium," featuring Sia, holds at No. 8; Usher's "Scream" rises 10-9; and, P!nk's "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" drops 9-10. That’s likely a temporary setback for P!nk’s first single from her upcoming sixth studio album "The Truth About Love," due Sept. 18, as the track rallies 23-17 on Radio Songs. In addition, the music video was released July 26, which will drive streaming in the weeks to come.

Just outside the Hot 100's top 10, country act Jason Aldean ignites onto the chart at No. 12 with the week’s highest new entry, "Take a Little Ride.” While the single sold a robust 189,000 downloads—the most ever by a male artist at country—there’s a major caveat. Much of the track’s first-week action comes from an alliance between indie label Broken Bow and Clear Channel, with coordinated hour-after-hour airplay July 16 at the radio giant’s country outlets.

The last time such a stunt was engineered was Madonna’s “Give Me All Your Luvin’,” which CC simultaneously launched on 95 radio stations in February. While it propelled the song into the top 10, top 40 stations immediately retreated in the following weeks. (In the U.K., sans Clear Channel’s assistance, “Luvin’” peaked at a paltry No. 37.) While there’s no indication the same will happen with Aldean, it does show the potential plight of “manufacturing” a hit. At the least, it’s hardly an upstanding maneuver.

Meanwhile, No Doubt also returns to the upper reaches of the Singles chart, launching at No. 34 with "Settle Down." The pop-ska quartet’s first single since 2004’s remake of Talk Talk’s “It’s My Life,” opens at No. 13 on Digital Songs and No. 65 on Radio Songs. The song previews No Doubt's sixth studio album, "Push and Shove," due September 25. It’s their first studio album since 2001's "Rock Steady." *

Week In Music: The Summer Of Love... For Girl Power

Blazing temperatures aren’t the only thing heating up the summer of 2012. Consider this the season of Girl Power at CHR radio. As Carly Rae Jepsen’s ubiquitous uptempo anthem “Call Me Maybe” logs a sixth week atop the Singles Chart, four other solo female singers join her in the top 10. You’d have to go back to the beginning of the millennium—a la Britney, Christina and Jessica—to see as many pop princesses rallying in the higher reaches of the Billboard Hot 100.

Let’s call this the Summer of Love… for females. In addition to Jepsen’s debut release feat, singer/songwriter Adele sets yet another record with “21.” Her sophomore album spends a 73rd week inside the Billboard 200’s top 10, the longest run by any woman in history—trumping Alanis Morissette's 1995 “Jagged Little Pill.” And then there’s the fervent return of pop staple Pink.

As Jepsen's “Call Me Maybe” continues its command of the Hot 100 in its 21st week on the chart, the track earns its keep as the longest-running No. 1 for a female solo artist since Adele’s “Rolling In the Deep” logged seven weeks from May to July 2011. It also leads On-Demand Songs for a fifth week, and is No. 2 on Radio Songs, Pop Songs and Digital Songs (after leading the latter list for eight weeks). In addition, it tops the Summer Songs 2012 tally for a third week, which Radio-Info.com’s Sean Ross has been keeping tabs on.

Also among the week’s top 10 singles, Katy Perry's "Wide Awake" rises 4-3, newcomer Brit Ellie Goulding’s pop-fueled “Lights” holds at 5, Rihanna's "Where Have You Been" is locked at No. 6—and entering the top 10 at No. 9 is the massive return of Pink.

And that’s where we focus for the rest of this week’s female-centric Week In Music. Pink—pardon me, she has returned to being known as P!nk—rockets into the top 10 on the Hot 100 with new single "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)," which catapults 58-9 in its second week on the chart. The break-up anthem flies 41-4 on Digital Songs, while CHR radio is actually ahead of the game this time: It rallies 56-23 on Radio Songs, with 39 million all-format audience impressions, according to Nielsen BDS.

“Blow Me” is the 32 year old’s 12th Hot 100 top 10, which began in 2000 with “There You Go.” Within the millennium, she has more top 10s than any other female act, other than Rihanna (22) and Beyonce (14). With the new single, she trumps both Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.

This is the first release from Pink's sixth studio album, “The Truth About Love,” due September 18. It’s been four years since her last studio album, 2008's "Funhouse,” which produced hits "So What," "Sober" and "Please Don't Leave Me." Her 2010 "Greatest Hits... So Far!!!," included No. 1 "Raise Your Glass" and No. 2 "Fuckin' Perfect.”

Already, “Blow Me” has reached No. 1 in Australia (her sixth)—where it debuted in the top spot—while it’s also top 10 in Canada and New Zealand. A worldwide tour will follow the album’s release this fall.

With women in charge, how fitting that the Spice Girls reunited last week for the first time since 2008 to announce the launch of “Viva Forever,” a jukebox theatrical musical packed with their 1990s’ hits. It opens this December in London. Girl power, indeed. *

The Week In Music: Jepsen’s ‘Maybe’ Maintains Dominance

Carly Rae Jepsen ups her ante as one of the year’s brightest newcomers: While her ubiquitous peppy pop summer anthem “Call Me Maybe” logs a fourth week atop the singles chart, she also scores the highest new entry on the Hot 100, with "Good Time," a duet with Owl City. The track catapults onto the chart at No. 18.

It’s another week of lofty accomplishments for the 26-year-old Canadian, as “Maybe” remains atop Digital Songs for a seventh consecutive week, moving a total of 4,067,000 million downloads. That makes Jepsen the best-selling Canadian act in digital songs history, trumping Nickelback’s 2007 No. 6 “Rockstar,” which has sold 4,019,000. “Maybe” also commands the Ringtones and YouTube charts, and dips 2-3 on the all-format Radio Songs and 1-2 on On-Demand Songs.

“Good Time,” meanwhile, crashes onto Digital Songs at No. 6, selling 140,000 downloads. It also prevents Owl City’s Adam Young from remaining a one-hit wonder, following his only other hit, 2010’s No. 1 “Fireflies.”

Meanwhile, Maroon 5's "Payphone" holds at No. 2 on the Hot 100, while it tops Radio Songs, Pop Songs, Adult Pop Songs and On-Demand Songs. On Digital Songs, it holds at No. 3, with sales surpassing 3 million to date. That puts the track in a four-way tie as the fastest-selling digital track to log as many sales over the course of 11 weeks; it joins Flo Rida's "Right Round," Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg’s "California Gurls" and "Love The Way You Lie" by Eminem featuring Rihanna. In addition, Maroon 5’s second release from new album “Overexposed”—“Wipe Your Eyes”—is a new Hot 100 entry at No. 80.

Numbers 3-8 on the Hot 100 all remain in place: Gotye's former two-month No. 1 "Somebody That I Used to Know," featuring Kimbra, is 3; Katy Perry's "Wide Awake" stalls at 4; Rihanna's "Where Have You Been,” which earns top Airplay Gainer kudos, is 5; Ellie Goulding's "Lights" is 6; fun.'s former six-week No. 1 "We Are Young," featuring Janelle Monae, holds at 7; and Nicki Minaj's "Starships" remains at 8.

David Guetta garners the Hot 100's only new top 10 entry, with "Titanium," featuring Sia, jumping 12-9. It’s his fifth Hot 100 top 10 hit and the third from current album "Nothing But the Beat." And wrapping up the week’s top 10, Usher’s “Scream” is locked in place at No. 10.

On the album side, talk about a squeaker… One thousand copies made all the difference in the world. Linkin Park narrowly trumps Maroon 5 to land at the top of this week’s Billboard 200: “Living Things,” the rock band’s fifth chart-topper, sold 222,000 copies, while Maroon’s fourth effort “Overexposed” moved 223,000, for a No. 2 launch on the Billboard 200. The former is also No. 1 in the U.K. and Canada, as well as the U.S. Rock Albums, Alternative Albums and Hard Rock Albums tallies. And track “Burn It Down” is the No. 1 Rock Song at radio.

If it’s any consolation, Maroon 5 tops the Digital Albums chart, with 134,000 copies, compared to 122,000 for Linkin Park.

The only album in this week’s top 5 that isn’t new is Justin Bieber’s “Believe”—last week’s No. 1—which eases to No. 3. Last week’s Bieber fever also sees his previous No. 2 hit “Boyfriend” rebound from No. 18 to No. 14 on the Hot 100. He is also represented on the singles chart with "As Long As You Love Me" (featuring Big Sean) at No. 87; and "All Around The World" (featuring Ludacris) at No. 96.

The hip-hop-focused "Maybach Music Group Presents: Self Made 2" compilation album is No. 4 on the album roster; followed by R. Kelly’s “Self Made 2,” at No. 5, his 14th top 10 album.

Here at the mid-point of 2012, Billboard has announced the top-selling album and song to date. No surprise: Adele's "21"—which debuted in February 2011—leads on the long-play side, followed by Lionel Richie’s “Tuskegee.” One Direction’s “Up All Night” is the year’s third best-selling album to date, with Whitney Houston’s “Whitney: The Greatest Hits” and “Now 41 at 4 and 5, respectively.

Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" (featuring Kimbra) rules among singles sales, followed by fun. featuring Janelle Monae’s “We Are Young,” Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe,” Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)” and Nicki Minaj’s “Starships.”

And finally… Andy Griffith, who died Tuesday, July 3 at age 86, was a recording artist, in addition to his roles on TV, notes Yahoo! Music’s Chart Watch columnist Paul Grein. As Deacon Andy Griffith, he had a top 10 hit in January 1954 with comedy record "What It Was, Was Football (Part I & II)"; and a platinum-selling gospel album in 1986 with “I Love To Tell The Story: 25 Timeless Hymns,” which also earned a Grammy for Best Southern Gospel, Country Gospel or Bluegrass Gospel Album. *

Who’d ‘Believe’ It? Bieber Fever Pervades The World

The Biebs just got bigger. As expected, tween idol Justin Bieber’s fourth studio album “Believe” slid into the top spot on this week’s album chart with all the ease of a tub of pomade. Sales of 374,000 were significantly below expectations, but lofty enough to deliver the biggest debut of 2012 on the Billboard 200, trumping the 359,000 start of Madonna’s “MDNA.”

There are plenty of other accolades for “Believe.” First, the set gives Bieber his own personal best sales week, beating the 291,000 in second-week sales for "My World 2.0" in April 2010. It’s his fourth No. 1 album, following "My World 2.0," 2011’s "Never Say Never: The Remixes" and "Under the Mistletoe" (his two other sets, “My World” and “My Worlds Acoustic” both hit the top 10, at Nos. 5 & 7, respectively). That makes the 18 year old the first artist in history to land four No. 1 albums while still in his teens.

He’s also only the second Canadian act ever to score four No. 1 albums, after Neil Young’s solo and Crosby, Stills Nash & Young efforts. (Michael Buble has three.) And Bieber is the youngest artist ever to have an album reach No. 1 in both the U.S. and the U.K., according to Paul Grein’s Yahoo! Music “Chart Watch.” He erases previous record-holder Avril Lavigne, who was 19 when she topped both charts in 2004.

Around much of the world, “Believe” is a chart-topping sensation, debuting at the summit in 30 nations, including the U.K., Canada, Australia, Italy, Spain, Brazil and Sweden.

And a rather obvious factoid: Bieber delivers the No. 1 Top Digital Album, where 139,000 of its 374,000 total were downloaded. It’s the biggest one-week sales total in history here for a teen act, beating Taylor Swift’s “Fearless.”

Not to pooh-pooh the accomplishments, but one can’t ignore industry projections last week that predicted a debut in the range of 400,000-440,000. That forecast was based on huge first-day sales and a bounty of pre-orders, which obviously eased during the chart tally week. But tie into that the fact that almost 3.5 million tracks from “Believe” have already sold—an extraordinary number for a brand-new record—and detractors really have little ammunition.

Perhaps the more interesting debate is just how long the Bieber juggernaut will maintain its fervor. Few teen acts are able to make the kind of transition to respected adult artist, a la Justin Timberlake or Michael Jackson. For reference, Biebs’ first hit “One Time” introduced the U.S. to the singer when it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 July 25, 2009—fewer than three years ago. Justin Bieber was 15 years old at the time.

Among the cascade of young acts that pervaded the single charts at the beginning of the millennium—Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Hanson, Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, 98 Degrees, Jessica Simpson and the like—only Spears continues to be a formidable music force today (despite various train-wrecks in her pop culture memoir). Aguilera has arguably become a reality TV star, as a judge on “The Voice” (along with her fine co-starring performance with Cher in 2010’s flop flick “Burlesque”), while the rest have settled into hawking various products or hosting B-level TV shows. Among them, Simpson is the exception, having created a multi-million-dollar brand empire—without the benefit of current hit records.

Certainly, no one is expecting Bieber to equal the sales figures of his predecessors, who thrived in a very different industry landscape (pre-iTunes, no single sales, for one). The biggest sales week ever still belongs to ‘N Sync’s “No Strings Attached,” which sold a magnanimous 2.4 million copies in the U.S. in its March 2000 launch week. Even Adele can’t muster that, and it’s likely no artist ever will again.

Bieber’s “Believe” accomplishes what it needs to: his subtle metamorphosis into a slightly more adult sound and lyrical signature, with songs like “Love Me Like You Do,” where he teases, “Hop up in the bed… if you like to snooze”—suggestive but hardly explicit. “Catching Feelings” hints at blossoming young love, albeit sweet and sugar-coated: “Could it be a possibility?/I’m tryin’ to see what’s up," he sings. And in “Out Of Town Girl,” the most sensual song on the set, Bieber gets his swagger on: “Girl don’t be shy, you won’t know if you never try/When you walk by you’re the only one that catches my eye.” It’s not bumping and grinding, but does amp the sexuality… just enough to hold the interest of his core audience without frightening their moms.

And remember, Bieber also recently appeared on the cover of “Fortune,” where he and his business partners discussed the young entrepreneur’s investments in tech start-ups and the worth of his brand. Dressed in a business suit for the pictorial, that whole affair was certainly a deliberate allusion to Justin’s coming into manhood.

Meanwhile, on the radio side, the spanking new “Believe” has already muscled five tracks on the Hot 100—a feat worthy of the “Glee” franchise. First single “Boyfriend” debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Bieber’s biggest hit to date, with 2.5 million downloads, 60 million YouTube views and 5.5 million on-demand streams. It also became his first top 10 at Mainstream Top 40—after nine previous singles. In its 13th chart week, it dips from No. 10 to No. 18. It also peaked at No. 9 on Pop Songs and No. 11 on the all-format Radio Songs chart.

In addition, Bieber garnered the Hot 100’s top new entry for three consecutive weeks before “Believe” was released: Last week, "As Long as You Love Me" (featuring Big Sean), launched at No. 21 (debuting at No. 5 on Digital Songs); previously "All Around the World" (featuring Ludacris) crashed in at No. 22; and the week before, "Die in Your Arms" came to life at No. 17. And this week, “Beauty And A Beat” (featuring Nicki Minaj), becomes the fifth song to appear on the list. The official next single is “As Long As You Love Me,” which begins promotion at radio July 9.

Stepping away from Bieber fever, let’s take a glance at the rest of the chart week: On the Billboard 200, all four top slots are debuts—ironically the first time this has occurred since November 2011, when Justin Bieber’s “Under the Mistletoe” launched at No. 1. After “Believe,” Kenny Chesney comes in at No. 2 with "Welcome to the Fishbowl," his 10th top 10 album on the Billboard 200. It starts atop the Top Country Albums chart, his 11th leader there.

After seven years, folkie Fiona Apple returns with her highest-charting album ever at No. 3, "The Idler Wheel Is Wiser." The Smashing Pumpkins’ "Oceania" is No 4, after the group last appeared on the chart in 2007. And moving up four to No. 5 is the "Rock of Ages" soundtrack. Last week’s No. 1 from Usher—Justin Bieber’s muse—plummets to No. 6.

And on the Billboard Hot 100, Carly Rae Jepsen logs her third week at No. 1 with “Call Me Maybe.” She’s Canadian, you know—just like Bieber. See, there really is no escape. You may as well give in… and “Believe.” *

The Week In Music: Rookies Rule The Roost

The singles chart has become a rookie’s wonderland. For the past 16 weeks, the summit has been commandeered by a trio of debut artists—the longest such streak in nearly 35 years.

Carly Rae Jepsen spends a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her first entry, "Call Me Maybe." That follows previous newcomers Gotye (featuring Kimbra), who spent eight weeks on top with "Somebody That I Used to Know," preceded by fun. (featuring Janelle Monae), whose “We Are Young” logged six weeks atop the heap.

Billboard columnist Gary Trust reports that the last time a trio of Hot 100 newbies ruled the chart was July 1977.

Then, Bill Conti hit No. 1 with "Gonna Fly Now" from "Rocky," followed by Alan O'Day’s "Undercover Angel," and Shaun Cassidy's "Da Doo Ron Ron." Before that, it was 1967 when as many as four new acts lined up at the chart summit: Bobbie Gentry, the Box Tops, Lulu and Strawberry Alarm Clock.

The delightfully peppy pop "Call Me Maybe," meanwhile, has also become a viral phenomenon, with countless covers online—including a killer live acoustic performance featuring Jimmy Kimmel and The Roots with Jepsen, and others by Justin Bieber, the Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders, Harvard Baseball, Abercrombie & Fitch models and, uh, President Barrack Obama.

All told, the song remains No. 1 on the Hot 100, the Digital Songs chart (for a fifth week) and On-Demand Songs. On the Radio Songs’ all-format tally, it’s No. 2, according to Nielsen BDS. It has sold 3.6 million downloads so far.

Elsewhere among the top 10 singles, Gotye's "Somebody" is static at No. 2, and No. 1 on Radio Songs for a fifth week. It becomes the first song to sell 5 million copies in 2012—and in fact, according to Paul Grein’s Yahoo! Music Chart Watch, it's the first song to sell as many in a six-month period since Elton John's 1997 "Candle In The Wind.”

Also holding is Maroon 5's "Payphone" at 3. Katy Perry catapults 9-4 with "Wide Awake"—her 10th top five hit in four years—which pops onto On-Demand Songs at No. 24, logging 309,000 streams, even without the presence of a music video, which just debuted June 18.

Fun.'s "Young" eases 4-5; One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful" drops 5-6, Nicki Minaj's "Starships" falls 6-7, Rihanna's "Where Have You Been" holds at 8, Flo Rida's "Wild Ones" falls 7-9 and Justin Bieber's "Boyfriend" is locked at 10, spending all 12 of its charted weeks inside the top 10.

And speaking of Biebs—which we’ll likely be doing a lot in the weeks ahead—he brings in the Hot 100’s top new entry for a third consecutive week, with "As Long as You Love Me" (featuring Big Sean), launching at No. 21 (debuting at No. 5 on Digital Songs). Last week, "All Around the World" (featuring Ludacris) crashed on at No. 22, and the week before, "Die in Your Arms" came to life at No. 17.

As we’ve previously tipped, next week it’s going to be all about Bieber fever, with the release of his third album “Believe” on Tuesday, June 19. Already, the album is on target to launch at No. 1 next week with the biggest debut of 2012, so far. Projections run as high as a half-million copies—which would surpass Madonna’s 359,000 launch of “MDNA” earlier this year.

Meanwhile, on this week’s album chart, Usher squeaks in a No. 1 debut with “Looking 4 Myself,” which sells a fairly tepid 128,000 copies. This is his fourth chart topping set, following 2010’s “Raymond v Raymond,” which opened with sales of 329,000. Usher’s single “Climax” logs a 10th week atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, while pop/dance single "Scream" is No. 11 on the Hot 100. A third song, “Lemme See" (featuring Rick Ross) moves from No. 80 to 61.

At No. 2 on the Billboard 200, dino-rockers Rush achieve their best sales week in 10 years with the debut of "Clockwork Angels." Adele's "21," which was No. 1 last week for a 24th week, falls to No. 3. Country crooner Josh Turner debuts at 4 with “Punching Bag,” which also tops the Country Albums chart. Brit singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran enters at No. 5 with “+,” a previous chart-topper in 2011 at home.

One Direction's "Up All Night" is lodged at 6, Neil Young and Crazy Horse's "Americana" falls 4-7, Alan Jackson's "Thirty Miles West" plummets 2-8, and the "Rock of Ages" soundtrack roars 15-9 in its second week, following the film's theater debut June 15. (That gives Tom Cruise his first top 10 album as a vocalist: The flick’s star sings eight of the 20 songs on the ST, either solo or as collaborations.) And at No. 10 is debut “Triple F Life” for rapper Waka Flocka Flame.

Coming up: It’s not only Justin Bieber that is likely to crash into the high reaches of the album chart next week. Country king Kenny Chesney’s “Welcome To the Fishbowl” could launch as high as No. 2; along with high-profile releases from Smashing Pumpkins and Fiona Apple (whose last album was in 2006). *