WELCOME 'HOME': It seems like only last week we were writing about Phillip Phillips earning his eighth No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Wait -- it was just last week. Well, what a difference seven days can make. The season 11 winner’s coronation song, “Home,” achieves pole position on two more charts this week, bringing his career total of No. 1s to 10. That moves him up into a tie for ninth place among all Idols for the largest grand total of chart-toppers, tied with Adam Lambert and Scotty McCreery.
The current crop of charts are dated Feb. 9 and “Home” first went to No. 1 on a Billboard chart the week of June 9, 2012, so this song has topped nine tallies in exactly eight months. This week, “Home” races 7-1 on the Adult Contemporary Audience chart and debuts at No. 1 on the Mainstream Top 40 Recurrents survey. The song has already topped Rock Digital Songs, Hot Digital Songs, Hot Digital Tracks, Triple A, Triple A Audience, Adult Top 40 and Adult Contemporary. On that last chart, “Home” spends a second week at No. 1.
With this week’s two new additions, “Home” helps raise the grand total of No. 1s by Idol contestants to 376.
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DRIVING FORCE: Carrie Underwood can bless the hit-laden road. That’s the path she has been on for nine consecutive years. She first charted on Hot Country Songs in 2005 with a remake of Rascal Flatts’ “Bless the Broken Road,” recorded with the band. Her first top 10 hit on this chart was her single “Jesus, Take the Wheel” in 2006. Since then, she has earned at least two top 10 hits every year, and this week she collects her first top 10 of 2013 as “Two Black Cadillacs” motors 14-10.
“Cadillacs” still has momentum and hasn’t reached its peak position yet. Underwood’s first 16 top 10 hits all reached the top two positions on this chart. If this current hit goes all the way, it will be the season four winner’s 13th No. 1. If the song has to settle for the runner-up spot, it will be her fourth entry to stop at No. 2.
“Two Black Cadillacs” also makes a top 10 breakthrough on Country Airplay, where it rides 11-10 with a bullet.
Here’s a bit of Carrie Underwood trivia that should challenge your knowledge of this best-selling American Idol. After Rascal Flatts, Underwood charted with three more collaborations on Hot Country Songs. Who were the male solo artists who shared credit with her on these three team-ups? Answers at the very end of this column.
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BITS AND PIECES: In its fourth week on the Adult R&B chart, Fantasia’s “Lose to Win” rises 17-15. Meanwhile, the single debuts at #47 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart… Casey James’ “Crying on a Suitcase” fell off the Hot Country Songs chart last week and was moved to the Recurrent list, where it debuted at No. 1, giving the season nine finalist his first Billboard chart-topper. This week, James moves his luggage back onto Hot Country Songs, where “Suitcase” re-enters at No. 24… After an initial sales blast that allowed it to debut at No. 1 on a couple of Billboard charts, "Battle Scars" by Lupe Fiasco and Australian Idol Guy Sebastian has been rebuilding sales and airplay strength slowly in the U.S., where this week it climbs 19-15 with a bullet on Rap Digital Songs. On the Hot 100, Fiasco and Sebastian improve 88-81 with a bullet… Kelly Clarkson’s “Catch My Breath” inflates 24-22 on the Hot 100 while her pairing with Vince Gill on “Don’t Rush” advances 43-39 on Hot Country Songs.
CARRIE UNDERWOOD’S PLUS ONES: Did you guess the three male singers who have charted with Carrie Underwood on Hot Country Songs? Following her collaboration with Rascal Flatts on “Bless the Broken Road,” Underwood was teamed with Randy Travis on a remake of his “I Told You So,” a No. 2 hit in 2009. Two years later, a duet of “Remind Me” with Brad Paisley spent one week in pole position. Before she worked with Travis and Paisley, Underwood charted in December 2008 with “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” credited to Elvis Presley with Carrie Underwood.
Twitter: @Idol_Worship
