April 17,2015
We’re tallying the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending April 18, 2015.
The chart gets all shook up this week…but nothing really changes. Let’s open in fifth place, where Ed Sheeran drops two slots with “Thinking Out Loud.” Ed may not be the most exciting artist in the world, but that’s not a bad thing…Spotify this week said Ed dominates sleep-themed playlists all over the world. In fact, “Thinking Out Loud” is the number one song for listeners who want to get a little shut-eye.
If you’re feeling a bit drowsy right now, maybe The Weeknd can wake you up. He brought a lot of buzz to Coachella on April 11, closing the day’s performances on the Main Stage. He started 20 minutes late, but by all accounts thrilled the crowd…and he’ll be back on the 18th. Three years ago, The Weeknd made his Coachella debut, playing before a few hundred people in a daytime slot.
Rising a notch to number three is The Weeknd’s Fifty Shades Of Grey soundtrack companion, Ellie Goulding (Golding). “Love Me Like You Do” is already one of the year’s biggest hits in the UK… it’s also the number two single of 2015. The Official Charts Company ranks it behind Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk,” and ahead of Hozier’s “Take Me To Church.”
Here in the United States, Maroon 5 remains stuck in the runner-up slot with “Sugar.” While this song may not yet wear the crown, it’s ringing up huge sales… It just went double platinum in the United States, signifying sales of two million copies. It’s their second straight double platinum smash: “Animals” currently stands at 2.18 million sales, according to Nielsen figures.
Up at number one, it’s still Mark Ronson’s world…we just live in it. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars rule the Hot 100 roost for an incredible 14th week with “Uptown Funk.” Only seven other songs have lasted this long or longer at number one…the most recent being “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas. It topped the list for 14 weeks back in 2009.
Can Mark and Bruno make the magic last? We’ll find out next week! Thanks for joining me today…I’m RM with the Top Five Countdown on the Voice Of America!