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July 31,2013
We’re exploring the five most popular songs in the Billboard Magazine Hot 100 pop singles chart, for the week ending August 3, 2013.
This week, I’ll take a look at performers who also write and produce their own music - and we’ll start in fifth place, where Bruno Mars jumps two slots with “Treasure" the third single from his sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox.
Aside from being a dynamic performer, Bruno’s also a member of the songwriting-production trio The Smeezingtons. Along with Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine, Bruno crafted hits for other stars before becoming one himself. The Smeezingtons have written for Sugababes, Flo Rida, Far East Movement, and many other top acts.
When it comes to production expertise, Pharrell Williams ranks among the best. Daft Punk and Pharrell fall two slots to fourth place with “Get Lucky.” Pharrell and Chad Hugo make up the songwriting-production duo The Neptunes, and their string of hits stretches back to the late 1990s. They worked with so many stars that in 2009, the editors at Billboard ranked them number one in the list of the decade’s Top 10 producers.
Imagine Dragons made an interesting production choice when making its latest single, “Radioactive” which rises a notch to third place. Co-writing and producing this song is English native Alex “Da Kid” Grant. A professional footballer before turning to music, Alex produced Eminem and Rihanna’s massive hit “Love The Way You Lie.” He also worked with B.o.B., Diddy, and Nicki Minaj, while executive producing Imagine Dragons’ Night Visions album.
Miley Cyrus had a hand in writing her latest song - which could become her first number one hit. Jumping a slot to second place, it's “We Can’t Stop.” Four years ago, “Party In The U.S.A.” also made it to number two.
This week, Robin Thicke released his sixth album, Blurred Lines - and it’s already gone to number one in a major international market - topping the UK pop chart, and in the process dethroning Jay-Z. Robin now has the longest-running number one pop single of 2013, as “Blurred Lines” featuring T.I. and Pharrell spends a seventh week at the top.
That’s it for now, but a new lineup awaits you next week.
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