I was wondering this before, which songs from this year would have been a #1 were we in 2000 where everything got a held-back release. If I get really bored, I might make two lists - one of what might have been #1 if this was the case, and one of if everything was On Air / On Sale.

 

Songs like "The A Team" and "Moves Like Jagger" are unfortunate enough so that they don't really fit in here, given that they WERE held back but clearly not for long enough!

 

So, to start with (basing this firstly off vidcapper's YTD list, then any others I can think of):

 

Lady GaGa - Born This Way

Snoop Dogg feat. David Guetta - Sweat

Alexandra Stan - Mr. Saxobeat

Chris Brown - Yeah 3x

Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall (might have had a bit of a shit chart run, admittedly)

 

Plus songs from albums that were available before their official release:

 

Rihanna - S&M

Chris Brown feat. Benny Benassi - Beautiful People

Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar

 

So, on that basis Chris Brown has been fairly unlucky! :lol:

 

 

Not sure about #1, but I think some songs, such as Till I'm Gone and Wonderman by Tinie Tempah, or In the Air by Chipmunk, could've gone a lot higher if they were held back more I think.

 

I think The Edge of Glory could've got #1 officially if it was held back. It got to #1 on iTunes with no promo at all, after all. So I'm sure if it had a music video before release, had lots of radio airplay, and was released on a Sunday, it could've got #1.

Not sure about #1, but I think some songs, such as Till I'm Gone and Wonderman by Tinie Tempah, or In the Air by Chipmunk, could've gone a lot higher if they were held back more I think.

 

I think The Edge of Glory could've got #1 officially if it was held back. It got to #1 on iTunes with no promo at all, after all. So I'm sure if it had a music video before release, had lots of radio airplay, and was released on a Sunday, it could've got #1.

 

Definitely would have (well, unless it ran into a giant seller) with a better video on held back release :lol:

Beyonce - Best Thing I Never Had

 

From albums:

 

Bad Meets Evil & Bruno Mars - Lighters

Lady GaGa - The Edge Of Glory

Katy Perry - E.T.

Edited October 25, 201113 yr by SceneofSIXCrimes

Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar

David Guetta feat. Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj - Where Them Girls At

Jessie J - Do It Like A Dude

Christina Perri - Jar Of Hearts

Mann feat. 50 Cent - Buzzin

Rizzle Kicks - Down With The Trumpets

 

A few more OA/OS songs that had long chart runs but missed #1. They probably still would have missed #1 if held back (Guetta and possibly Jessie aside) but who knows?

 

EDIT: Oh, you have I Need A Dollar on the list already :P Didn't see that.

 

Beyonce - Best Thing I Never Had

 

That was held back.

Edited October 25, 201113 yr by Bré

The Saturdays - Notorious ... sorry I had to mention it :wub: It would've had a crap chart run though...

That was held back.

 

I'm pretty sure it wasn't.

 

It was released only once the album came out and off the back of Glastonbury. If it was held back, it was only for like a week IIRC. Maybe I'm wrong though...

I'm pretty sure it wasn't.

 

It was released only once the album came out and off the back of Glastonbury. If it was held back, it was only for like a week IIRC. Maybe I'm wrong though...

 

It was announced as second single before the album came out, and i'm sure radio was playing it too.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't.

 

It was released only once the album came out and off the back of Glastonbury. If it was held back, it was only for like a week IIRC. Maybe I'm wrong though...

 

It was held back. Definitely for more than a week aswell. I think maybe even a month. I heard it on Capital like once a week before it came out.

 

But it got released "early" because the album got released before the release date of the single, allowing for it to be cherry-picked and to chart early. So a similar situation to Blah Blah Blah by Ke$ha.

 

I think it could've probably got to #1 if it was held back properly though, because, to be fair, it really didn't get that much airplay before release.

Edited October 25, 201113 yr by Eric_Blob

It was already on Radio 1's B-List before its / the album's release IIRC.

I think a lot of the songs listed here wouldn't have got the #1 because radio only started playing them when they were rising on iTunes. Mr Saxobeat and Jar of Hearts likely wouldn't have gone to #1 and Do It Like A Dude definitely wouldn't have. It only peaked in like January due to the buzz around Jessie and if they had held it back to around then Price Tag would have been released far too early.

 

I think with a well managed campaign Hold It Against Me could have managed it actually. It would have a terrible chart run but still.

Edited October 25, 201113 yr by Umi

So, to start with (basing this firstly off vidcapper's YTD list, then any others I can think of):

 

Chris Brown - Yeah 3x

Chris Brown feat. Benny Benassi - Beautiful People

 

So, on that basis Chris Brown has been fairly unlucky! :lol:

 

ITSM he used up his lifetime supply of luck by avoiding being sent down... :rolleyes:

 

Seriously though, Y3X would have had no chance at #1 even if held back - for one thing it peaked at just #6, i.e. nowhere close to the top. On his first week at #6, he only sold 40% of the #1, and the 2nd time, less than 1/3rd.

Edited October 26, 201113 yr by vidcapper

ITSM he used up his lifetime supply of luck by avoiding being sent down... :rolleyes:

 

Seriously though, Y3X would have had no chance at #1 even if held back - for one thing it peaked at just #6, i.e. nowhere close to the top. On his first week at #6, he only sold 40% of the #1, and the 2nd time, less than 1/3rd.

 

You know full well that it's one of the 20 biggest songs of the year, which is something you can't say for half of the #1s we've had. Seven consecutive weeks between #6 and 10 must have given it 200k-odd in sales, if it had been held back for six weeks it could have done it.

The Saturdays - Notorious ... sorry I had to mention it :wub: It would've had a crap chart run though...

 

Three words: "All Fired Up" :P

You know full well that it's one of the 20 biggest songs of the year, which is something you can't say for half of the #1s we've had. Seven consecutive weeks between #6 and 10 must have given it 200k-odd in sales, if it had been held back for six weeks it could have done it.

 

Now you're just playing fantasy charts - you could say that about virtually any song that'd ever sold 100k in total. :P

Now you're just playing fantasy charts - you could say that about virtually any song that'd ever sold 100k in total. :P

 

Except "Yeah 3x" was still in the top 15 went it crossed 200k... it's the same argument as "The A Team", just to a less extent. That song spent absolutely ages in in the top 10 and has now sold nearly 700k without leaving the top 20, so it's a fair bet to say it could have left the top 40 having sold 500-600k and been a big #1 had it been released a month later. Same rules apply with Chris Brown, he's now sold over 450k and shifted half of that while in the top 20 so had he been held back for a month, he could have had a #1 which sold over 300k.

I think The A Team would have done pretty much the same thing whenever it got released TBH - no other radio stations would touch it until after it somehow went top 3 based entirely on hype and Radio 1 support. Its airplay built up gradually which is why it had such a long chart run, if you shunted the release back a month then the chart run would also just move back a month.

 

Lego House on the other hand could have been a #1 if it was a held-back second single (I know YNM,IDNY only got to #4 after being held back but LH is a much more radio-friendly song and it wouldn't surprise me if it ends up outselling YNM,IDNY anyway).

I think The A Team would have done pretty much the same thing whenever it got released TBH - no other radio stations would touch it until after it somehow went top 3 based entirely on hype and Radio 1 support. Its airplay built up gradually which is why it had such a long chart run, if you shunted the release back a month then the chart run would also just move back a month.

 

Lego House on the other hand could have been a #1 if it was a held-back second single (I know YNM,IDNY only got to #4 after being held back but LH is a much more radio-friendly song and it wouldn't surprise me if it ends up outselling YNM,IDNY anyway).

 

Your point about "The A Team" is entirely valid, I made the thread thinking about the 'typical' held-back release (whereby it WOULD have had greater blanket radio coverage prior to release) but in practice it's a song that defies that.

Both Gaga's BTW and EoG would have been #1 if they were released on a Sunday. Hell, BTW probably would have gotten #1 if it was released a day or two earlier. I would say Judas may have done, but that only reached #2 on iTunes, didn't it?

Both Gaga's BTW and EoG would have been #1 if they were released on a Sunday. Hell, BTW probably would have gotten #1 if it was released a day or two earlier. I would say Judas may have done, but that only reached #2 on iTunes, didn't it?

 

It did, but that was with no promotion or video.