Madonna doesn't have a million selling single. Does that make her any less iconic?

 

Janet Jackson has been around since 1986 and only has one single that sold over 500K.

 

Lest we mention Mariah Carey too? I could go on...

 

But that shows that a lot of these 'big' acts rely on their status from the US.

 

It does?

But that shows that a lot of these 'big' acts rely on their status from the US.

Not exactly, these artists have million selling albums.

Impressive that 'Till The World Ends' has sold more than 'Hold It Against Me'.

 

absolutely, total must be around 180,000

 

Not exactly, these artists have million selling albums.

 

this and also Britney only Womanizer promoted in UK, while other eras were without any promotion in UK..

It's a bit annoying that they only gave a vague "1.5m" for '...Baby', which is exactly what it was said to be on 4 years ago. It'd be great to see a more specific total for that single.

They've done this with all the other lists they've given where a song has sold more than 1m but I don't understand why! Especially annoying when they update their list of million sellers.

 

Music Week revealed a few totals for Britney in January of this year (including official sales for 'Baby...' this time!):

 

Baby One More Time 1,518,185

Oops...I Did It Again 465,031

Womanizer 433,757

Sometimes 433,532

Toxic 398,093

 

This was the w/c 6 Jan and three weeks later they updated 'Oops' (465,445). Has 'Sometimes' really sold 20k this year though? :unsure:

They've done this with all the other lists they've given where a song has sold more than 1m but I don't understand why! Especially annoying when they update their list of million sellers.

 

Music Week revealed a few totals for Britney in January of this year (including official sales for 'Baby...' this time!):

 

Baby One More Time 1,518,185

Oops...I Did It Again 465,031

Womanizer 433,757

Sometimes 433,532

Toxic 398,093

 

This was the w/c 6 Jan and three weeks later they updated 'Oops' (465,445). Has 'Sometimes' really sold 20k this year though? :unsure:

 

They must have made a mistake with that 'Sometimes' figure. On the MTV list in 2010 they had it on 440k, so maybe the figure should have been 443,532?

Oh, I thought Toxic was much bigger :o

Oh, I thought Toxic was much bigger :o

 

It was big, it's just that sales back then were so low. :(

Definitely. It's frustrating that the 2003-2006 period was such a terrible time for sales. :( Pretty sure had sales been like they are now (based on cultural impact) I'm pretty certain 'Toxic' would have been a million seller and 'Everytime' a 600k+ seller. Beyonce's 'Crazy In Love' has "only" sold around 450k too and that was massive, also. (That sales figure shocks me the most, hence why I used it as an example :lol:)

 

It's just bizarre to think that 'Scream & Shout' has outsold all her tracks (bar one) despite it not popping up as one of the first songs you'd associate with Britney. (Well, if this was family fortunes I doubt this would even pop up if people were to name a Britney Spears song/one of the biggest hits of 2013. :lol:).

^ 510,000 for 'Crazy In Love', as of July 2013! :D It has slowly but surely clawed its way up to a more respectable looking figure. Definitely feels like it should be a comfortable million seller though. :( Same with Rihanna's 'Umbrella', which only passed 800k towards the beginning of this year.

 

It is quite frustrating how hits from the mid 2000s suffered greatly, sales wise. :(

 

Bringing it back to Britney... 'Everytime', with its very respectable Top 10 run of 1-2-3-2-7-7-9, finished 2004 having sold a little less than 200,000 copies. Crazy! Despite this, that was enough for it to be the 18th best selling single of 2004. The current 18th best selling single of 2013 has sold just under 540,000 copies.

 

'Toxic' was undeniably huge, despite its total seeming a bit lackluster. Its first week sales of 102,576 was a pretty extraordinary opening figure for 2004. Prior to Band Aid's massive sales at the end of that year, only Peter Andre, Eamon & Michelle McManus ( :lol: ) managed to open with higher sales than that. 'Toxic' ended up being the 9th best seller of 2004, with 260,000 copies sold. 2013's current 9th best seller = 704,500.

It's funny that "Sometimes" is so successful and she hates it so much.

Not exactly, these artists have million selling albums.

 

Britney's album sales are also very poor compared to her leading contemporaries.

 

I do think Britney's fans are a bit delusional about her impact. I often see them compare her career stats to Gaga and Rihanna, when in reality, those two are leagues ahead on virtually every measure (in the UK atleast)...I'd even put Pink ahead of her really, and Katy Perry is probably on course to overtake her. Her lasting legacy, in terms of major impact, basically consists solely of 'Baby One More Time' (even 'Toxic', although it's sales are deceivingly low, being only the 9th-biggest seller of the year hardly indicates the monster hit her fans try to make it out as).

Toxic and Everytime are my favourite Britney singles. Good to see both in the Top 10 but surprised Toxic is not higher but it was released during an era when single sales were fairly low.

(even 'Toxic', although it's sales are deceivingly low, being only the 9th-biggest seller of the year hardly indicates the monster hit her fans try to make it out as).

 

"Only 9th"? :D I would say that it being within the Top 10 of the year is excellent! I'd definitely consider it to be a monster hit of 2004.

 

 

I think Britney's lasting impact is the memory of her being the main "pop princess" at the turn of the century and into the early 2000s. I would agree that her UK stats are less impressive than certain other female artists, but globally she is certainly up there with them.

"Only 9th"? :D I would say that it being within the Top 10 of the year is excellent! I'd definitely consider it to be a monster hit of 2004.

 

And the Spice Girls' "Spice Up Your Life" was the year end #9 of 1997 selling 780,000 copies. Was that not a monster hit either? :lol:

Edited December 6, 201311 yr by Ne Plus Ultra

And the Spice Girls' "Spice Up Your Life" was the year end #9 of 1997 selling 780,000 copies. Was that not a monster hit either? :lol:

 

Oh well, the Spice Girls' legacy is also overrated by some :lol: but 'Spice Up Your Life' atleast helped push the album it was on to a million sales within a few weeks. The album 'Toxic' was on barely went platinum iirc, in one of the best ever years for album sales.

Edited December 6, 201311 yr by Danny

"Only 9th"? :D I would say that it being within the Top 10 of the year is excellent! I'd definitely consider it to be a monster hit of 2004.

I think Britney's lasting impact is the memory of her being the main "pop princess" at the turn of the century and into the early 2000s. I would agree that her UK stats are less impressive than certain other female artists, but globally she is certainly up there with them.

 

I guess everyone would have a different definition for "monster hit", but I class them as only being the truly seismic hits that virtually everyone will remember...I'd only class 'Blurred Lines' and 'Get Lucky' from this year as that type of hit. So I'm not a sure a song that "only" comes 9th for the year really qualifies. I mean, just looking at the 2004 best-sellers list, 'Toxic' was outsold by Usher's Yeah and Anastacia's Left Outside Alone - those songs might be remembered to some extent, but would anyone really class them as classics of our age, in the way some people seem to do (imo wrongly) for 'Toxic'?

I guess everyone would have a different definition for "monster hit", but I class them as only being the truly seismic hits that virtually everyone will remember...I'd only class 'Blurred Lines' and 'Get Lucky' from this year as that type of hit. So I'm not a sure a song that "only" comes 9th for the year really qualifies. I mean, just looking at the 2004 best-sellers list, 'Toxic' was outsold by Usher's Yeah and Anastacia's Left Outside Alone - those songs might be remembered to some extent, but would anyone really class them as classics of our age, in the way some people seem to do (imo wrongly) for 'Toxic'?

 

You wouldn't put "Toxic" or "Crazy In Love" up there with "Hung Up" or "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"? Each one of these songs spent at least 8 weeeks at #1 on the radio airplay chart in their respective years of release.

I think it pretty much boils down to personal opinion! Beyoncé's Crazy In Love was only the 15th best seller of 2003 (I concede that the album it was from was selling excellently at the same time), but sometimes best sellers lists can be deceiving in terms of lasting popularity. I will agree that 'Toxic' wasn't/isn't on the level of 'Blurred Lines' and 'Get Lucky'. I think it's generally considered to be one of the ultimate pop classics of this century though, but that's just my view. ^_^

 

As for 'In The Zone', the album it was taken from - I'm not sure how well in sold across 2003/4 alone, but it went on to sell just under 530,000 copies by June 2009, so it was comfortably Platinum. Quite good sales, considering its initial floppy chart run of 14-37-51-59-65-out :o It eventually reached a new peak of #13, two or three weeks after 'Everytime' went to #1. That album was a bit of a slow burner which never had one fantastic week of sales, sadly. Who knows why two big #1 singles didn't catapult it into the Top 10? :snif: Oh well, 'Britney Jean' is now here to make that #13 peak seem better. :kink:

I've just (re-)discovered that Britney has four #2 albums without hitting #1 - and with her current career trajectory that doesn't look likely to change any time soon :kink: She could have a career ~revival~ though, stranger ones have happened!