bobiloko

8 number ones in just three years... I don't think Rihanna's performance will ever be repeated. I couldn't think of any other artist who has scored more than 5 number ones for a period of three years... After I wrote my comments about Joanne, I did remember that I had seen her present the chart in late 2000. The edition I remembered was the chart of December 2. There was a new number 1 - "Holler" by Spice Girls and Joanne announced it like this: "And the new number 1 is... S... P... I.. OK, of course it's the Spice Girls". The reason I remembered that it was Joanne who announced it was that I thought this was a missed opportunity. The previous week "Groovejet" by Spiller had been at number 19. While it was obvious that this week it had left the chart, Joanne could have said something like: "And the new number 1 is... S... P... I... Yes, it's Spiller! He does the unbelievable by going all the way to the top from number 19... OK, OK, I'm joking... The new number 1 is someone else whose name starts with S... P... I..."... Anyway, I'm surprised that Joanne presented the chart as early as September. I do remember that Trey was replaced at that time but I thought it was only Kicki who did it then... By the way, who presented the chart of November 4? That's the chart when "Kids" by Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue was a new entry. I know it sounds illogical as Trey had stopped presenting the chart a few months earlier but I do remember him announcing at the beginning of that edition that there was a new entry which was currently doing well in Finland... Maybe it was Neil Cole who presented the chart (that's at least something I'm sure of - the presenter was male)... And the funny thing is that now I checked and "Kids" didn't even make it to the Finnish singles chart!

No, "Around The World" didn't manage to enter the chart. I checked and it looks like it was released in European countries around April/May so when Aqua presented European Top 20 in August, it was too late to show "Around The World" as a bubbler... I guess that's why they chose to show the follow-up "Bumblebees". And while neither of these songs appeared in the chart, at least "Cartoon Heroes" became number 1 earlier in the year! Here is the chart of October 11, 2008: 20 Pussycat Dolls - When I Grow Up 1 Down 19 Metallica - The Day That Never Comes NEW 18 The Verve - Love Is Noise 4 Down 17 Pink - So What 3 Up 16 Coldplay - Violet Hill 3 Down 15 Eric Prydz - Pjanoo 3 Up 14 Nelly, Akon & Ashanti - Body On Me 2 Up 13 Shaggy - Feel The Rush 1 Down 12 Rihanna - Take A Bow 1 Down 11 The Script - The Man Who Can't Be Moved 4 Up 10 Chris Brown - Forever 1 Down 9 Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown - No Air 1 Up 8 Jason Mraz - I'm Yours Stay => 7 Ne-Yo - Closer Stay => 6 Madonna - Give It 2 Me 1 Down 5 Kid Rock - All Summer Long 2 Down 4 Coldplay - Viva La Vida 2 Up 3 Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me 1 Down 2 Rihanna - Disturbia 2 Up 1 Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl Stay => Alas, there is only one new entry... but it's a remarkable one! Metallica finally make their comeback at number 19 with "The Day That Never Comes". They were last seen in the chart more than 8 years ago with the live version of "Nothing Else Matters". I must say I have waited for such a long time to see Metallica return to MTV European Top 20 - I thought that their best chance was with "St. Anger" and when it didn't chart, I wondered whether they'd ever come back... but here they are! Their biggest hits in the chart were the original "Nothing Else Matters" and "Until It Sleeps", both reaching number 3. The other memorable thing this week is that a record is broken again. "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown spends a 19th week in the chart (and actually climbs one place to number 9!)... and thus becomes the longest stayer in European Top 20 for a song that has peaked at number 7. Until now the record was held jointly by "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" by Whitney Houston and Enrique Iglesias and "Nu Flow" by Big Brovaz. Both songs spent 18 weeks in the chart. "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry remains at number 1 for a fifth consecutive week but the question "Who's going to replace her?" becomes more and more important. Last week "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay made an impressive 7-place climb to number 6 but now it slows down, climbing only to number 4. In the meantime, "Disturbia" by Rihanna goes 4-2 and seems to be the biggest contender for the top spot again. Will there be a new number 1 as early as next week?

I have just watched the chart, I'll post my commentary in one of the following days but right now you inspired me to talk about the MTV European Top 20 presenters... I started watching the chart in April 2000 so I caught the last several times when Eden presented the chart... I know it's scary but I actually remember the exact edition of the chart when a new presenter appeared (at least the major ones)! Eden - the last chart she presented was the chart of July 1, 2000 - when "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi replaced "Oops!... I Did It Again" by Britney Spears at number 1... that was also the chart when "Try Again" made the highest debut of the year - it entered straight at number 5! Trey - the first chart he presented was the chart of July 8, 2000. It's true that Kicki Berg replaced him a couple of times but I don't remember Ulrika ever doing it. Joanne - strangely, I'm not 100% sure which was the first chart she presented... Maybe the chart of January 6, 2001. By the way, jamse didn't mention that Neil Cole replaced her several times. The last chart Joanne presented was the chart of January 4, 2003, which was some special edition (NOT year-end chart)... I don't remember what exactly it was but it was meant as her farewell to the chart. Ina-Gérdaline - the first chart she presented was the chart of January 11, 2003. The last chart she presented was the chart of February 28, 2004. Amelia - the first chart she presented was the chart of March 6, 2004. The last chart she presented was (I think) the chart of November 12, 2005. Charlotte - I think the first chart she presented was the chart of November 19, 2005, because I seem to remember that "Untitled" by Simple Plan climbed 19-16 in that week... Charlotte is still presenting the chart and has been doing that for the longest time since Eden! Now about my favourite presenter... Well, maybe it was because that was near the time I started watching the chart but it was Trey. The most important reason was that he REALLY cared about chart statistics! I'll never forget the AMAZING chart of July 22, 2000. The previous week "My Uncle John From Jamaica" by Vengaboys had entered straight at number 10... and in the same week "Shackles" by Mary Mary had continued falling - from number 5 to number 7 (after peaking at number 4). Well, in the chart of July 22 there was a new number 1... and it was going to be one of the two songs! I thought it was more logical for Vengaboys to do it - they had made a strong debut the previous week while Mary Mary were falling... But it turned out that "Shackles" made the (probably most shocking ever) reclimb 7-1! And that meant that Vengaboys... had left the chart after just one week straight from number 10! Anyway, what is really important here is that the following week, when announcing that "Shackles" spent a second week at the top, Trey said: "But wait a minute. What about Vengaboys?... Well, they disappeared as quickly as they arrived!"... Another thing - "The Real Slim Shady" by Eminem had a very good start in the chart - 18-9-4... When it was at number 4, Trey said something like: "I know a lot of you wanted it to make a similar climb to last week..." (but they'd have to put up with a 5-place climb)... Then, surprisingly, the song fell 4-7 the following week and Trey commented with a serious tone that something was really going wrong for it... When "Shackles" by Mary Mary was replaced at number 1, it fell straight to number 4. In the same week, the song that was at number 1 before "Shackles" - "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi - was staying at number 5... Trey praised "It's My Life" for remaining near the top for some time and, comparing "Shackles" to it, commented with a serious tone something like: "Absolutely no longevity"... What I want to show is that he just lived with the different songs' performances in the chart - like I do! He also often said at the beginning of the show which songs had fallen out of the chart... And when there was a new number 1, he said (again in the beginning): "I can't lie to you. There is a new number 1"... Ah, memories... But my favourite edition of European Top 20 (with regards to how it was presented) was the chart of August 19, 2000. Trey was shown in the studio, preparing for the show... and then he became obsessed with how great he was... and he passed out! Someone had to replace him... But who? AQUA!!!!!! Yes, you read it right - Lene and Rene presented the chart! Back then it was a tradition for the presenter every week to show something like a "bubbler" - a song that had the potential to enter the chart in the near future (some did, others didn't). Well, Aqua, of course, used the opportunity to show as a bubbler their own "Bumblebees"... However, it never made it to the chart. Anyway, when Lene and Rene finished presenting the chart, Trey finally came to consciousness... Lene and Rene went to him and he asked them what had happened - he didn't remember much but he had some unpleasant feeling... But they assured him that everything was all right. The end. Well, that really was a SPECIAL edition of the chart!

Here is the chart of October 4, 2008: 20 Pink - So What NEW 19 Pussycat Dolls - When I Grow Up 3 Down 18 Eric Prydz - Pjanoo NEW 17 Basshunter - All I Ever Wanted 5 Down 16 Nelly, Akon & Ashanti - Body On Me 4 Up 15 The Script - The Man Who Can't Be Moved 4 Up 14 The Verve - Love Is Noise 4 Up 13 Coldplay - Violet Hill 2 Down 12 Shaggy - Feel The Rush 2 Down 11 Rihanna - Take A Bow 2 Down 10 Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown - No Air 2 Down 9 Chris Brown - Forever 6 Up 8 Jason Mraz - I'm Yours 1 Down 7 Ne-Yo - Closer 2 Down 6 Coldplay - Viva La Vida 7 Up 5 Madonna - Give It 2 Me 3 Down 4 Rihanna - Disturbia 2 Up 3 Kid Rock - All Summer Long 1 Up 2 Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me 1 Up 1 Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl Stay => This week there are again two new entries. At the very bottom, at number 20, is "So What" by Pink. So far she has had three chart-toppers in MTV European Top 20 - "Lady Marmalade", "Get The Party Started" and "Stupid Girls". And with "So What" already topping charts across Europe, it looks likely that it will become her fourth number 1 here! The other new entry debuts at number 18. "Pjanoo" is the third hit for Eric Prydz in the chart. The massively successful "Call On Me" only peaked at number 6 but spent quite some time in European Top 20 - 17 weeks. Then last year "Proper Education" actually reached number 2! However, the most remarkable thing about the song is that it's the first wholly instrumental track in the chart since "Sandstorm" by Darude back in 2000! Pussycat Dolls don't seem to have much success in this chart with "When I Grow Up". It falls again this week, going 16-19 and number 16 is so far its peak position (for a total of 7 weeks in the chart)... The song will need a big resurgence if it doesn't want to remain the girls' smallest hit by far. Of course, some songs prove that such resurgences are indeed possible. After going 18-20 in its second week in the chart last week, now "Body On Me" by Nelly, Akon and Ashanti goes back up to number 16. But much more impressive is the reclimb of "Forever" by Chris Brown. It looked truly on its way out of the chart after quite a long stay... but now it climbs 6 places to number 9 in its 16th week in the chart! Here is its amazing chart run so far: 18-13-9-7-9-7-9-11-12-13-16-17-13-14-15-9 As you can see, the song never gives up! When it starts to fall, there is quickly a reclimb! Can it even improve its peak position (number 7)? The 4-place climb to number 14 of "Love Is Noise" by The Verve might not seem really notable but thus it (deservedly) becomes the band's second biggest hit after "Bitter Sweet Symphony", which peaked at number 7. It has already outperformed "The Drugs Don't Work" (peak position - number 17) and "Lucky Man" (number 15). Still, the biggest climber this week is "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay. It entered the chart at number 13 last week and is 7 places up to number 6 now. Well, that looks threatening! I did proclaim numerous times that "Disturbia" by Rihanna was going to be the next number 1... but I'm not so sure now! "Disturbia" only climbs two places to number 4 this week... As a matter of fact, "Viva La Vida" might be placed higher than it as soon as next week! Since I mentioned the number 1 position, let me say something about the current chart-topper. "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry reigns for a fourth consecutive week and by doing so becomes the third longest stayer at the top this year after "Don't Stop The Music" by Rihanna and "4 Minutes" by Madonna and Justin Timberlake both spent six weeks at number 1. What about the song that "I Kissed A Girl" replaced at the top? "Sweet About Me" by Gabriella Cilmi fell 1-5... but has since climbed back a place each week and is now in the runner-up position. Can it achieve a third separate run at number 1? It's not very probable but who knows!

There are actually two new entries this week! Here is the chart of September 27, 2008: 20 Nelly, Akon & Ashanti - Body On Me 2 Down 19 The Script - The Man Who Can't Be Moved NEW 18 The Verve - Love Is Noise 2 Up 17 Dizzee Rascal & Calvin Harris - Dance Wiv Me 1 Down 16 Pussycat Dolls - When I Grow Up 3 Up 15 Chris Brown - Forever 1 Down 14 Laurent Wolf - No Stress 1 Down 13 Coldplay - Viva La Vida NEW 12 Basshunter - All I Ever Wanted 2 Down 11 Coldplay - Violet Hill 1 Up 10 Shaggy - Feel The Rush 1 Down 9 Rihanna - Take A Bow 2 Down 8 Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown - No Air Stay => 7 Jason Mraz - I'm Yours 1 Down 6 Rihanna - Disturbia 5 Up 5 Ne-Yo - Closer Stay => 4 Kid Rock - All Summer Long 2 Down 3 Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me 1 Up 2 Madonna - Give It 2 Me 1 Up 1 Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl Stay => It should have entered the chart much earlier... but now "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay finally debuts at number 13. At the same time, their previous single "Violet Hill" actually climbs back one place to number 11. "Violet Hill" reached number 1 in MTV European Top 20 and, taking into consideration that "Viva La Vida" is much more successful around Europe, it should do the same... But we'll see. The other new entry - at number 19 - is "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" by The Script. It's just starting to appear in some European charts so it's still too early to predict how much success it's going to have. "Better In Time" by Leona Lewis leaves European Top 20 this week after spending an amazing total of 19 weeks in the chart and breaking the record for most weeks in the chart for a song that has peaked at number 10. Leona Lewis seems to have really longstaying hits - "Bleeding Love" is the joint record holder for most weeks in the chart (along with "Asereje" by Las Ketchup) - 29 weeks! "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry spends a comfortable third week at the top. However, there is a new contender just below her. I must admit I didn't think "Give It 2 Me" by Madonna would go higher than number 3 but now it climbs to number 2. It will be interesting to see what pattern it's going to follow as the second single from an album by Madonna after a number 1 hit. "Hollywood" stopped at number 2 while "Sorry" did manage to become a chart-topper. Anyway, I still feel that it's "Disturbia" by Rihanna that is going to replace "I Kissed A Girl" at the top - and it takes another huge step in that direction as it's the biggest climber this week, going 11-6.

Here is the chart of September 20, 2008: 20 The Verve - Love Is Noise NEW 19 Pussycat Dolls - When I Grow Up Stay => 18 Nelly, Akon & Ashanti - Body On Me NEW 17 Leona Lewis - Better In Time 3 Up 16 Dizzee Rascal & Calvin Harris - Dance Wiv Me 1 Down 15 Ida Maria - I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked 3 Up 14 Chris Brown - Forever 1 Down 13 Laurent Wolf - No Stress 1 Down 12 Coldplay - Violet Hill 2 Down 11 Rihanna - Disturbia 3 Up 10 Basshunter - All I Ever Wanted 1 Down 9 Shaggy - Feel The Rush 1 Down 8 Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown - No Air 3 Up 7 Rihanna - Take A Bow 1 Down 6 Jason Mraz - I'm Yours 1 Up 5 Ne-Yo - Closer 2 Down 4 Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me 1 Up 3 Madonna - Give It 2 Me 1 Up 2 Kid Rock - All Summer Long Stay => 1 Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl Stay => I'm really happy about the new entry at number 20. I thought "Love Is Noise" by The Verve was doing well enough around Europe to enter this chart but, furthermore, I love comebacks! The Verve were last seen in MTV European Top 20 TEN years ago! Their biggest hit in the chart was, of course, "Bitter Sweet Symphony", which reached number 7. Then two other singles followed - "The Drugs Don't Work" (peak position - number 17) and "Lucky Man" (peak position - number 15). Nelly, Akon and Ashanti have all been in European Top 20 before - but with "Body On Me" entering at number 18 they are together for the first time. None of them has been absent from the chart for anywhere as long as The Verve. Ashanti has had to wait the longest of them - "Only U" was her last single in the chart prior to "Body On Me" and that was "only" three years ago. Ida Maria, who debuted last week with "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked", climbs 18-15 in spite of my hopes that it would leave the chart... I have the feeling that the person who makes MTV European Top 20 only let this song in because Ida Maria is Norwegian - just like the chart's presenter, Charlotte... The three longstayers in the chart continue to impress. "No Air" by Jordin Sparks climbs to number 8 in its 16th week in the chart and almost equals its peak position (number 7). Who knows, it might even improve it? After spending two consecutive weeks at the very bottom of the chart it looked like "Better In Time" by Leona Lewis was finally going out... But no! It climbs back 3 places to number 17 in its 19th (!) week in the chart! How much longer can it survive? And, of course, how can I not mention "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz? It climbs back to its peak position - number 6. Right now it's spending its 20th week in the chart!!! Well, I don't think there has been ANY song in the chart's history that has been at its peak position in its 20th week in the chart... I just wish one thing - that "I'm Yours" reaches a new peak next week... As for the top of the chart, "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry reigns for a second consecutive week. I think that if there is a song currently in European Top 20 that can replaces it at number 1, it's "Disturbia" by Rihanna.

Yes. Here is the chart of September 6, 2008 - with commentary: 20 Leona Lewis - Better In Time 1 Down 19 Rihanna - Disturbia NEW 18 Pussycat Dolls - When I Grow Up 2 Up 17 Chris Brown - Forever 1 Down 16 The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name 3 Down 15 Usher - Love In This Club 3 Down 14 Laurent Wolf - No Stress 3 Down 13 Duffy - Warwick Avenue 4 Down 12 Dizzee Rascal & Calvin Harris - Dance Wiv Me 3 Up 11 Basshunter - All I Ever Wanted 6 Up 10 Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown - No Air 4 Up 9 Coldplay - Violet Hill 1 Down 8 Shaggy - Feel The Rush 1 Down 7 Rihanna - Take A Bow 2 Down 6 Jason Mraz - I'm Yours 4 Up 5 Madonna - Give It 2 Me 2 Down 4 Ne-Yo - Closer 2 Up 3 Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl 1 Up 2 Kid Rock - All Summer Long 1 Down 1 Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me 1 Up Well, well! We were expecting "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry to top the chart... but "Sweet About Me" by Gabriella Cilmi returns to number 1 instead! It spent a sole week at the top before "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock reigned for three weeks... But now Gabriella claims a second week at number 1! Still, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before we see Katy Perry at her place. But there is something which I think is much more remarkable about this edition of MTV European Top 20. And again I'm talking about Jason Mraz! I was right last week - "I'm Yours" continues climbing and reaches a new peak - number 6. What is amazing is that it reaches a new peak position in its 18th (EIGHTEENTH!) week in the chart!!!!!! Is that a record? Almost. "Cotton Eye Joe" by Rednex reached its peak position (number 3) in its 19th week in the chart back in 1995. But who's to say that Jason Mraz can't continue climbing? Here is the wonderful chart run of "I'm Yours" so far: 19-15-14-11-13-14-12-10-10-10-11-16-15-16-15-14-10-6 By the way, the fact that the peak position of "I'm Yours" is no longer number 10 means that we have a new record holder for the most weeks in the chart for a song that has peaked at number 10. And the record holder is actually still in the chart - although at the very bottom. "Better In Time" by Leona Lewis peaked at number 10 a long, long time ago and is now spending its 17th week in the chart. I think it deserves mentioning that "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown is steadily climbing after it re-entered the chart. Now it's up to number 10. Can it improve on its peak position (number 7)? The biggest climber this week is "All I Ever Wanted" by Basshunter, going 17-11. It follows the same pattern as "Now You're Gone", which also climbed 6 places (to number 13) in its second week in the chart. However, "Now You're Gone" went out of the chart straight after that. I doubt that "All I Ever Wanted" will have the same fate. Finally, there is one new entry this week. "Disturbia" by Rihanna debuts at number 19. I have to say that Rihanna has been the Queen of MTV European Top 20 during the past three years. Until now she had 8 hits in the chart, SEVEN (!) of which became number ones ("Pon De Replay", "S.O.S.", "Unfaithful", "Umbrella", "Shut Up And Drive", "Don't Stop The Music" and "Take A Bow")!!!!! And the eighth - "Hate That I Love You" - broke the record for most weeks in the chart for a song that has peaked at number 9 (17 weeks). The chart has NEVER seen such domination in such a short period of time! And I have to say I won't be surprised if "Disturbia" is the song to replace "I Kissed A Girl" at number 1... I won't be able to post next week's chart, I hope someone else will do it!

Wow, that's strange. I was sure I had posted my comments for last week's chart here... Thank you for posting them, Jamse! I think Jason Mraz's achievement is absolutely remarkable. In fact, reaching a new peak position is not out of the question! I'd also like to point out the sudden 20-15 reclimb of "Dance Wiv Me". This year the chart might not be as interesting as last year but at least you never know when a song is really on its way out of the chart (another proof - some surprising re-entries). As for tsetsi's question - well, it all depends on the competition. If no other big hits appear in the near future, "I Kissed A Girl" might spend quite some time at the top indeed. After all, if it weren't for Kid Rock and Katy Perry herself, Gabriella Cilmi would have had a very long reign at number 1, I suppose...

I'm back! I watched the chart today and I can confirm that "Better In Time" by Leona Lewis re-enters at number 20. I even think I know the reason for that - while I was on holiday, I passed through Vienna and bought "Better In Time" from there! That must have been enough to make it re-enter the chart! (by the way, I also bought "Blessed" by Fady Maalouf - it's a wonderful song, too) Regarding Jamse's discussion - the chart for the whole year is absolutely random. The most shocking example is from 1998 - how can "The Way" by Fastball be number 19 for the whole year when it spent a single week at number 15 in MTV European Top 20?!?! And in 2007 there wasn't a chart for the whole year at all (I must admit I don't think we've missed anything by its absence)...

Jamse, just as tsetsi said, I'm watching the new chart on MTV Hits on Monday night. I agree that "Closer" by Ne-Yo is nothing special and so far it doesn't seem to be that successful around Europe but that doesn't make it certain that it won't go to number 1 - after all, less successful songs have reached the top in European Top 20. By the way, next week I'll be on holiday so most probably I won't be able to post the new chart.

Here is the chart of August 2, 2008: 20 Kat DeLuna - Run The Show NEW 19 Estelle & Kanye West - American Boy 7 Down 18 Madonna - Give It 2 Me 1 Up 17 Sam Sparro - Black And Gold 6 Down 16 Enrique Iglesias - Can You Hear Me NEW 15 Jason Mraz - I'm Yours 1 Up 14 Madonna & Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes 4 Down 13 Shaggy - Feel The Rush 2 Up 12 Sara Bareilles - Love Song 3 Down 11 Laurent Wolf - No Stress 3 Up 10 Will.I.Am - Heartbreaker 3 Up 9 Chris Brown - Forever 2 Down 8 The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name 3 Down 7 Kid Rock - All Summer Long 10 Up 6 Usher - Love In This Club 2 Down 5 Rihanna - Take A Bow 2 Down 4 Duffy - Warwick Avenue 2 Up 3 Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me 5 Up 2 Ne-Yo - Closer Stay => 1 Coldplay - Violet Hill Stay => Well... My bold prediction from last week turned out to be wrong. "Violet Hill" by Coldplay manages to spend a second week at number 1 while "Closer" by Ne-Yo remains just below. Meanwhile, "Sweet About Me" by Gabriella Cilmi continues its impressive climb by going 8-3. I guess the question is whether it will be "Closer" or "Sweet About Me" that will become number 1... or maybe both (or neither)? What about last week's two new entries that also seemed to be future contenders for the top spot? "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock definitely seems to live up to the expectations as it climbs 10 places to number 7. On the other hand, "Give It 2 Me" by Madonna is a mere one place up - to number 18. However, I'm sure it will reach the highest part of the chart, no matter how long it takes. This week there are two new entries again. The higher one - at number 16 - is "Can You Hear Me" by Enrique Iglesias. Last year he had two hits in the chart - "Do You Know?", which peaked at number 5, and "Tired Of Being Sorry", which peaked at number 13. "Can You Hear Me" is the official song for the football Euro 2008... and, as a matter of fact, there is another Euro 2008 song in the chart right now - "Feel The Rush" by Shaggy. I think the last time there were two football-related songs simultaneously in the chart was 10 years ago - "The Cup Of Life" by Ricky Martin and "Carnaval De Paris" by Dario G, both related to World Cup '98. The other new entry is a really nice suprise. "Whine Up" by Kat DeLuna had some success in a few European countries but didn't enter MTV European Top 20. "Run The Show" seemed to do even better across Europe so I thought that maybe it was going to appear in the chart... However, I thought so about two months ago! I'd never have expected it to debut NOW! Well, sometimes songs enter European Top 20 very late... but that's yet another thing that makes the chart interesting! You never know whether a song has missed its last chance to enter!

Here is the chart of July 26, 2008: 20 Leona Lewis - Better In Time Stay => 19 Madonna - Give It 2 Me NEW 18 Duffy - Mercy 4 Down 17 Kid Rock - All Summer Long NEW 16 Jason Mraz - I'm Yours 5 Down 15 Shaggy - Feel The Rush 4 Up 14 Laurent Wolf - No Stress 4 Up 13 Will.I.Am - Heartbreaker 2 Up 12 Estelle & Kanye West - American Boy 4 Down 11 Sam Sparro - Black And Gold 4 Down 10 Madonna & Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes 5 Down 9 Sara Bareilles - Love Song 1 Up 8 Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me 8 Up 7 Chris Brown - Forever 2 Up 6 Duffy - Warwick Avenue 6 Up 5 The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name 1 Down 4 Usher - Love In This Club 1 Down 3 Rihanna - Take A Bow 2 Down 2 Ne-Yo - Closer 4 Up 1 Coldplay - Violet Hill 1 Up "Take A Bow" is no longer at the top! The new number 1 is "Violet Hill" by Coldplay... Something that I would never have guessed two weeks ago. Here is again its incredible way to the top: 16-10-5-5-7-8-2-1 However, this is not the first time a song has made a sudden big reclimb and become number 1. Here is how "Don't Bother" by Shakira did it: 18-13-7-4-2-5-8-3-1 But the "classic" example is, of course, "Shackles" by Mary Mary: 17-13-13-10-4-5-7-1 Otherwise, "Violet Hill" becomes Coldplay's second chart-topper. The first one - "Speed Of Sound" - spent 4 weeks at number 1. But "Violet Hill" won't be able to repeat that... as most probably it will be replaced at the top as early as next week by Ne-Yo's "Closer", which goes 6-2. The two new entries this week are two other future contenders for the number 1 position. I think that both of them actually deserved to be Top 10 debuts but what can I do? "Give It 2 Me" is Madonna's follow-up to the 6-week number 1 "4 Minutes", which is still in the chart at number 10. "All Summer Long" is Kid Rock's first chart hit in MTV European Top 20. I don't know whether there will be another but at least this one looks like it's going to be really successful! The biggest climber this week is "Sweet About Me" by Gabriella Cilmi, which climbs 8 places to number 8. The song is actually doing very well across Europe so it will be sweet (yes, something sweet about Gabriella Cilmi!) if it manages to go to number 1 between Ne-Yo's and either Madonna's or Kid Rock's reign! Finally, let me say something about a song that went out of the chart this week. "Singin' In The Rain" by Mint Royale equals the "record" for least weeks in the chart for a number 9 hit - just 3 weeks. The other two record-holders are "Ça Plane Pour Moi" by Leila K. and "Praise You" by Fatboy Slim - both from the previous millennium!

Here is the chart of July 19, 2008: 20 Leona Lewis - Better In Time 1 Down 19 Shaggy - Feel The Rush NEW 18 Laurent Wolf - No Stress NEW 17 Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown - No Air 1 Down 16 Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me NEW 15 Will.I.Am - Heartbreaker 5 Up 14 Duffy - Mercy 3 Down 13 Mint Royale - Singin' In The Rain 4 Down 12 Duffy - Warwick Avenue 2 Up 11 Jason Mraz - I'm Yours 1 Down 10 Sara Bareilles - Love Song 3 Up 9 Chris Brown - Forever 2 Down 8 Estelle & Kanye West - American Boy 2 Down 7 Sam Sparro - Black And Gold 2 Down 6 Ne-Yo - Closer 9 Up 5 Madonna & Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes 1 Down 4 The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name 1 Down 3 Usher - Love In This Club 1 Down 2 Coldplay - Violet Hill 6 Up 1 Madonna - Take A Bow You might think that I'm joking... Well, while there is indeed a joke, it's MTV themselves that have made it! They did in fact play "Take A Bow" by Madonna at number 1 instead of Rihanna's song with the same title! Otherwise, "Take A Bow" by Rihanna spends a third week at the top. And "Take A Bow" by Madonna was in the chart at the beginning of 1995. It peaked at number 9 and spent a total of 6 weeks in the chart. I'm very happy about the new entries. There are three of them, the lowest - at number 19 - is "Feel The Rush" by Shaggy, based on "Heater" by Samim (which didn't chart). I have to say I didn't know whether we'd see Shaggy in European Top 20 again - his last hit in the chart was "Hey Sexy Lady" more than 5 years ago... Then at number 18 there is a new entry by Laurent Wolf. What's surprising about "No Stress" is not so much that it enters the chart as that it does it so late... But there have also been other examples of songs debuting a long time after they were most successful. Anyway, I'm really glad about these two new entries because they didn't appear in the UK chart but are doing well in other European countries. And the highest new entry - "Sweet About Me" by Gabriella Cilmi - is having success both in the UK chart and other European charts. I have the feeling it's going to do well in MTV European Top 20, too. Three weeks ago "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles was at the very bottom of the chart and was surely going out... but now it enters the Top 10! And maybe it's capable of more... The biggest climber this week is "Closer" by Ne-Yo, which goes 9 places up to number 6. I guess that makes it a future contender for the number 1 spot. But the biggest shock is right at number 2. "Violet Hill" by Coldplay is experiencing a reversal of fortune similar to that of "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles - and yet much more drastic. Here is its chart run so far: 16-10-5-5-7-8-2 It definitely looked like the song had peaked at number 5... but no! Now it's Coldplay's joint second biggest hit along with "Talk". Only "Speed Of Sound" managed to reach the top... We'll see whether "Violet Hill" repeats that!

Here is the chart of July 12, 2008: 20 Will.I.Am - Heartbreaker RE-ENTRY 19 Leona Lewis - Better In Time Stay => 18 OneRepublic - Stop And Stare 2 Down 17 Yael Naim - New Soul 4 Down 16 Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown - No Air 4 Down 15 Ne-Yo - Closer 3 Up 14 Duffy - Warwick Avenue Stay => 13 Sara Bareilles - Love Song 4 Up 12 Flo Rida & T-Pain - Low 1 Down 11 Duffy - Mercy 3 Down 10 Jason Mraz - I'm Yours Stay => 9 Mint Royale - Singin' In The Rain 6 Up 8 Coldplay - Violet Hill 1 Down 7 Chris Brown - Forever 2 Up 6 Estelle & Kanye West - American Boy 1 Down 5 Sam Sparro - Black And Gold 1 Up 4 Madonna & Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes 1 Down 3 The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name 1 Up 2 Usher - Love In This Club Stay => 1 Rihanna - Take A Bow Stay => And there is a re-entry in the chart again! Not only that - there are no new entries so this is the first time since the end of 2007 that there is a chart with a re-entry but no new entries (in the previous case the re-entry was "Good Life" by Kanye West). In fact, these two occasions are the only sure ones in the whole history of MTV European Top 20! There was one more - at the end of 1994 "Goodnight Girl" by Wet Wet Wet entered the chart after previously having been there at the beginning of 1992... but the question remains whether it was the same version or a different one. The last time there was a re-entry (but in addition to a new entry) was exactly three months ago when "Hate That I Love You" by Rihanna and Ne-Yo did it. This time it's "Heartbreaker" by Will.I.Am and I did have the feeling that it would re-enter the chart, although I expected the song to do it earlier. Its first run in the chart wasn't that successful - it spent only two weeks in and peaked at number 18... and I somehow don't think it's going to do much better this time around, either. On the other hand, "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles does manage to improve on its peak position (reaching number 13 this week) after it previously looked like the song was on its way out. "Take A Bow" by Rihanna spends a quiet second week at the top of the chart... while "That's Not My Name" by The Ting Tings is already in the Top 3! The song is not doing that well across Europe... Still, I'll accept anything as long as it doesn't reach number 1!

tsetsi, I want to thank you for writing the commentary during all these weeks! You did a great job! I have to say I couldn't think of another case when an artist has had three songs in the chart at the same time, either... Rihanna almost did it last year but otherwise I have no idea... I remember something that impressed me much back in 2000 - then in one chart there was a song by Robbie Williams ("Rock DJ"), Kylie Minogue ("On A Night Like This") and Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue ("Kids")! But that's not quite the same... I think that IF there has been another case, it must have been the same as Chris Brown's - two solo songs and one duet (it's more difficult to take duets into account)... I'll think more about this! Here is the chart of July 5, 2008: 20 Timbaland, Keri Hilson & Nicole Scherzinger - Scream 2 Down 19 Leona Lewis - Better In Time 2 Down 18 Ne-Yo - Closer NEW 17 Sara Bareilles - Love Song 3 Up 16 OneRepublic - Stop And Stare 1 Down 15 Mint Royale - Singin' In The Rain NEW 14 Duffy - Warwick Avenue 5 Up 13 Yael Naim - New Soul 1 Down 12 Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown - No Air 1 Down 11 Flo Rida & T-Pain - Low 2 Down 10 Jason Mraz - I'm Yours Stay => 9 Chris Brown - Forever 4 Up 8 Duffy - Mercy 2 Down 7 Coldplay - Violet Hill 2 Down 6 Sam Sparro - Black And Gold 2 Down 5 Estelle & Kanye West - American Boy 2 Down 4 The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name 3 Up 3 Madonna & Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes 1 Down 2 Usher - Love In This Club 1 Down 1 Rihanna - Take A Bow 7 Up Well, for a couple of weeks I wasn't able to comment on the chart but (un)fortunately almost nothing happened during this period - the chart was very slow... That doesn't change much this week but at least at the very top there is a big movement! "Take A Bow" by Rihanna goes 8-1, which is the biggest climb to number 1 since "Hung Up" by Madonna went 14-1 at the end of 2005! But Rihanna does something even more impressive - she scores her SEVENTH number 1 out of 8 entries in the chart! In fact, she already did the unthinkable - she had her first six entries in the chart all go to the top ("Pon De Replay", "S.O.S.", "Unfaithful", "Umbrella", "Shut Up And Drive" and "Don't Stop The Music")... I don't know whether someone will ever have a better debut in MTV European Top 20! Then "Hate That I Love You" only reached number 9 - but it broke the record for most weeks in the chart for a song that has peaked at that position - 17 weeks... And now with "Take A Bow" Rihanna is back on track! Which means that "Love In This Club" by Usher has only managed to spend a single week at the top. Interestingly enough, all of his three number ones ("Yeah", "Caught Up" and now "Love In This Club") have had just a 1-week stay at number 1! Then at number 4 we have "That's Not My Name" by The Ting Tings. I find it strange that the song has reached so high... Could it actually enter the Top 3? It looked like "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles wasn't going to do very well in the chart. Its run until this week was: 19-17-18-20-20 As you can see, it looked certain to go out of European Top 20! But now it reclimbs back to its peak position - number 17. Is that just a temporary resurgence or the beginning of something bigger? Two new entries in one week usually isn't a very impressive thing but the last three weeks had only one new entry each so at least there is improvement. The higher new entry is a surprise for me - it's former UK chart-topper "Singin' In The Rain" by Mint Royale, which seems to be inspired by the old classic with the same name... but actually bears very little resemblance to it. Still, it's interesting to have it in the chart! Finally, the other new entry - at number 18 - is "Closer" by Ne-Yo. He has been in the chart on several occasions before but the only time he did really well was with his debut "So Sick", which reached number 2... and actually deserved to go to the top, in my opinion, as it was more successful in Europe than the song that stopped it - "Pump It" by Black Eyed Peas... Maybe "Closer" will manage to do what "So Sick" didn't?

I have to agree that the chart has become quite slow lately... I do hope that a week with many new entries is coming soon - maybe even in the next chart? Otherwise, I'm really disappointed that "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis left the chart. Why couldn't it spend just one more week in so that it could break the record for most weeks in the chart - this would have been its 30th week in the chart... Now I dread to think how long we'll have to wait to see this record broken! Also, I think "Love In This Club" by Usher is not successful enough to be number 1. Of course, it still did much better around Europe than "Caught Up", which somehow also reached the top three years ago... By the way, from next week I'll be able to resume to making the commentary for the chart!

Jamse, the situation with the chart of May 3 is complicated. I watched it and they did play "Low" at number 7 and "4 Minutes" at number 6. Also, in the recap of positions 20-11 they showed "Better In Time" at number 16 and "Always Where I Need To Be" at number 15. However, absolutely all Internet sources show "Always Where I Need To Be" at number 16 and "Better In Time" at number 15... and almost all Internet sources show "4 Minutes" at number 7 and "Low" at number 6. Decisive for me was this site: www.tv.lt There you can watch MTV European Top 20 (click on it on the left bar) and there they showed "Always Where I Need To Be" at number 16, "Better In Time" at number 15, "4 Minutes" at number 7 and "Low" at number 6. By the way, I'm a little busy nowadays so I won't make a commentary to the chart for an undetermined amount of time... but you and tsetsi are doing an excellent job!

Here is the chart of May 10, 2008: 20 Kylie Minogue - In My Arms Stay => 19 Jason Mraz - I'm Yours NEW 18 Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love Stay => 17 Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown - No Air NEW 16 The Kooks - Always Where I Need To Be Stay => 15 Leona Lewis - Better In Time Stay => 14 Kelly Rowland - Work 1 Down 13 Sam Sparro - Black And Gold 6 Up 12 Britney Spears - Break The Ice 3 Down 11 Adele - Chasing Pavements Stay => 10 Panic At The Disco - Nine In The Afternoon Stay => 9 Timbaland, Keri Hilson & Nicole Scherzinger - Scream 5 Down 8 OneRepublic - Stop And Stare Stay => 7 Yael Naim - New Soul 2 Down 6 Flo Rida & T-Pain - Low Stay => 5 Estelle & Kanye West - American Boy 4 Down 4 Mariah Carey - Touch My Body 10 Up 3 Chris Brown - With You Stay => 2 Madonna & Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes 5 Up 1 Duffy - Mercy 1 Up When one makes four different predictions for next week's chart-topper, it's not that difficult to get it right... Still, I did think it was VERY possible for "Mercy" by Duffy to return to number 1. And it does, thus spending a third week at the top. On the other hand, last week's number 1 reigned for only one week. "American Boy" by Estelle and Kanye West makes a surprising fall to number 5. However, I think it will stay in the upper part of the chart for quite some time. What about the two new entries? Both are by debutants to MTV European Top 20. When I found out that the new entry at number 19 was "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz, I thought "WHAT?!". However, it's not as random as I first thought - the song is currently number 4 in Norway and Sweden... Chris Brown is obviously no debutant to this chart as his single "With You" is still at number 3. However, his duet partner in "No Air" Jordin Sparks appears for the first time in European Top 20. She's the second American Idol winner to reach the chart after Ruben Studdard... Did anyone believe me? The first American Idol in the chart was, of course, Kelly Clarkson. I was prepared for "4 Minutes" by Madonna and Justin Timberlake to top the chart and it almost did but in the end it only climbs 5 places to number 2. However, it looks certain that next week it will be one place higher. After going 19-5 last week, "New Soul" by Yael Naim surprisingly falls to number 7. On the other hand, after spending weeks in the lower part of the chart, now "Touch My Body" by Mariah Carey explodes 14-4, thus becoming her highest peaking single since "Get Your Number", which reached exactly number 4. In the end, let's look at the very bottom of the chart. "In My Arms" by Kylie Minogue spends a third consecutive week at number 20. While impressive, this achievement is not a record. "How You Remind Me" by Nickelback spent 4 consecutive weeks at number 20... yet someone did even better! "Cry Me A River" by Justin Timberlake holds the record with 5 consecutive weeks at the bottom position of the chart.

Jamse, well done for predicting the next number 1! Here is the chart of May 3, 2008: 20 Kylie Minogue - In My Arms Stay => 19 Sam Sparro - Black And Gold NEW 18 Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love 2 Down 17 Gnarls Barkley - Run 4 Down 16 The Kooks - Always Where I Need To Be 5 Down 15 Leona Lewis - Better In Time NEW 14 Mariah Carey - Touch My Body Stay => 13 Kelly Rowland - Work 3 Down 12 Alicia Keys - Like You'll Never See Me Again 5 Down 11 Adele - Chasing Pavements 3 Down 10 Panic At The Disco - Nine In The Afternoon 5 Up 9 Britney Spears - Break The Ice 4 Down 8 OneRepublic - Stop And Stare 2 Down 7 Madonna & Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes NEW 6 Flo Rida & T-Pain - Low 3 Up 5 Yael Naim - New Soul 14 Up 4 Timbaland, Keri Hilson & Nicole Scherzinger - Scream Stay => 3 Chris Brown - With You 1 Down 2 Duffy - Mercy 1 Down 1 Estelle & Kanye West - American Boy 2 Up I was right that a storm was coming - there are three new entries this week and a couple of big movements in the chart! "4 Minutes" by Madonna and Justin Timberlake debuts in the Top 10 - something which would have been amazing for other songs but I expected better from this single. It's true that there have been only two number 1 debuts in the history of the chart ("Back For Good" by Take That and "Candle In The Wind '97" by Elton John) but few songs would have been more appropriate for entering at the top of the chart other than "4 Minutes"... I guess we'll have to wait! My next hope is Michael Jackson's comeback... "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis is still in the chart (now in its 22nd week) but her new single "Better In Time" is a new entry this week. Can it become her second chart-topper? The lowest new entry - at number 19 - is "Black And Gold" by Sam Sparro. I have noticed that more and more songs that are successful only in the UK are entering the chart... Of course, that doesn't mean they can't do well in other European countries subsequently! Just like I expected, this "storm" results in the fact that "Don't Stop The Music" by Rihanna has gone out. Thus it becomes the third longest stayer in MTV European Top 20 with a total of 27 weeks in the chart. Number 1 is "Asereje" by Las Ketchup with 29 weeks and number 2 - "Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado with 28 weeks. I wonder when a song will spend 30 weeks in the chart... Something that I didn't expect at all is the HUGE 14-place climb of "New Soul" by Yael Naim to number 5. I thought they wouldn't even let it reach the Top 10... I'm glad that I was wrong! There were other surprising movements as well. After entering straight at number 11 and climbing to number 5 in its second week in the chart, now "Break The Ice" by Britney Spears falls 4 places to number 9... It started so promisingly but seems to have ended very quickly. And that's logical, actually - the song isn't that successful around Europe. Not that this means anything - "Nine In The Afternoon" by Panic At The Disco appears only in a couple of European charts, yet it makes a shocking reclimb just when I thought it was on its way out. Here is its chart run so far: 14-11-12-14-15-10 On the other hand, "Touch My Body" by Mariah Carey does seem to be doing well around Europe, yet it remains stuck at number 14. Well, at least there is unpredictability in the chart (one of the reasons why I love it)! Duffy didn't manage to stay very long at number 1 - "Mercy" has left the top after two weeks there. It's been replaced by "American Boy", which becomes the fourth chart-topper to include the word "American" in its title after Madonna's "American Pie" and "American Life" and Green Day's "American Idiot". It's also the first number 1 for Kanye West as both "Gold Digger" and "Stronger" stopped at number 2. Of course, since this is Estelle's first hit in European Top 20, it's her first chart-topper as well! What about next week? Madonna and Justin Timberlake are the obvious contenders for the number 1 position but Yael Naim looks strong, too... It's also possible that Duffy returns to the top. But, in the end, "American Boy" might just stay there!...

Here is the chart of April 26, 2008: 20 Kylie Minogue - In My Arms 2 Down 19 Yael Naim - New Soul NEW 18 Missy Elliott - Ching-A-Ling 2 Up 17 Justice - DVNO 1 Down 16 Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love 1 Down 15 Panic At The Disco - Nine In The Afternoon 1 Down 14 Mariah Carey - Touch My Body 5 Up 13 Gnarls Barkley - Run Stay => 12 Rihanna - Don't Stop The Music 6 Down 11 The Kooks - Always Where I Need To Be 1 Up 10 Kelly Rowland - Work Stay => 9 Flo Rida & T-Pain - Low Stay => 8 Adele - Chasing Pavements 1 Down 7 Alicia Keys - Like You'll Never See Me Again 1 Up 6 OneRepublic - Stop And Stare 3 Down 5 Britney Spears - Break The Ice 6 Up 4 Timbaland, Keri Hilson & Nicole Scherzinger - Scream 2 Down 3 Estelle & Kanye West - American Boy 2 Up 2 Chris Brown - With You 2 Up 1 Duffy - Mercy Stay => There may be only one new entry this week but I'm very happy about it. "New Soul" by Yael Naim really deserved to enter MTV European Top 20 as it has been successful in many European countries. I don't think it will do very well in this chart but what's important is that they let it in - just like in the case of "When You're Gone" by Basshunter. After spending three weeks at number 19, "Touch My Body" by Mariah Carey finally goes up. This 5-place climb to number 14 might indicate that the single is going to have some success in the chart after all. However, that's much more obvious for the biggest climber this week - "Break The Ice" by Britney Spears, which goes 11-5 in its second week in the chart. Her previous two hits ("Gimme More" and "Piece Of Me") both became number ones... Can "Break The Ice" do the same? On the other hand, the biggest faller is "Don't Stop The Music" by Rihanna, 6 places down to number 12. However, the song spends its 27th week in the chart and now there are only two songs ahead - "Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado, which spent 28 weeks in the chart; and the record-holder "Asereje" by Las Ketchup with 29 weeks. A quick comparison - in its 27th week in the chart "Say It Right" was at number 18; "Asereje" was at number 16. "Don't Stop The Music" is higher placed than both at this stage; this should mean that it has every chance to break the record for longest stay in European Top 20! However, I don't really think so. The chart might have been slower during the last couple of weeks but I think a storm is coming and probably next week there will be three or four new entries... So while I can imagine "Don't Stop The Music" spending one more week in the chart and two weeks aren't impossible, I'll be REALLY surprised if it does last three more weeks indeed! Madonna and Justin Timberlake didn't debut this week so "Mercy" by Duffy expectedly spends a second week at the top. The runner-up this time is "With You" by Chris Brown. While "Run It!" went to number 1 two years ago, in my opinion it's unlikely that "With You" will repeat that as the song simply isn't as successful across Europe. But this is the European Top 20 so everything is possible!

Here is the chart of April 19, 2008: 20 Missy Elliott - Ching-A-Ling NEW 19 Mariah Carey - Touch My Body Stay => 18 Kylie Minogue - In My Arms Stay => 17 Rihanna & Ne-Yo - Hate That I Love You 2 Down 16 Justice - DVNO 1 Up 15 Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love 1 Down 14 Panic At The Disco - Nine In The Afternoon 2 Down 13 Gnarls Barkley - Run 3 Up 12 The Kooks - Always Where I Need To Be 1 Up 11 Britney Spears - Break The Ice NEW 10 Kelly Rowland - Work 1 Down 9 Flo Rida & T-Pain - Low 2 Up 8 Alicia Keys - Like You'll Never See Me Again 2 Up 7 Adele - Chasing Pavements Stay => 6 Rihanna - Don't Stop The Music 2 Down 5 Estelle & Kanye West - American Boy 3 Up 4 Chris Brown - With You 1 Up 3 OneRepublic - Stop And Stare Stay => 2 Timbaland, Keri Hilson & Nicole Scherzinger - Scream 1 Down 1 Duffy - Mercy 1 Up As expected, "Mercy" by Duffy is the new number 1. The previous two chart-toppers - "Stop And Stare" and "Scream" - both spent only one week at the top but I think "Mercy" is going to have a longer reign over the chart... unless Madonna and Justin Timberlake debut at number 1 next week! There are two new entries this week. At number 20 is "Ching-A-Ling" by Missy Elliott. She was last seen in the chart in 2005 with "Lose Control", which reached number 6. The other new entry is more interesting. "Break The Ice" by Britney Spears enters at number 11 and actually replaces her previous single "Piece Of Me", which leaves the chart straight from number 6! That's remarkable by itself but even more impressive is that it never went lower than number 6. So far only two other singles have spent all of their weeks in MTV European Top 20 in the Top 6 - "The Saints Are Coming" by U2 and Green Day (its chart run was 6-2) and "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey (it spent only one week in the chart - at number 6)... However, it's Rihanna again that deserves a special mention. "Hate That I Love You" breaks a record this week as it spends its 17th week in the chart after peaking at number 9. Until now "I'm With You" by Avril Lavigne held the record for most weeks in the chart for a song that has peaked at number 9 - 16 weeks... At the same time "Don't Stop The Music" is spending its 26th week in the chart, equalling the third longest stay in European Top 20, which was achieved by "Cotton Eye Joe" by Rednex. Curiously, the latter was also at number 6 in its 26th week in the chart but went out immediately after that! So who remains ahead of "Don't Stop The Music"? Only "Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado (with a total of 28 weeks in the chart) and "Asereje" by Las Ketchup (the record-holder with 29 weeks in European Top 20). I must admit I don't really believe Rihanna is going to break the record... but that becomes more and more likely with every week! Oh, and "Hate That I Love You" and "Don't Stop The Music" have now spent 16 weeks simultaneously in the chart. I doubt that another artist will ever have two simultaneous hits in the chart for such a long time...

tsetsi, I don't think this is an MTV airplay chart - there have been numerous occasions when songs that have been played a lot on MTV haven't entered the chart and vice versa... Here is the chart of April 12, 2008: 20 Lenny Kravitz - I'll Be Waiting 2 Down 19 Mariah Carey - Touch My Body Stay => 18 Kylie Minogue - In My Arms 5 Down 17 Justice - DVNO Stay => 16 Gnarls Barkley - Run NEW 15 Rihanna & Ne-Yo - Hate That I Love You RE-ENTRY 14 Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love 1 Up 13 The Kooks - Always Where I Need To Be 1 Up 12 Panic At The Disco - Nine In The Afternoon 1 Down 11 Flo Rida & T-Pain - Low 1 Up 10 Alicia Keys - Like You'll Never See Me Again 3 Down 9 Kelly Rowland - Work 1 Up 8 Estelle & Kanye West - American Boy 1 Up 7 Adele - Chasing Pavements 1 Down 6 Britney Spears - Piece Of Me 1 Down 5 Chris Brown - With You 3 Up 4 Rihanna - Don't Stop The Music Stay => 3 OneRepublic - Stop And Stare 2 Down 2 Duffy - Mercy 1 Up 1 Timbaland, Keri Hilson & Nicole Scherzinger - Scream 1 Up I had this feeling at OneRepublic would fall from the top after just one week there... and it has happened! I did think it was more probable that "Mercy" by Duffy would replace "Stop And Stare" but it has climbed to the runner-up position and is still a big contender for the number 1... However, the song that got there this week is "Scream". Yes, "Scream" - the second song with this title that has been a chart-topper in MTV European Top 20 (the first one was, of course, the Jackson duet in 1995). A third consecutive number 1 for Timbaland, a second number 1 for Keri Hilson (I would never have guessed that) and a first time at the top for Nicole Scherzinger. Indeed, as a solo artist she hasn't gone higher than number 6 and as a part of Pussycat Dolls she stopped at number 2 (with both "Stickwitu" and "Beep")... What's interesting about Timbaland's achievement is that the first single from his album - "Give It To Me" - didn't become a chart-topper (it peaked at number 2)... while "The Way I Are", "Apologize" and "Scream" all climbed to number 1. There have been artists who have had 3 number ones from the same album in European Top 20... but I think Timbaland is the first to do it with his second, third and fourth single! There is one new entry at number 16. Gnarls Barkley had one of the biggest hits of 2006 with "Crazy", which spent 5 weeks at number 1 in this chart. They scored one more hit after that - "Smiley Faces" reached number 9. Now they are back in the chart with "Run". But the most remarkable things in this week's chart are related to Rihanna. "Don't Stop The Music" spends its 25th week in the chart, equalling the total number of weeks "7 Seconds" by Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry spent in the chart. Now only three songs have been longer in the chart - "Cotton Eye Joe" by Rednex (26 weeks), "Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado (28 weeks) and "Asereje" by Las Ketchup (29 weeks). Futhermore, "Don't Stop The Music" occupies number 4 in its 25th week in the chart, equalling the achievement of "Say It Right". No song has been higher placed than number 4 in its 25th week in the chart! But that's not all. Rihanna also has a re-entry this week! Her duet with Ne-Yo "Hate That I Love You" is back in the chart after being out for 7 weeks. What's impressive is that this is the song's 16th week in the chart! As I said at the beginning of this year, every song that has re-entered the chart has previously spent at most 9 weeks in it... The idea is that if a song spends too many weeks in the chart, it doesn't really have a chance to re-enter... But "Hate That I Love You" does it, in spite of previously having spent 15 weeks in the chart. And that's actually logical as the single has just been released in several European countries... By the way, what it has done is not exactly a record. When I made that commentary at the beginning of the year, there was a reason - "Hey There Delilah" by Plain White T's re-entered the chart after previously having spent 16 weeks in it... Still, "Hate That I Love You" is second best in this category! But the most curious thing is the interaction between Rihanna's two singles. "Don't Stop The Music" was the first to enter the chart back in 2007 but after 3 weeks it was replaced by "Hate That I Love You". However, just a week later "Don't Stop The Music" re-entered the chart and the two songs spent 14 weeks together in the chart (something unheard of ever before)... and then "Hate That I Love You" left the chart at the beginning of this year so "Don't Stop The Music" stayed alone in European Top 20 for 7 weeks... but now they are together again! I really, really doubt there will ever be such a crazy interaction between two singles by one artist in the chart!!!

tsetsi, we do have an official chart in Bulgaria - the Bulgarian Top 100. It's an airplay chart, not a singles chart, of course (as singles unfortunately aren't even sold here)... But I have absolutely no idea what this Bulgaria Singles Top 40 is! Here is the chart of April 5, 2008: 20 Simple Plan - When I'm Gone 1 Down 19 Mariah Carey - Touch My Body NEW 18 Lenny Kravitz - I'll Be Waiting 2 Down 17 Justice - DVNO 3 Up 16 30 Seconds To Mars - A Beautiful Lie 2 Up 15 Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love 10 Down 14 The Kooks - Always Where I Need To Be NEW 13 Kylie Minogue - In My Arms 5 Down 12 Flo Rida & T-Pain - Low Stay => 11 Panic At The Disco - Nine In The Afternoon 3 Up 10 Kelly Rowland - Work 3 Up 9 Estelle & Kanye West - American Boy 8 Up 8 Chris Brown - With You 2 Up 7 Alicia Keys - Like You'll Never See Me Again 4 Up 6 Adele - Chasing Pavements Stay => 5 Britney Spears - Piece Of Me 4 Down 4 Rihanna - Don't Stop The Music Stay => 3 Duffy - Mercy 6 Up 2 Timbaland, Keri Hilson & Nicole Scherzinger - Scream 1 Up 1 OneRepublic - Stop And Stare 1 Up I predicted it last week! Indeed, "Piece Of Me" by Britney Spears has fallen from the top spot after spending two weeks there. Just like I expected, "Stop And Stare" by OneRepublic is the new number 1. And this is a second chart-topper for the group after "Apologize"... Now that's a good start to a career! Speaking of "Apologize", the fact that OneRepublic and Timbaland as separate artists are occupying the Top 2 might have contributed to the disappearance of their collaboration from the chart. It has gone out straight from number 7 - but its achievement of spending its first 19 weeks in the Top 5 will nevertheless most likely never be beaten... Another song which is doing something impressive is "Don't Stop The Music" by Rihanna, which spends its 24th week in the chart. Only three other number ones in the history of MTV European Top 20 have been in the chart for 24+ weeks - "Asereje" by Las Ketchup, "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira and Wyclef Jean and "Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado. It's even more remarkable that "Don't Stop The Music" is at number 4 - only "Say It Right" has been higher placed in its 24th week in the chart (it was at number 3)... Otherwise, there are two new entries this week. At number 19 we see Mariah Carey's comeback, (in my opinion) the shockingly unimpressive "Touch My Body". She was very successful in European Top 20 with her previous album as it scored 5 hits in the chart, including the number 1 "We Belong Together". The other new entry at number 14 is a surprising one - "Always Where I Need To Be" by The Kooks. In general, I don't like it when a song that only appears in the UK chart enters European Top 20... but with so many random new entries in recent times, I'm actually glad that this one in particular is having success AT LEAST there (it's currently number 3 in the UK)! Otherwise, there are a couple of very big movements in the chart. The biggest climber is "American Boy" by Estelle and Kanye West (incidentally, the current number 1 in the UK), which goes 17-9... On the other hand, the biggest faller is completely flabbergasting as I see no reason why "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis goes 5-15 when it's doing amazingly well across Europe... However, probably the most important climb is the 9-3 of "Mercy" by Duffy. Especially if we take into account that Charlotte, the chart presenter on MTV, said a couple of weeks ago that she hoped the song was heading for the top, I think it's quite possible that it will happen very soon...

Here is the chart of March 29, 2008: 20 Justice - DVNO NEW 19 Simple Plan - When I'm Gone 5 Down 18 30 Seconds To Mars - A Beautiful Lie 1 Up 17 Estelle & Kanye West - American Boy NEW 16 Lenny Kravitz - I'll Be Waiting 7 Down 15 Snoop Dogg - Sensual Seduction 5 Down 14 Panic At The Disco - Nine In The Afternoon NEW 13 Kelly Rowland - Work 3 Up 12 Flo Rida & T-Pain - Low 5 Up 11 Alicia Keys - Like You'll Never See Me Again NEW 10 Chris Brown - With You 10 Up 9 Duffy - Mercy 2 Up 8 Kylie Minogue - In My Arms Stay => 7 Timbaland & OneRepublic - Apologize 3 Down 6 Adele - Chasing Pavements 1 Up 5 Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love 3 Down 4 Rihanna - Don't Stop The Music 1 Down 3 Timbaland, Keri Hilson & Nicole Scherzinger - Scream 3 Up 2 OneRepublic - Stop And Stare 3 Up 1 Britney Spears - Piece Of Me Stay => Four new entries this week... I'm saying it as if it's so usual... and it really is at the moment but I'll always remind that in the period 2001-2003 one could only dream of having four new entries in the chart (it happened a total of one time during that period)! The lowest new entry at number 20 is a second hit for Justice in the chart. "D.A.N.C.E." spent one week in the chart at number 20, then immediately went out, after that re-entered again at number 20 and left the chart again the following week... "DVNO" seems to follow this pattern for now but that can change next week! Then at number 17 we find "American Boy", Estelle's first hit in MTV European Top 20. Kanye West is also featured on this single, which is the current UK number 1. I do wonder how it will do in the rest of Europe. And another first-timer in the chart at number 14 - Panic At The Disco. They somehow resemble The Killers (who have had 3 songs in the chart). So far I knew only one of their songs - "I Write Sins, Not Tragedies" - and it didn't impress me. However, "Nine In The Afternoon" is quite nice... although I really doubt it's going to become a massive European hit. While former number 1 "No One" leaves the chart, Alicia Keys' follow-up replaces it at number 11. And "Like You'll Never See Me Again" is actually the song with the longest title in the current chart. I have noticed that recently as a whole the majority of songs in European Top 20 have consisted of three or four words at most... This week there are some big climbs and falls, the most impressive movement being the 20-10 climb of "With You" by Chris Brown. Can it go all the way to the top like "Run It!" did? "Piece Of Me" by Britney Spears spends a second week at number 1... and that's actually already one more than her previous single "Gimme More"! However, two songs climb 3 places to number 2 and number 3, respectively - "Stop And Stare" by OneRepublic and "Scream" by Timberi Hilsinger. I really think one of these two will be the next chart-topper... and it's very likely that that's going to happen as soon as next week.

Well done for posting this chart, tsetsi! I'm happy about Leona Lewis as it's usually difficult for foreign artists to top the French chart... By the way, I also like "Plus La" by Frederic Lerner!