TMJ Charts: M83 Dethrones Santigold

A record-breaking streak of 17 weeks at #1 for Santigold's Disparate Youth has finally come to and end as we now turn our heads to M83 whose Midnight City reigns as the new #1 on the Songs chart. And it comes as big feat, not only because it's the electronic band's first chart-topper but it's a song that has been all over the chart since its debut. It first appeared in early November of last year where it bowed at #74 only to climb to #66 four weeks later before experiencing a brief absence starting early December. By February of this year the song re-enters at #97 and goes up to #42 by late March, before hovering around the lower parts of the chart once again. But it wasn't until early May that the song picks up a steady pace and finally breaks the Top 40. And steady ever since, it's now reached the top as Greatest Gainer in its 27th week on the chart. I can only remember one song that's taken longer to reach the summit and it's Kings Of Leon's Closer which back in 2009 conquered the top in its 37th week.

Midnight City (Official Video)

In other chart news, it's a good week for Flo Rida who sees Wild Ones featuring Sia pick up once again and is the week's Power Play at #18. There's also two debuts from his new album: I Cry is the week's Highest Debut at #29 followed by Run featuring RedFoo at #42. Howler's Black Lagoon is the week's other debut entering at #87. The week's Biggest Jump is Benny Benassi's Close To Me featuring Gary Go, a song that refuses to leave the chart and goes up 45 places to #55.

And a couple of names are also news. First off, Alanis Morissette gets her best chart peak so far as her newest single, Guardian, stands at #7 this week. Her best effort had been Incomplete which went as high as #9 in 2008. Another return to the top belongs to Linkin Park with Burn It Down standing at #10. This is their best chart position since Waiting For The End reached #6 in October of 2010.

Benny Benassi & Gary Go › Control

Mas Friendly Fires... (+ Big Announcement!)

We may be ready to say goodbye to this year, but that doesn't mean there's a lot of change on the charts, or at least the top of the charts, that is. In the second to last chart issue of 2011, Friendly Fires still dominates both the Top Songs and Top Albums charts with Blue Cassette and Pala, respectively. Blue Cassette stays on top for a second week in a row, extending the group's consecutive stay at the top to 17 weeks while Pala, on the other hand, enjoys its fifteenth week at the top of the Albums chart.


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Some unexpected jumps include Fedde le Grand storming up to #3 as Greatest Gainer with So Much Love, while Benny Benassi and Gary Go return to #2 with Close To Me. Rihanna and Calvin Harris enter the Top Ten at #5 with We Found Love, Adele returns at #6 with Someone Like You and LMFAO recovers and closes at #10 with Party Rock Anthem. Lots of new entries this week including new songs by Pitbull, Taio Cruz, Avicii, Nickelback, Flo Rida, Lana Del Rey, Bruno Mars and... Justin Bieber!?

And with those names comes the big announcement! Starting this week, and with the help of the new digital charts I'm compiling, the worldwide top selling singles are incorporated to the formula for building my personal Songs chart. That basically means more mainstream songs in there than the ones I'd never - or would eventually - listen to. Creepy, I know, but the reason for this decision, after going back and forth for a while, is that with less available time in my hands I find myself listening to less music than what I'd actually like to. With that said, the chart gets a little more action while not completely affecting its outcome, after all, my tastes will still play a big part of each week's chart. Hopefully we won't get too much of Glee Cast, or the likes, in there lol. The merging of current and recurrent songs is also a big possibility in the near future, but I haven't made a decision about that... yet.

The Year of Pala

With last week's 15th consecutive run at the No. 1 position with Hawaiian Air, Friendly Fires tied the record for most weeks at the top of the Songs chart with one same title. Sadly, they're not able to break that record because it all ends this week as Hawaiian Air finally gives up the throne and falls to No. 4. But it's all not lost, because Friendly Fires replace themselves at the top with Blue Cassette, off their album Pala, after debuting at No. 100 eight weeks ago. So after all, Friendly Fires is the act with the most consecutive weeks - sixteen - at the top of the Songs chart, with one or more songs.

Blue Cassette (Live at the Lightbox Session)


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More crazy stats? And I say crazy because they all involve the number 7 somehow...

With such a long run at the top for Hawaiian Air, many titles had to settle with a not less respectable No. 2 position. A total of seven songs are included in this list starting most recently with Snow Patrol's This Isn't Everything You Are, which stays as runner-up for a second week. But there's also Benny Benassi's Close To Me featuring Gary Go (#3), Blink-182's Fighting The Gravity (#6), Young The Giant's My Body (#7), Coldplay's Paradise (#10), Foster The People's Pumped Up Kicks (#12) and Florence + The Machine's Shake It Out (#18).

Also, Blue Cassette becomes the seventh song that made its debut at the No. 100 position and eventually went on to the top of the Songs chart. This list includes Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (Wind Blow - 2007), Fergie (Clumsy - 2007), Mariah Carey (O.O.C. - 2008), Kanye West (Love Lockdown - 2009), Jay-Z (Real As It Gets - 2010) and Outasight (Everything - 2011).

But that's not all. Friendly Fires is also the seventh act to replace itself at the top of the Songs chart after Interpol (Wrecking Ball, Rest My Chemistry - 2007), Mariah Carey (twice)(Migrate, Side Effects, I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time, O.O.C. - 2008; Betcha Gon' Know (The Prologue), H.A.T.E.U. - 2009), The-Dream (My Love, Right Side Of My Brain - 2009), Akon (Sexy Bitch, Available (Benny Benassi Remix) - 2009), Jay-Z (Empire State Of Mind, Real As It Gets - 2010) and Lykke Li (I Follow Rivers (The Magician Remix), Love Out Of Lust - 2011).

Benny Benassi & Gary Go › Close To Me

One of my favorite and most certainly one of the standout tracks from Benny Benassi's Electroman if you ask me, so it's fair to say that I'm pumped about this being a single now. After Beautiful People, even though I always count that one as a Chris Brown song, Close To Me is also deserving of being on your most played list. The song features Gary Go, who also appears in the video, and is currently down to #67 after 18 weeks on the chart, but it's most likely to get a new boost for the upcoming weeks now.

Lykke Li Scores Second #1

Only a few artists like Interpol, Mariah Carey, The-Dream and Jay-Z have managed to get back to back #1 singles on my chart, but this week we can add another name to that list: Lykke Li. Up until this weekend she had dominated the songs chart with a remix to her song I Follow Rivers. Three weeks at the top went by and now she switches places with herself by getting her song Love Out Of Lust on top. This is now the singer's second #1 so far. But things are looking way better for this Swedish artist because, besides the two songs mentioned before, she's also charting the Greatest Gainer Silent My Song (#8) and the original I Follow Rivers (#10) in this week's Top 10. That's helping her album Wounded Rhymes get another week at the top of the albums chart.

A resurgence for Kings Of Leon's Birthday earns them the week's biggest leap by going from #77 to #44, quite impressive considering the song is on it's 24th chart appearance. The Power Play and Highest Debut belongs to Benny Benassi and Gary Go with their single Cinema. As expected, the song makes a quick debut at #68, just one spot higher than the Congorock Remix which debuted last week.

A couple more entries come from T.I. with Big Picture landing at #90 and Britney Spears' third song from Femme Fatale to debut, Criminal, opens at #96.

Benny Benassi & Gary Go › Cinema

Here's the video for Benny Benassi's latest single Cinema, featuring Gary Go. I discovered this song thanks to the great Congorock Remix, which debuted on this week's chart at #66. This, the original mix, might be doing the same soon.



Cinema (Congorock Remix)


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Top 5 Remains Unchanged

It hasn't happened in quite a long time, probably since 2008 or 2009, but this week's Top 5 remains the same as last week's. Not only that, but Lykke Li claims the top two stops once again with I Follow Rivers (The Magician Remix) ruling for a third consecutive week. Love Out Of Lust remains at #2 as Greatest Gainer for second week in a row as well. And the Lykke Li domination continues this week as she also gets the Biggest Jump with Sadness Is A Blessing going #79 - #35 in it's second week on the chart.

The Highest Debut comes courtesy of The Strokes. Their return single Under Cover Of Darkness finally breaks the chart and bows at #46. More debuts include Benny Benassi's new single Cinema, featuring Gary Go. The Congorock Remix of that song debuts at #66. Lupe Fiasco sees two more songs chart as Coming Up and Beautiful Lasers enter at #68 and #78 respectively. Another remix song, The Magician Remix to Beni's It's A Bubble comes in at #95 while Duran Duran's Before The Rain does it one spot higher at #96.