Friday, May 29, 2015

"Bitch I'm Madonna" Is Coming Soon


Drowned Madonna is reporting that the video and remixes for Madonna's next Rebel Heart single, "Bitch I'm Madonna", are coming in 2 weeks, with American club promotion starting as early as next week as the first batch of remixes have already been approved by Madonna herself. 2 weeks seems a bit fast because it feels like the "Ghosttown" remixes were just released to iTunes (even though they've been online for some time), but I am glad they're quickly moving on to the next single. It seems that "Bitch I'm Madonna" might be her best shot at an appearance on the Hot 100 as the track has already garnered initial interest before its release and appeared on a couple of Billboard charts when the album was launched. Let's see what happens!

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Chart News: Week of 6/6/2015

Ghosttown
Hot Singles Sales: #3 (Debut)
Adult Top 40: Off (From #39)
Adult Contemporary: #25 (Down from #22)
Dance Club Songs: #7 (Down from #1)

I was shocked to see how far "Ghosttown" fell on the Club chart after last week's peak at #1! This is her largest drop from #1 in a very long time, maybe even ever? I only checked back as far as 2000 and I saw nothing that fell beyond #6. With all the hype about it being her 45th #1 I thought for sure it would spend at least one or two more weeks in the Top 5.

Thanks to Maurice G. for contributing this week.

Friday, May 22, 2015

Vogue 25th Anniversary: Billboard Interviews Shep Pettibone


Billboard.com

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Madonna’s “Vogue” reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, we reached out to the song’s co-producer and co-writer, dance legend Shep Pettibone, for -- amazingly -- his first interview in 20 years.

We talked to Pettibone, of course, about the genesis and making of “Vogue,” but also his later work with the diva on The Immaculate Collection and Erotica, the sampling lawsuit against him and Madonna over “Vogue,” and why he stepped away from the music business nearly 20 years ago.

The producer/writer/remixer and DJ, now 55 years old, rose to prominence as a go-to remixer in the 1980s for such acts as Janet Jackson, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, George Michael, Whitney Houston and, most spectacularly, Madonna. His reworkings would often earn official promotion to radio, be used in an artist’s music videos, and be heard on tour. (A search for the phrase “Shep Pettibone” on YouTube turns up a treasure trove of sterling remixes.)

For Madonna, Pettibone reworked such classics as “Into the Groove” (his version is heard during Madonna’s Who’s That Girl Tour and on her You Can Dance album) and “Causing a Commotion,” in addition to crafting the popular single versions of “Like a Prayer” and “Express Yourself.”

His frequent work with Madonna led to her then-label, Warner Bros. Records, asking Pettibone if he would like to collaborate with her on an original song. The label’s then-head of dance music, Craig Kostich, “had this idea to see how we would work together, and he asked me to come up with a track for her,” says Pettibone. Assigned a budget of $5,000, he sent the diva the track’s “Philly Salsoul”-inspired music and within two weeks, she flew to New York to record her vocals to the track in a vocal booth in a “basement on West 56th Street.”

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Chart News: Week Of 5/30/2015


Rebel Heart (Album)
The Billboard 200: Off (from #169)
Top Current Albums: Off (from #89)

Ghosttown
Adult Top 40: #39 (Down from #38)
Adult Contemporary: #22 (Down from #20)
Dance Club Songs: #1 (Up from #3)

Monday, May 18, 2015

"Ghosttown" Remixes Available On iTunes


The "Ghosttown" remix EP is now available on iTunes. Make sure to get yours in celebration of Madonna 45th #1 dance hit!

Friday, May 15, 2015

In-Depth: Madonna On The Dance Club Songs Chart


Updated July 31, 2015

Madonna's history on this chart is the most fruitful of her career. Her appearances on it span all the way from her very first single, "Everybody", back in 1982 all the way to the present. In fact, the Club Play chart was the very first Billboard chart that Madonna ever appeared on in November of 1982.

First, some history on the Dance Club Songs chart per Wikipedia:

Hot Dance Club Songs has undergone several incarnations since its inception in 1974. Originally a top-ten list of tracks that garnered the largest audience response in New York City discothèques, the chart began on October 26, 1974 under the title Disco Action. The chart went on to feature playlists from various cities around the country from week to week. Billboard continued to run regional and city-specific charts throughout 1975 and 1976 until the issue dated August 28, 1976, when a thirty-position National Disco Action Top 30 premiered. This quickly expanded to forty positions, then in 1979 the chart expanded to sixty positions, then eighty, and eventually reached 100 positions from 1979 until 1981, when it was reduced to eighty again.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Madonna Makes History With 45th No. 1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs Chart


The Queen of Pop reigns with "Ghosttown," giving her the most No. 1s of any artist on a single Billboard chart. "Thanks to all my fans on & off the dancefloor," she tells Billboard.

Billboard.com

The Queen of Pop is now unequaled chart royalty. Madonna makes momentous Billboard chart history, as she now has the most No. 1s ever, 45, by an act on a singular Billboard chart. She earns her 45th No. 1 on Dance Club Songs, where "Ghosttown" lifts 3-1.

(The chart, dated May 30, will refresh on Billboard.com Thursday, May 21.)

With the coronation, Madonna passes another icon, George Strait, who's logged 44 No. 1s on Hot Country Songs.

"Thanks to all my fans on and off the dancefloor," Madonna said in an exclusive statement to Billboard. "I'll (always) be your partner."

With her 45th leader on Dance Club Songs, which measures reports submitted by a national sample of club DJs, Madonna pulls further ahead of runners-up Beyonce and Rihanna. In fact, Madonna has tallied more No. 1s as they have combined: 22 each. (The chart launched as a national survey in the Billboard issue dated Aug. 28, 1976.)

Madonna bests Strait (still, and always, the King of Country), who's sent 44 singles to No. 1 on Hot Country Songs between 1982 and 2009. He first reigned with "Fool Hearted Memory" (Aug. 28, 1982) and most recently ruled with "River of Love" (April 18, 2009).

"Ghosttown" was released, in its original ballad form, on Madonna's 13th studio album, Rebel Heart, which launched at No. 1 on the March 28 Top Album Saleschart with 116,000 first-week copies sold, according to Nielsen Music. Remixes from Don Diablo, Mindskap and Armand Van Helden, among others, helped the track top Dance Club Songs. (The original version, meanwhile, ranks at No. 20 onAdult Contemporary and debuts at No. 38 on Adult Pop Songs.) First Rebel Heartsingle "Living for Love" became Madonna's 44th Dance Club Songs topper on the March 7 chart.

Madonna wrote "Ghosttown" with Evan Bogart, Sean Douglas and Jason Evigan. "When I write with people, we always try to come up with a theme," she told Billboard's Keith Caulfield in December. "So, this one is about the city after Armageddon. The burnt-out city, the crumbling buildings, the smoke that's still lingering after the fire. There's only a few people left. How do we pick up the pieces and go on from here?

"Kind of dramatic," she added with a laugh.

Chart News: Week Of 5/23/2015


Rebel Heart (Album)
The Billboard 200: #169 (Down from #155)
Top Album Sales: Off (From #93)
Top Current Albums: #89 (Down from #86)

Ghosttown
Adult Top 40: #38 (Debut)
Adult Contemporary: #20 (Down from #19)
Dance Club Songs: #3 (Up From #6)

Thanks to Maurice G. for his help this week. 

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Chart Highlights (Week of 5/23/2015)

Dance Club Songs

*** No. 1 (1 week)*** "Chains" Nick Jonas
Greatest Gainer No. 3 "Ghosttown" Madonna
Debut No. 33 "B**** Better Have My Money" Rihanna
Debut No. 46 "I Really Like You" Carly Rae Jepsen
Debut No. 48 "Nobody Love" Tori Kelly
Debut No. 49 "One Last Time" Ariana Grande
Debut No. 50 "This Feeling" L'Tric

Adult Pop Songs

*** No. 1 (1 week)*** "Shut Up And Dance" WALK THE MOON
Greatest Gainer No. 23 "See You Again" Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth
Debut No. 35 "Ghost Town" Adam Lambert
Debut No. 38 "Ghosttown" Madonna

Unlike certain eventual ghost towns when it came to sparring gunslingers, the Adult Pop Songs chart is big enough for the both of these like-titled songs (word spacing aside). Lambert's (complete with a Wild West-reminiscent whistle for its chorus' hook) is his fifth hit on the chart, while Madonna lands her 19th. The latter single also bounds 6-3 as the Greatest Gainer on Dance Club Songs and ranks at No. 20 on Adult Contemporary.

Friday, May 8, 2015

More "Ghosttown" Remixes


Several new "Ghottown" remixes have been added to Madonna's YouTube channel over the last few days. Make sure to check them out! The digital remix single is also supposed to be released on Tuesday, May 19th to iTunes and other digital retailers.

Chart Preview: Dance Club Songs (Week of 5/23/2015)

Drowned Madonna is reporting that "Ghosttown" will move up to #3 on next week's Dance Club Songs chart, and is once again the Greatest Gainer. Their article is a bit confusing, in their headline they say it will be #1, but in the body they say it moves up to #3. I think they are just predicting a #1 the following week, but I wouldn't speak so soon. We all saw what happened with "Miles Away"! Just keep your fingers crossed...

Source

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Next Single: Bitch I'm Madonna?


Drowned Madonna is reporting that the third single from Rebel Heart will be "Bitch I'm Madonna" (which we've all pretty much suspected) and will be remixed very soon. Will this fare better than the first 2 singles? Apparently, Madonna also considered releasing "Devil Pray". Which song would you release?

Chart News: Week Of 5/16/2015


Rebel Heart (Album)
The Billboard 200: #155 (Down from #130)
Top Album Sales: #93 (Down from #89)
Top Current Albums: #86 (Down from #81)

Ghosttown
Adult Contemporary: #19 (Up from #20)
Dance Club Songs: #6 (Up from #13)

"Ghosttown" also moves up to #1 on the Adult Top 40 'Hot And Active' list.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Corrections / Additions

Thanks to contributor Maurice for providing the following information within the last few days:

-"Like A Prayer": final weekly positions added on both R&B Singles Sales and R&B Airplay charts. (We thought we had the full run before, turns out we were missing the final week on both charts). As such, final 'week on chart' dates have been corrected.
-"Oh Father": Peak date on Hot Singles Sales corrected. Mistake on complete chart run corrected.
-"Bitch I'm Madonna": last week's missing position on the Dance/Electronic Digital Songs chart has been added.

Friday, May 1, 2015

Chart Preview: Dance Club Songs Chart (Week of 5/16/2015)


Drowned Madonna is reporting that "Ghosttown" moves up to #6 on next week's Dance Club Songs chart and is the Greatest Gainer for the third week in a row! The new batch of remixes will definitely keep the track climbing fast! On a related note, Drowned Madonna is also reporting that the digital remix EP of "Ghosttown" has been delayed a week to May 19th.