Chart Watch: Chainsmokers Equal Record Set by Bee Gees, Beatles

The Chainsmokers this week becomes the first group or duo to have three songs in the top 10 on the Hot 100 at the same time since Bee Gees achieved the feat in the spring of 1978 with three hits from Saturday Night Fever. “Something Just like This,” a collaboration with Coldplay, vaults from No. 56 to No. 5 in its second week. “Paris” dips from No. 6 to No. 7 in its seventh week. The megahit “Closer” (featuring Halsey) drops from No. 5 to No. 10 in its 31st week.

Bee Gees scored in February/March 1978 with “Stayin’ Alive,” “Night Fever” and “How Deep Is Your Love.” Only one other group or duo has had three songs in the top 10 at the same time since the Hot 100 was introduced in 1958. The Beatles achieved the feat for 10 weeks in 1964. (In two of those weeks, they had five songs in the top 10.)

This means that The Chainsmokers that are the first American group or duo to achieve this feat. The Beatles were English. The Brothers Gibb were born on the Isle of Man to English parents.

“Paris” and “Something Just Like This” are from The Chainsmokers’ first full-length album, Memories…Do Not Open, which is due April 7.

“Something Just like This” is fifth top 10 hit for The Chainsmokers; the second for Coldplay. The members of Coldplay have teamed with top EDM stars to write two of their four top 10 hits. They co-wrote “A Sky Full of Stars” with Avicii. They co-wrote “Something Just like This” with The Chainsmokers’ Andrew Taggart.

“Closer,” which logged 12 weeks at No. 1, is one of only three songs in Hot 100 history to log 31 or more weeks in the top 10. LeAnn Rimes’s “How Do I Live” had 32 weeks in the top 10 in 1997-98. Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk!” (featuring Bruno Mars) had 31 weeks in 2014-15.

Top Songs

Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” tops the Hot 100 for the sixth week in its eighth week on the chart. That’s the longest run at No. 1 for a record that isn’t a collaboration since Adele’s “Hello” had 10 weeks on top from late 2015 into early 2016.

“Shape of You” sold 141K digital copies this week, which allows it to log its sixth week at No. 1 on Top Digital Songs.

“Shape of You” logs its eighth week at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart. It’s the first song to spend six or more weeks at No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic since Drake’s “One Dance” (featuring Wizkid and Kyla), which spent 10 weeks at No. 1 in the U.S. and 15 weeks at No. 1 in the U.K.

Migos’ “Bad and Boujee” (featuring Lil Uzi Vert) holds at No. 2 in its 16th week. The song logged three weeks at No. 1.

The Zayn/Taylor Swift collabo “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)” holds at No. 3 in its 12th week. It peaked at No. 2.

Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like” holds at No. 4 in its seventh week. Mars pulled two No. 1 hits from each of his first two albums. Will he manage to pull a No. 1 hit from his third album? Stay tuned. (Incidentally, I’m glad to see that “Julio” is still gainfully employed. In “Uptown Funk!,” Mars memorably demanded, “Julio, get the stretch!” In “That’s What I Like,” Mars says, “Julio, serve that scampi.” I presume Julio is well-paid for his efforts. Good help is hard to find.)

Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain” inches up from No. 7 to No. 6 in its 20th week.

Kodak Black’s “Tunnel Vision” vaults from No. 27 to No. 8 in its second week.

Big Sean’s “Bounce Back” holds at No. 9 in its 17th week. The song peaked at No. 6.

Katy Perry’s “Chained to the Rhythm” (featuring Skip Marley) and “Bad Things” by Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello both drop out of the top 10 this week.

Sam Hunt lands his second top 20 hit as “Body Like a Back Road” jumps from No. 22 to No. 20 in its fifth week. Hunt’s previous highest-charting hit, “Take Your Time,” peaked at No. 20. “Body…” is in its third week at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

Top Albums

Future this week becomes the first artist in the history of The Billboard 200 to debut at No. 1 in back-to-back weeks. The rapper achieves the feat as his new album, HNDRXX, displaces Future, which debuted at No. 1 last week and dips to No. 2 in its second week.

Future is the first artist to occupy the top two spots simultaneously since Prince achieved the feat in the week following his death last spring with The Very Best of Prince and the Purple Rain soundtrack. Future is the first artist to hold down the top two spots without dying first—always the preferred way to do it—since Nelly debuted at No. 1 and No. 2 in October 2004 with Suit and Sweat.

The title of Future’s new album is a tribute to Jimi Hendrix, who landed a No. 1 album, Electric Ladyland, in November 1968. Rae Sremmurd’s recent No. 1 single “Black Beatles” also references an iconic rock act from the 1960s. The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” was the No. 1 single when Electric Ladyland was the No. 1 album.

This is Future’s fifth No. 1 album in less than two years. Future first topped the chart in August 2015 with DS2. He returned to No. 1 two months later with What a Time to Be Alive (a collabo with Drake), in February 2016 with Evol and last week with Future.

Just two other artists in the 61-year history of the weekly Billboard 200 chart have amassed their first five No. 1 albums inside of two years. The Beatles, not surprisingly, did it the fastest. They landed their fifth No. 1 album, Beatles VI, in July 1965, less than 17 months after they landed their first. The Kingston Trio landed their fifth No. 1 album, String Along, in August 1960, a little more than 21 months after they landed their first.

While no one has ever entered The Billboard 200 at No. 1 in back-to-back weeks, six other acts have replaced themselves at No. 1. The last act to achieve this feat was Simon & Garfunkel, which did it in June 1968 with Bookends and the soundtrack to The Graduate.

Just five other artists have replaced themselves at No. 1 since March 1956, when The Billboard 200 became a weekly feature. The Monkees achieved the feat in February 1967 when More of the Monkees replaced The Monkees. Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass scored in March 1966, when Going Places replaced Whipped Cream & Other Delights. The Beatles did it in May 1964 when The Beatles’ Second Album replaced Meet the Beatles!. Peter Paul, Mary did it in November 1963, when In the Wind replaced Peter, Paul & Mary. Mitch Miller and the Gang did it in January 1959 when Sing Along With Mitch replaced Christmas Sing-Along with Mitch at No. 1.

(Paul McCartney joins the club if you combine McCartney and Beatles albums. In June 1970, The Beatles’ Let It Be replaced McCartney at No. 1. Three years later, McCartney and Wings’ Red Rose Speedway replaced The Beatles/1967-1970.)

Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic dips from No. 2 to No. 3 in its 15th week. The album peaked at No. 2 (for four non-consecutive weeks).

Little Big Town lands its fourth top 10 album as The Breaker debuts at No. 4. The Breaker also enters Top Country Albums at No. 1, displacing Alison Krauss’ Windy. It’s the quartet’s third No. 1 country album.

The Trolls soundtrack rebounds from No. 10 to No. 5 in its 23rd week in the wake of Justin Timberlake’s show-opening performance of “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” on the Oscars. The album peaked at No. 3. Trolls moves back to No. 1 on Top Soundtracks, displacing 50 Shades Darker. This is the fifth week on top of that chart for Trolls.

Migos’ Culture dips from No. 5 to No. 6 in its fifth week. The album debuted at No. 1.

The Weeknd’s Starboy drops from No. 4 to No. 7 in its 14th week. The album spent five non-consecutive weeks at No. 1.

The Moana soundtrack rebounds from No. 16 to No. 8 in its 15th week in the wake of Auli’i Cravalho’s performance of “How Far I’ll Go” on the Oscars. The album peaked at No. 2.

Big Sean’s I Decided. drops from No. 6 to No. 9 in its fourth week. The album debuted at No. 1.

Aaron Watson lands his first top 10 album as Vaquero debuts at No. 10. The country artist’s previous album, The Underdog, peaked at No. 14.

Four albums drop out of the top 10 this week. The Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack drops from No. 3 to No. 12. Charlie Wilson’s In It to Win It drops from No. 7 to No. 57. Ryan Adams’ Prisoner drops from No. 8 to No. 54. Alison Krauss’ Windy City drops from No. 9 to No. 29.

John Mayer’s The Search for Everything: Wave Two debuts at No. 13. The EP is the second batch of songs from Mayer’s upcoming seventh studio album. The first batch debuted and peaked at No. 2 last month.

Ed Sheeran’s sophomore album, x, drops from No. 43 to No. 49 in its 141st week. The album debuted at No. 1. The album is No. 1 on Top Catalog Albums for the third week. Sheeran’s third album, ÷ (pronounced “divide”), is set to debut at No. 1 next week with a first-week “consumption” tally in the 450K range and traditional sales in the 300K range.