BILLBOARD - 2008
This is an alphabetical artist list of every song to make the top 40 during any given week during this year and its peak highest position reached on the national charts in USA
What are your favorite songs on this list?
My personal favorites are listed at the very bottom : hoknes@hotmail.com
Singles which have ranked within Top 20 within the Billboard Hot 100 Hits
| MILEY CYRUS - SEE YOU AGAIN (2008) hit #10
See You Again" is a
pop song performed by American singer-songwriter
Miley Cyrus. The song was composed by Cyrus (credited as
Destiny Hope Cyrus),
Antonina Armato, and
Tim James and produced by Armato and James. It was
released on December 19, 2007 by
Hollywood Records, as the
lead single from Cyrus' debut album Meet Miley Cyrus,
the second disc of the dual album
Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus. It was remixed
by
Rock Mafia and re-released to a number of countries on
August 11, 2008, as the second single from Cyrus' second
studio album
Breakout (2008). Musically, the track is a
dance-pop number that contains influences from various
musical genres, including
electronic music. Lyrically, the track speaks of teenage
romance.
"See You Again" was a critical success, with contemporary critics praising its musical composition and vocal delivery. To follow, it also became Cyrus' first commercially successful single. The song introduced her to new audiences and new countries, paving the way for future hits. "See You Again" became Cyrus' best-charting single at the time by peaking at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. Its highest peak internationally was at number four on the Canadian Hot 100. Although an official music video for the song was never filmed, it was given a promotional music video, taken from a performance at the 2007 Disney Channel Games. The song was promoted through a multitude of live television performances. It was included on the set list of Cyrus' headlining tours, the Best of Both Worlds Tour (2007–08), the Wonder World Tour (2009) and the Gypsy Heart Tour (2011). "See You Again" has been covered by various notable artists, including Little Boots and Breathe Carolina. The song sold more than 2.5 million digital copies in the U.S.A. |
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| NATASHA BEDINGFIELD - POCKETFUL OF SUNSHINE (2008) hit #5
Pocketful of Sunshine" is a song performed by British
singer and songwriter
Natasha Bedingfield, released as the second single from
her second North American studio album
Pocketful of Sunshine (2008). Bedingfield co-wrote
the song together with American songwriter
Danielle Brisebois and American musician and songwriter
John Shanks; Shanks also produced the track as well as
performing on most of the instruments present.
Epic Records serviced the song to mainstream radios on
February 11, 2008 in the United States. It received an
international release in spring 2011 to promote the release
of
Strip Me Away (2011).
Bedingfield noted "Pocketful of Sunshine" as her favorite, stating that it centers around escaping from your troubles. It adapts dance-pop and adult contemporary styles, differing from her previous recordings. Lyrically, the song discusses escapism and finding a peaceful place in difficult situations. The message is amplified by the melancholic tone of the lyrics mixing with the exuberance displayed in Bedingfield's voice. "Pocketful of Sunshine" was well received by contemporary music critics; the majority of them named it as one of the album's highlights. Several critics also praised it as a bright and lively summer tune. "Pocketful of Sunshine" experienced commercial success in North America, peaking at number five in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold three million downloads, becoming her most successful single there. It also charted in Canada, peaking at number three and receiving the platinum certification. It however did not replicate the success in North America as it charted moderately in several countries, reaching the top thirty in international territories. |
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| ARTISTS STAND UP AGAINST CANCER - JUST STAND UP (2008) hit #11
Just Stand Up!" is a song performed by an all-star
charity supergroup of
pop,
R&B,
rock,
country artists during the live version during the
telethon "Stand
Up to Cancer". The group was purposely billed as
Artists Stand Up to Cancer to the
public.
American songwriter and producer Antonio "L.A." Reid conceived the collaboration after a meeting with the founder of Stand Up to Cancer, which will benefit from the proceeds of the record. Reid co-produced the track with American singer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and the single was released on August 21, 2008. The singers performed the song live on the "Stand Up to Cancer" show, which aired simultaneously on US TV networks ABC, CBS and NBC on September 5, 2008. The single was re-released on September 30, 2008, with the original recording, as well as the audio of the live performance. The CD was enhanced so it had special features for a computer. A music video was not produced for the single. On October 15, 2010, the song was confirmed to be double-Platinum by the RIAA, and the music video was confirmed to be Gold
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| KEVIN RUDOLF feat TI - LET IT ROCK (2008) hit #5
Let It Rock" is the debut single of
Kevin Rudolf from his debut album
In the City. It features rapper
Lil Wayne. The track was produced and written by Rudolf.
In the U.S. and Canada, the song reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, number #6 on the Pop 100 and #2 on the Canadian Hot 100. The first week, the song debuted at number 45 on the Australian Singles Chart and reached number 3. In the United Kingdom, the song climbed to number forty on physical release but due to an increase in airplay, due to BBC Radio 1 adding it to their A-list, the song climbed thirty places to number 10 in the song's second week on the chart; then it rose to number 5 the following week. "Let It Rock" was number 28 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008. "Let It Rock" was certified Triple Platinum by the RIAA on May 5, 2009. As of July 2011, the song has sold 4,000,000 digital downloads, making it Lil Wayne's third 4-million-seller The song's chorus is sampled in the Iyaz song "Damn They Hot", which features Rudolf himself. The song is also sampled and incorporated into Natasha Bedingfield's song "All I Need" from her album Strip Me; this song also features Rudolf Kevin Rudolf (born February 17, 1983) is an American rock singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer signed to Cash Money Records. His breakthrough song was his 2008 debut single "Let It Rock" featuring Lil Wayne, which was certified Triple Platinum, and reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on the UK Singles Chart, #3 on the Australian Singles Chart, and #2 on the Canadian Hot 100. His second studio album To the Sky features the platinum hit single "I Made It" featuring Lil Wayne, Jay Sean, and Birdman which peaked at 21 on the US Hot 100 and number 11 on the Digital Singles Billboard Chart. Rudolf has won three BMI awards. |
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| JORDIN SPARKS - ONE STEP AT A TIME (2008) hit #17
One Step at a Time" is the third and final single
from
American
Pop/R&B
singer
Jordin Sparks, from her
eponymous
debut album. Written by
Robbie Nevil,
Lauren Evans,
Jonas Jeberg and
Mich Hansen the song was released in the
U.S. on June 10, 2008. Sparks performed the song on the
season finale of the
seventh season of
American Idol.
When the song reached number seventeen on the Billboard Hot 100 (Week Ending August 27, 2008), Jordin became the only American Idol contestant ever to have their first four singles all crack the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. The song peaked at number three on the R&R airplay chart. The song is track number thirteen on Now That's What I Call Music! 29 along with 19 other hits of 2008. It is Jordin's third straight single to be added to the "Now That's What I Call Music" series. The song served as Sparks' third UK single and digitally released on January 26. It has already surpassed the success of previous single "Tattoo" as it was A-Listed on Radio 1's playlist on the 14th January.On February 1, 2009, the song reached a peak of number sixteen on the UK Singles Chart despite no physical release. The song debuted at number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and peaked at number seventeen, giving Sparks her fourth consecutive Hot 100 top twenty hit. This makes Sparks the only American Idol contestant to have her first four singles reach the top twenty of the Hot 100. The song's current digital sales in the U.S. stand at around 1,300,000 |
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| KATY PERRY - HOT N COLD (2008) hit #3 Hot n Cold" is a song by American singer Katy Perry. The song was written and composed by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Perry for her major mainstream debut album, One of the Boys. The track was released as the album's second single. It is about the unstable relationship of a man and woman, told from her point of view. The chorus uses several antonyms to describe his bipolar mood swings, with the verses describing how they affect the couple's life together. It reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Perry's second consecutive top three single, after her previous worldwide hit "I Kissed a Girl". The single has also become Perry's second top five single in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, and topped the charts in Finland, Germany, Canada, Norway, Spain and Denmark, and has topped the charts in 15 countries. As of September 2011, "Hot n Cold" has sold over five million digital downloads Hot n Cold" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 on June 28, 2008, due to digital downloads after the album's release. It debuted on the Hot 100 at number 88 and fell off the next week. It re-entered the Hot 100 on August 23, again at number 88. It peaked at number 3 on the Hot 100 on November 22, making it her second top-three hit. It was in the top ten for 18 weeks ("I Kissed A Girl" spent 14 weeks there). "Hot n Cold" was later certified four-times-platinum by the RIAA. With digital sales now in excess of five million copies, "Hot n Cold" is the best-selling single of her career in the USA, despite never reaching No. 1. In Canada the song debuted at number 73 and reached number 1 on the chart dated November 20, 2008. The song was an even bigger radio hit than "I Kissed a Girl", where it became Perry's first number 1 on both US Mainstream Top 40 and Adult Top 40 radio charts. As of September 2011, it had sold more than 5,011,000 digital downloads in the United States |
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| 3 DOORS DOWN - IT'S NOT MY TIME (2008) hit #17 It's Not My Time" is the first official single from the self-titled fourth studio album by rock band 3 Doors Down. A minute and a half preview of the song is currently available on the band's MySpace page, with the full song having appeared on the internet. The song was digitally released to iTunes on February 19, 2008. An acoustic version was also available on iTunes as a pre-order. It was recorded in Tokyo.
The song officially began playing on U.S. radio on February
18, 2008, but was available for airplay on
Valentine's Day 2008. By its first official day of
release, it was the most added track at both active and
alternative rock radio stations, as well as getting adds to
some Top 40 stations. With less than a week of airplay the
song debuted at number 37 on the Billboard
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for the week of March
1, 2008. It went on to top the chart, becoming the band's
eighth top-ten single, and fifth number one, on the chart.
It debuted at number 38 on the Billboard
Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, eventually peaking at
number five. The song peaked at number 17 on the
Billboard Hot 100, making it the band's fifth top twenty
pop hit. The song became their second number one on the
Adult Top 40, following "Here
Without You".
In Canada, Finland, and New Zealand it has reached the top twenty, peaking at #20 on the Canadian Hot 100, #12 in Finland, and #18 in New Zealand. It is their third top forty hit in Australia, peaking at #26. It has also reached the top forty in Germany
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| ESTELLE - AMERICAN BOY (2008) hit #9
American Boy" is the second single from the album
Shine by
British
R&B singer
Estelle and features
American rapper
Kanye West. The song is her first international single.
The song won the
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and was also nominated for
Song of the Year at the
51st Grammy Awards.
The song was listed at #238 on Pitchfork Media's Top 500 songs of the 2000s
American Boy" is Estelle's biggest hit charting in 18
different official charts in the world. The single debuted
at number 72 in
UK Singles Chart. It then dropped out and re-entered at
number 1 two weeks later, and stayed four weeks at the
summit of the chart. "American Boy" remained in the UK Top
40 for 22 consecutive weeks and became the sixth
biggest-selling single of 2008. The single has also charted
on the
Irish Singles Chart the same week where it entered at
number eight on downloads and peaked at number two.
In the U.S, the song debuted at #98, her first appearance in Billboard Hot 100. The single rose to #9 on the chart and #8 on Hot Digital Songs. As previously mentioned above, the single and its parent album were then removed from the U.S iTunes store, prompting the single to plummet from #11 to #37 on the following week's Hot 100. The album and song were then added back to the iTunes store on 9 September 2008. After this, "American Boy" reached a new peak on the Hot 100 of #9, becoming Estelle's first U.S. top ten hit. Also, it debuted at #96 and peaked at #9 on the Canadian Hot 100. The song has sold over 1,500,000 downloads in the US. The single debuted at number 7 in Australia and so far peaked number 3. "American Boy" is Estelle's highest charting single since "1980", which peaked number 36. In New Zealand the single first appeared on 1 April 2008 on New Zealand Chart debuting at number 25. After a couple of weeks, it cracked the top 5 of the chart peaking number 5. It was also her first appearance in New Zealand RIANZ Chart. |
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| KATY PERRY - I KISSED A GIRL (2008) hit #1
"I Kissed a Girl" is a song performed by American
recording artist
Katy Perry for her debut album
One of the Boys (2008). It was released as the
album's first single on April 28, 2008 through
Capitol Records. It was written by Perry,
Lukasz Gottwald,
Max Martin and
Cathy Dennis, with production helmed by Gottwald under
his production name Dr. Luke. Perry says the song is "about
the magical beauty of a woman".
The song is a electro-rock number that runs through a
throbbing beat and contains influences of New Wave.
"I Kissed a Girl" received mixed reception for music critics upon reviewing the parent album, praising its sound and structure while highly criticizing its lyrical content. The song drew controversy for its irreverent lyrics and was notably criticized by numerous critics and singers. The song experienced commercial success domestically as well as internationally. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for seven consecutive weeks. The single has sold over 4,155,000 digital copies in the US alone. "I Kissed a Girl" is one of six Perry songs to top 4 million paid downloads in the US, the others being "Hot n Cold", "California Gurls", "Firework", "E.T." and "Teenage Dream". It has reached the summit of the charts in nearly twenty countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom while peaking within the top five in other European countries like Belgium, Finland and France. The song was one of the best selling singles worldwide, selling 8 million copies, became the 21st song with the most paid downloads in history. "I Kissed a Girl" debuted at number 76 at Billboard Hot 100. After a couple of weeks, the single hit the top 5, due to the rising digital downloads and increasing radio airplay. It continued to rise the next week, reaching #2 just behind her labelmate, Coldplay. The following week, the song reached the summit of the US chart, becoming the 1000th #1 song of the rock era (the 961st #1 on the Billboard Hot 100).[40] In addition the song also gave the Capitol label two consecutive Hot 100 #1's, as the week's prior #1 was fellow Capitol artist Coldplay's "Viva la Vida", making it the first time since 1976 Capitol has had two back to back chart toppers on the Hot 100. |
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| LUPE FIASCO - SUPERSTAR (2008) hit #10
Superstar" is a song performed by
rapper
Lupe Fiasco featuring
Matthew Santos. It is the first single off his 2007
album
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool.
iTunes released "Superstar" on September 25, 2007 along
with a radio version of "Dumb It Down."
On November 5, 2007 the official video was released and it was directed by Hype Williams. It premiered on BET's 106 & Park on November 23 and on February 19 it moved up to the number one spot on the countdown. As of December 31, it appeared at number 84 on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2007 countdown. The song is featured on the soundtrack of NFL Tour and recently NHL 2K10. Star baseball player Hanley Ramirez uses the song as his walk-up music at Florida Marlins home games. In the song Lupe yells "FREE CHILLY" that is a reference to another song on his album. The song "Free Chilly" is about Lupe's business partner "Chilly" who was sentenced to 44 years in jail during the recording of "The Cool". Lupe told singer Mariah Carey that he wrote the song Superstar with her in mind. Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. He also performs as the frontman of rock band Japanese Cartoon under his real name. As an entrepreneur, Fiasco is the chief executive officer of 1st and 15th Entertainment. |
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| DANITY KANE - DAMAGED (2008) hit #10
Damaged" is a
dance-pop song by
American
R&B group
Danity Kane. It was written by Justin Walker,
Sean Combs,
Mario Winans, Jonathan Yip, Jeremy Reeves,
Micayle McKinney, Ray Romulos, Shannon "Slam" Lawrence,
Rose Marie Tan, and James Smith.
The song was produced by the
Stereotypes, with additional production from Combs and
Winans,
for the band's second studio album,
Welcome to the Dollhouse.
Released as the album's lead single on January 29, 2008 stateside, the song reached number 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, where it became the band's second non-consecutive top 10 entry and hit double-platinum status. "Damaged" also peaked at #6 on the US Pop 100 Charts. The song spent 3 weeks at the top of the Hot Dance Club Play charts. In addition, "Damaged" reached the top 30 on the Canadian Hot 100, also entering the Irish Singles Chart and "Bubbling Under Hot 100 Hip-Hop/R&B Tracks" chart.
The song was released to legal
digital download sites on January 29, 2008 in the United
States.
In the UK, despite their album being giving an advertising
campaign in the UK
iTunes store, the song failed to chart on the top 100
songs or the top 100 pop songs. However, it has debuted on
the
Canadian Hot 100 at number seventy-two and has so far
peaked at number twenty-six.
In Australia, despite a total lack of promotion, the song continues to steadily climb the iTunes top 100 songs charts, and has peaked at 25. The physical CD single was released on August 23, and subsequently Damaged debuted on the official Australian ARIA Urban charts at number 12 |
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| BEYONCE - SINGLE LADIES (2008) hit #1
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" is a song by
American recording artist
Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album,
I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). It was released by
Columbia Records on October 12, 2008, as the album's
lead single alongside "If
I Were a Boy", showcasing the contrast between Knowles'
persona as herself and her aggressive onstage
alter ego Sasha Fierce. Inspired by her secret marriage
to
Jay-Z in April 2008, the song explores men's
unwillingness to commit, a topic that motivated Knowles to
write "Single Ladies", "the only public statement [Knowles
and Jay-Z] ever made about marriage".
Composed by Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Thaddis "Kuk" Harrell and Knowles, "Single Ladies" is a dance-pop song with R&B, dancehall, disco and bounce influences. According to the lyrics, the female protagonist is in a club to celebrate after a recent end to a poor relationship; her former lover is also present. The song and the repeated refrain, "If you like it then you should have put a ring on it", are directed to him. Critics praised the song for its smooth production and noted its similarity to Knowles' 2007 single "Get Me Bodied". "Single Ladies" won the Grammy Awards for the Song of the Year, Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. It received many other awards and nominations between 2008 and 2010, and was named one of the best songs of 2008 by media outlets including MTV News, Rolling Stone, and Time magazine. It was also included on many critics' list of the best songs of the 2000s. "Single Ladies" peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and has been certified quadruple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having sold more than 4.84 million digital copies as of mid-March 2012. The song reached the top ten on the singles charts of Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom, and achieved multi-platinum certifications in many of these countries. As of November 2009, "Single Ladies" had sold more than 6.1 million digital copies worldwide becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time worldwide. |
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| PINK - SO WHAT (2008) hit #1
So What" is a song recorded by American recording
artist
Pink for her fifth studio album,
Funhouse (2008). The song was written by Pink,
Max Martin and
Shellback while production was handled by Martin.
Selected as the album's debut single, "So What" was first
released to mainstream radios on August 25, 2008, through
LaFace and
Jive Records. The song incorporates musical styles of
pop-rock and
dance-pop while consisting of a martial beat and
synth backing. The lyrics are based on her separation
from motocross racer
Carey Hart, which occurred six months prior to the
release.
"So What" received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics; many praised it for its aggressive and empowering nature while others deemed it childish and bratty. The song was also successful commercially, topping the charts in several countries across Europe and Oceania and peaking within the top five worldwide. In the United States, the song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first number one hit on the chart as a solo artist and her second overall. "So What" also became her highest selling single in the United States, with sales of four million downloads. The music video for "So What" was directed by longtime collaborator Dave Meyers. It shows Pink drinking while on an all-terrain vehicle, sawing down a tree, streaking on a red carpet appearance and other activities. The video also features a cameo appearance from Hart. Pink performed "So What" on MTV Europe Music Awards 2008 on November 6, 2008. The song was nominated for several awards, eventually winning the MTV Europe Music Award for the Most Addictive Track. Alecia Beth Moore (born September 8, 1979), better known by her stage name Pink (often stylized as P!nk), is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress. After her three-year career with the contemporary R&B girl group Choice, in 2000 she released her first single "There You Go," from her debut album Can't Take Me Home. The song garnered commercial success, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2001, she released her second, more pop rock-oriented, studio album, Missundaztood with "Get the Party Started" being her highest charting solo single (tied with "Most Girls") until "So What" in 2008, peaking at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. |
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| LADY GAGA - JUST DANCE (2008) hit #1
Just Dance" is the debut single by American recording
artist
Lady Gaga. The song was produced by
RedOne and co-written by RedOne, Gaga and
Akon (who also provides additional vocals), while also
featuring labelmate
Colby O'Donis. It was released in 2008 as the
lead single from Gaga's debut studio album
The Fame. The song was written by Gaga in ten
minutes as "a happy record". "Just Dance" also has
influences of
R&B and lyrically speaks about being
intoxicated at a
club. Tod Tucker, Operations Manager in Tulsa, Oklahoma
at KHTT gave "Just Dance" its first radio airplay in the
U.S., according to Mediabase.
The song has been critically appreciated, with reviewers complimenting its club anthem-like nature and the synthpop associated with it. The song has also achieved commercial success by topping charts in the United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, as well as reaching the top ten in many other countries. In the United States, "Just Dance" was a sleeper hit, spending almost five months on the Billboard Hot 100 before finally reaching the summit of the chart in January 2009, after being released in April 2008. It scored the third-biggest single-week sum of all time selling 419,000 downloads in just one week and went to become the second best-selling digital song of all time in the U.S. The single is among the best-selling singles of all time, having sold over 7.7 million copies. In the United States, "Just Dance" was a club-hit after its release, peaking at number two on both the Hot Dance Airplay and Hot Dance Club Play charts during the summer of 2008. The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at seventy-six on August 16, 2008. It rose to number two on the Hot 100, after selling 419,000 in downloads on January 10, 2009. In the same issue, the song rose to number one on the Pop 100. The next week, the song finally rose to number one on the Hot 100. The single took twenty-two weeks to hit the top spot, which is the second-longest climb to number one since Creed's "With Arms Wide Open" took twenty-seven weeks before finally reaching number one in November 2000 |
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| CARRIE UNDERWOOD - LAST NAME (2008) hit #19 Last Name" is the title of a song composed by country singer Carrie Underwood, Hillary Lindsey and Luke Laird. It is the third single from Underwood's second studio album, Carnival Ride. It was released in the United States on April 7, 2008, by which point the song had already charted. At the 51st Grammy Awards, the song won Underwood her third consecutive Grammy award for "Best Female Country Vocal Performance". It has sold 1,078,000 copies to date
The song debuted at number 46 on the U.S.
Billboard
Hot Country Songs chart, nearly a month before the
single's official release. For the week of June 21, 2008 it
rose from number five to number one, to become her fifth
straight number one on the Billboard chart, her
seventh straight number one country single, and her eighth
number one Billboard single overall. This marked
Underwood as the first solo female artist to have five
consecutive number one's on the country survey in almost
twenty years, since
Rosanne Cash had a string of six number one titles
between 1987-89.
It is the third country number one from Carnival Ride
and reached the top of the chart faster than the first two
singles, taking only thirteen weeks. "Last Name" has sold
about 1,078,000 downloads as of August 2011.
On the Hot 100 the song has reached number nineteen, making it Underwood's fifth top twenty Hot 100 hit, and the second from Carnival Ride. Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American country singer, songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005. Underwood has since become a multi-platinum selling recording artist, a winner of several Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards and American Music Awards, a Golden Globe Award nominee, a three-time Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Female Vocalist winner, and a two-time ACM Entertainer of the Year. She is the first-ever female artist to win back-to-back Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards for Entertainer of the Year (2009/10). Underwood was inducted into and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2008. She was also inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2009. Billboard named Underwood Country Music's reigning Queen in 2012 |
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| ZAC BROWN BAND - CHICKEN FRIED (2008) hit #20 Chicken Fried" is the title of a song which has been recorded by two different bands. The first version was recorded in 2003 by the Zac Brown Band, whose frontman Zac Brown wrote it, for the 2005 album Home Grown. A second version was then released in 2006 by The Lost Trailers, whose version was released as a single but withdrawn from radio. Two years later, the Zac Brown Band re-recorded the song and released it as the first single from their album The Foundation. In late 2008, it became their first chart single, as well as their first number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The Zac Brown Band version was also featured in the 2008 movie Witless Protection, starring Larry the Cable Guy.
The Zac Brown Band first recorded "Chicken Fried" in 2003
and later included this version on their self-released 2005
album Home Grown. Later on, in 2006,
The Lost Trailers covered the song as their first
release for the
BNA Records label. Although The Lost Trailers' version
had entered the country charts, it was soon withdrawn from
radio and replaced with "Call Me Crazy", as Brown had
changed his mind about licensing the song to BNA. "Call Me
Crazy" then went on to peak at #43 in mid-2006.
In 2008, the Zac Brown Band re-recorded "Chicken Fried" for their fourth album, The Foundation, which Keith Stegall produced. This re-recording was then released in mid-2008 as the band's first single, reaching Number One on the country charts in late 2008. Zac Brown Band is an American country band based in Atlanta, Georgia. The lineup consists of Zac Brown (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy De Martini (fiddle, vocals), John Driskell Hopkins (bass guitar, vocals), Coy Bowles (guitar, keyboards), Chris Fryar (drums), Clay Cook (guitar, keyboards, mandolin, steel guitar, vocals), and Daniel de los Reyes (percussion). The band has toured throughout the United States, including a slot on the 2009 and 2010 Bonnaroo Music Festival. They have also recorded four studio albums, and charted eight Number One singles on the Billboard country charts: "Chicken Fried", "Toes", "Highway 20 Ride", "Free", "As She's Walking Away", "Colder Weather", "Knee Deep" and "Keep Me In Mind", in addition to the singles "Whatever It Is" and "No Hurry", which peaked at number 2 on the same chart |
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| YAEL NAIM - NEW SOUL (2008) hit #7
New Soul" is a song by the
French-Israeli
indie folk singer
Yael Naïm, from her
eponymous album. The song has gained popularity in the
U.S. following its use by
Apple in an advertisement for their
MacBook Air laptop. In the song Naïm sings of being a
new soul who has come into the world to learn "a bit 'bout
how to give and take." However she finds that things are
harder than they seem. The song, also featured in the films
The House Bunny and
Wild Target, features a prominent "la la la la"
section as its hook. It remains Naïm's biggest hit single in
the USA to date, and her only one to reach the Top 10 of the
Billboard Hot 100.
The video shows Naïm moving into an empty apartment. She covers the walls in wallpaper depicting a lake surrounded by forest. She then begins unpacking several other things, including furniture, a piano, a goldfish in a bowl and a number of photographs of people, which she hangs on the wall. As she hangs the photographs, the people in the pictures are shown in real life, in the setting depicted in the pictures. Naïm then begins painting on the photographs, and whatever she paints appears with the people in real life. She removes one of the pictures to discover a hole in the wall, revealing the actual forest setting shown in the wallpaper. She pushes on the wall, and it falls away into the lake. The remaining walls fall onto the water leaving the floor of the apartment like a raft floating on the lake, together with her furniture. The people from her pictures reach her by boat. They climb onto the makeshift raft with her, as they all celebrate, dancing and playing instruments, whilst she empties the goldfish bowl into the lake. In the issue dated February 16, 2008, "New Soul" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number 9, giving Naïm her first single ever to enter any U.S. chart. It reached #7 on the Hot 100 before falling to #42 the following week making it one of the largest falls from the top 10 in Billboard history. It later rebounded into the top 50 due to being featured on the Apple MacBook Air commercials, but nonetheless the song spent a total of 19 weeks on the chart. It debuted at #44 on the Canadian Hot 100, and jumped to #7 on the chart the following week. In her birth country of France, the single has reached #2 so far on the French Singles Chart. In February 2008, it debuted on the UK Singles Chart at #42 and reached #30 one month later. |
| RIHANNA - DON'T STOP THE MUSIC (2008) hit #3
Don't Stop the Music" is a song by
Barbadian recording artist
Rihanna recorded for her third studio album
Good Girl Gone Bad (2007). It was written by Tawanna
Dabney,
Michael Jackson,
Mikkel S. Eriksen and
Tor Erik Hermansen with its production helmed by the
latter two under their stage-name
Stargate. The song was released as the album's fourth
single on September 7, 2007 worldwide. "Don't Stop the
Music" is a
dance-pop
and
techno song that features a wide variety of rhythmic
devices used mainly in
hip hop music. The song samples the line, "Mama-say,
mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa" which is taken from Jackson's 1983
single "Wanna
Be Startin' Somethin'". For using the line, both Rihanna
and Jackson faced a lawsuit from the Cameroonian musician
Manu Dibango, who claimed that the hook is originally
from his 1972 song "Soul
Makossa".
"It was nominated for several accolades, eventually winning the award for Best International Song at the 2008 NRJ Music Awards. "Don't Stop the Music" was commercial success, reaching number-one in over ten countries worldwide including Australia, Austria, France, Germany and Switzerland. The single peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The song was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling more than 3 million copies in the US. Don't Stop the Music" reached the top-seven in more than twenty countries worldwide. It debuted at number 94 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in the issue dated December 8, 2007. After two months on the chart, on February 16, 2008, the song reached its peak at number three It thus became Rihanna's fourth single to reach the top three on the chart. "Don't Stop the Music" stayed on the chart for 30 weeks, logging as Rihanna's longest charting song on the Hot 100 to date. It topped the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart, one which it became Rihanna's sixth number one single. The song peaked at number three on the US Pop Songs chart. It was certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after three million downloads of the song were sold. The single reached number two on the Canadian Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for period of 52 weeks overall. It became only Rihanna's second song to reach the top three on the Canadian Hot 100, after "Umbrella" peaked at number one |
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| BRITNEY SPEARS - CIRCUS (2008) hit #3
Circus" is a song by American recording artist
Britney Spears from her sixth studio album,
Circus (2008). It was released on December 2, 2008,
by
Jive Records as the second single from the album.
Written by Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly and Benny Blanco, "Circus"
is a metaphor for the public's perception of Spears' life.
After she listened to the track for the first time, she felt
inspired to create an album and a tour with a
circus theme. "Circus" is an uptempo
dance-pop song with elements of
pop rock and "half-rapped"
vocals. The song's lyrics talk about being an entertainer
and putting on shows.
"Circus" was well received by contemporary critics, with reviewers complimenting Spears' confident persona, while praising its electronic production. "Circus" was a commercial success, peaking inside the top-ten in Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, and Sweden, while reaching top-twenty positions in many European countries. In the United States, "Circus" reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on Pop Songs and is her second best-selling digital song in the country, having sold over 2.8 million copies. The track is among the best-selling singles of all time, having sold 5.5 million copies worldwide. On December 20, 2008, "Circus" debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 due to digital sales of over 212,000 units. It was her first top-ten debut on the chart. On the week of March 7, 2009, the song reached number one on the Pop Songs chart and number three on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. As of June 2012, "Circus" has sold 2,966,000 paid digital downloads in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan. It is her second best-selling digital single in the country |
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| TAYLOR SWIFT - OUR SONG (2008) hit #16
Our Song" is a
country music song performed by American
singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift. The song was written by Swift and produced
by
Nathan Chapman. It was released on August 22, 2007 by
Big Machine Records as the third
single from Swift's eponymous debut album,
Taylor Swift (2006). Swift solely composed "Our
Song" for the
talent show of her freshman year in high school, about a
boyfriend who she did not have a song with.
"Our Song" was met with great praise from contemporary critics, some who deemed it one of Swift's best singles, and commercial success. The song charted within the top thirty and top twenty on the Canadian Hot 100 and Billboard Hot 100, respectively. In the United States, it became Swift's first number one single on the Hot Country Songs Chart, maintaining the position for six consecutive weeks, and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). A music video accompanying "Our Song" was directed by Trey Fanjoy and features Swift performing in various settings, including a front porch. The video won both nominations for "Video of the Year" and "Female Video of the Year" at the 2008 CMT Music Awards. On the week ending October 13, 2007, "Our Song" debuted at number eighty-six on the Billboard Hot 100. In the following week, the song ascended to number sixty-seven on the chart and, on the week ending January 19, 2008, reached its peak at number sixteen. "Our Song" spent a total of thirty-six weeks upon the Billboard Hot 100. On Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart, it debuted at number fifty-five and charted at number six on the week ending December 15, 2007. In the succeeding week, the song jumped to number one on Hot Country Songs, becoming the largest leap the top position since Tim McGraw's "Just to See You Smile" in January 1998, which also ascended from number six to number one. The song's appearance at number one on Hot Country Songs also became Swift's first and made Swift, then eighteen, the youngest sole writer and singer of a number one country song. "Our Song" remained in the top position on Hot Country Songs for six consecutive weeks |
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| BRITNEY SPEARS - PIECE OF ME (2008) hit #16
Piece of Me" is a song by American recording artist
Britney Spears from her fifth studio album,
Blackout. It was released on November 27, 2007 by
Jive Records as the second single from the album. The
song was co-written and produced by
Bloodshy & Avant as a response to the
media scrutiny and sensationalism of Spears' private
life, which they had seen by working with her over the
years. "Piece of Me" was the last song to be recorded for
Blackout. The self-manifesto
song's lyrics are written like a biography retelling her
mishaps. Musically, "Piece of Me" is an
electro song that runs through a down-tempo dance beat.
Spears' voice is heavily synthesized, and constantly shifts
in
pitch. Backing vocals are provided by Bloodshy & Avant
and
Robyn.
The song has received general critical acclaim, praising its production and defiant lyrics, while citing it as one of the highlights from Blackout. Rolling Stone ranked the song at number fifteen on their list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. It was also commercially successful, peaking at number one in Ireland and reaching top ten positions in Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it became the second single from the album to have peaked at the top of the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The music video, directed by Wayne Isham, portrayed Spears' life at the time and showed her with her friends disguising themselves in order to confuse the paparazzi. Isham's concept was to have Spears confidently parodying her situation. It received mixed reviews from critics, most arguing her body was digitally altered. The video was nominated in three categories at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards and won all of them, including Video of the Year. "Piece of Me" was performed at The Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009) and the Femme Fatale Tour (2011). |