Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
What in the name of Debbie Gibson's ass is going on here? Miley Cyrus has a #1 iTunes single under her own name and collaborated on the song that comes in at #7 with the rest of her Disney co-conspirators? And what's with the moniker chosen for Demi Lovato, Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez, and the aforementioned Cyrus? Disney's Friends For Change? Is it 2012 already? Has this generation of superstars gone Republican? I'm betting not but I refuse to investigate this.
This is another reminder of the power of youth culture (suppressing the desire to sing They Might Be Giants). The Disney kids are all over the charts and Taylor Swift is here, too.
Now you may wonder why I'm overcome with a sense of shock and dismay each week when I see Top 10 selling singles on the iTunes Music Watch each week. Wonder no more. According to CNET, one in four songs sold in the U.S. are sold through iTunes. Physical CDs still sell more than digital, but the digital share is increasing and iTunes has 70 percent of that market. If you want to know where the music world is at any given moment, here is your answer. Tell me you're not depressed.
iTunes' top 10 selling singles of the week ending Aug. 17, 2009:
1. "Party In the U.S.A" – Miley Cyrus
2. "I Gotta Feeling" – Black Eyed Peas
3. "Run This Town (feat. Rihanna & Kanye West)" Jay-Z
4. "Down" – Jay Sean
5. "Use Somebody," Kings of Leon
6. "Good Girls Go Bad (feat. Leighton Meester)" – Cobra Starship
7. "Send It On (feat. Demi Lovato, Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus & Selena Gomez)" – Disney's Friends for Change
8. "Hotel Room Service" – Pitbull
9. "You Belong With Me" – Taylor Swift
10. "She Wolf" – Shakira
We've all heard the jokes about how only Keith Richards and/or Cher will survive nuclear devastation along with the cockroaches. I'm putting George Strait on that list. Not only is this 2,000th album (I'm rounding that number down), he's at #1! He's at #1 on the albums chart when kids young enough to be his great-grandkids (okay, grandkids) are dominating the singles. That just doesn't happen.
The Fray's self-titled new album debuts at #5 and as predicted last week, Jessie James makes her mark on the chart. I thought it would be on the singles chart with the other youngsters, but she's here on the grown-up album chart (read Clayton Perry's interview with James about her record).
iTunes' top 10 selling albums of the week ending Aug. 17, 2009:
1. Twang – George Strait
2. Only By the Night – Kings of Leon
3. Hot Mess – Cobra Starship
4. Beggars – Thrice
5. The Fray – The Fray
6. (500) Days of Summer – Various Artists
7. The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies) – Black Eyed Peas
8. Jessie James – Jessie James
9. Fearless – Taylor Swift
10. Slaughterhouse – Slaughterhouse
