Miley Cyrus’ ‘Wrecking Ball’ Swings Atop Hot 100

The song becomes Cyrus’ first No. 1 on the chart, blasting 22-1 on the strength of lofty streaming and sales totals following the release of its much buzzed-about video

Miley Cyrus smashes her way to her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, as “Wrecking Ball” rockets 22-1 with top Streaming and Sales Gainer honors. The song knocks Katy Perry’s “Roar” out of the top spot after two weeks.

Cyrus previously rose as high as No. 2 on the Hot 100 with two songs: prior single “We Can’t Stop” and 2009’s “Party in the U.S.A.”

Let’s run down all the numbers for this week’s top 10.

The suggestive video for “Ball” made a record-breaking start, drawing 19.3 million global VEVO views in its first 24 hours following its Sept. 9 posting. With the Hot 100’s streaming component encompassing U.S.-only views for VEVO videos on YouTube, among streams on other services, the song soars 21-1 on Streaming Songs with a 1,565% gain to 36.5 million streams in the chart’s tracking week, according to Nielsen BDS. Of that sum 92% are from YouTube views.

“Ball” concurrently crowns the subscription services-based On-Demand Songs chart, vaulting 18-1 with a 275% increase to 2.8 million, the highest total in the chart’s 18-month history.

Given the buzz surrounding “Ball” and its video, it’s no surprise that the song charges 10-1 on Digital Songs with 477,000 downloads sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. (It’s her second Digital Songs No. 1, following “Party,” which led for six weeks.) The sum is a new best for Cyrus, passing the 285,000 that “Party” sold over Christmas week 2009. It’s also the second-best total this year: Perry’s “Roar” opened with 557,000 four weeks ago.

With RCA Records having just begun promoting the song to radio last week, “Ball” is just getting rolling in airplay. It starts on Radio Songs at No. 59 with 21 million all-format audience impressions (up 327%), according to BDS. On Pop Songs, “Ball” bows at No. 35.

(Extra bragging rights: While Cyrus was already one of three members of her family to have reached the Hot 100’s top 10, she’s the first to top the tally. Her dad Billy Ray climbed to No. 4 with “Achy Breaky Heart” in 1992 (four months before Miley was born) and brother Trace rose to No. 10 as part of Metro Station with “Shake It” in 2008.)

“Ball” soars to the Hot 100’s summit with an almost two-to-one lead in overall chart points (up 700%) over Perry’s “Roar” (down 10%) after the latter led the list the last two weeks. Still, “Roar” (1-2) claims the Hot 100’s Airplay Gainer award for a third consecutive week. It holds at No. 2 on Radio Songs with a 20% lift to 148 million.

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Last week, “Roar” benefitted from the premiere of its video on Sept. 5, which helped spur a 33% gain in streaming. This week, “Roar” backtracks 1-2 on Streaming Songs (8.9 million, down 26%) and 1-2 Digital Songs (331,000, down 11%).

As previously reported, Perry ties the record for the most No. 1s (10) on Pop Songs, where “Roar” rumbles 5-1.

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Lorde makes it three women in the Hot 100’s top three, as “Royals” ranks at No. 3 for a second week. The song shows a 17% increase to 263,000 downloads sold (although it retreats 2-3 on Digital Songs); jumps 8-5 on Streaming Songs (5 million, up 25%); and reaches the Radio Songs top 10 (13-5; 89 million, up 25%). As reported Monday, with its sixth week atop Alternative Songs, “Royals” becomes the longest-leading No. 1 by a lead woman in the chart’s 25-year history, passing Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know.” “Royals” tops Hot Rock Songs for a third week.

(How notable is an all-girls club in the Hot 100’s top three positions? Women billed as leads hadn’t monopolized the top region in a year-and-a-half, with Perry also figuring into the last such occurrence: the week of March 3, 2012, her “Part of Me” debuted at No. 1, followed by Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” (2-2). Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” rose to No. 3 after re-entering at No. 7 the week before following her death.)

Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” (featuring T.I. and Pharrell) descends 2-4 on the Hot 100 but logs an 11th week atop Radio Songs (175 million, down 10%). It leads R&B Songs for an 18th week and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for a 15th frame.

Avicii’s “Wake Me Up!” holds at No. 5 on the Hot 100 with across-the-board gains. It’s up by 8% in streaming (to 4.3 million) and 3% in sales (to 202,000). On Radio Songs, it flies into the top 10 (16-7) with a 27% rise to 87 million. The track tops Dance/Electronic Songs for a second week.

Jay Z’s “Holy Grail” (featuring Justin Timberlake) slips 4-6 on the Hot 100, despite increasing by 13% in airplay to 116 million. It rules Rap Songs for a seventh week.

Like Avicii, Lady Gaga advances in all three Hot 100 measurement metrics with “Applause” (7-7). It lifts 6-5 on Digital Songs (184,000, up 15%), 11-9 on Streaming Songs (3.7 million, up 16%) and 22-18 on Radio Songs (59 million, up 26%).

Eminem’s “Berzerk” rebounds 10-8 on the Hot 100 after it fell last week from its No. 3 debut rank (a typical second-week plummet for a song that makes a flashy sales start before its airplay and streaming levels rise). This week, the track pounces 15-3 on Streaming Songs (5.5 million, up 111%) after its official video premiered on Sept. 9. It rises 49-42 on Radio Songs (29 million, up 11%) but regresses 4-6 on Digital Songs (165,000, down 12%).

Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home” (featuring Majid Jordan) dips 8-9 on the Hot 100 but reaches the Radio Songs top 10 (12-8; 87 million, up 19%). It rises 9-8 on Digital Songs (143,000, up 13%) and bullets at No. 14 on Streaming Songs (2.8 million, up 3%).

Lana Del Rey & Cedric Gervais’ “Summertime Sadness” rounds out the Hot 100’s top 10. Although it falls four spots from its No. 6 peak, it gains by 9% in airplay to 88 million and pushes 8-6 on Radio Songs.

Via – billboard