On the Charts: Demi Lovato & Kings of Leon Debut High, Metallica Rule
The Big News: Metallica held off three big debuts to hold onto the Number One spot, as Death Magnetic sold another 132,000 copies to stay atop the charts for the third consecutive week. Disney’s newest export Demi Lovato grabbed Number Two thanks to the 89,000 Camp Rock fans who bought her album Don’t Forget. The Pussycat Dolls ranked fourth with Doll Domination and Kings of Leon scored their best chart position ever as Only by the Night entered at five with 74,000 copies sold. The band’s previous best rank was 25 with last year’s Because of the Times. Ne-Yo’s Year of the Gentleman dropped from two to three. NOTE: Sales figures for this week have been revised — original reports had Kings of Leon in fourth and the Dolls in fifth.
Debuts: It was a big week for the rookies with many high-profile releases. TV on the Radio’s third album Dear Science entered at number 12, while Jackson Browne’s Time the Conqueror claimed 20, just edging the Cold War Kids’ Loyalty to Loyalty. Jenny Lewis’ Acid Tongue took 24, David Gilmour’s expansive Live in Gdansk slotted at 26 and the Plain White T’s Big Bad World landed at Number 33.
Last Week’s Heroes: While Death Magnetic continues to be heroic, everything else was upended by the big debuts. Nelly’s Brass Knuckles suffered the largest fall, dropping from three to 19 in its second week. Kid Rock’s Rock N Roll Jesus dropped out of the top five, and after 16 weeks in the upper tier, Lil Wayne and his Tha Carter III finally fell out of the Top 10, gracefully landing at 11. Finally, a pair of soundtracks passed the platinum plateau: the Lovato and Jonas Brothers-fueled Camp Rock and the indestructible Mamma Mia!
Related Stories:
• Kings of Leon Craft Epic Fourth Album
• Album Review: Original Soundtrack, Camp Rock
• Jackson Browne: Talking With the Great Pretender