Play Overtake Swedish Chart Throne with “Famous”

Female trio Play certainly managed to revive the career as the new single overtake the No.1 spot, climbing four places. “Famous” was the theme of the documentary (Made in Sweden) following the group’s way back to the spotlight. They will need to look out for fierce competition as Brolle climbs 4-2 with “Anything She Wants.” The singer made his breakthrough in the talent show Popstars back in 2001 and has placed songs such as “Playing with Fire” “Heartbreak City” on the charts. Swedish singer Nanne Grönwall returns to the chart with a new entry at No.4. “I natt är jag din” is the first entry since “Otacksamhet” reached No.2 last September. To date, she has managed to reach No.1 once with  “Håll om mig” back in 2005.

‘“We Are the World 25: For Haiti” climbs 17-5 in its second week and Lazee’s charity single “Calling Out” continues its climb to No.7 in its third week. k.d. Lang’s “Hallelujah” has already managed to reach No.2 in Canada. Not that strange, since her performance at the Olympics opening ceremony in Vancouver has fueled worldwide success. Currently struggling at No.61 on the Billboard Hot 100, Lang’s faired far better in Sweden where she scores her first real hit. The Leonard Cohen cover sits at No.12 and appears in the top 40 in Denmark and Norway as well. David Guetta and Kid Cudi’s “Memories” enters at No.29. So far, both “When Love Takes Over” (with Kelly Rowland) and “Sexy Bitch” (with Akon) have reached No.2, while “How Soon Is Now” only managed reach No.52.

On the album chart, Peter Gabriel’s the highest new entry at No.5 with the cover album Scratch My Back. The only other newcomer comes from Owl City, whose Ocean Eyes enters at No.44. The biggest selling album in the country this week is the compilation album RIX FM 2010.

Darin Will Not Be Disqualified

There were speculations in whether Darin’s Melodifestivalen entry would be disqualified as it was available for purchase before the official release.
According to SVT, the mistake was made by the distributor that accidently made the track purchable online. Darin’s “You’re Out of My Life” was downloaded 54 times, which renders him a No.95 position on the download chart. As this, by no means was no fault of Darin’s, there will be no consequences. The song will be officially released later this March. Earlier this week, Sibel and Peter Jöback’s Melodifestivalen entries were leaked online. This prompted SVT to release previews of the tracks far earlier than usual.

Flashback: The Story Behind C+C Music Factory’s “Gonna Make You Sweat”

WelcheMusic takes a trip down memory lane and honors C+C Music Factory in this blogpost. “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” was initially released back in 1990, but didn’t break until 1991. It eventually became a Billboard Hot 100 No.1, and reached the top spot in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The track peaked at No.5 in Sweden.

The men behind the C’s were actually producers David Cole and Robert Clivillés. Little did they know about the controversy that they were going to cause. Vocalist Martha Wash was replaced in the video by Zelma Davis. Let’s just say that one looks like a supermodel, the other doesn’t. Wash was one of the members of The Weather Girls (“It’s Raining Men”) and this wasn’t the first time she was replaced by a model. Back in 1989, Italian Katherine Quinol fronted Black Box on hits such as “Everybody Everybody” and “I Don’t Know Anybody Else.” It’s important to stress that she did not sing the vocals on “Ride on Time,” which was based on Loleatta Holloway’s “Love Sensation.”

“Gonna Make you Sweat” did not only launched the career of C+C Music Factory, it also made the producers the talk of the town. In 1992, the team produced Whitney Houston’s Chaka Khan cover “I’m Every Woman” from The Bodyguard and they also produced Mariah Carey’s “Anytime You Need a Friend” and “Now that I Know.” Throughout their career they produced artists such as Aretha Franklin, James Brown and Deborah Cooper.

The track was followed by “Here We Go (Let’s Rock’N’Roll)” and “Things That Make You Go Hmmm…” Sadly, David Cole passed away in 1995, only 32 years old. Cole’s death inspired Mariah Carey to record “One Sweet Day” with soul group Boyz II Men.

Boyz II Men to Perform in Sweden

According to daily news paper Svenska Dagbladet, Boyz II Men will pay Sweden a visit in April. The r’n’b trio hasn’t played here since 2008. They did promise to return within a year, but was held up with recording the cover album Love. They will play Göta Källare on Apr.26.

The group debuted in 1991 with Cooleyhighharmoney. The debut hit was called “Motownphilly,” which peaked at No.3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The first US No.1 came in 1992 when the group placed “End of the Road” on top. The track was featured in the movie Boomerang, starring Eddie Murphy and was written and produced by Babyface, L.A. Reid and Daryl Simmons. In 1993-1995, the group had a string of hits including the No.1s “I’ll Make Love to You,” “On Bended Knee” and “One Sweet Day” with Mariah Carey. They returned to the top in 1997 when “4 Seasons of Loneliness” was issued as the first single from their fifth album Evolution. Although the group issued almost ten singles in the ‘00s, none made any impact on the charts.

Black Eyed Peas Knocks Ke$ha Off the Top

Black Eyed Peas’ “Imma Be” becomes the third track from The E.N.D. to reach the No.1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was actually issued as the first promo single and samples The Budos Band’s “Ride or Die.” Before officially being released as a single, it reached No.50 on the Hot 100 based on downloads alone. So far, it has also charted in Canada, Australia and Hungary. In Europe, “Rock That Body” was released as a single instead.

Last year, Black Eyed Peas managed to top the Hot 100 chart for 26 weeks with “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling.” The third single, “Meet Me Halfway” peaked at No.7.

This means that Ke$ha loses the pole position following a nine week stretch. As she falls to No.2, “TikTok” is trailed by Young Money’s “BedRock,” moving 4-3. “We Are the World 25: For Haiti” slips to No.6 after debuting at the runner-up spot last week.

Sade remains on top with Soldier of Love. Fueled by the success of “Imma Be,” Black Eyed Peas’ The E.N.D. moves 8-3 in its 37th week. The album actually notice a small sales decrease (-2%), but it’s quite a feat to sit at No.3 after such a long time. And even more impressive, Lady Gaga’s The Fame moves 7-4 in its 69th week. Add Taylor Swift’s Fearless, which spends its 67th week at No.10 and the conclusion that it’s a quite “old” chart.

Orianthi’s the Aussie Guitarist Racing the US Charts with Danish Eurovision Entry

Born in 1985, Australian Orianthi Panagaris has already spiced up her resume. Not only has she cracked the US market, she is also the guitarist in Michael Jackson’s concert movie This Is It. Her debut single “According to You” peaked at No.6 in Australia and is currently sitting at No.20 on the Billboard Hot 100. To be fair, the track has reached No.4 on the Billbord Pop Songs chart.The track is included on the latest WelcheMusic compilation which can be found here.

As this wasn’t odd enough, the title track of her current hit album Believe is none other than Niels Brinck’s “Believe Again” – Denmark’s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. A track that was penned by Boyzone singer Ronan Keating.  Watch the original below:

Swedish song-writer Andreas Carlsson has also submitted songs to the album. “Bad News” was written by Carlsson with the help of Desmond Child and Orianthi herself.

Expect Orianthi to get her breakthrough in Europe as well.

The Spaniards Are Hooked on Inna’s Romanian Electro House

Don’t expect to leave a dancefloor this spring without hearing Inna. This Romanian artist has already topped Billboard Hot Dance Airplay Chart – the same chart Agnes topped with “Release Me.” Inna’s gained widespread popularity in Spain (where her debut album’s certified platinum), Ukraine, Belgium, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Russia and the Netherlands. The song is now set to become a hit in the UK and will be released there soon – it has already been picked up by Radio1. The track is included on the latest WelcheMusic compilation, which can be downloaded here.

Lemar Vaults in to the Top Ten with the Help of Norway

Norwegian producers Stargate are responsible for the latest top ten hit from Lemar, “The Way Love Goes” which enters the UK singles chart at No.8. They have already collaborated on the hit “50/50” from 2003. As many young artists, Lemar’s career started in a talent show – the BBC show program Fame Academy, which preceded Idol. This March, Lemar issues his greatest hits collection with a few new tracks.  The singer teams up with immensly popular pop group JLS on the track “What About Love.” Another track, “You Don’t Love Me,” samples The Supremes. Lemar is of English origin and was born in April 1978.

Lemar’s “The Way Love Goes” is featured on the latest WelcheMusic compilation, which can be downloaded here.

BRIT Awards Performance Earns Dizee Rascal & Florence + the Machine Top Hit

Producing a hit does not take a long time these days. Only on Tuesday, Florence + the Machine performed a special version of the hit “You Got the Love” together with Dizee Rascal. The new version interpolates Dizee Rascal’s hit “Dirtee Cash” from September 2009, which peaked at No.10. That track is based on The Adventures of Stevie V’s “Dirty Cash (Money Talks)” from 1990.

Florence + the Machine has already peaked at No.5 on the UK singles chart with “You’ve Got the Love,” which was initally released in January 2009 and later re-issued last November. It remains on the singles chart in its 40th week and sists at No.12 this week. Florence + the Machine and Dizee Rascal reach a new peak as “You Got the Dirtee Love” enters at No.2.Florence + the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over” is featured on the latest WelcheMusic compilation, which can be downloaded here.

The original version of “You Got the Love” was recorded by The Source back in 1986, featuring the vocals of Candi Staton. The track broke commercially in 1991, when it peaked at No.4. In 1997, the track revisited the charts peaking at No.3 as well as in 2006 when the track reached No.7. So, why did this track manage to keep on scoring time and time again? One of the reasons were its inclusion in the final moments of the Sex and the City series finale in 2004.

All in all, a BRIT Awards performance and the track has reached a new peak in its career. Surely, there’s a possibility that it will find its way to the absolute top one day?

Helping Haiti Still on Top of UK Singles Chart

The charity constellation Helping Haiti remains on top of the UK singles chart in its second week. It is trailed by Florence + the Machine and Dizee Rascal single “You Got the Dirtee Love,” which was performed on last week’s BRIT Awards. Owl City, Timbaland & Katy Perry and Alicia Keys are pushed back one place. Rihanna moves 10-6 with “Rude Boy” in its sixth week, while the Glee Casts keep two of its singles in the top ten. “Don’t Stop Believin’” adds a tenth week on the chart and falls 5-7, while “Halo/Walking on Sunshine” remains at No.9. The only other new entry in the top ten is Lemar’s “The Way Love Goes” at No.8. Both Glee Cast’s and Lemar’s track are featured on the WelcheMusic compilation, found here. 3!OH!3 rounds up the top ten with “Startstrukk.”

Other new entries on the chart come from Chris Brown with “Crawl” at No.35.  The track is produced by The Messengers and peaked at No.53 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart when issued at the end of last year. It will get its official single release this March. Leona Lewis’ “I Got You” already made an impact on the chart as well, entering at No.40 although it won’t be offically released until tomorrow. The track was written and produced by Arnthor Birgisson, the man behind Darin’s entry in the Swedish Melodifestivalen contest. “I Got You” is the second track to be lifted from Leona Lewis’ sophomore set Happy, suceeding the title track. It’s also worth mentioning Lewis’ inclusion in the blockbuster Avatar. The lead theme “I See You” peaked at No.28 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and was written by James Horner of “My Heart Will Go On” fame. Horner’s composed the music to both Titanic and Avatar.